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 h ... ave 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.
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| Organization | Category | Movie |
|---|
Outlaws
as Marshal Frank Caine
Episodes: 50
First Aired: Sep 26, 1960
I Dream of Jeannie
as General Peterson
Episodes: 35
First Aired: Sep 18, 1965
Gunsmoke
as Herkimer Crawford
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 10, 1955
Perry Mason
as Senator Harriman Baylor
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 21, 1957
Lux Video Theatre
as Steve
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 02, 1950
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
as Chief Brooks
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 05, 1951
Wire Service
as Gen. Bailey
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 04, 1956
Black Saddle
as General Fowler
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 10, 1959
Gunsmoke
as Willard Kerner
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 10, 1955
Lux Video Theatre
as Marvin Platt
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 02, 1950
Four Star Playhouse
as Milo
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 25, 1952
Four Star Playhouse
as Capt. Webber
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 25, 1952
Perry Mason
as Sheriff Eugene Norris
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 21, 1957
Perry Mason
as Harold Minter
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 21, 1957
Perry Mason
as Archer Osmond
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 21, 1957
The Wonderful World of Disney
as Rawls Kettrick
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 27, 1954
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Oct 06, 1958
77 Sunset Strip
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 10, 1958
Cheyenne
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 20, 1955
The Munsters
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 24, 1964
The Monkees
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 12, 1966
Hondo
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 08, 1967
The Whistler
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jul 13, 1954
Tightrope
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 08, 1959
Telephone Time
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Apr 08, 1956
Studio 57
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 21, 1954
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 4 |
| 2024 | 7 | 15 | 29 | 5 |
| 2024 | 8 | 11 | 22 | 6 |
| 2024 | 9 | 8 | 16 | 3 |
| 2024 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 2024 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 10 | 24 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 0 |