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Larry Parks

February 16, 2024

Samuel Lawrence Klusman Parks (December 13, 1914 – April 13, 1975) was an American stage and film actor.[1] His career arced from bit player and supporting roles to top billing, before it virtually ended when he admitted to having been a member of a Communist Party cell, which led to his blacklisting by all Hollywood studios.[2] His best known role was Al Jolson, whom he portrayed in two films: The Jolson Story (1946) and Jolson Sings Again (1949).

Larry Parks
Parks in 1950
Born
Samuel Lawrence Klusman Parks

(1914-12-13)December 13, 1914
Olathe, Kansas, U.S.
DiedApril 13, 1975(1975-04-13) (aged 60)
Studio City, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
Years active1941–1975
Spouse
​
(m. 1944)​
Children2, including Andrew Parks

Life and career edit

Parks was born in Olathe, Kansas, the son of Nellie (Klusman) and Frank H. Parks. He was raised in his mother's religion of Judaism.[3] He grew up in Joliet, Illinois, and graduated from Joliet Township High School in 1932.

He attended the University of Illinois as a pre-med student,[4] and played in stock companies for a few years.[5] He went to Hollywood At John Garfield's suggestion, Parks traveled to Hollywood for a role in Warner Bros. production of Mama Ravioli . Although the movie was cancelled, Parks signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1941.[6]

Supporting player edit

As most Columbia contract players, Parks played supporting roles in higher-budgeted films and larger roles in B pictures.[7]

Supporting roles included :

1941

1942

1943.

1944

Leading man edit

By 1944 Parks broke into lead and supporting roles.

When Columbia was preparing a screen biography of Al Jolson, many big-name stars were considered for the title role, including James Cagney and Danny Thomas (both of whom turned it down), but resident contractee Larry Parks was reportedly the first actor to be interviewed. Parks impressed the producers and won the role. At the age of 31, his performance in The Jolson Story (1946) earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.[9][10]

Stardom edit

 
Parks with Teresa Wright in The Happiest Day, a 1954 Ford Theatre presentation.

Now that Parks was a fully-fledged star, Columbia kept him busy in elaborate productions. He appeared opposite the studio's biggest star, Rita Hayworth, in Down to Earth (1947). That year, exhibitors voted him the 15th-biggest star in the US.[11]

Then, he made some swashbucklers, The Swordsman (1948) and The Gallant Blade (1948). Parks tried to break his contract with Columbia in 1948, but was unsuccessful.[12] That year he criticised the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).[13]

He made Jolson Sings Again (1949), which was another huge box-office hit.[14] His co-star in the film, Barbara Hale, teamed with him again in the comedy feature Emergency Wedding (1950). In 1950 he and his wife announced plans to make their own film Stakeout.[15] British exhibitors voted him the 9th-most popular star in the UK.

Blacklisting edit

In 1951, Parks was summoned to appear before the HUAC under threat of being blacklisted in the movie industry, but he begged not to be forced to testify. He eventually did so in tears,[16] only to be blacklisted anyway. Parks eventually gave up the names of his former colleagues to the committee.[17]

Following his admission before the committee, Columbia Pictures dropped him from his contract, although it had four years to run, and Parks had been set to star in the film Small Wonder (which later became The First Time). At the time, Parks' fee was $75,000 a film.[18][19] A romantic comedy he made for MGM, Love Is Better Than Ever, was shelved for a year.[20]

He made a TV film for The Ford Television Theatre in 1953[21] and starred in the British film Tiger by the Tail (1955) in England.

He continued to squeeze out a living acting on the stage and doing occasional television programs.[22] His last appearance in a major role was in the John Huston film, Freud (1962).[23]

Later career edit

Parks eventually left the film industry and formed a successful construction business. Eventually, he and his wife, Betty Garrett, owned many apartment buildings scattered throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Rather than sell them upon completion, Parks decided to retain ownership and collect rents as a landlord, a decision that proved to be extremely profitable. During that period, the couple occasionally performed in Las Vegas showrooms, summer stock productions, and touring companies of Broadway shows.[24]

Personal life edit

Parks married actress Betty Garrett in 1944. She starred in Hollywood films such as On the Town and on television as Archie Bunker's neighbor Irene Lorenzo on All in the Family and as landlady Edna Babish on Laverne and Shirley. Her career also faced turmoil as a result of her marriage to Parks, and the two spent much of the 1950s doing theatre and musical variety shows. Together, they had two sons, actor Andrew Parks and composer Garrett Parks. Larry Parks was also godfather to actor Jeff Bridges.[25][26][27]

A Democrat, he supported Adlai Stevenson's campaign in the 1952 presidential election.[28]

Parks died of a heart attack in 1975 at the age of 60.

Filmography edit

 
Parks in 1947

Television edit

References edit

  1. ^ Died: April 13, 1975 (April 13, 1975). . Explore.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ McClelland, Deke; McClelland, Doug (1987). Blackface to Blacklist: Al Jolson, Larry Parks, and "the Jolson Story" (9780810819658): Doug McClelland: Books. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810819651.
  3. ^ "FamilySearch.org". Familysearch.org. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  4. ^ . UIAA. March 21, 1951. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  5. ^ "Right At His Peak". The Voice. Vol. 21, no. 20. Tasmania, Australia. May 15, 1948. p. 4. Retrieved October 10, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Larry Parks' Rise to Fame". The Advocate. Tasmania, Australia. March 17, 1950. p. 18. Retrieved October 10, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ . Jolsonville.com. February 13, 2011. Archived from the original on February 7, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  8. ^ "Handsome Larry Parks Achieves Stardom". Lachlander and Condobolin and Western Districts Recorder. New South Wales, Australia. June 30, 1947. p. 1. Retrieved October 10, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ Ebert, Roger (August 25, 1968). "Interview with Larry Parks | Interviews". Roger Ebert. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  10. ^ "The Jolson Story". Tcm.com. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  11. ^ "Bing's Lucky Number: Pa Crosby Dons 4th B.O. Crown" By Richard L. Coe. The Washington Post January 3, 1948: 12.
  12. ^ "Variety (March 1948)". New York, NY: Variety Publishing Company. January 23, 1948. Retrieved January 23, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ^ "Larry Parks Hits Hard At Red-Baiters". Tribune. No. 401. New South Wales, Australia. March 17, 1948. p. 5. Retrieved October 10, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ T. M. P. (August 18, 1949). "Movie Review – Jolson Sings Again – THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; ' Jolson Sings Again,' in Opening at Loew's State, Calls for Some Lusty Cheering". NYTimes.com. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  15. ^ "Larry Parks plans to finance his own movie". The Sun. No. 12, 534 (LATE FINAL EXTRA ed.). Sydney, Australia. March 30, 1950. p. 35. Retrieved October 10, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "Larry Parks Commended For Truth". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. No. 23, 236. New South Wales. March 24, 1951. p. 3. Retrieved October 10, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ Silverman, Stephen M. Dancing on the Ceiling: Stanley Donen and his Movies. Alfred A. Knopf. 1996. p. 140.
  18. ^ "LARRY PARKS ON THE "OUTER"". The Northern Miner. Queensland. March 26, 1951. p. 3. Retrieved October 10, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "LARRY PARKS QUITS STUDIO". The News. Vol. 56, no. 8, 657. Adelaide. May 8, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved October 10, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. ^ Love Is Better Than Ever at the American Film Institute Catalog
  21. ^ "Larry Parks on job again 'Paid for my mistakes'". Sunday Mail. Queensland, Australia. November 8, 1953. p. 25. Retrieved October 10, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ^ Cullen, Frank; Hackman, Florence; McNeilly, Donald (2007). Vaudeville old & new: an encyclopedia of variety performances in America. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415938532 – via Google Books.
  23. ^ . Explore.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  24. ^ Garrett, Betty; Rapoport, Ron (1998). Betty Garrett and Other Songs: A Life on Stage and Screen. Lanham, Maryland: Madison Books. pp. 125–152, 169–171. ISBN 1-56833-098-7.
  25. ^ "Biography for Larry Parks". Tcm.com. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  26. ^ "Betty Garrett". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  27. ^ Rampell, Ed (April 18, 2011). "Bridges brothers honor Hollywood "Red" Betty Garrett". peoplesworld. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  28. ^ Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers

External links edit

  • Larry Parks at IMDb
  • Video: compilation of film clips
  • Photographs and literature

February 16, 2024
larry, parks, samuel, lawrence, klusman, parks, december, 1914, april, 1975, american, stage, film, actor, career, arced, from, player, supporting, roles, billing, before, virtually, ended, when, admitted, having, been, member, communist, party, cell, which, b. Samuel Lawrence Klusman Parks December 13 1914 April 13 1975 was an American stage and film actor 1 His career arced from bit player and supporting roles to top billing before it virtually ended when he admitted to having been a member of a Communist Party cell which led to his blacklisting by all Hollywood studios 2 His best known role was Al Jolson whom he portrayed in two films The Jolson Story 1946 and Jolson Sings Again 1949 Larry ParksParks in 1950BornSamuel Lawrence Klusman Parks 1914 12 13 December 13 1914Olathe Kansas U S DiedApril 13 1975 1975 04 13 aged 60 Studio City California U S OccupationsActorsingerYears active1941 1975SpouseBetty Garrett m 1944 wbr Children2 including Andrew Parks Contents 1 Life and career 1 1 Supporting player 1 2 Leading man 1 3 Stardom 1 4 Blacklisting 1 5 Later career 2 Personal life 3 Filmography 3 1 Television 4 References 5 External linksLife and career editParks was born in Olathe Kansas the son of Nellie Klusman and Frank H Parks He was raised in his mother s religion of Judaism 3 He grew up in Joliet Illinois and graduated from Joliet Township High School in 1932 He attended the University of Illinois as a pre med student 4 and played in stock companies for a few years 5 He went to Hollywood At John Garfield s suggestion Parks traveled to Hollywood for a role in Warner Bros production of Mama Ravioli Although the movie was cancelled Parks signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1941 6 Supporting player edit As most Columbia contract players Parks played supporting roles in higher budgeted films and larger roles in B pictures 7 Supporting roles included 1941 Mystery Ship Harmon of Michigan You Belong to Me Three Girls About Town Sing for Your Supper1942 Harvard Here I Come Blondie Goes to College Canal Zone Alias Boston Blackie North of the Rockies Hello Annapolis Submarine Raider They All Kissed the Bride Flight Lieutenant Atlantic Convoy A Man s World The Boogie Man Will Get You You Were Never Lovelier1943 Power of the Press Reveille with Beverly Redhead from Manhattan First Comes Courage Destroyer Is Everybody Happy Deerslayer1944 The Racket Man Hey Rookie Jam SessionLeading man edit By 1944 Parks broke into lead and supporting roles The Black Parachute 1944 Stars on Parade 1944 Sergeant Mike 1944 She s a Sweetheart 1944 Counter Attack 1945 Renegades 1946 8 When Columbia was preparing a screen biography of Al Jolson many big name stars were considered for the title role including James Cagney and Danny Thomas both of whom turned it down but resident contractee Larry Parks was reportedly the first actor to be interviewed Parks impressed the producers and won the role At the age of 31 his performance in The Jolson Story 1946 earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor 9 10 Stardom edit nbsp Parks with Teresa Wright in The Happiest Day a 1954 Ford Theatre presentation Now that Parks was a fully fledged star Columbia kept him busy in elaborate productions He appeared opposite the studio s biggest star Rita Hayworth in Down to Earth 1947 That year exhibitors voted him the 15th biggest star in the US 11 Then he made some swashbucklers The Swordsman 1948 and The Gallant Blade 1948 Parks tried to break his contract with Columbia in 1948 but was unsuccessful 12 That year he criticised the House Un American Activities Committee HUAC 13 He made Jolson Sings Again 1949 which was another huge box office hit 14 His co star in the film Barbara Hale teamed with him again in the comedy feature Emergency Wedding 1950 In 1950 he and his wife announced plans to make their own film Stakeout 15 British exhibitors voted him the 9th most popular star in the UK Blacklisting edit In 1951 Parks was summoned to appear before the HUAC under threat of being blacklisted in the movie industry but he begged not to be forced to testify He eventually did so in tears 16 only to be blacklisted anyway Parks eventually gave up the names of his former colleagues to the committee 17 Following his admission before the committee Columbia Pictures dropped him from his contract although it had four years to run and Parks had been set to star in the film Small Wonder which later became The First Time At the time Parks fee was 75 000 a film 18 19 A romantic comedy he made for MGM Love Is Better Than Ever was shelved for a year 20 He made a TV film for The Ford Television Theatre in 1953 21 and starred in the British film Tiger by the Tail 1955 in England He continued to squeeze out a living acting on the stage and doing occasional television programs 22 His last appearance in a major role was in the John Huston film Freud 1962 23 Later career edit Parks eventually left the film industry and formed a successful construction business Eventually he and his wife Betty Garrett owned many apartment buildings scattered throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area Rather than sell them upon completion Parks decided to retain ownership and collect rents as a landlord a decision that proved to be extremely profitable During that period the couple occasionally performed in Las Vegas showrooms summer stock productions and touring companies of Broadway shows 24 Personal life editParks married actress Betty Garrett in 1944 She starred in Hollywood films such as On the Town and on television as Archie Bunker s neighbor Irene Lorenzo on All in the Family and as landlady Edna Babish on Laverne and Shirley Her career also faced turmoil as a result of her marriage to Parks and the two spent much of the 1950s doing theatre and musical variety shows Together they had two sons actor Andrew Parks and composer Garrett Parks Larry Parks was also godfather to actor Jeff Bridges 25 26 27 A Democrat he supported Adlai Stevenson s campaign in the 1952 presidential election 28 Parks died of a heart attack in 1975 at the age of 60 Filmography edit nbsp Parks in 1947Mystery Ship 1941 as Tommy Baker Harmon of Michigan 1941 as Harvey You Belong to Me 1941 as Blemish uncredited Three Girls About Town 1941 as Reporter Sing for Your Supper 1941 as Mickey uncredited Honolulu Lu 1941 as Sailor uncredited Harvard Here I Come 1941 as Eddie Spellman Blondie Goes to College 1942 as Rusty Bryant Canal Zone 1942 as Recruit Kincaid Alias Boston Blackie 1942 as Joe Trilby North of the Rockies 1942 as Jim Bailey Hello Annapolis 1942 as Paul Herbert Submarine Raider 1942 as Sparksie They All Kissed the Bride 1942 as Joe Krim uncredited Flight Lieutenant 1942 as Cadet Sandy Roth uncredited Atlantic Convoy 1942 as Gregory A Man s World 1942 as Chick O Driscoll The Boogie Man Will Get You 1942 as Bill Layden You Were Never Lovelier 1942 as Tony uncredited Power of the Press 1943 as Jerry Purvis uncredited Reveille with Beverly 1943 as Eddie Ross Redhead from Manhattan 1943 as Flirt uncredited First Comes Courage 1943 as Capt Langdon uncredited Destroyer 1943 as Ens Johnson uncredited Is Everybody Happy 1943 as Jerry Stewart The Deerslayer 1943 as Jingo Good The Racket Man 1944 as Larry Lake Hey Rookie 1944 as Jim Leighter Jam Session 1944 as Actor at Superba Pictures uncredited The Black Parachute 1944 as Michael Kaligor Lindley Stars on Parade 1944 as Danny Davis Sergeant Mike 1944 as Pvt Tom Allen She s a Sweetheart 1944 as Rocky Hill Counter Attack 1945 as Kirichenko Renegades 1946 as Ben Dembrow Ben Taylor The Jolson Story 1946 as Al Jolson Down to Earth 1947 as Danny Miller Her Husband s Affairs 1947 as himself uncredited The Swordsman 1948 as Alexander MacArden The Gallant Blade 1948 as Lt David Picard Jolson Sings Again 1949 as Al Jolson Emergency Wedding 1950 as Peter Judson Kirk Jr Love Is Better Than Ever 1952 as Jud Parker Tiger by the Tail 1954 UK as John Desmond Freud The Secret Passion 1962 UK as Dr Joseph Breuer final film role Television edit This section needs expansion You can help by adding to it June 2022 References edit Died April 13 1975 April 13 1975 Larry Parks Explore bfi org uk Archived from the original on July 23 2012 Retrieved April 13 2014 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link McClelland Deke McClelland Doug 1987 Blackface to Blacklist Al Jolson Larry Parks and the Jolson Story 9780810819658 Doug McClelland Books Scarecrow Press ISBN 0810819651 FamilySearch org Familysearch org Retrieved January 23 2022 Illinois Alumni Magazine UIAA Illinois Alumni UIAA March 21 1951 Archived from the original on September 5 2015 Retrieved April 13 2014 Right At His Peak The Voice Vol 21 no 20 Tasmania Australia May 15 1948 p 4 Retrieved October 10 2017 via National Library of Australia Larry Parks Rise to Fame The Advocate Tasmania Australia March 17 1950 p 18 Retrieved October 10 2017 via National Library of Australia A Star is Born Larry Parks as Al Jolson A Tribute to Al Jolson Jolsonville com February 13 2011 Archived from the original on February 7 2015 Retrieved April 13 2014 Handsome Larry Parks Achieves Stardom Lachlander and Condobolin and Western Districts Recorder New South Wales Australia June 30 1947 p 1 Retrieved October 10 2017 via National Library of Australia Ebert Roger August 25 1968 Interview with Larry Parks Interviews Roger Ebert Retrieved April 13 2014 The Jolson Story Tcm com Retrieved April 13 2014 Bing s Lucky Number Pa Crosby Dons 4th B O Crown By Richard L Coe The Washington Post January 3 1948 12 Variety March 1948 New York NY Variety Publishing Company January 23 1948 Retrieved January 23 2022 via Internet Archive Larry Parks Hits Hard At Red Baiters Tribune No 401 New South Wales Australia March 17 1948 p 5 Retrieved October 10 2017 via National Library of Australia T M P August 18 1949 Movie Review Jolson Sings Again THE SCREEN IN REVIEW Jolson Sings Again in Opening at Loew s State Calls for Some Lusty Cheering NYTimes com Retrieved April 13 2014 Larry Parks plans to finance his own movie The Sun No 12 534 LATE FINAL EXTRA ed Sydney Australia March 30 1950 p 35 Retrieved October 10 2017 via National Library of Australia Larry Parks Commended For Truth Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners Advocate No 23 236 New South Wales March 24 1951 p 3 Retrieved October 10 2017 via National Library of Australia Silverman Stephen M Dancing on the Ceiling Stanley Donen and his Movies Alfred A Knopf 1996 p 140 LARRY PARKS ON THE OUTER The Northern Miner Queensland March 26 1951 p 3 Retrieved October 10 2017 via National Library of Australia LARRY PARKS QUITS STUDIO The News Vol 56 no 8 657 Adelaide May 8 1951 p 2 Retrieved October 10 2017 via National Library of Australia Love Is Better Than Ever at the American Film Institute Catalog Larry Parks on job again Paid for my mistakes Sunday Mail Queensland Australia November 8 1953 p 25 Retrieved October 10 2017 via National Library of Australia Cullen Frank Hackman Florence McNeilly Donald 2007 Vaudeville old amp new an encyclopedia of variety performances in America Psychology Press ISBN 9780415938532 via Google Books Freud Explore bfi org uk Archived from the original on July 13 2012 Retrieved April 13 2014 Garrett Betty Rapoport Ron 1998 Betty Garrett and Other Songs A Life on Stage and Screen Lanham Maryland Madison Books pp 125 152 169 171 ISBN 1 56833 098 7 Biography for Larry Parks Tcm com Retrieved April 13 2014 Betty Garrett The Telegraph Retrieved April 13 2014 Rampell Ed April 18 2011 Bridges brothers honor Hollywood Red Betty Garrett peoplesworld Retrieved April 13 2014 Motion Picture and Television Magazine November 1952 page 33 Ideal PublishersExternal links editLarry Parks at IMDb Video The Jolson Story compilation of film clips Photographs and literature Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Larry Parks amp oldid 1206628555, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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