Larry Parks should not be confused with Larry Sparks.
| Larry Parks | |
| Birth Name: | Samuel Lawrence Klusman Parks |
| Birth Date: | December 13, 1914 |
| Birth Place: | Olathe, Kansas, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Studio City, California, U.S. |
| Children: | 2, including Andrew Parks |
| Years Active: | 1941–1975 |
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).
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 some years.[5]
He traveled to Hollywood at John Garfield's suggestion, for a role in a Warner Bros. production of Mama Ravioli. Although the movie was cancelled, Parks did sign a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1941.[6]
As with most Columbia contract players, Parks received supporting roles in high-budget films and more substantial roles in B pictures.[7]
1941:
1942:
1943:
1944:
By 1944 Parks broke into lead and featured player 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]
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.
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.
He made a TV film for The Ford Television Theatre in 1953[20] 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.[21] His last appearance in a major role was in the John Huston film, Freud (1962).[22]
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.[23]
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.[24] [25] [26]
A Democrat, he supported Adlai Stevenson's campaign in the 1952 presidential election.[27]
Parks died of a heart attack in 1975 at the age of 60.