Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career.

Early years Parnell was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He spent eight months in the Arctic in 1929, looking for gold in that area's wastelands. He also worked as a telegrapher.

Music 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 Chautauqua 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."

Film 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 roles such as policemen, doormen, landlords, and small town businessmen.Erickson, Hal Biography (Allmovie) One of his first films was Doctor Rhythm (1938).

Although his appearances were often in "B" films (playing storekeeper Billy Reed in several of the Ma and Pa Kettle movies), he also performed in "A" films, including portraying 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's films,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. including The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, where he played the mean-spirited Mr. Tuerck, the chief antagonist of Constable Kockenlocker (played by William Demarest). He also appeared as grumpy socialite Ajax Bullion in the Three Stooges short subject All the World's a Stooge.

Radio In the late 1930s, Parnell was a member of the cast of Grouch Club on NBC.

Stage In May 1949, Parnell appeared on Broadway for the first and only time, in the play Mr. Adam, which ran for only five performances.

Television

In the 1950s, Parnell began to appear on television in dramatic shows and situation comedies in roles similar to those that he had played in films. He portrayed William Bendix's factory foreman, Hank Hawkins, on The Life of Riley, and Bill Anders on five episodes of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, Maverick.

Parnell appeared on the ABC/WB series, Conflict and The Alaskans, with Roger Moore, and a related NBC series, Klondike, with James Coburn and Ralph Taeger. He appeared in 1958 as fire chief Sam Carter in the television series The Real McCoys (S1E34 “Volunteer Fire Department”), and in 1960 in Waldo, an unsold television pilot that aired as an episode of the anthology series New Comedy Showcase. In 1961, he appeared as Ira Ponder in the western series Bat Masterson (S3E18 "The Prescott Campaign"). He appeared in an episode of the NBC family drama, National Velvet and in a 1964 episode of Perry Mason as an angry investor in "The Case of the Latent Lover". In 1966 he portrayed Sheriff Blake in "Jury at the Shady Rest" on Petticoat Junction and in "Pig in a Poke" on Green Acres.

Later years As late as 1970, Parnell was traveling and entertaining with a family act—himself, his wife, and their grandson, Dennis Parnell.

Parnell's last acting appearance on television was in 1971 as a prospector on CBS's Gunsmoke. His last film role was as a bartender in the 1973 film, Girls on the Road. 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.

Personal life Parnell was married to Effie Laird, an actress who appeared with him both in vaudeville and in films. They had two children together, one of whom, James Parnell, also became an actor. His son James died in 1961.

Parnell owned a 36-foot yacht and was a member of the United States Coast Guard Reserve.

Selected filmography

Arson Gang Busters (1938) as Chief J.P. Riley Call of the Yukon (1938) as Swenson (uncredited) Doctor Rhythm (1938) as Sgt. Olson (uncredited) I Am the Law (1938) as Detective Brophy (uncredited) King of Alcatraz (1938) as Olaf The Mad Miss Manton (1938) as Doorman (uncredited) Girls on Probation (1938) as Officer Craig (uncredited) Illegal Traffic (1938) as Lieutenant (uncredited) Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) as Officer McMann (uncredited) Blondie (1938) as Police Desk Sergeant (uncredited) Sweethearts (1938) as Fire Inspector (uncredited) Pacific Liner (1939) as Olaf Off the Record (1939) as Policeman (uncredited) Idiot's Delight (1939) as Fifth Avenue Mounted Cop (uncredited) St. Louis Blues (1939) as Policeman White (uncredited) Twelve Crowded Hours (1939) as Doorkeeper (uncredited) Let Freedom Ring (1939) as Axel - 1st Swede (uncredited) You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939) as Second Detective (uncredited) Sudden Money (1939) as Cop (uncredited) The Lady and the Mob (1939) as Policeman Riley (uncredited) East Side of Heaven (1939) as Doorman (uncredited) Union Pacific (1939) as Foreman (uncredited) Unmarried (1939) as Cop (uncredited) The House of Fear (1939) as Policeman (uncredited) They Shall Have Music (1939) as Policeman in Rain (uncredited) The Spellbinder (1939) as Club 88 Doorman (uncredited) Winter Carnival (1939) as Williams - Editor (uncredited) I Stole a Million (1939) as Friendly Cop at Flower Shop (uncredited) The Star Maker (1939) as Mr. Olson The Day the Bookies Wept (1939) as Motor Cop (uncredited) At the Circus aka The Marx Brothers at the Circus (1939) as Ringmaster (uncredited) Sued for Libel (1939) as Jerome Walsh On Dress Parade (1939) as Paddy - Policeman (uncredited) Little Accident (1939) as Policeman (uncredited) The Roaring Twenties (1939) as Gangster (uncredited) One Hour to Live (1939) as Fats Monoham The Secret of Dr. Kildare (1939) as Policeman on Gaylor Ave.(uncredited) Invisible Stripes (1939) as Policeman Outside Bank (uncredited) Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) as Minor Role (uncredited) Young Tom Edison (1940) as Bob (uncredited) Blondie on a Budget (1940) as Policeman Dempsey (uncredited) If I Had My Way (1940) as Gustav Erickson (uncredited) Those Were the Days! (1940) as Jailer (uncredited) Out West with the Peppers (1940) as Ole The Great McGinty (1940) as Policeman at Soup Kitchen (uncredited) Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) as Detective (uncredited) Foreign Correspondent (1940) as Captain John Martin of "The Mohican" The Golden Fleecing (1940) as Featherway (uncredited) Hit Parade of 1941 (1940) (uncredited) North West Mounted Police (1940) as George Higgins (uncredited) The Devil's Pipeline (1940) as R. J. Adams A Night at Earl Carroll's (1940) as Policeman (uncredited) Babes on Broadway (1941) as Inspector Moriarity (uncredited) Dangerously They Live (1941) as John Dill (uncredited) Law of the Tropics (1941) as Bartender (uncredited) Mob Town (1941) as Captain Harrington - Police Chief (uncredited) Honky Tonk (1941) as Dr. Otis (uncredited) Nine Lives Are Not Enough (1941) as Lieutenant Buckley (uncredited) Manpower (1941) as Cully (uncredited) Blondie in Society (1941) as Chief of Police (uncredited) For Beauty's Sake (1941) as Police Lt. Doleman (uncredited) Thieves Fall Out (1941) as Policeman (uncredited) The Wagons Roll at Night (1941) as Doc (uncredited) Strange Alibi (1941) as Captain Alibi (uncredited) Washington Melodrama (1941) as Simpson (uncredited) The Sea Wolf (1941) as First Detective (uncredited) Golden Hoofs (1941) as Booth (uncredited) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1941) as John Dugan (uncredited) Western Union (1941) as Sheriff (uncredited) The Case of the Black Parrot (1941) as Simmonds So Ends Our Night (1941) as Weiss Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) as Conway (uncredited) The Monster and the Girl (1941) as Policeman in Alley (uncredited) A Shot in the Dark (1941) as Marsotti The Lady from Cheyenne (1941) as Crowley (uncredited) Blossoms in the Dust (1941) as Texas Senator (uncredited) Kiss the Boys Goodbye (1941) as Deputy (uncredited) Three Sons o' Guns (1941) as Delivery Man (uncredited) The Maltese Falcon (1941) as Mate of the La Paloma (uncredited) All the World's a Stooge (1941) as Ajax Bullion The Blonde from Singapore (1941) as Capt. Nelson Unholy Partners (1941) as Col. Mason Sullivan's Travels (1941) as Rail Yard Bull (uncredited) Johnny Eager (1941) as Policeman (uncredited) Louisiana Purchase (1941) as Sam Horowitz - Lawyer All Through the Night (1942) as Cop Outside Warehouse (uncredited) Cadets on Parade (1942) as Inspector Kennedy Obliging Young Lady (1942) as Motorcycle Policeman Behind Billboard (uncredited) Kings Row (1942) as Harley Davis (uncredited) The Remarkable Andrew (1942) as Policeman (uncredited) Reap the Wild Wind (1942) as Jailer (uncredited) Two Yanks in Trinidad (1942) as Police Chief (uncredited) Saboteur (1942) as Henry - Husband in Movie (uncredited) Larceny, Inc. (1942) as Police Officer O'Casey (uncredited) Syncopation (1942) as Judge (uncredited) They All Kissed the Bride (1942) as Mahoney Night in New Orleans (1942) as Jensen (uncredited) Little Tokyo, U.S.A. (1942) as Slavin (uncredited) The Pride of the Yankees (1942) as Chicago Policeman O'Doal (uncredited) Wings for the Eagle (1942) as Policeman Apache Trail (1942) as Mr. Walters (uncredited) The Major and the Minor (1942) as Conductor #2 (uncredited) Highways by Night (1942) as Police Sergeant Ransome I Married a Witch (1942) as Allen - Hotel Owner (uncredited) Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942) as Quisling (uncredited) Gentleman Jim (1942) as Dennis Simmons - Doorman (uncredited) Over My Dead Body (1942) as Police Capt. Grady Arabian Nights (1942) as Harem Sentry The Hard Way (1943) as Mac - Policeman at Hospital (uncredited) London Blackout Murders (1943) as Henryk Peterson (uncredited) The Outlaw (1943) as Dolan - Man Entering Saloon (uncredited) The Human Comedy (1943) as Policeman with Scared Ulysses (uncredited) Slightly Dangerous (1943) as Policeman of Newspaper Office (uncredited) Mission to Moscow (1943) as Uncaring Businessman (uncredited) It's a Great Life (1943) as Policeman (uncredited) Nazty Nuisance (1943) as Capt. Spense Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) as Gatekeeper (uncredited) Mr. Lucky (1943) as Dock Watchman (uncredited) Two Senoritas from Chicago (1943) as Rupert Shannon Young Ideas (1943) as Judge Canute J.Kelly Let's Face It (1943) as Colonel (uncredited) Dangerous Blondes (1943) as Officer McGuire (uncredited) The Unknown Guest (1943) as Sheriff Dave Larsen You're a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith as Conductor (uncredited) Government Girl (1943) as The Chief (uncredited) The Dancing Masters (1943) as Featherstone (uncredited) The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1943) as Mr. Tuerck Address Unknown (1944) as Postman Seven Days Ashore (1944) as Captain Harvey (uncredited) Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944) as Train Conductor (uncredited) Once Upon a Time (1944) as Radio Cart Cop (uncredited) Gildersleeve's Ghost (1944) as Police Commissioner Haley A Night of Adventure (1944) as Judge Wilson (1944) as Chairman of Democratic Committee (uncredited) The Great Moment (1944) as Mr. Gruber (uncredited) The Falcon in Mexico (1944) as Winthrop 'Lucky Diamond' Hughes Casanova Brown (1944) as Frank Tall in the Saddle (1944) as Sheriff Jackson Heavenly Days (1944) as Detective (uncredited)