Billy Barnes obit

Billy Barnes Dies at 85; Helped Revive Revues

 

He was not on the list.

Billy Barnes, a composer and lyricist whose varied work included satirical Broadway revues, “Laugh-In” routines and poignant songs that became popular standards for artists like Barbra Streisand, died on Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 85.

His son, Tyler, confirmed the death.

Mr. Barnes gained notice for his comic revues, which began in Los Angeles and moved to New York and London in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They skewered targets from beatniks to television, and featured performers who moved on to prominence in TV and the movies, among them Ken Berry, Bert Convy and Jo Anne Worley.

For “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” the frantically paced comedy series that was seen on NBC from 1968 to 1973, Mr. Barnes helped put together the weekly “Mod Mod World” segments, working comical variations on a single topic, with exuberant interruptions from female cast members go-go dancing in bikinis. He also contributed regularly to the show’s weekly news segment. He received three Emmy nominations for his work on “Laugh-in.”

His song “Something Cool” became a jazz standard after June Christy recorded it. Ms. Streisand recorded his “Too Long at the Fair” in 1963 on “The Second Barbra Streisand Album” and continues to perform it in concert. At first interpreted as an expression of ennui after too many parties, the song is now more often heard as a comment on the passing of time.

Mr. Barnes received three other Emmy nominations, for “The Danny Kaye Show” in 1966, the Goldie Hawn special “Pure Goldie” in 1971 and the 1975 variety series “Cher.”

He also wrote the original music for the 1976 television movie “Pinocchio,” starring Mr. Kaye and Sandy Duncan, and the opening numbers for the 1972 and ’73 Academy Awards ceremonies.

William Christopher Barnes Jr. was born on Jan. 27, 1927, in Los Angeles, and pursued his interest in drama and music while attending the University of California, Los Angeles. He wrote shows for campus performances, and some of his collaborators followed him into his revues.

Revues, which are essentially variety shows with a mix of music and humor, were most popular in the 1920s but made something of a comeback in the late 1950s and early ’60s, partly through Mr. Barnes’s efforts.

In 1958, “The Billy Barnes Revue” had a yearlong run in Hollywood, then spawned several other companies that played in New York, Florida and London. In New York the show opened Off Broadway, moved to Broadway for 87 performances in 1959, then returned to Off Broadway again. In 1961, he returned with the same troupe to present “The Billy Barnes People” on Broadway. It was not a success and closed after seven performances.

Mr. Barnes went on to work in television, compose for stage shows in Los Angeles, write musical bits for nightclub acts and work as a character actor.

In addition to his son, Mr. Barnes is survived by his partner of nearly 30 years, Richard T. Jordan. He was briefly married to Joyce Jameson, an actress who appeared in some of his revues.