James Parrott

Clockwise from top: Parrott, Oliver Hardy, and Stan Laurel, c. 1930 James Parrott (August 2, 1897 – May 10, 1939) was an American actor and film director; and the younger brother of film comedian Charley Chase.

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.

James was forced to leave school at a young age, in order to earn money to support the family. His first job was as a bellboy at the age of 10.Two years later, he was a driver of a horse-drawn carriage. He later became a prop man when his brother Charley was a director at Fox.

Later, Charley's connections in the film industry helped his younger brother to become 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 Helpmates (1931) and the Oscar-winning classic The Music Box (1932).

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.

James Parrott died in 1939. His brother Charley was guilt-ridden; he had refused to help James financially until he overcame his substance-abuse problems. Parrott's death at 41 was attributed to a heart attack, but former Hal Roach associates maintained he committed suicide. Chase drank heavily to cope with his loss, and died the following year. Both brothers are interred at Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

Spouses Clara Miller m. 1921-? Ruby Ellen McCoy m. 1937-1939

Marriage License for James Parrott and his first wife Clara Miller. The Sons of the Desert's Twice Two tent (St Neots, UK), researching James Gibbons Parrott, discovered that he married Clara Miller in 1921. However, there is scant information about her: no date of birth, only that she was a housewife, with no available photograph. The tent traced them living together in Beverly Hills, but the trail runs cold by 1930. With lack of evidence, one can only speculate what happened next to the couple; thus far there is no evidence of divorce papers.

This is a piece of evidence showing James Parrott and his wife Clara Miller. In 1922 they were living together in Los Angeles, where James Parrott had a successful career as an actor. Clara Miller was registered here as a housewife. It is the only file located thus far with James and Clara after their wedding in 1921.

Filmography

Actor

1918 : The Big Idea 1918: The Lamb 1918: Hello Teacher 1918: Beat It 1918: The Non-Stop Kid 1918: The City Slicker 1918: Are Crooks Gishonest? 1918: Fire The Cook 1918: Beach Nuts 1918: Bees In His Bonnet 1918: Swing Your Partners 1918: Check Your Baggage 1918 : Hit Him Again 1918 : A Gasoline Wedding 1918 : Look Pleasant, Please 1918 : Here Come the Girls 1918 : Let's Go 1918 : On the Jump 1918 : Follow the Crowd 1918 : Pipe the Whiskers 1918 : It's a Wild Life 1918 : Hey There! 1918 : Kicked Out 1918 : Two-Gun Gussie 1918 : Fireman Save My Child 1918 : Sic 'Em, Towser 1918 : Somewhere in Turkey 1918 : An Ozark Romance 1918 : Kicking the Germ Out of Germany 1918 : That's Him 1918 : Bride and Gloom 1918 : Two Scrambled 1918 : No Place Like Jail 1918 : Why Pick on Me? 1918 : Just Rambling Along 1918 : Hear 'Em Rave 1918 : She Loves Me Not 1919 : An Auto Nut 1919 : Do You Love Your Wife? 1919 : Wanted - $5,000 1919 : Love's Young Scream 1919 : Going! Going! Gone! 1919 : Hustling for Health 1919 : Ask Father 1919 : On The Fire 1919 : Hoots Mon! 1919 : I'm on My Way 1919 : Look Out Below! 1919 : The Dutiful Dub 1919 : Next Aisle Over 1919 : A Sammy in Siberia 1919 : Just Dropped In 1919 : Young Mr. Jazz 1919 : Crack Your Heels 1919 : Ring Up the Curtain 1919 : Si, Senor 1919 : Pistols for Breakfast 1919 : Swat the Crook 1919 : Off the Trolley 1919 : At the Old Stage Door 1919 : A Jazzed Honeymoon 1919 : Count Your Change 1919 : Chop Suey & Co. 1919 : Heap Big Chief 1919 : Don't Shove 1919 : All At Sea 1920 : His First Flat Tire 1920 : Black Eyes and Blue 1921 : Big Town Ideas 1922 : Try, Try Again 1922 : Paste and Paper 1922 : Loose Change 1922 : Rich Man, Poor Man 1922 : Stand Pat 1922 : Friday the Thirteenth 1922 : The Late Lamented 1922 : A Bed of Roses 1922 : The Sleuth 1922 : Busy Bees 1922 : The Bride-to-Be 1922 : Take Next Car 1922 : Touch All the Bases 1922 : The Truth Juggler 1922 : Rough on Romeo 1922 : Wet Weather 1922 : The Landlubber 1922 : Bone Dry 1922 : Soak the Shiek 1922 : Face the Camera 1922 : The Uppercut 1922 : Out On Bail 1922 : Shiver and Shake 1922 : The Golf Bug 1922 : Shine 'Em Up! 1922 : Washed Ashore 1922 : Harvest Hands 1922 : The Flivver 1922 : Blaze Away 1922 : I'll Take Vanilla 1922 : Fair Week 1922 : The White Blacksmith 1922 : Fire the Fireman 1923 : Post No Bills 1923 : Watch Your Wife 1923 : Mr. Hyppo 1923 : Don't Say Die 1923 : Jailed and Bailed 1923 : A Loose Tightwad 1923 : Tight Shoes 1923 : Do Your Stuff 1923 : Shoot Straight 1923 : For Safe Keeping 1923 : Bowled Over 1923 : Get Your Man 1923 : The Smile Wins 1923 : Good Riddance 1923 : Speed the Swede 1923 : Sunny Spain 1923 : For Art's Sake 1923 : Fresh Eggs 1923 : Dogs Of War! 1923 : Uncovered Wagon 1923 : For Guests Only 1923 : Jack Frost 1923 : Live Wires 1923 : Take the Air 1923 : Finger Prints 1923 : Winner Take All 1923 : No Pets 1923 : Dear Ol' Pal 1923 : Join the Circus 1924 : Get Busy 1924 : Sittin' Pretty 1925 : Whispering Lions 1925 : The Caretaker's Daughter 1925 : Are Parents Pickles? 1925 : Whistling Lions 1926 : Between Meals 1926 : Don't Butt In 1926 : Soft Pedal 1926 : Pay the Cashier 1926 : The Only Son 1926 : Hired and Fired 1926 : The Old War-Horse 1931 : Pardon Us 1934 : Washee Ironee

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

1925 : Chasing the Chaser 1925 : Unfriendly Enemies 1925 : Laughing Ladies 1926 : Your Husband's Past 1926 : Wandering Papas 1926 : Say It with Babies 1926 : Never Too Old 1926 : Along Came Auntie 1926 : Should Husbands Pay? 1926 : Wise Guys Prefer Brunettes 1926 : Get 'Em Young 1926 : On the Front Page 1928 : Galloping Ghosts 1928 : Should Married Men Go Home? 1937 : Way Out West 1938 : Swiss Miss 1938 : Block-Heads