Vince Barnett
Vince Barnett was an American film actor. He appeared on stage originally before appearing in more than 230 films between 1930 and 1975.
Early years
Barnett was born July 4, 1902, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Luke Barnett, a well-known comedian who specialized in insulting and pulling practical jokes on his audiences.
Barnett graduated from Duquesne University Prep School and the Carnegie Institute of Technology. An avid amateur pilot since 1921, he flew mail planes during 1925-1926. Barnett appeared on Broadway in Earl Carroll's Vanities during 1927.
Practical jokes
A 1932 newspaper report noted that "Barnett for years known in Hollywood as the 'professional ribber' -- appearing at banquets and parties as a paid 'insulter.'" He would insult the guests in a thick German accent, spill the soup, and drop the trays—all to the great delight of hosts who enjoyed watching their friends squirm and mutter "Who hired that jerk?" Wrote author Ephraim Katz, "Among the celebrated 'victims' of his practical jokes were President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, Henry Ford, and Charles Lindbergh."
During the transition from silent films to sound, an employee at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer hired Barnett to prank Louis B. Mayer. He impersonated a sound expert and went with Mayer to a soundstage being built, criticizing the construction and using double-talk to confuse him. He ended his evaluation by proclaiming that the whole soundstage needed to be torn down, and Mayer was about to order it done before his co-workers revealed the prank. David Niven, in his 1975 memoir, recalled Barnett posing as an important German director at a banquet attended by Samuel Goldwyn. Barnett gave Goldwyn an uncomfortable time: "With a heavy German accent, he said that he was a little surprised that Goldwyn had been invited to meet him because he considered him to be the least talented filmmaker in the United States, the only reason he had brought the Russian actress Anna Sten out to Hollywood was because he wanted to get into her bloomers."
Film
Vince Barnett's initial involvement with Hollywood was as a screenwriter, "writing screenplays for the two-reeler movies of the late 1920s."
He began appearing in films in 1930, playing hundreds of comedy bits and supporting parts until retiring in 1975. Among his screen roles was the gangster "secretary" in Scarface. From 1930 Barnett appeared, usually as comedy relief, in films and on television in a career spanning 45 years. Among his early roles, apart from Scarface, were The Big Cage, Thirty Day Princess and Princess O'Hara. In later years, Barnett played straight character parts, often as careworn little men, undertakers, janitors, bartenders and drunks in pictures ranging from films noir to westerns. He appeared in "B" comedies and mysteries: as gangsters in Petticoat Larceny, Little Miss Broadway, and Gas House Kids Go West, and notably as Tom Conway's enthusiastic sidekick in The Falcon's Alibi. After World War II, with the Hollywood studios making fewer films, Barnett became a familiar face on television.
Later years and death
In one of his last public appearances, Barnett showcased his unique brand of humor with a monologue, delivered at Madison Square Garden in the 1972 vaudeville revue The Big Show of 1936.
During the 1950s, Barnett had an eponymous restaurant in Santa Monica at 826 Wilshire Boulevard.
Barnett died of heart disease August 10, 1977, at Encino Hospital Medical Center. He was buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Selected filmography
Wide Open - DvorakAll Quiet on the Western Front - Assistant Cook Night Work - Headwaiter Her Man - Waiter One Heavenly Night - Egon, Chauffeur Scandal Sheet - Barrett, Convict Reporter Side Show - The Great Santini Scratch-As-Catch-Can Scarface - AngeloHorse Feathers - Speakeasy Patron The Night Mayor - Louis Mossbaum, TailorTiger Shark - FishboneHeritage of the Desert - WindyRackety Rax - 'Dutch'The Death Kiss - Officer GulliverFlesh - WaiterHallelujah, I'm a Bum - Assistant Fast Workers - SpikeThe Big Cage - SoupmeatMade on Broadway - Snitz LepedisThe Girl in 419 - Otto HofferSunset Pass - WindyTugboat Annie - Cab Driver Man of the Forest - LittleThe Prizefighter and the Lady - BugsieThe Ninth Guest - William JonesMadame Spy - PeterRegistered Nurse - JerryThirty-Day Princess - Count NicholausNow I'll Tell - PeppoThe Cat's-Paw - Wilks - a GangsterThe Affairs of Cellini - AscanioShe Loves Me Not - Baldy SchultzTake the Stand - TonyKansas City Princess - Quincy - Dynamite's HenchmanYoung and Beautiful - SammyNo Ransom - BulletCrimson Romance - The CourierHell in the Heavens - Ace McGurkThe Secret Bride - Drunk in DinerPrincess O'Hara - FingersBlack Fury - KubandaSilk Hat Kid - Mr. RabinowitzDon't Bet on Blondes - Chuck aka 'Brains'Champagne for Breakfast - BennieStreamline Express - Mr. JonesI Live My Life - ClerkRiffraff - LewDancing Feet - WilloughbyCaptain Calamity - BurpDown to the Sea - HectorSan Francisco - New Year's Eve Drunk I Cover Chinatown - Puss McGaffey - the Bus DriverYellow Cargo - Speedy 'Bulbs' CallahanWe're in the Legion Now! - Spike ConoverAfter the Thin Man - Wrestling Manager at Party The Woman I Love - MathieuA Star Is Born - Otto Bank Alarm - Clarence 'Bulb' CallahanBoots of Destiny - Acey Ducey - SidekickThe Singing Cowgirl - KewpieThe Headleys at Home - Vince BergsonSunset Murder Case - BarneyWater Rustlers - Mike - the cookRide 'em, Cowgirl - Dan HaggertyExile Express - Deputy ConstableOverland Mail - PorchyHeroes of the Saddle - Night WatchmanEast Side Kids - WhisperBoys of the City - SimpStranger on the Third Floor - Cafe Customer Seven Sinners - BartenderA Girl, a Guy, and a Gob - Bystander with Packages Mr. District Attorney - Coroner's Messenger Paper Bullets - Scribbler, a Petty ForgerBlondie in Society - Mr. Wade Puddin' Head - Otis TarbellA Dangerous Game - EphriamJungle Man - Buckthorn - 'Buck' the GuideSierra Sue - Shooting-Gallery Pitchman I Killed That Man - DrunkBlonde Comet - CurlyPardon My Stripes - Bartender Girls' Town - DimitriKlondike Fury - AlaskaThe Corpse Vanishes - SandyGallant Lady - BaldyStardust on the Sage - Sam HaskinsMy Favorite Spy - Kay's 2nd Taxi Driver The Phantom Plainsmen - Deputy Baby Face Morgan - Lefty LewisForeign Agent - DrunkBowery at Midnight - CharleyX Marks the Spot - GeorgeQueen of Broadway - SchultzThundering Trails - Jailer The Crime Smasher - Henchman 'Gimp'Kid Dynamite - KlinkhammerHigh Explosive - Truck Driver Captive Wild Woman - CurleyPetticoat Larceny - StogieDanger! Women at Work - BennyTornado - Albany Alvin Sweethearts of the U.S.A. - Clipper - 3rd RobberThe Mask of Dimitrios - Card Game Kibitzer Leave It to the Irish - Barney BakerThe Big Show-Off - Voice Teacher's Student High Powered - Worker at DanceThrill of a Romance - OscarRiver Gang - Organ GrinderSensation Hunters - AgentThe Falcon's Alibi - Goldie LockeThe Virginian - BaldyTwo Sisters from Boston - Singing Waiter Bowery Bombshell - Street CleanerThe Killers - CharlestonNo Leave, No Love - BenSwell Guy - Sam BurnsThe Mighty McGurk - Tailor My Brother Talks to Horses - Schuyler I Cover Big Town - Louis MurkilShoot to Kill - Charlie GillGas House Kids Go West - SteveLittle Miss Broadway - Mack TruckThe Trespasser - BartenderBrute Force - Muggsy - Convict in KitchenJoe Palooka in the Knockout - RussellThe Flame - Stage Door Attendant Big Town After Dark - Louie SneadHigh Wall - Henry CronnerBig Town Scandal - Louie SneadThunder in the Pines - Bernard - BartenderLoaded Pistols - Sam GardnerKnock on Any Door - Carl Swanson - Bartender Big Jack - Tom Speed Deputy Marshall - Hotel Desk ClerkMule Train - Joe - BarberStorm Over Wyoming - Telegraph Clerk The Second Woman - Giovanni Strobini Border Treasure - PokeyInternational Burlesque