Charles Barton

**Charles Thomas Barton** (May 25, 1902 – December 5, 1981) was a American film director.

Barton worked in various Hollywood B-movie units. From 1946 on, he was a principal director of the Abbott and Costello comedies, such as *The Time of Their Lives*, *Buck Privates Come Home,* *Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,* and *Africa Screams*.

## Biography

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), Just Dennis (1959) and Hazel (1961).

## Career and Personal

Barton began acting at the age of thirteen. He worked on stage and was signed to United Artists where he starred in *The County Fair* (1921). He grew to five foot two inches, and his height limited the amount of work he could get so in the mid 1920s Barton decided to move into directing.

In 1927 Barton worked as an assistant director on *Wings* (1927), directed by William Wellman; he also played a small role.

Barton was an assistant director for a number of years before moving into directing at Paramount in the mid 1930s.

He returned to acting briefly for Wellman's *Beau Geste* (1939).

Barton directed a Shemp Howard short and a Joe Besser short, as well as Besser's feature film *Hey Rookie* (1944). Joe Besser called him "one of the great comedy directors".

Barton began directing Abbott and Costello in 1946 with *The Time of Their Lives*. He directed eight of their films, including their last movie as a team, *Dance With Me, Henry,* in 1956.

Barton's wife of seven years, Nancy, died at their home in 1951 after a two year illness.

In 1958, during divorce proceedings with his new wife Lee, Barton claimed he earned a net figure of $2,000 a month.

Barton was married to actress/singer Julie Gibson from 1973 until his death from a heart attack in 1981. He died at St Josephs Medical Center.

## Selected filmography

### Director

* *Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein* (1948)