Barton MacLane
Age: N/A | From: Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Person Details
Birthday:
Aliases: Ernest Barton MacLane , Barton Mac Lane , Barton Maclane , Barton McLane , Бартон Маклейн
Gender: Male
Place of birth: Columbia, South Carolina, USA
Homepage:
Movie Involvements: 120
TV Involvements: 12
Most Famous Work
Biography
Barton MacLane graduated from Wesleyan University, where he displayed a notable aptitude for sports, in particular football and basketball. Not surprisingly, his physical prowess led to an early role in The Quarterback (1926) with Richard Dix. MacLane once commented that, as an actor, he needed to have the physical strength to tear the bad guys "from limb to limb", if necessary. Ironically, it was usually Barton himself who was destined to be at the end of a hiding (when not getting shot, instead), typically as snarling henchmen, outlaws and other assorted dubious or abrasive types throughout most of his 40-year acting career. In fact, Barton became so typecast that his name was for a time used proverbially, to generally describe a shouting, hard-nosed ruffian. After training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, MacLane joined a stock company in Brooklyn. In 1927 he had his first part on Broadway, a brief moment as an assistant district attorney, in the melodrama "The Trial of Mary Dugan". He then played a small featured role as a police officer in "Subway Express" (1929-30), a drama enacted in the interior of a subway car. In mid-1932 MacLane tried his hand at writing his own starring vehicle for the stage, entitled "Rendezvous". While the play closed after just 21 performances, it led to a contract with Warner Brothers. Barton had already appeared in bit roles for Paramount at their Astoria Studios, including The Marx Brothers' debut film The Cocoanuts (1929). He portrayed mobster Brad Collins in 'G' Men (1935) (with James Cagney), which set the tone for most of his future assignments. Brawny, with squinty eyes and a rasping voice, MacLane was the ideal surly tough guy, particularly suitable for westerns and the type of films noir Warner Brothers excelled at. He was often cast as cops, be they bent or honest. Some of his most representative performances include gangster Al Kruger in Bullets or Ballots (1936), which won him some of the best critical notices of his career; outlaw Jack Slade in Western Union (1941); crooked construction boss Pat McCormick, who gets beaten up by Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt over past-due wages in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948); hard-nosed cops Detective Dundy in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Lt. Reece in Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950). MacLane, on loan to Universal, also had a starring role in Prison Break (1938) as an innocent tuna fisherman who is framed for murder. He was prominent as a tough but sympathetic cop, foil to sleuthing girl reporter Glenda Farrell in the "Torchy Blaine" series of the mid- to late 1930s. In the 1960s Barton began to cultivate a good-guy image as Marshal Frank Caine in the NBC western series Outlaws (1960) as well as showing up in a small recurring role as Air Force Gen. Martin Peterson in I Dream of Jeannie (1965). Barton was married to the actress Charlotte Wynters, who appeared with him in six of his films. When not on the set, the couple spent time on their 2000-acre cattle ranch in Madera County, California. For his work in television, Barton has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Most Famous Work
Perry Mason
(1957) Archer Osmond
Lux Video Theatre
(1950) Marvin Platt
Gunsmoke
(1955) Willard Kerner
The Maltese Falcon
(1941) Lt. of Detectives Dundy
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
(1948) Pat McCormick
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(1941) Sam Higgins
Wire Service
(1956) Gen. Bailey
High Sierra
(1941) Jake KranmerActing
| Year | Character | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Self (archive footage) | |
| 1983 | Self (archive footage) (uncredited) | |
| 1976 | Self (archive footage) | |
| 1968 | Dr. H. 'Doc' Raymond | |
| Sheriff Grover | ||
| 1967 | N/A | |
| 1966 | N/A | |
| 1965 | General Peterson | |
| James Fell | ||
| Tanner | ||
| 1964 | N/A | |
| Big Tom Stone | ||
| 1961 | Police Commissioner | |
| 1960 | Marshal Frank Caine | |
| Carl Avery | ||
| Seth | ||
| 1959 | N/A | |
| General Fowler | ||
| 1958 | Major Ridgley | |
| Simon Crayle | ||
| N/A | ||
| Francis J. Brannigan | ||
| N/A | ||
| Big Jim | ||
| 1957 | Senator Harriman Baylor | |
| Sheriff Eugene Norris | ||
| Harold Minter | ||
| Archer Osmond | ||
| Wilson | ||
| Lem Gotch | ||
| Clyde O'Connell | ||
| 1956 | Yates | |
| Joe Barnum | ||
| Det. Lt. Dan Coster | ||
| Gen. Bailey | ||
| Karl Shanks | ||
| N/A | ||
| Sergeant George Lake | ||
| Steve Bailey | ||
| 1955 | Mosby, Gang Leader | |
| N/A | ||
| Captain Jenkins | ||
| Herkimer Crawford | ||
| Willard Kerner | ||
| Mr. Mablett | ||
| Henry 'Tiny' Longtree | ||
| Chalk Reynolds | ||
| 1954 | Sheriff Olson | |
| Rawls Kettrick | ||
| N/A | ||
| N/A | ||
| Deacon Bartlett | ||
| Lee Graham | ||
| General Arnold | ||
| 1953 | Jules Reni | |
| Capt. Jack Matthews | ||
| Captain Scarface | ||
| Marvin Parker | ||
| Cal Bruce | ||
| 1952 | Sgt. Durkee | |
| Milo | ||
| Capt. Webber | ||
| Marshal Cassidy | ||
| Capt. Myles Moylan | ||
| 1951 | Chief Brooks | |
| Sgt. Mac McCardle | ||
| Joad | ||
| 1950 | Sheriff Jim Harden | |
| Larry Channock | ||
| Steve | ||
| Marvin Platt | ||
| Lieutenant John Reece | ||
| 1949 | Detective Strecker | |
| 1948 | Rufus J. "Gotch" McCurdy | |
| Max Giorgio | ||
| Capt. Tarnowski | ||
| Tex Brandow | ||
| Texas Jack Barton | ||
| 'Banjo' Sweeney | ||
| Pat McCormick | ||
| 1947 | Case Hagin | |
| Webb Yancey | ||
| Paul Weir | ||
| 1946 | Nick Taylor | |
| Crawford | ||
| Detective Taggart | ||
| 1945 | Capt. Benjamin Black | |
| George 'Deacon' Markham | ||
| Ballister | ||
| 1944 | Sheriff Tatum | |
| Lt. Barry Lane | ||
| Red Kelly | ||
| Sgt. Maguire | ||
| Inspector Walgreen | ||
| Carl Hurst | ||
| 1943 | Detective Rief | |
| John Tate | ||
| Jim Calvert | ||
| Archie Dixon | ||
| John Wallace | ||
| 1942 | Leo Bronson | |
| Case Ables | ||
| Marty Callahan | ||
| 1941 | Lt. of Detectives Dundy | |
| Pirate Kelly | ||
| Sam Higgins | ||
| Smiley Quinn | ||
| James J. Ryan | ||
| John Kelly | ||
| Jack Slade | ||
| Barney Grogan | ||
| Jake Kranmer | ||
| 1940 | Mark Wildhack | |
| Sam O'Donnell | ||
| Blackie Drew | ||
| Jim Ramsey | ||
| 1939 | Self | |
| Red Manson | ||
| Steve McBride | ||
| Phil Daley | ||
| Ace King | ||
| Det. Lt. Steve 'Mac' McBride | ||
| Crowder | ||
| 1938 | Detective Steve McBride | |
| Captain Cogswell | ||
| Joaquin Shannon | ||
| Mickey | ||
| Gunner Malone | ||
| Slag Martin | ||
| Lt. Steve McBride | ||
| 1937 | Self | |
| Det. Lt. Steve McBride | ||
| Jim Turner | ||
| Al McCoy | ||
| Jim Barnes | ||
| Steve McBride | ||
| Lt. Druggin | ||
| Andrew Beaupre | ||
| John Canty | ||
| Stephen Whitney | ||
| Bullhead | ||
| Steve McBride | ||
| 1936 | Self | |
| Detective Captain Rourke | ||
| Cliff Ballenger | ||
| Al Kruger | ||
| Casey (Vic's Butler/Trainer) | ||
| Loder | ||
| Al Stone | ||
| 1935 | Himself (uncredited) | |
| Chris Bennett | ||
| Spider Burke | ||
| Clifton Jeffords | ||
| Red Bastian | ||
| Bisonette | ||
| Blackie | ||
| Sharkey | ||
| McGee | ||
| Collins | ||
| Duke Hutchinson | ||
| Detective Lucas | ||
| 1934 | Charley Benson | |
| First Cop (uncredited) | ||
| 1933 | Policeman Baxter | |
| Harry the Guide | ||
| Commissioner McLennan | ||
| Neil Stanley | ||
| Mulvey | ||
| N/A | ||
| Henchman Pruitt | ||
| 1932 | N/A | |
| 1931 | Crewman | |
| Cafe Customer | ||
| Detective with Handcuffs | ||
| 1930 | N/A | |
| 1929 | Bather | |
| 1926 | Football Player (uncredited) | |
| Year | Character | Movie/Tv |
Writing
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Story | |
| Screenplay | ||
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |