Emory Parnell
| Emory Parnell | |
|---|---|
in the TV series The Life of Riley
|
|
| Born |
December 29, 1892 St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | June 22, 1979 (aged 86) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles California, U.S. |
| Other names | Emery Parnell Emory Parnel |
| Occupation | actor |
| Years active | 1938–1973 |
| Spouse(s) | Effie Laird |
Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudevillian and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career. He was nicknamed "The Big Swede" and was sometimes credited as "Emery" or "Parnel.")
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Parnell trained as a musician at Morningside College, a Methodist institution in Sioux City, Iowa.
He spent eight months in the Arctic in 1929, looking for gold in that area's wastelands. He also worked as a telegrapher.
Parnell spent his early years as a concert violinist. He performed on the Chautauqua and Lyceum circuits until 1930, when he relocated to Detroit, Michigan, to narrate and act in commercial and industrial films. A 1923 newspaper article described an upcoming Lyceum performance of "Emory Parnell, the one man band," saying that Parnell "plays an accordion, the snare drum and base [sic] drum, all at the same time."
During part of the Chatauqua years, Parnell had a family act that included his wife. In 1970, she recalled, "[w]e covered every state as well as Canada, Alaska and New Zealand." The Parnells resumed the act during the Korean War, doing "three to six programs a week in Army camps."
Seeking better opportunities in Hollywood, Parnell and his wife moved to Los Angeles, 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. One of his first films was Doctor Rhythm (1938).
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 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". He also made a memorable appearance as grumpy socialite Ajax Bullion in the Three Stooges short subject All the World's a Stooge.
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