James Barton (actor)
| James Barton | |
|---|---|
Barton in one of his last roles on CBS's Frontier Circus (1962).
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| Born | November 1, 1890 Gloucester City, New Jersey, United States |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day Mineola, New York, United States |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Occupation | Vaudevillian and character actor |
| Years active | 1898-1962 |
James Esward Barton (November 1, 1890 – February 19, 1962) was an American vaudevillian, stage performer, and a character actor in films and on television.[1]
Biography
He was born into a theatrical family on November 1, 1890 in Gloucester City, New Jersey. Barton began performing in minstrel shows and burlesque houses throughout the country in 1898.[2] His years of experience working with African American performers led to his becoming one of the first jazz dancers in America.[3]
After working with repertory companies in the South and Midwest, he made his Broadway debut in the musical revue The Passing Show of 1919 in a role originally intended for Ed Wynn.[2][3] He frequently was the highlight in otherwise-mediocre productions, and a critic for the Daily News noted, "Whenever the book failed him, he shuffled into one or more of his eccentric dances." [3] Barton's other theatre credits include Sweet and Low in 1930, Tobacco Road in 1933, Bright Lights of 1944 (which ran for only four performances), The Iceman Cometh in 1946, and Paint Your Wagon in 1951.
While appearing on Broadway, Barton also achieved the highest pinnacle of status in vaudeville, headlining at the Palace Theater on Broadway not once but eight times, from March 1928 through April 1932.[4]
Barton's film career was also concurrent to his stage performances. It began in the silent era, in 1923, and he appeared in a number of Paramount Pictures short subjects in 1929.
On television he appeared in The Ford Television Theatre, Lux Video Theatre, Studio One, The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, Playhouse 90, Kraft Television Theatre, The Rifleman, The Americans, Adventures in Paradise, Naked City, and Frontier Circus.
Bing Crosby considered James Barton to be one his ten favorite performers of all time, alongside names such as Al Jolson, Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, and Nat King Cole.[5]
Barton died of a heart attack at Nassau Hospital in Mineola, New York on February 19, 1962.[1]
Partial filmography
- The Shepherd of the Hills (1941)
- The Time of Your Life (1948)
- Yellow Sky (1948)
- Wabash Avenue (1950)
- The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady (1950)
- Here Comes the Groom (1951)
- The Naked Hills (1956)
- The Misfits (1961)
References
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- James Barton at the Internet Broadway DatabaseLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- James Barton at the Internet Movie Database
- James Barton on Answers.com
- James Barton Filmography
- James Barton Papers, 1890s-1990s, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Pages with reference errors
- Age error
- Articles with hCards
- 1890 births
- 1962 deaths
- American male stage actors
- American male film actors
- American male dancers
- Vaudeville performers
- American male television actors
- 19th-century American male actors
- 20th-century American male actors
- People from Gloucester City, New Jersey
- Eccentric dancers
