Danny Lockin
Encyclopedia
Daniel Joseph "Danny" Lockin (July 13, 1943 – August 21, 1977) was an American actor and dancer who appeared on stage, television, and film. He was best known for his portrayal of the character Barnaby Tucker in the 1969 film Hello, Dolly!.
. He began dancing professionally at area fair
s at the age of eight. His act co-starred Neal Reynolds, an African American boy with whom he would tap dance, tell jokes, pantomime
, and do impressions of famous people.
During his junior year in high school, Lockin's family moved to Anaheim, California
, where he graduated from Rancho Alamitos High School
. He was cast in leading juvenile roles in regional productions of Gypsy: A Musical Fable
, The Music Man
, and Time for Everything. After graduation, he immediately began working as a professional actor and dancer.
He had an early, and uncredited, role as a young farm boy in the 1962 film version of Gypsy
. He appeared in the play Morning Sun in October 1963 with Patricia Neway
and Bert Convy
, but it closed after nine performances. The New York Times
said he "dances with acrobatic suppleness and engaging freshness". He made his Broadway debut on April 8, 1964, in West Side Story
in New York City in the role of Gee-Tar (a role he left on May 3), and appeared as an actor and dancer in a regional production of Take Me Along
.
He replaced Jerry Dodge in the role of Barnaby Tucker in Hello, Dolly! on January 16, 1964. He remained in the role until December 27, 1970, during which time he worked with both Carol Channing
and Ethel Merman
. He had mixed feelings about Channing, about whom he once said: "Carol Channing is rather disconcerting. You'll notice her looking at you with those big baby-stare eyes. Then eventually it dawns on you that the person behind those eyes is, in show business terms, about 200 years old." He also later expressed unhappiness with the way audiences reacted to Merman in the role of Dolly Levi, and how this changed the show. "She wasn't Dolly up there, she was Ethel Merman in Dolly clothes. ... The audiences came, of course; they came to see the Ethel Merman version. But it wasn't Hello, Dolly! any more, it was her show. ... Channing or Streisand, they were were part of a cast, trying to act out a character. But with Ethel Merman—and not just her fault, with the audience, she was such an institution—the rest of us felt like just her chorus boys or her chorus line."
Locking had a number of guest-star and incidental roles on television as well. He appeared on Father of the Bride
, Dr. Kildare
, Mr. Novak
, My Three Sons
, and the Sid Caesar Show. He did a screen test
for the 1965 film version
of The Sound of Music, but did not get the part. In 1967, he was cast in a minor role in the film The Graduate
, but was contractually bound to continue in a regional production of Hello, Dolly! in Las Vegas, Nevada
, and could not take the job.
In 1967, Lockin married dancer Kathryn Haas, who was a bit-part dancer in a production of Hello, Dolly! in San Francisco. Their son, Jeremy Daniel Lockin, was born in 1969. The couple divorced in late 1969.
Lockin was cast in the 1969 film version of Hello, Dolly! on the basis of his dancing. He underwent 13 screen tests before he got the part. He later said that doing the film "the dream of my life". He felt a strong need to compete with the film's director, legendary dancer Gene Kelly
. At one point during filming, he did a series of four "butterflies" (a cartwheel
in which a person does not put their hands on the ground) while Kelly looked on in stony silence. Later that year, he was cast in a starring role in the musical Tom Sawyer, which played at the St. Louis Municipal Opera.
In April 1970, he guest-starred on The Dean Martin Show
on television.
On the night of August 21, 1977, Lockin (who was bisexual
) went to a gay bar
in Garden Grove, California
. He left the bar with a slight, 34-year-old unemployed medical clerk, Charles Leslie Hopkins (who already had a police record and was on probation at the time). Several hours later, Hopkins called police to say that a man had entered his apartment and tried to rob him. Upon arrival, police found Lockin's bloody body on the floor of Hopkin's apartment. He had been stabbed 100 times, and bled to death. His body had also been mutilated after death. Hopkins claimed he had no idea how the dead body got in his apartment. He was immediately arrested.
Police found a book of pornographic pictures in Hopkins' apartment which showed men being torture
d during sexual orgies. Prosecutors initially intended to seek a first degree murder conviction, and to use the book to prove that Hopkins had planned the murder
. Hopkins' trial began in May 1978, but endured a two-month delay after the prosecutor was injured in an unrelated accident. During the delay, the Supreme Court of the United States
held in United States v. Chadwick
, 433 U.S. 1 (1977), that police may not engage in warrantless
searches of an individual's property in the absence of an exigency. On July 31, the trial court ruled the pornographic book inadmissible as evidence. On August 8, the trial court judge held that the death penalty could not be applied to Hopkins due to lack of evidence of premeditation.
On September 28, 1978, Hopkins was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Since the court was permitted to consider suppressed evidence if the evidence was not seized merely to obtain a lengthier prison sentence and it did not "shock the conscience of the court," the trial judge increased Hopkins' sentence from the usual three years to four years. Prosecutors said that with good behavior, Hopkins would be released in two years (considering time served).
Danny Lockin was interred at Westminster Memorial Park cemetery in Westminster, California
.
Career
Although born in Hawaii, Lockin was raised in Omaha, NebraskaOmaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. He began dancing professionally at area fair
Fair
A fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
s at the age of eight. His act co-starred Neal Reynolds, an African American boy with whom he would tap dance, tell jokes, pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, and do impressions of famous people.
During his junior year in high school, Lockin's family moved to Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, where he graduated from Rancho Alamitos High School
Rancho Alamitos High School
Rancho Alamitos High School is located in Garden Grove, California. It is a member of the Garden Grove Unified School District.This high school first opened in the spring of 1957 with no senior class. The first graduating class was in 1958. The school colors are green and gold...
. He was cast in leading juvenile roles in regional productions of Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy: A Musical Fable
Gypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business...
, The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
, and Time for Everything. After graduation, he immediately began working as a professional actor and dancer.
He had an early, and uncredited, role as a young farm boy in the 1962 film version of Gypsy
Gypsy (1962 film)
Gypsy is a 1962 American musical film produced and directed by Mervyn LeRoy. The screenplay by Leonard Spigelgass is based on the book of the 1959 stage musical Gypsy: A Musical Fable by Arthur Laurents, which was adapted from Gypsy: A Memoir by Gypsy Rose Lee.Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics for...
. He appeared in the play Morning Sun in October 1963 with Patricia Neway
Patricia Neway
Patricia Neway is an American operatic soprano and musical theatre actress who had an active international career during the mid-1940s through the 1970s. She is particularly remembered for creating roles in the world premieres of several contemporary American operas, most notably Magda Sorel in...
and Bert Convy
Bert Convy
Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy was an Emmy Award winning American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for his tenure as the host for Tattletales, Super Password, and Win, Lose or Draw.-Early life:...
, but it closed after nine performances. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said he "dances with acrobatic suppleness and engaging freshness". He made his Broadway debut on April 8, 1964, in West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
in New York City in the role of Gee-Tar (a role he left on May 3), and appeared as an actor and dancer in a regional production of Take Me Along
Take Me Along
Take Me Along is a musical based on the Eugene O'Neill play Ah, Wilderness, with music and lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Joseph Stein and Robert Russell.-Background:...
.
He replaced Jerry Dodge in the role of Barnaby Tucker in Hello, Dolly! on January 16, 1964. He remained in the role until December 27, 1970, during which time he worked with both Carol Channing
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing is an American singer, actress, and comedienne. She is the recipient of three Tony Awards , a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination...
and Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
. He had mixed feelings about Channing, about whom he once said: "Carol Channing is rather disconcerting. You'll notice her looking at you with those big baby-stare eyes. Then eventually it dawns on you that the person behind those eyes is, in show business terms, about 200 years old." He also later expressed unhappiness with the way audiences reacted to Merman in the role of Dolly Levi, and how this changed the show. "She wasn't Dolly up there, she was Ethel Merman in Dolly clothes. ... The audiences came, of course; they came to see the Ethel Merman version. But it wasn't Hello, Dolly! any more, it was her show. ... Channing or Streisand, they were were part of a cast, trying to act out a character. But with Ethel Merman—and not just her fault, with the audience, she was such an institution—the rest of us felt like just her chorus boys or her chorus line."
Locking had a number of guest-star and incidental roles on television as well. He appeared on Father of the Bride
Father of the Bride (TV series)
Father of the Bride is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1961-62 season. Produced by MGM Television, the series was based on the 1950 film of the same title...
, Dr. Kildare
Dr. Kildare
Dr. James Kildare is a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show, and a short-lived 1970s television series...
, Mr. Novak
Mr. Novak
Mr. Novak is an American dramatic series starring James Franciscus in the title role, which aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965.-Overview:...
, My Three Sons
My Three Sons
My Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS...
, and the Sid Caesar Show. He did a screen test
Screen test
A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film and/or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a camera to see if they are suitable...
for the 1965 film version
The Sound of Music (film)
Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the Broadway musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and with the musical...
of The Sound of Music, but did not get the part. In 1967, he was cast in a minor role in the film The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
, but was contractually bound to continue in a regional production of Hello, Dolly! in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, and could not take the job.
In 1967, Lockin married dancer Kathryn Haas, who was a bit-part dancer in a production of Hello, Dolly! in San Francisco. Their son, Jeremy Daniel Lockin, was born in 1969. The couple divorced in late 1969.
Lockin was cast in the 1969 film version of Hello, Dolly! on the basis of his dancing. He underwent 13 screen tests before he got the part. He later said that doing the film "the dream of my life". He felt a strong need to compete with the film's director, legendary dancer Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
. At one point during filming, he did a series of four "butterflies" (a cartwheel
Cartwheel (gymnastics)
In gymnastics, a cartwheel is a sideways rotary movement performed by bringing the hands to the ground while the body inverts and the legs travel over the body, coming down to a standing position.-Terminology:...
in which a person does not put their hands on the ground) while Kelly looked on in stony silence. Later that year, he was cast in a starring role in the musical Tom Sawyer, which played at the St. Louis Municipal Opera.
In April 1970, he guest-starred on The Dean Martin Show
The Dean Martin Show
The Dean Martin Show is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by crooner Dean Martin...
on television.
Death
After his divorce and with his career in decline due to substance abuse issues, Lockin moved into his mother's apartment in Anaheim, California. Around 1974, Lockin began assisting his mother in running the Jean Lockin Dance Studio. The studio closed in early 1977, and Lockin began teaching at another dance studio.On the night of August 21, 1977, Lockin (who was bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
) went to a gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
in Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove, California
Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...
. He left the bar with a slight, 34-year-old unemployed medical clerk, Charles Leslie Hopkins (who already had a police record and was on probation at the time). Several hours later, Hopkins called police to say that a man had entered his apartment and tried to rob him. Upon arrival, police found Lockin's bloody body on the floor of Hopkin's apartment. He had been stabbed 100 times, and bled to death. His body had also been mutilated after death. Hopkins claimed he had no idea how the dead body got in his apartment. He was immediately arrested.
Police found a book of pornographic pictures in Hopkins' apartment which showed men being torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d during sexual orgies. Prosecutors initially intended to seek a first degree murder conviction, and to use the book to prove that Hopkins had planned the murder
Premeditated murder
Premeditated murder is the crime of wrongfully causing the death of another human being after rationally considering the timing or method of doing so, in order to either increase the likelihood of success, or to evade detection or apprehension.State laws in the United States vary as to definitions...
. Hopkins' trial began in May 1978, but endured a two-month delay after the prosecutor was injured in an unrelated accident. During the delay, the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
held in United States v. Chadwick
United States v. Chadwick
United States v. Chadwick, 433 U.S. 1 , was a decision by the United States Supreme Court, which held that, absent exigency, the warrantless search of double-locked luggage just placed in the trunk of a parked vehicle is a violation of the Fourth Amendment and not justified under the automobile...
, 433 U.S. 1 (1977), that police may not engage in warrantless
Search warrant
A search warrant is a court order issued by a Magistrate, judge or Supreme Court Official that authorizes law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a person or location for evidence of a crime and to confiscate evidence if it is found....
searches of an individual's property in the absence of an exigency. On July 31, the trial court ruled the pornographic book inadmissible as evidence. On August 8, the trial court judge held that the death penalty could not be applied to Hopkins due to lack of evidence of premeditation.
On September 28, 1978, Hopkins was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Since the court was permitted to consider suppressed evidence if the evidence was not seized merely to obtain a lengthier prison sentence and it did not "shock the conscience of the court," the trial judge increased Hopkins' sentence from the usual three years to four years. Prosecutors said that with good behavior, Hopkins would be released in two years (considering time served).
Danny Lockin was interred at Westminster Memorial Park cemetery in Westminster, California
Westminster, California
-Government:In the state legislature Westminster is located in the 34th, Senate District, represented by Democrat Lou Correa and Republican Tom Harman respectively, and in the 67th and 68th Assembly District, represented by Republicans Jim Silva and Van Tran respectively...
.
Bibliopgraphy
- Benjamin, Ruth and Rosenblatt, Arthur. Who Sang What on Broadway, 1866-1996. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2006.
- Flinn, Caryl. Brass Diva: The Life and Legends of Ethel Merman. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press, 2009.
- Green, Stanley. The World of Musical Comedy: The Story of the American Musical Stage as Told Through the Careers of Its Foremost Composers and Lyricists. New York: Da Capo Press, 1980.
- Hadleigh, Boze. Broadway Babylon: Glamour, Glitz, and Gossip on the Great White Way. New York: Back Stage Books, 2007.
- Hirschhorn, Clive. Gene Kelly: A Biography. London: W.H. Allen, 1974.
- Kurtti, Jeff. The Great Movie Musical Trivia Book. New York: Hal Leonard Corporation, 1996.
- Larkin, Colin. The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Enfield, U.K.: Guinness Pub., 1995.