Dewey Barto

He gained popularity as a dancer in Liberty bond drives, and when his company collapsed during a financial depression, Dewey joined The Three Bartos acrobatic team.

[12] Dewey began dancing solo in 1924 as "The Hectic Hoofer"[13] and continued performing as a single with Fanchon and Marco enterprises in 1925.

While performing as a single with Fanchon and Marco in early 1926, Barto (4'11", the same height as his elder daughter) was paired with George Mann (6'6").

Together, they began to develop comedic dance and acrobatic material based on the disparity in their heights that was well received by audiences up and down the West Coast.

As vaudeville faded, Barto and Mann joined the Broadway cast of Olsen and Johnson's Hellzapoppin, with featured billing from 1938 until 1942.

In the early 1920s, Barto joined the National Vaudeville Artists, E.F. Albee's company union formed to counter the White Rats.

[19] In early August 1940, Barto was named president of the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA), succeeding Jay Flippen who had resigned earlier.