Biography
From Wikipedia
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 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.
During the 1930s Parrott had acquired serious drinking and drug problems (his diet medications were really 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.
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.
Filmography
all 157
Movies 157
Director 78
Writer 24
Laurel & Hardy - Highlights (2002)
Block-Heads (1938)
Swiss Miss (1938)
All Over Town (1937)
Way Out West (1937)
Curly Top (1935)
Do Your Stuff (1935)
The Misses Stooge (1935)
The Tin Man (1935)
Thicker Than Water (1935)
Sing Sister Sing (1935)
The Fixer Uppers (1935)
Treasure Blues (1935)
Washee Ironee (1934)
Opened by Mistake (1934)
Benny, from Panama (1934)
A Duke for a Day (1934)
Mixed Nuts (1934)
Oliver the Eighth (1934)
The Midnight Patrol (1933)
Twice Two (1933)
Mr. Bride (1932)
Now We'll Tell One (1932)
Their First Mistake (1932)
Girl Grief (1932)
Pack Up Your Troubles (1932)
Young Ironsides (1932)
County Hospital (1932)
The Chimp (1932)
The Music Box (1932)
Any Old Port! (1932)
Helpmates (1932)
What a Bozo! (1931)
One Good Turn (1931)
Skip the Maloo! (1931)
Come Clean (1931)
Pardon Us (1931)
The Panic Is On (1931)
One of the Smiths (1931)
Haunted at Midnight (1931)
Rough Seas (1931)
Messing Around (1931)
The lady from Chicago (1931)
The Pip from Pittsburg (1931)
Be Big! (1931)
Another Fine Mess (1930)
Laughing Gravy (1930)
Night of Goblins (1930)
The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case (1930)
The King (1930)
Hog Wild (1930)
Shivering and Shaking (1930)
Below Zero (1930)
The Night Life (1930)
Brats (1930)
Blotto (1930)
Thieves (1930)
Night Owls (1930)
The Hoose-Gow (1929)
They Go Boom! (1929)
Perfect Day (1929)
Double Whoopee (1929)
Stewed, Fried and Boiled (1929)
Lesson No. 1 (1929)
Furnace Trouble (1929)
Ruby Lips (1929)
We Faw Down (1928)
Chasing Husbands (1928)
Habeas Corpus (1928)
Two Tars (1928)
Should Married Men Go Home? (1928)
Their Purple Moment (1928)
All for Nothing (1928)
Never the Dames Shall Meet (1927)
Now I'll Tell One (1927)
The Lighter That Failed (1927)
The Sting of Stings (1927)
What Women Did for Me (1927)
Assistant Wives (1927)
Us (1927)
Fluttering Hearts (1927)
Bigger and Better Blondes (1927)
Forgotten Sweeties (1927)
A One Mama Man (1927)
Are Brunettes Safe? (1927)
Many Scrappy Returns (1927)
There Ain't No Santa Claus (1926)
On the Front Page (1926)
Get 'Em Young (1926)
Wise Guys Prefer Brunettes (1926)
Along Came Auntie (1926)
Say It with Babies (1926)
Wandering Papas (1926)
Pay the Cashier (1926)
Soft Pedal (1926)
Don't Butt In (1926)
Between Meals (1926)
Whispering Lions (1925)
Are Parents Pickles? (1925)
Should Sailors Marry? (1925)
The Caretaker's Daughter (1925)
Unfriendly Enemies (1925)
Chasing the Chaser (1925)
The House of Flickers (1925)
A Deep Sea Panic (1924)
Sittin' Pretty (1924)
Get Busy (1924)
The 'Fraidy Cat (1924)
Love's Detour (1924)
Don't Forget (1924)
Hard Knocks (1924)
Powder and Smoke (1924)
Just a Minute (1924)
Join the Circus (1923)
Dear Ol' Pal (1923)
No Pets (1923)
Take the Air (1923)
Post No Bills (1923)
The Uncovered Wagon (1923)
The Smile Wins (1923)
Shoot Straight (1923)
Tight Shoes (1923)
Jailed and Bailed (1923)
Paste and Paper (1923)
Watch Your Wife (1923)
Blaze Away (1922)
Harvest Hands (1922)
Shine 'Em Up (1922)
The Golf Bug (1922)
Shiver and Shake (1922)
Face the Camera (1922)
The Landlubber (1922)
Touch all the Bases (1922)
Take Next Car (1922)
The Sleuth (1922)
The Pickaninny (1921)
Big Town Ideas (1921)
Don't Park Here (1920)
His First Flat Tire (1920)
Way Out West (1920)
Don't Shove (1919)
Count Your Change (1919)
At the Old Stage Door (1919)
Young Mr. Jazz (1919)
A Sammy in Siberia (1919)
Next Aisle Over (1919)
Hustling for Health (1919)
Do You Love Your Wife? (1919)
An Auto Nut (1919)
Just Rambling Along (1918)
Two Scrambled (1918)
Bride and Gloom (1918)
An Ozark Romance (1918)
Fireman Save My Child (1918)
Hey There (1918)
Look Pleasant, Please (1918)
Hit Him Again (1918)
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Information
Known ForDirecting
GenderMale
Birthday1897-08-02
Deathday1939-05-10 (41 years old)
Birth PlaceBaltimore, United States of America
SiblingsCharley Chase
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsJames G. Parrott, Jimmie Parrott, Jimmy Parrott, Paul Parrott, James Gibbons Parrott
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