Emory Parnell (b. 29 December 1892, St. Paul, Minnesota – d. 22 June 1979, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California) was an American vaudevillian and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36 year career. Nicknamed "The Big Swede", Parnell (who was sometimes credited as "Emery" or "Parnel") was married to Effie Laird, and they had two children together, one of whom, James Parnell, also became an actor.
Parnell trained as a musician at Morningside College in Iowa and spent his early years as a performer as a concert violinist. He performed on the Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits until 1930, when he went to Detroit where he narrated and acted in commercial and industrial films. Seeking better opportunities in Hollywood, Parnell and his wife moved to California, where, helped by his red-faced Irish look of frustration, he immediately began to appear in films in a variety of role, such as policemen, doormen, landlords, and small town businessmen.
Although his appearances were often in "B" films, such as the Ma and Pa Kettle series, he also made credible showings in "A" films as well. One notable part was as a Paramount studio executive who sang about avoiding libel suits to open 1941's Louisiana Purchase. Parnell was also part of writer-director Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors in the 1940s, appearing in five of Sturges' films, including The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, where he played the crooked banker, "Mr. Tuerck", the chief antagonist of William Demarest's "Constable Kockenlocker".
In May of 1949, Parnell appeared on Broadway for the first and only time, in the play Mr. Adam, which ran for only five performances. In the 1950s; Parnell began to appear on television, in both dramatic shows and situation comedies, playing much the same kinds of parts he played in movies. Most of his TV appearances were one-offs or for two episodes, although he did play William Bendix' factory foreman on The Life of Riley, and the character "Bill Anders" on five episodes of Maverick.
Parnell's last acting appearance on television was in 1971 as a prospector on Gunsmoke, and he made his final movie, Girls on the Road, in which he played a bartender, in 1973. His final public appearance came in 1974, when he and his wife were interviewed by TV talk-show host Tom Snyder along with other residents of the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital. Parnell died of a heart attack at age 86.
Notes
^ IMDB Biography
^ James Parnell at the Internet Movie Database
^ a b Erickson, Hal Biography (Allmovie)
^ Parnell appeared in The Great McGinty, Sullivan's Travels, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, The Great Moment and The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend.
^ Mr. Adam at the Internet Broadway Database
External links
Emory Parnell at the Internet Movie Database
Emory Parnell at Allmovie
Emory Parnell at the TCM Movie Database
Emory Parnell at the Internet Broadway Database
Emory Parnell at Find A Grave
This article about a United States film actor born in the 1890s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emory_Parnell"
Categories: American film actor, 1890s birth stubs | 1892 births | 1979 deaths | American actors | American film actors | American musicians | American stage actors | American television actors | Deaths from cardiovascular disease | Minnesota actors | Vaudeville performers
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