Barton_MacLane

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Barton MacLane

Barton MacLane (December 25, 1902—January 1, 1969) was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. Although he has appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, he was perhaps best known for his recurring role as General Martin Peterson on the 1960s television comedy series I Dream of Jeannie.

Personal life

MacLane was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and attended Wesleyan University, where he excelled at American football. His first movie role, in The Quarterback (1926), was a result of his ability. He then attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

In 1939 he married actress Charlotte Wynters. From the 1940s until his death, he maintained a cattle ranch in eastern Madera County, California, where he made his home when not acting. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6719 Hollywood Boulevard.

He died on January 1, 1969, in Santa Monica, California.

Broadway career and early film roles

He made his Broadway stage debut in 1927, playing the assistant district attorney in Bayard Veiller's The Trial of Mary Duggan. He then performed in the 1928 Broadway production of Gods of the Lighting and was part of the original cast of Subway Express as Officer Mulvaney in 1929. He also appeared in the Marx Brothers' 1929 film The Cocoanuts.

MacLane made his first credited film appearance in the 1931 romantic drama His Woman. The following year, he wrote the play Rendezvous, which he sold to Arthur Hopkins. The play was performed on Broadway, with MacLane in a featured role.

Film work: 1930s-1950s

The success of Rendezvous landed MacLane a contract with Warner Bros. and brought him to the attention of several renowned film directors, including Fritz Lang, Michael Curtiz, and William Keighley. As a result, throughout the remainder of the 1930s, MacLane was highly active in film, with major supporting roles in such productions as The Case of the Curious Bride, G Men, The Prince and the Pauper, and Lang's You Only Live Once and You and Me. He also played the role of detective Steve McBride in the many films involving fictional news reporter Torchy Blane.

During the 1930s and 1940s, MacLane worked alongside legendary movie star Humphrey Bogart in several films. Perhaps most notably, MacLane played Detective Dundy opposite Bogart's Sam Spade in writer/director John Huston's acclaimed, Academy Award-nominated film classic, The Maltese Falcon. MacLane again collaborated with both Bogart and Huston on the Academy Award-winning 1948 adventure film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

MacLane's many other film credits during the 1940s include Victor Fleming's Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Fritz Lang's Western Union, Reginald Le Borg's The Mummy's Ghost, and Frank Borzage's The Spanish Main. He also appeared in two Tarzan films starring Johnny Weismuller, Tarzan and the Amazons and Tarzan and the Huntress. Some of MacLane's films during the 1950s include Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, The Glenn Miller Story, and Three Violent People.

Television and final films

In the 1950s, MacLane began to appear regularly on television. Between 1953 and 1967, he appeared on such programs as Conflict, 77 Sunset Strip, The Munsters, and Gunsmoke. He also guest-starred in several episodes of Perry Mason and Laramie.

During the 1960-61 television season, MacLane was a series regular on NBC's short-lived western, Outlaws, in which he played Marshal Frank Caine. He continued appearing in films, as well, including Frank Capra's Academy Award-nominated 1961 comedy Pocketful of Miracles and several westerns.

MacLane was cast in the recurring role of General Martin Peterson on I Dream of Jeannie in 1965. He appeared in 35 episodes of the series between 1965 and 1969. Three of MacLane's episodes were aired after his death. His character was replaced on later episodes of that show by General Schaeffer, played by Vinton Hayworth, who died the following year.