James Parrott

James Parrott (August 2, 1897 – May 10, 1939) was an American actor and film director; and the younger brother of film comedian Charley Chase.

James Parrott
Jobyna Ralston with Parrott in The White Blacksmith, 1922
Born(1897-08-02)August 2, 1897
Baltimore, Maryland
DiedMay 10, 1939(1939-05-10) (aged 41)
Los Angeles, California
Other namesPaul Parrott
OccupationFilm director, actor
Years active1913–1939
Clockwise from top: Parrott, Oliver Hardy, and Stan Laurel, c. 1930

Biography

Early years

James Gibbons Parrott was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Charles and Blanche Thompson Parrott. In 1903, his father died from a heart attack, leaving the family in bad financial shape, which forced them to move in with a relative. Charley Jr. quit school, so he could go to work, in order to support his mother and brother. Eventually the call of the stage beckoned him, and Charley Jr. left home at age 16 to travel the vaudeville circuit as a singer and comedic performer. By the time James had reached his teens, he too, had quit school, and became involved with the street gangs of Baltimore.

Later, Charley's connections in the film industry helped get his younger brother established in movies, and he would appear during the 1920s in a series of relatively successful comedies for producer Hal Roach. He was billed first as "Paul Parrott", then "Jimmie Parrott", Approximately 75 comedies were produced from 1921 to 1923, with titles continuing to be released through Pathé until 1926. Frequent co-stars included Marie Mosquini, Jobyna Ralston, Eddie Baker, and Sunshine Sammy.

Parrott is probably best known as a comedy director. As "James Parrott", he specialized in the two-reel misadventures of Laurel and Hardy, including the Oscar-winning classic The Music Box, and Helpmates.

Later years

During the 1930s Parrott had acquired serious drinking and drug problems (his diet medications were actually addictive amphetamines) and although still able to direct quality shorts, he had developed a reputation as unreliable. By the mid-1930s his work was spotty: Stan Laurel used him sporadically to contribute gags to the Laurel and Hardy features, and he would direct an Our Gang short in 1934, plus several acceptable entries in Thelma Todd–Patsy Kelly series.

Death

By 1937, Parrott was accepting any jobs that came his way. He could no longer be counted on to direct or write, and relied on his brother to support him financially. There was a brief marriage to Ruby Ellen McCoy in 1937, but as his various addictions worsened, so did his state of mind.

Parrott died at the age of 41 of heart failure. His brother Charley was devastated, and died 13 months later. He is interred at Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park, the same cemetery where his brother, Charley Chase rests. His brother Chase had refused to help him financially until he cleaned up his act. Parrott's death at 41 was attributed to a heart attack, but former Hal Roach associates maintained he committed suicide. Guilt-ridden over his brother's tragic end, Chase drank himself to death a year later.

Filmography

Actor

Director
  • 1921 : The Pickaninny
  • 1922 : Mixed Nuts
  • 1924 : Just a Minute
  • 1924 : Hard Knocks
  • 1924 : Love's Detour
  • 1924 : The Fraidy Cat
  • 1924 : Don't Forget
  • 1925 : Should Sailors Marry?
  • 1926 : The Cow's Kimona
  • 1926 : On the Front Page
  • 1926 : There Ain't No Santa Claus
  • 1927 : Many Scrappy Returns
  • 1927 : Are Brunettes Safe?
  • 1927 : A One Mama Man
  • 1927 : Forgotten Sweeties
  • 1927 : Bigger and Better Blondes
  • 1927 : Fluttering Hearts
  • 1927 : What Women Did for Me
  • 1927 : The Sting of Stings
  • 1927 : The Lighter That Failed
  • 1927 : Now I'll Tell One
  • 1927 : Us
  • 1927 : Assistant Wives
  • 1927 : Never the Dames Shall Meet
  • 1928 : All for Nothing
  • 1928 : Galloping Ghosts
  • 1928 : Their Purple Moment
  • 1928 : Should Married Men Go Home?
  • 1928 : Two Tars
  • 1928 : Habeas Corpus
  • 1928 : Chasing Husbands
  • 1929 : Ruby Lips
  • 1929 : Lesson No. 1
  • 1929 : Happy Birthday
  • 1929 : Furnace Trouble
  • 1929 : Stewed, Fried and Boiled
  • 1929 : Perfect Day
  • 1929 : They Go Boom!
  • 1929 : The Hoose-Gow
  • 1930 : La Vida nocturna
  • 1930 : Une nuit extravagante
  • 1930 : Tiembla y Titubea
  • 1930 : Der Spuk um Mitternacht
  • 1930 : Radiomanía
  • 1930 : Noche de duendes
  • 1930 : Feu mon oncle
  • 1930 : Night Owls
  • 1930 : Blotto
  • 1930 : Brats
  • 1930 : Below Zero
  • 1930 : Hog Wild
  • 1930 : The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case
  • 1930 : Another Fine Mess
  • 1931 : La Señorita de Chicago
  • 1931 : Los Presidiarios
  • 1931 : Be Big!
  • 1931 : The Pip from Pittsburgh
  • 1931 : Monerías
  • 1931 : Rough Seas
  • 1931 : One of the Smiths
  • 1931 : Pardon Us
  • 1931 : The Panic Is On
  • 1931 : Skip the Maloo!
  • 1931 : What a Bozo!
  • 1932 : Helpmates
  • 1932 : The Music Box
  • 1932 : The Chimp
  • 1932 : County Hospital
  • 1932 : Young Ironsides
  • 1932 : Girl Grief
  • 1932 : Now We'll Tell One
  • 1932 : Mr. Bride
  • 1933 : Twice Two
  • 1933 : Twin Screws
  • 1934 : Mixed Nuts
  • 1934 : A Duke for a Day
  • 1934 : Benny from Panama
  • 1934 : Washee Ironee
  • 1934 : Opened by Mistake
  • 1935 : Treasure Blues
  • 1935 : Sing, Sister, Sing
  • 1935 : The Tin Man
  • 1935 : The Misses Stooge
  • 1935 : Do Your Stuff

Writer

References
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