Charles Barton

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)_ (qv), 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' (qv) on _Union Pacific (1939)_ (qv) 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' (qv) and 'Lou Costello' (qv). He directed what many regard as their best picture, the critically and financially successful _Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)_ (qv) (on the other hand, he also directed what many consider their worst picture, _Dance with Me, Henry (1956)_ (qv)). 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)_ (qv)), often for 'Walt Disney' (qv). In the 1960s he became one of the regular directors on the hit comedy series _Family Affair (1966)_ (qv) and also directed episodes of several other successful series, such as _McHale's Navy (1962)_ (qv), _Dennis the Menace (1959)_ (qv) and _Hazel (1961)_ (qv).'Charles Barton' (qv) passed away in Burbank, CA, on December 5, 1981.::frankfob2@yahoo.com