Marion Barney (1879 - 1968) was an American character actress known for her long association with the radio programs of

Elaine Sterne Carrington Elaine Sterne Carrington (June 14, 1891 – May 4, 1958) was an American screenwriter, playwright, novelist and short story author who found her greatest success writing for radio. Carrington originated radio soap opera in 1932, and wrote more t ...

. A native of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, Barney attended the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, at the same time honing her skills in local theatrical societies. In the first years of the 20th century she toured with a variety of stage productions, eventually gaining work on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in supporting roles. From 1908 until 1913 she was leading lady of the Orpheum Players at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Chestnut Street Theatre The Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the first theater in the United States built by entrepreneurs solely as a venue for paying audiences.The Chestnut Street Theatre Project The New Theatre (First Chestnut Street Theatre) ...

. In 1919 she abandoned the stage temporarily to make silent films, completing ten before returning to Broadway the following year. In the 1930s Barney turned her attention to radio, beginning with the title role of an

NBC Blue The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American Commercial broadcasting, radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the N ...

summer program titled ''

Tish ''TISH'' was a Canadian poetry newsletter founded by student-poets at the University of British Columbia in 1961. The publication was edited by a number of Vancouver poets until 1969. The newsletter's poetics were built on those of writers associa ...

'' in 1932. For Carrington she was a series regular, most notably playing matronly characters in ''

Rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native plant, native to the Mediterranean Region, Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was kn ...

'', ''

Pepper Young's Family ''Pepper Young's Family'' is a daytime drama series, with various format and title changes during its long run from 1932 to 1959. It was created and written by short story author and playwright Elaine Sterne Carrington. History With Burgess Mered ...

'', and ''

When a Girl Marries ''When a Girl Marries'' is an American daytime radio drama that was broadcast on three major radio networks from 1939 to 1957. Created by Elaine Sterne Carrington (who also was responsible for ''Pepper Young's Family'' and ''Rosemary''), it was th ...

''. Other radio programs on which she appeared included: *'' The Chase Twins'' *''

Gangbusters ''Gang Busters'' is an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered on January 15, 1936, and was broadcast over 21 years through November 27, 1957. Histo ...

'' *'' Home of the Brave'' *'' Neighbors'' *'' Pages of Romance'' *'' Peables Takes Charge'' *'' Special Investigator'' *''

We the People The Preamble to the United States Constitution, beginning with the words We the People, is a brief introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles. Courts have referred to it as reliable evidence o ...

'' She also appeared in another Carrington serial, '' Marriage for Two''. Well-regarded for her work in

summer stock In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock the ...

, Barney was said to be possessed of a sharp memory which aided her in performance.

References

1879 births 1968 deaths American stage actresses American film actresses American radio actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from San Francisco University of California, Berkeley alumni {{US-theat-actor-1870s-stub