[3] He grew to five foot two inches, and his height limited the amount of work he could get so in the mid 1920s Barton decided to move into directing.

[2] In 1927, Barton worked as an assistant director on Wings (1927), directed by William Wellman; he also played a small role.

[3] In August 1944, Barton was signed by Universal Pictures to a term deal as producer-director directing 14 features over the next eleven years, including the first of six feature-length Abbott and Costello comedies starting in 1946 with The Time of Their Lives.

In 1948, Barton directed Abbott and Costello in the first of two independently-produced features, The Noose Hangs High, for Eagle-Lion, and then, in 1949, Africa Screams for Nassour Studios, marking the only film appearance of Joe Besser and Shemp Howard together in supporting roles, each of whom were at one time members of The Three Stooges comedy team.

[6] In 1958, during divorce proceedings with his new wife Lee, Barton claimed he earned a net figure of US$2,000 (equivalent to $21,100 in 2023) a month.