Michael Raffetto

Michael Raffetto
Raffetto in Today I Hang (1942)
Born
Elwyn Creighton Raffetto

(1899-12-31)December 31, 1899
Placerville, California, U.S.
DiedMay 31, 1990(1990-05-31) (aged 90)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Other namesMike Raffetto
EducationBA, JD
Alma materUniversity of California Berkeley, Boalt Hall
OccupationActor
Years active1928–1961
EmployerNBC Radio
Known forRadio actor
Notable workOne Man's Family, I Love a Mystery
SpouseConstance Murray Raffetto (2)
Children4
RelativesJohn Augustus Raffetto (father), Lloyd Raffetto (brother), John Augustus Raffetto Jr. (brother), Alexander Howison Murray Jr. (brother-in-law)

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.[1][2][3]

Early life

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Bell Tower in Placerville, California, where Raffetto grew up

Elwyn Creighton Raffetto was born in Placerville, California, the son of John Augustus Raffetto,[3] a hotelier, and Adela Creighton.[4] (His grandparents, Domenico Raffetto and Anna Pensa, came first to nearby Newtown, California, from Ognio, a mountain village northeast of Genoa.[5]) He graduated cum laude from the University of California at Berkeley's Boalt Hall in 1925.[3] He practiced law in San Francisco until 1928, when he directed drama at Berkeley as well as Los Angeles' Greek Theatre[3][6][7][8]

Career

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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.[8] Soon after, he became the network's West Coast program director through 1933. During that time, he produced Death Valley Days (1930).[6][8]

In 1946, he also directed Michael Shayne, Private Detective.[6]

Acting

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

One Man's Family

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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,[9] a fighter pilot wounded in World War I. "Raffetto brought to Paul a deep-voiced aura of strength, tenderness, and intelligence."[10] 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."[3][4][6]

I Love a Mystery

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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."[3][4][6]

Other

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"After the first several years," Raffetto often "substituted" for creator Morse, "directing and writing while he was away."[8][11]

Raffetto also starred in Death Valley Days (1930) and Attorney for the Defense (1944).[12]

Personal life and death

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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).[6]

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.[8]

After leaving radio in 1956, Raffetto and his wife lived in Spain and Italy until 1960.[13] During that time, he wrote unpublished works, including a family history.[8]

Raffetto died of throat cancer at his home in Berkeley. At the time of his death, he had four daughters and five grandchildren.[6]

Acting credits

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Radio

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Raffetto's radio work lasted from 1930 to 1956 and included:[14]

Film

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Raffetto acted in small roles as early as the silent film 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 and Storm Center (1956) with Bette Davis.

Raffetto's film work lasted from 1928 to 1957 and included:[16]

Television

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Raffetto's television credits include:

Writings

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  • He's a Trooper: A Comedy-Drama in 3 Acts (copyrighted but unpublished)[17]

Images

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Michael Raffetto, Radio Actor, 91". New York Times. June 9, 1990. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  2. ^ "Michael Raffetto, 91, Former Radio Actor". Seattle Times. June 9, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Local Boy Makes Good" (PDF). Tailer. El Dorado County Historical Museum: 2–3. 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Yoholam, Betty (October 1, 2001). "I Remember" Stories and Pictures of El Dorado County Pioneer Families. Cedar Ridge Publishing. pp. 145–146, 237. ISBN 9780965876346. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  5. ^ Gardella, John. "Reminisces of Old Newtown". One Old Miner's Store. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Folkart, Burt A. (June 8, 1990). "Michael Raffetto, 91; Ex-Radio Actor". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  7. ^ Hawn, Jack (June 8, 1990). "Survivors of 'The Family'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Haefele, Dan (July 1990). "Actor Michael Raffetto Dies" (PDF). SPERDVAC's Radiogram. pp. 5, 7, 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  9. ^ "One Man's Family". Virtual Museum of City of San Francisco. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  10. ^ John Dunning (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. p. 521. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  11. ^ Schneider, John F. "Actor Michael Raffetto Dies". The NBC Pacific Coast Network. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  12. ^ "Series: Attorney of the Defense". Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  13. ^ "Radio's 'One Man's Family' Star Dies". Associated Press (AP). June 8, 1990. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  14. ^ "Raffetto, Michael". Radio Goldin Index. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  15. ^ "Collections: Carlton E. Morse". American Radio Archives. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  16. ^ "Michael Raffetto". Turner Movie Classics. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  17. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 1, Group 3 (Volume 2, No. 1): Dramatic Compositions, Motion Pictures. Library of Congress. 1929. p. 6190. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
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