Charles Barton(1902-1981)
- Director
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles T. Barton was born in Oakland, CA, on May 25, 1902. His father
managed a candy store, and soon moved the family to Los Angeles, where
Charles, nicknamed "Charlie", got a job at age 15 acting as an extra in
silent movies. He eventually left acting for a job behind the camera as
an assistant director, a position for which he won an Academy Award in
1934. That same year he made his first feature as a director,
Wagon Wheels (1934), for Paramount.
He stayed at Paramount for several years, turning out four to five
pictures a year, but a stint as an assistant to autocratic director
Cecil B. DeMille on
Union Pacific (1939) resulted in
his leaving Paramount for Columbia Pictures. He worked steadily at that
studio, directing seven to eight pictures a year, mostly "B" musicals
and westerns. In 1945 he left Columbia for Universal Pictures, where he
gained a reputation as a first-rate comedy director, especially for
Universal's top comedy team, Bud Abbott and
Lou Costello. He directed what many
regard as their best picture, the critically and financially successful
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
(on the other hand, he also directed what many consider their worst
picture,
Dance with Me, Henry (1956)).
Unlike many of the team's directors, Barton actually got along quite
well with them, especially Costello, to whom he bore a striking
resemblance. The team specifically requested him for "A&C Meet
Frankenstein", as their last few pictures had failed and Universal was
thinking about dumping them. The film was a huge success and
revitalized their career.
As the 1950s progressed Barton began to do less feature work and more television work (he was one of the first feature-film directors to work regularly both in television and films when in 1951 he took over as the house director on The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951)), often for Walt Disney. In the 1960s he became one of the regular directors on the hit comedy series Family Affair (1966) and also directed episodes of several other successful series, such as McHale's Navy (1962), Dennis the Menace (1959) and Hazel (1961).
Charles Barton passed away in Burbank, CA, on December 5, 1981.
As the 1950s progressed Barton began to do less feature work and more television work (he was one of the first feature-film directors to work regularly both in television and films when in 1951 he took over as the house director on The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951)), often for Walt Disney. In the 1960s he became one of the regular directors on the hit comedy series Family Affair (1966) and also directed episodes of several other successful series, such as McHale's Navy (1962), Dennis the Menace (1959) and Hazel (1961).
Charles Barton passed away in Burbank, CA, on December 5, 1981.
