Danny Lockin was an American actor best known for playing the role of Barnaby Tucker in the musical Hello Dolly. He was born on this day in 1943 but would be violently murdered in 1977.
Warning: This story contains details which might be distressing for some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.
Lockin first played the role on Broadway in 1965 taking over the part from Jerry Dodge. who had originated the role a year earlier. Lockin would continue playing the role on Broadway and in the touring version of the musical for several years.
It gave him the rare perspective of seeing many different actors take on the lead role of Dolly Gallagher Levi. He performed alongside Carol Channing, Ginger Rogers, Ethel Merman, Eve Arden, Dorothy Lamour, Phylis Diller and Betty Grable.
In 1969 he played the same part in the film version of Hello Folly which was directed by Gene Kelly. He appeared alongside Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford and Louis Armstrong. Before being given the film role he took 13 screen tests for producers.
His career also saw him make appearances on several television shows including My Three Sons, Dr Kildare and Father of the Bride. He auditioned for the part of Rolf in the film version of The Sound of Music but lost out to Daniel Truhitte.
Lockin had married dancer Kathy Haas, who he’d met during a production of the musical in San Francisco. Their son was born in 1969 but the couple divorced soon after.
After the film version of Hello Dolly wrapped he returned to playing the part of Barnaby Tucker in the stage productions, but he reportedly began have challenges due to substance abuse issues.
He began working as a dance teacher at a studio owned by his mother, until it closed in 1977. He took up work at another dance studio afterwards.
On August 21st, 1977, Lockin and dance partner Billie Jo Conway taped an episode of The Gong Show. They tied for first place and afterwards they went out to celebrate by having dinner.
Afterwards Conway dropped him off at a gay bar in Garden Grove California. Later that evening he left the bar with 34-year-old unemployed medical clerk Charles Leslie Hopkins.
Several hours later Hopkins called police and reported that a man had broken into his apartment and tried to rob him. Police found Lockin’s lifeless body with on the floor with 100 stab wounds. his body had also been mutilated after death. Hopkins told police he had no idea how the Lockin had got into his apartment.
Police found a book in the apartment that contained images of men being tortured at homosexual orgies, and prosecutors planned to charge Hopkins with pre-meditated murder. However, a Supreme Court ruling changed the rules around admissible evidence which meant the book could not be included in the trial.
The court case saw Hopkins convicted of voluntary manslaughter, and he was sentenced to just four years in prison.
This post was first published in 2024.
