Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Charles Barton(1902-1981)

  • Director
  • Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
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), 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.
BornMay 25, 1902
DiedDecember 5, 1981(79)
BornMay 25, 1902
DiedDecember 5, 1981(79)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Oscar
    • 1 win & 1 nomination total

Photos

Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Broderick Crawford, Brian Donlevy, Charles Barton, J. Carrol Naish, and Robert Preston in Beau Geste (1939)

Known for

Marguerite Chapman, Larry Parks, and William Wright in A Man's World (1942)
A Man's World
5.8
  • Director
  • 1942
Louise Allbritton, Virginia Grey, Jon Hall, Peggy Ryan, and Ernest Truex in Men in Her Diary (1945)
Men in Her Diary
6.6
  • Director
  • 1945
Fred MacMurray in The Shaggy Dog (1959)
The Shaggy Dog
6.4
  • Director
  • 1959
Gary Cooper in Beau Geste (1939)
Beau Geste
7.5
  • Buddy McMonigal
  • 1939

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Director

  • Brian Keith, Sebastian Cabot, Kathy Garver, Anissa Jones, and Johnny Whitaker in Family Affair (1966)
    Family Affair
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1967–1971
  • John Forsythe, Melanie Fullerton, Joyce Menges, and Susan Neher in To Rome with Love (1969)
    To Rome with Love
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1970
  • Bea Benaderet, Edgar Buchanan, Frank Cady, Linda Henning, Jeannine Riley, Pat Woodell, and Higgins in Petticoat Junction (1963)
    Petticoat Junction
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1965–1967
  • Camp Runamuck (1965)
    Camp Runamuck
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1966
  • Whitney Blake, Shirley Booth, Bobby Buntrock, and Don DeFore in Hazel (1961)
    Hazel
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1965–1966
  • The Patty Duke Show (1963)
    The Patty Duke Show
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1966
  • My Brother the Angel (1965)
    My Brother the Angel
    • Director (as Charles T. Barton)
    • TV Series
    • 1965
  • Broadside (1964)
    Broadside
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1964–1965
  • Yvonne De Carlo, Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, Butch Patrick, and Pat Priest in The Munsters (1964)
    The Munsters
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1965
  • McHale's Navy (1962)
    McHale's Navy
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1964–1965
  • The Baileys of Balboa (1964)
    The Baileys of Balboa
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1964–1965
  • The Magical World of Disney (1954)
    The Magical World of Disney
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1959–1964
  • Imogene Coca in Grindl (1963)
    Grindl
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1964
  • Jay North in Dennis the Menace (1959)
    Dennis the Menace
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1960–1963
  • Medicine Man (1962)
    Medicine Man
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1962

Second Unit or Assistant Director

  • Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck in Spellbound (1945)
    Spellbound
    • second unit director (uncredited)
    • 1945
  • Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Lynne Overman, Robert Preston, and Akim Tamiroff in Union Pacific (1939)
    Union Pacific
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1939
  • The Trumpet Blows (1934)
    The Trumpet Blows
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Roscoe Karns, Alison Skipworth, and Roland Young in A Lady's Profession (1933)
    A Lady's Profession
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1933
  • Kate Smith in Hello, Everybody! (1933)
    Hello, Everybody!
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1933
  • Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Thelma Todd, and The Marx Brothers in Horse Feathers (1932)
    Horse Feathers
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1932
  • George Bancroft and Wynne Gibson in Lady and Gent (1932)
    Lady and Gent
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1932
  • Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney in Merrily We Go to Hell (1932)
    Merrily We Go to Hell
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1932
  • Chester Morris and Sylvia Sidney in The Miracle Man (1932)
    The Miracle Man
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1932
  • Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, and Zeppo Marx in Monkey Business (1931)
    Monkey Business
    • first assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1931
  • Sam Hardy, June MacCloy, and Jack Oakie in June Moon (1931)
    June Moon
    • assistant director: Photograph
    • 1931
  • Fay Wray in The Sea God (1930)
    The Sea God
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1930
  • Jean Arthur and Charles 'Buddy' Rogers in Young Eagles (1930)
    Young Eagles
    • assistant director
    • 1930
  • Dangerous Paradise (1930)
    Dangerous Paradise
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1930
  • Evelyn Brent, Chester Morris, and Hal Skelly in Woman Trap (1929)
    Woman Trap
    • assistant director (uncredited)
    • 1929

Producer

  • Alvin Childress, Tim Moore, and Spencer Williams in The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951)
    The Amos 'n Andy Show
    • producer
    • TV Series
    • 1955
  • The Ray Milland Show (1953)
    The Ray Milland Show
    • producer
    • TV Series
    • 1953–1954
  • Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in The Noose Hangs High (1948)
    The Noose Hangs High
    • producer
    • 1948
  • Louise Allbritton, Virginia Grey, Jon Hall, Peggy Ryan, and Ernest Truex in Men in Her Diary (1945)
    Men in Her Diary
    • associate producer
    • 1945
  • Noah Beery Jr., Bonita Granville, Margaret Irving, Irene Ryan, and Sarah Selby in The Beautiful Cheat (1945)
    The Beautiful Cheat
    • producer
    • 1945

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Charles T. Barton
  • Height
    • 5′ 2″ (1.57 m)
  • Born
    • May 25, 1902
    • San Francisco, California, USA
  • Died
    • December 5, 1981
    • Burbank, California, USA(heart attack)
  • Spouses
      Julie GibsonJune 12, 1973 - December 5, 1981 (his death)
  • Other works
    Unsold pilot: Directed a sitcom pilot for CBS called "Vernon's Volunteers." The plot concerned an enthusiastic but incompetent volunteer fire department who protects the small town of Vernon from burning to the ground.

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Two films he can be seen in are Beau Geste (1926) in which he plays a Foreign Legionnaire, and Wings (1927) where he plays the soldier injured by Clara Bow's ambulance).
  • Quotes
    [on Universal Pictures studio heads Leo Spitz and William Goetz] Mr. Spitz was a nice man, but he wouldn't talk to either Bud [Bud Abbott] or Lou [Lou Costello]. I think he was scared of them. Mr. Goetz was a very fine independent producer. But you had two people in charge of the studio who didn't know anything about comedy at all.
  • Nicknames
    • Charlie
    • Charles T. Barton
  • Salaries
      Buck Privates Come Home
      (1947)
      $13,000

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Production art
List
The Best Things to Watch in June
See the list
Production art
Photos
See These Trending Actors in Early Roles
Can you place the face?

Add demo reel with IMDbPro

Demo reel thumbnail
Make your IMDb page stand out by adding a demo reel
Upload your demo reel

Add demo reel with IMDbPro

Make your IMDb page stand out by adding a demo reel
Upload your demo reel
Demo reel thumbnail

How much have you seen?

Keep track of how much of Charles Barton’s work you have seen. Go to your list.
Production art
Photos
LGBTQIA+ Power Couples of Hollywood
See the photos

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb App
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
  • Get the IMDb App
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • IMDb Developer
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.