Barton MacLane (December 25, 1902 – January 1, 1969) was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, including his role as General Martin Peterson on the 1960s NBC television comedy seriesI Dream of Jeannie, with Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman.[1]
He made his Broadway debut in 1927, playing the assistant district attorney in Bayard Veiller's The Trial of Mary Dugan.[4] He then performed in the 1928 Broadway production of Gods of the Lightning[5] and was part of the original cast of Subway Express as Officer Mulvaney in 1929. He appeared in the Marx Brothers' 1929 film debut 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.
In the 1950s, MacLane began to appear regularly on television. Between 1953 and 1967, he guest starred on such programs as Conflict, Lux Video Theatre, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Laramie, The Monkees, and Gunsmoke. In 1958 he played Sen. Harriman Baylor in the Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Foot-Loose Doll". In 1960 he played Eugene Norris, Perry's friend and small-town sheriff, in "The Case of the Violent Village". In 1964 he played Archer Osmond in "The Case of the Ruinous Road".
During the 1960–1961 television season, MacLane was a series regular on twenty-seven episodes of NBC's western, Outlaws, in which he played Marshal Frank Caine.[1]: 802 His last feature film was Buckskin (1968).
In 1965, MacLane, who had played real-life Air Force General "Hap" Arnold in The Glenn Miller Story, was cast in the recurring role of fictional Air Force General Martin Peterson on I Dream of Jeannie. He appeared in 35 episodes of the TV series between 1965 and 1969. Three of MacLane's episodes were aired after his death in January 1969. His character was replaced on later episodes of the series by General Winfield Schaeffer, portrayed by Vinton Hayworth, until Hayworth's death in 1970. Coincidentally, Hayworth also died before all episodes featuring his character were broadcast.
Personal life
Maclane played several musical instruments, including the violin, piano, and guitar. In 1939, MacLane 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 he was not acting. He adopted a daughter.[3]
^ abTerrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. pp. 490–491. ISBN978-0-7864-6477-7.
