Barton MacLane

As I write my blog, trying to stick to the Bit Part subject matter, I find myself looking at some great movies and choosing some of the smaller part actors to research.  Last night was no different.  TCM showed The Treasure of the Sierra Madre from 1948 starring Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt and Walter Huston.

I felt angered and sorry that Mr. McCormick tried to cheat Dobbs and Curtin out of their hard earned wages after they worked for him.  (I guess that was what they wanted when they wrote the script.)  I think McCormick should have been more careful out in the open after he cheats people, but the lead characters had to get their money from someone.

Anyway, the part of McCormick was played by Barton MacLane (1902 - 1969) who has a long and varied career in the theater, as a writer, and he has 178 titles in film and on TV.  But, is he a Bit Actor?

His first movie was a silent in 1926 called The Quarterback.  He then had a part, probably just as an extra, in the Marx Brothers' classic, The Cocoanuts in 1929.  He worked in six films with Randolph Scott (1898 - 1987) starting in 1933, and five with James Cagney including one that Cagney only narrated in 1968 called Arizona Bushwackers.

He was in seven Torchy Blane films with Glenda Farrell (1904 - 1971).  I have to look those up!  I've never seen one, but I keep bumping into them in my research.  There were nine Torchy films in three years with three different actresses.  I wonder of TCM has them.

MacLane made six great films with Humphrey Bogart.  I am still trying to get out of the 1930s in his list on IMDb!  In the 1940s he had quite a few starring roles as well as being a popular supporting actor.  Can he be considered a Bit Part Actor for my purposes?  Not in those years.

In the 1950s we see him with Jimmy Stewart in The Glenn Miller Story (1954) as General Arnold.  In the early 1950s he also gets started in TV, which gave him a new career.  He wasn't a villain as much on TV, but started to play more comic roles.

He did have a regular role in "Outlaws" starring Don Collier (b. 1928).  It is ironic that the TV generation will remember him best for his final recurring role on "I Dream of Jeannie" as General Peterson, which ended with his death in 1969.  I wonder how many Jeannie fans know of MacLane's other work and how good it was.

Looking through the career of Barton MacLane just shows how many other great movies and Bit Parts still need to be explored.

Defining "Bit Part"

Since I started this blog I have been thinking about what actually defines a bit part.  Let's look at the types of careers available to the film and TV industries.  Of course, this is only my opinion, or rather my suggestion.  I am not a film scholar, just a buff.

Extras - Almost every movie requires an army of extras.  These are the people you see walking on the street or sitting in restaurants, etc.  They don't get lines, except for an occasional, "'s'cuse me" or some other single word that just happens.  I have known some extras and they tell me that it is important to be invisible in your part.  In fact, I know a man who was an extra in Atlantic City, with Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon.  I know exactly what scene he is in, but I can't see him!  If you can be recognized, your career may become limited.

Bit Actor/Actress - I think maybe a pit part could include a line or two of dialog and, let's be flexible, maybe more.  The point is to add something to the movie.  Extras are like set decorations, a bit part adds to the tone or color of the film.  An example I mentioned on the TCM Message Boards on this topic is John Huston in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.  He interacted several times with Bogart and Holt, and he helped define the depth of their desperation.

Supporting Actress/Actor - Now you get bigger parts and a chance to win an Oscar!  A supporting part should be consistent through the story, or at least though a portion of the story.  There would be much more interaction with the leads.  A chance for some real acting!  Ocean's Eleven from 1960 was a Frank Sinatra movie.  I would consider most of the Rat Pack members as supporting parts.  Sammy Davis, Jr., Angie Dickinson and Joey Bishop for example.

Stars and Co-Stars - Watch how the cast is listed in the titles of a film.  The first name is always the star of the movie.  If his/her name appears before the title of the film, they are a major star.  Occasionally you will see two names on the same screen.  The one on the left, or the one higher up, is the more important (higher paid) star.  You will probably see supporting actors/actresses listed after the title and the stars.

You can win an Oscar or an Emmy for starring or as a supporting actor, but not for a bit part and certainly not as an extra.  That doesn't mean those parts are less important, though.  Everything that goes into a movie is melted down and becomes the finished product.

I have added a thread about Bit Actors on the Turner Classic Films message boards if you'd like to join in the discussion.  Just look for BitPartBlogger in the Film and Filmmakers forum.

And please hit the Comments button below and let me know your definition of Bit Parts.  Don't worry, this is my blog and I will continue to discuss almost everything, with just a focus on bit parts!