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'' 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 (, ; ''placer'', Spanish for "sand deposit", representing the placer mining that was predominant in the town's development, and ''ville'', French for "town") is a city in and the county seat of El Dorado County, California, United S ...

, the son of John Augustus Raffetto, 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, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

'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 Western (genre), Western 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 was ...

'' (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, with whom Raffetto had already collaborated, created '' One Man's Family''. Raffetto landed the lead role as the family's eldest son, Paul Barbour, a fighter pilot wounded in World War I. John Dunning, a detective fiction and nonfiction author, wrote, "Raffetto brought to Paul a deep-voiced aura of strength, tenderness, and intelligence." 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) * One Man's Family (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 – 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 without synchronized 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) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

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'' (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 of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...

. Raffetto's film work lasted from 1928 to 1957 and included: * '' Tillie's Punctured Romance'' (1928) * '' She's a Sheik'' (1929) * '' 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 Miracle of the Bells'' is a 1948 American drama film directed by Irving Pichel, written by Quentin Reynolds and Ben Hecht, and produced by RKO. It stars Fred MacMurray, Alida Valli, Frank Sinatra and Lee J. Cobb. The film is based on the 1 ...

'' (1948) - Harold Tanby (uncredited) * '' A Foreign Affair'' (1948) - Congressman Salvatore * '' The Babe Ruth Story'' (1948) - Customer (uncredited) * '' Nancy Goes to Rio'' (1950) - Purser (uncredited) * ''

I Was a Shoplifter ''I Was a Shoplifter'' is a 1950 American film noir crime film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Scott Brady and Mona Freeman. Plot A shoplifter, Faye Burton, is being watched by Herb Klaxon, a security guard at a Los Angeles department s ...

'' (1950) - Sherriff Bascom * '' Storm Center'' (1956) - Edgar Greenbaum * ''

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

'' (1957) - Priest (uncredited)

Television

Raffetto's television credits include: * ''

Medic A medic is a person trained to provide medical care, encompassing a wide range of individuals involved in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of health conditions. The term can refer to fully qualified medical practitioners, such as physic ...

'' (1956) - Dr. Franklin McCall * '' Telephone Time'' (1956) - Joe Palermo * '' Law of the Plainsman'' (1960) - Father Robles * ''

Zane Grey Theater ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Westerns on television, Western anthology television series broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956 until May 18, 1961. Synopsis Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which ...

'' (1960) - Reverend Masters * ''

Hawaiian Eye ''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. Premise Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian ...

'' (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