Michael Raffetto (born Elwyn Creighton Raffetto; December 31, 1899 – May 31, 1990) was an American radio actor who starred as Paul Barbour (1932–1956) in the NBC Radio series ''

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 ...

'' and as Jack Packard in '' I Love a Mystery'' during the heyday of radio in the 1930s and 1940s.

Early life

Elwyn Creighton Raffetto was born in

Placerville, California Placerville (, ; formerly Old Dry Diggings, Dry Diggings, and Hangtown) is a city in and the county seat of El Dorado County, California. The population was 10,747 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,389 as of the 2010 census. It is part of the Sa ...

, the son of

John Augustus Raffetto John Augustus Raffetto, Sr. (March 1, 1864 October 11, 1954) was an Italian-American businessman who founded the First National Bank of Placerville and ran the Ivy House and Cary House hotels. Background John Augustus Raffetto Sr. was born ...

, a hotelier, and Adela Creighton. (His grandparents, Domenico Raffetto and Anna Pensa, came first to nearby Newtown, California, from Ognio, a mountain village northeast of Genoa.) He graduated cum laude from the

University of California at 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 uni ...

's Boalt Hall in 1925. He practiced law in San Francisco until 1928, when he directed drama at Berkeley as well as Los Angeles' Greek Theatre

Career

Raffetto pitched a program concept to NBC Radio's Tom Hutchinson in San Francisco. He went on to star, direct, and produce the show, called '' Arm of the Law''. Soon after, he became the network's West Coast program director through 1933. During that time, he produced ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'' (1930). In 1946, he also directed '' Michael Shayne, Private Detective''.

Acting

Although he approached radio through programming, directing, and producing, Raffetto's career took off in acting.

''One Man's Family''

In 1932, writer

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 ...

, with whom Raffetto had already collaborated, created ''

''. Raffetto landed the lead role as the family's eldest son, Paul Barbour, a fighter pilot wounded in World War I. NBC Radio first broadcast the show on April 29, 1932. Raffetto stayed with the show through 1956 (and the show ended on May 8, 1959). Paul Barbour ended many episodes with the line "That's how it is with the Barbours today."

''I Love a Mystery''

In 1939, Morse started '' I Love a Mystery'' with three cast members from ''One Man's Family'', including Raffetto as Jack Packard, "a soft-spoken, taciturn hero in the best traditions of the West." Together with characters Doc Long (a "brawling womanizer") and Reggie York (a "proper Englishman"), the threesome formed a team of "specialists in adventure."

Other

"After the first several years," Raffetto often "substituted" for creator Morse, "directing and writing while he was away." Raffetto also starred in ''Death Valley Days'' (1930) and ''Attorney for the Defense'' (1944).

Personal life and death

Raffetto's second wife was sculptor Constance Murray Raffetto (a "Californio" and brother of Alexander Howison Murray Jr., descended from Eulalia Perez de Guillen Marine). Raffetto suffered from tuberculosis for much of his life. He had to leave radio twice to recover. Morse often picked him up from the hospital to act. "He'd drive me home, or I'd take the train back to the hospital," Raffetto later said. At times, episodes were broadcast from Raffetto's bedside. After leaving radio in 1956, Raffetto and his wife lived in Spain and Italy until 1960. During that time, he wrote unpublished works, including a family history. Raffetto died of throat cancer at his home in Berkeley. At the time of his death, he had four daughters and five grandchildren.

Acting credits

Radio

Raffetto's radio work lasted from 1930 to 1956 and included: * Arm of the Law (1930) * Numb and Dumb (1931?) * Chinatown Squad (1932) *

(1932-1956) – Paul Barber * I Love a Mystery (1939-1952) – Jack Packard * Attorney for the Defense (1944) – Jonathan Brixton
voice sample
* NBC Parade of the Stars (1946) – Himself * Saturday's Children (1947) (

The Screen Guild Theater ''The Screen Guild Theater'' is a radio anthology series broadcast from 1939 until 1952 during the Golden Age of Radio. Leading Hollywood stars performed adaptations of popular motion pictures. Originating on CBS Radio, it aired under several dif ...

– CBS) * I Love Adventure (1948) * Behold a Woman (1948) – Narrator * Families Need Parents (undated)

Film

Raffetto acted in small roles as early as the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

era in films like ''Tillie's Punctured Romance'' starring W. C. Fields. He continued to act in the 1940s and 1950s, including major films like ''

A Foreign Affair ''A Foreign Affair'' is a 1948 American romantic comedy- drama film directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, and John Lund. The screenplay by Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Richard L. Breen is based on a story by D ...

'' (1948) with

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

and '' Storm Center'' (1956) with

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

. Raffetto's film work lasted from 1928 to 1957 and included: * '' Tillie's Punctured Romance'' (1928) * '' Today I Hang'' (1942) - Roger Lanning * '' Eyes of the Underworld'' (1943) - District Attorney * '' Seven Doors to Death'' (1944) - Captain William Jaffe * '' Sunbonnet Sue'' (1945) - Commentator (voice) * '' Pirates of Monterey'' (1947) - Sergeant Gomara * '' To the Ends of the Earth'' (1948) - Professor Salim (uncredited) * ''

The Miracle of the Bells ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1948) - Harold Tanby (uncredited) * ''

'' (1948) - Congressman Salvatore * '' The Babe Ruth Story'' (1948) - Customer (uncredited) * '' Nancy Goes to Rio'' (1950) - Purser (uncredited) * '' I Was a Shoplifter'' (1950) - Sherriff Bascom * '' Storm Center'' (1956) - Edgar Greenbaum * ''

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'' (1957) - Priest (uncredited)

Television

Raffetto's television credits include: * ''

Medic A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder. Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgra ...

'' (1956) - Dr. Franklin McCall * ''

Telephone Time ''Telephone Time'' is an American anthology drama series that aired on CBS in 1956, and on ABC from 1957 to 1958. The series features plays by John Nesbitt who hosted the first season. Frank C. Baxter hosted the 1957 and 1958 seasons. The prog ...

'' (1956) - Joe Palermo * ''

Law of the Plainsman ''Law of the Plainsman'' is a Western (genre), Western television series starring Michael Ansara that aired on NBC from October 1, 1959, until September 22, 1960. The character of Native Americans in the United States, Native American United St ...

'' (1960) - Father Robles * '' Zane Grey Theater'' (1960) - Reverend Masters * '' Hawaiian Eye'' (1959-1960) - Papa Haone / Pappa Haone * '' This Man Dawson'' (1960) * '' Klondike'' (1961) - Arnold Jackson (final appearance)

Writings

* He's a Trooper: A Comedy-Drama in 3 Acts (copyrighted but unpublished)

Images

Photo
1930s
Photo
(2nd from left)
Caricature
Jack Packard (left)
Photo
1944
Michael Photo
1947
Photo
1948 (right)
Photo
undated

References

External links

*
Turner Movie Classics (TCM)

OTRRpedia
bio {{DEFAULTSORT:Raffetto, Michael 1899 births 1990 deaths Male actors from California American male film actors American male radio actors American male television actors Deaths from cancer in California People from Placerville, California 20th-century American male actors UC Berkeley School of Law alumni