William Barton Yarborough (October 2, 1900 – December 19, 1951) was an American actor who worked extensively in

radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

, primarily on the

NBC Radio Network The NBC, National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the Blue Network, NBC Blue Network it was ...

. He is famous for his roles in the

Carlton E. Morse Carlton Errol Morse (June 4, 1901 - May 24, 1993) was a Louisiana-born producer/journalist best known for his creation of the radio serial ''One Man's Family'', which debuted in 1932 and ran until 1959 as one of the most popular as well as long-r ...

productions '' I Love a Mystery'', where he played Doc Long, and ''

One Man's Family ''One Man's Family'' is an American radio soap opera, heard for almost three decades, from 1932 to 1959. Created by Carlton E. Morse, it was the longest-running uninterrupted dramatic serial in the history of American radio. Television versions ...

'', where he spent 19 years portraying Clifford Barbour. In addition, Yarborough spent three years as Sgt. Ben Romero on

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, Television director, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Joe Friday, Sgt. Joe Friday in the Dragnet (franchise) ...

's '' Dragnet''.

Early years

He was born in

Goldthwaite, Texas Goldthwaite is a town in Mills County, Texas, United States, that serves as the county seat. The population was 1,878 at the 2010 census. History Goldthwaite existed as a small village prior to the arrival of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Rai ...

.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . p. 290. As a youth, Yarborough ran away from home, attracted by the

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

stages, and he first worked in radio during the 1920s. After joining a touring musical comedy show, he progressed from bit parts to leading man as the troupe played in various places in Oklahoma and Texas. He attended college at the

University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...

, and the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, where in 1925 he became a member of

Phi Sigma Kappa Phi Sigma Kappa (), colloquially known as Phi Sig or PSK, is a men's social and academic fraternity with approximately 74 active chapters and provisional chapters in North America. Most of its first two dozen chapters were granted to schools in ...

fraternity. One of Yarborough's earliest reported activities in acting was in November 1922, when he was a member of the cast of a Rebekah and Odd Fellows lodges production of ''The Prince Chap'' in Reno, Nevada. He was active in dramatic productions at the University of California, including a one-act play on radio station KLX in 1924. His work on stage at UC ranged from drama (''The Frogs'') to farce (''She Stoops to Conquer'').

Career

After graduating from the University of California in 1925, Yarborough acted in London, New York, and California, having the leading-man role in ''Outward Bound''. He was a member of the ''Eva Le Gallienne Civic Repertoire'' in New York City. Yarborough's NBC radio debut was in 1930, broadcasting from San Francisco. In 1932, Yarborough began a long run as Clifford Barbour on the radio serial ''

,'' continuing in the role throughout his life. Yarborough was probably best known for his roles as Doc Long in the West Coast cast of

's '' I Love a Mystery'' (and the subsequent ''I Love Adventure'') and Sergeant Ben Romero, Joe Friday's original partner, on '' Dragnet.'' Yarborough's other radio work includes the title role in ''

Hawk Larabee ''Hawk Larabee'' is an American old-time radio western. It was broadcast on CBS from July 5, 1946, until February 7, 1948. Format In his book, ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio'', radio historian John Dunning described ''Hawk Lar ...

'', as well as the roles of Brazos John in ''

Hawk Durango ''Hawk Larabee'' is an American old-time radio western. It was broadcast on CBS from July 5, 1946, until February 7, 1948. Format In his book, ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio'', radio historian John Dunning described ''Hawk Lar ...

'', Sleepy Stevens in ''

Hashknife Hartley ''Hashknife Hartley'' is an American old-time radio Western program. It was broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System from July 2, 1950, until December 30, 1951. Schedule ''Hashknife Hartley'' began as a summer replacement series, filling the ...

'', Skip Turner in ''

Adventures by Morse ''Adventures by Morse'' is a syndicated adventure series produced, written and directed by Carlton E. MorseTerrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 9. in the mid-1 ...

,'' also by Carlton E. Morse, and the title attorney's assistant in ''Attorney for the Defense''. BartonYarborough

Yarborough appeared as Doc Long in three feature films for

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

, based on the radio series ''I Love a Mystery'': '' I Love a Mystery'' in 1945, ''

The Devil's Mask ''The Devil's Mask'' is a 1946 American crime film directed by Henry Levin and starring Anita Louise, Jim Bannon and Michael Duane. The film was the second of three B pictures based on the popular radio series '' I Love a Mystery''. As well a ...

'' and '' The Unknown.'' Yarborough adopted a Southern accent for the Doc Long character, and would retain the dialect for ''Dragnet''. (In private life Yarborough spoke without a trace of an accent, as evidenced in his motion picture appearances of the early 1940s.) He started work on the '' Dragnet'' television series in 1951. However, the day after he filmed the second episode, he suffered a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

, and died four days later at age 51. After his death, his ''One Man's Family'' character was dropped without explanation while his death was worked into ''Dragnet'' by having Ben Romero also die of a heart attack in the episode "The Big Sorrow."

Personal life

Yarborough married radio actress

Barbara Jo Allen Barbara Jo Allen (born Marian Barbara Henshall; September 2, 1906 – September 14, 1974) was an American actress. She was also known as Vera Vague, the spinster character she created and portrayed on radio and in films during the 1940s and 19 ...

(later known professionally as Vera Vague). They had a daughter, Joan, and divorced shortly after in 1931. He married again in 1949, to Janet Warren.

Death

Yarborough died of a heart attack in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

, at age 51. ''Dragnet'' was in production at the time, and the radio episode "The Big Sorrow", which aired eight days after Yarborough's death, portrayed Joe Friday dealing with the sudden death of Ben Romero and being assigned a new partner. The like-named television episode, which was broadcast on September 25, 1952, opened with star Jack Webb reciting a dedication of the episode to Yarborough's memory. Yarborough is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

Selected filmography

* '' They Meet Again'' (1941) – Bob Webster * ''

Let's Go Collegiate ''Let's Go Collegiate'' is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and produced by Monogram Pictures. It was released as ''Farewell to Fame'' in the United Kingdom. Plot summary Frankie (Frankie Darro) is the coxswain o ...

'' (1941) – Coach Walsh * ''

The Ghost of Frankenstein ''The Ghost of Frankenstein'' is a 1942 American horror film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi. It is the fourth film in the ''Frankenstein'' series by Universal Pictures, and the follow-up ...

'' (1942) – Dr. Kettering * ''

Saboteur Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identiti ...

'' (1942) – First FBI Man at Mason's House (uncredited) * '' I Love a Mystery'' (1945) – Doc Long * ''

Captain Tugboat Annie ''Captain Tugboat Annie'' is a 1945 second sequel to the classic ''Tugboat Annie'' (1933), this time starring Jane Darwell as Annie and Edgar Kennedy as Horatio Bullwinkle. The movie was directed by Phil Rosen, and is also known as ''Tugboat Ann ...

'' (1945) – Missouri Jones * ''

The Red Dragon ''The Red Dragon'' is a 1946 mystery film starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan, who has to sift through a host of suspects for three murders. The film marks the first appearance of Willie Best as Chattanooga Brown, Birmingham Brown's cousin. ...

'' (1945) – Joseph Bradish * ''

Idea Girl ''Idea Girl'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Will Jason and written by Charles R. Marion and Elwood Ullman. The film stars Jess Barker, Julie Bishop, Alan Mowbray, George Dolenz, Joan Shawlee and Laura Deane Dutton. The film was re ...

'' (1946) – Pete Barlow * ''

'' (1946) – Doc Long * '' The Unknown'' (1946) – Doc Long * '' Wife Wanted'' (1946) – Walter Desmond * '' Kilroy Was Here'' (1947) – Prof. Thomas Shepherd * '' Shed No Tears'' (1948) – 2nd Insurance Investigator (uncredited) * ''

The Babe Ruth Story ''The Babe Ruth Story'' is a 1948 biographical film of Babe Ruth, the famed New York Yankees slugger. It stars William Bendix (New York Yankee batboy in the 1920s) as the ballplayer and Claire Trevor as his wife Claire Merritt Hodgson. Critics fa ...

'' (1948) – Doctor at Huggins Bedside (uncredited) * ''

Henry, the Rainmaker ''Henry, the Rainmaker'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and written by Lane Beauchamp. The film stars Raymond Walburn, Walter Catlett, William Tracy, Mary Stuart (actress), Mary Stuart, Barbara Brown (American actress), ...

'' (1949) – The Reverend Bascom * '' Deadline – U.S.A.'' (1952) – Male Secretary (uncredited) (final film role)

Notes

References

External links

* *
OTR Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yarborough, Barton 1900 births 1951 deaths American male radio actors People from Goldthwaite, Texas Male actors from Texas 20th-century American male actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)