Emory Parnell

Emory Parnell
in the TV series The Life of Riley
Born	December 29, 1892(1892-12-29) St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	June 22, 1979 (aged 86) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other name(s)	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. 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.^[1][2]

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.^[3]

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.^[3] Parnell was also part of writer-director Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors in the 1940s, appearing in five of Sturges' films,^[4] 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.

In May 1949, Parnell appeared on Broadway for the first and only time, in the play Mr. Adam, which ran for only five performances.^[5] 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 in 1979 at age 86.

Notes

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