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Samuel Lawrence Klusman Parks (December 13, 1914 – April 13, 1975) was an American stage and film actor. 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. (1987). 9780810819658, Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810819658 His best known role was Al Jolson, whom he portrayed in two films: The Jolson Story (1946) and Jolson Sings Again (1949).
He attended the University of Illinois as a pre-med student, and played in stock companies for some years.
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.
In November 1944 Columbia was preparing a screen biography of Al Jolson, and Larry Parks was the first actor tested for The Story of Jolson, as the project was then titled. Then the studio considered or tested dozens of other candidates – including James Cagney and Danny Thomas, both of whom declined – until, as Parks recalled, "someone said 'Let's test that first guy again.' I had the dubious honor of making the first and last tests for the role."Larry Parks to Dorothy O'Leary, "The Parks Story", Screenland, March 1947, p. 46. 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.
Parks received superior notices for his performance. Showmen's Trade Review: "Parks is a tremendously effective actor in this role. He must have worked almost endlessly to effect so perfectly the Jolson speech and the Jolson mannerism (in minute detail) in putting over the songs." Showmen's Trade Review, September 21, 1946, p. 33. Box Office Digest: "The outstanding facet of The Jolson Story is one Larry Parks. Jolson's voice on the soundtrack supplies some 15 of his most memorable songs. From there on this youngster Larry Parks takes up the chore of giving us Jolson physically. The result is uncanny and impressive. Before the end the stuttering critics were wondering whether Jolson could have played Jolson as well. That's sumpin." Box Office Digest, September 28, 1946, p. 5. Arthur Beach of the National Board of Review: "Larry Parks is a prettier Al than Al. He is also an astonishingly capable mimic. Mr. Parks' skill and the magic of movie technique have made possible an astounding fusion of two people to create a memorable portrait. Even Al Jolson should be pleased with The Jolson Story."Arthur Beach, New Movies: The National Board of Review Magazine, November-December 1946, pp. 5–6. Columbia's president Harry Cohn rewarded Parks with a cash bonus and a new Ford convertible.Dorothy O'Leary, Screenland.
Parks tried to break his contract with Columbia in 1948. Modern Screen, publishing an interview with Parks, explained the situation: "Larry's battle with his studio has nothing to do with money. What he's wrangling about concerns a contract signed before, not after, The Jolson Story. Larry says he has a year to go on his contract. Columbia says he has five. He's up for a suit for declaratory relief. That's lawyer language, but it means a verdict to clear Larry's studio future. If he wins, he'll go right back to work for another year and then call his own shots. If he loses, he'll be Mister Columbia for five more terms."Kirtley Baskette, Modern Screen, January 1948, p. 78. Federal judge William Carey Mathes heard the case and sympathized with Parks but ruled against him. Trade publisher Pete Harrison commented on the outcome: "A practice that was condemned by Judge Mathes in no uncertain terms is the one by which a company, at a time when only a short period remains on a rising star's contract, insists that the star sign a new term contract, using as a blackjack the threat to assign the star to minor roles in "B" pictures for the remainder of the existing contract if he or she should refuse to sign the new contract. Parks claimed that such coercive methods had been employed by Columbia to obtain his signature on a new contract and, from the evidence, Judge Mathes found that it had been obtained by undue influence, indicating that he might have ruled in Parks' favor had he not waited too long to file the suit."Pete Harrison, Harrison's Reports, "Columbia Wins the Larry Parks Case", March 20, 1948, p. 48.
He remained on the Columbia payroll and starred in Jolson Sings Again (1949), another huge boxoffice hit earning Parks another set of rave reviews. Showmen's Trade Review: "Larry Parks, who scored a triumph in his original role of the singer, seems even more assured and more at home in the role in this follow-up film; he doesn't perform Jolson, he IS Jolson capitalization." Showmen's Trade Review, Aug. 13, 1949, p. 14. Thomas M. Pryor of The New York Times wrote, "The vitality of the Jolson voice is suitably matched in the physical representation provided by Larry Parks, who by now comes close to perfection in aping the vigorous expression with which Jolson tackles a song."Thomas M. Pryor, The New York Times, August 18, 1949, p. 16. 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 Betty Garrett announced plans to make their own film Stakeout. British exhibitors voted him the 9th-most popular star in the United Kingdom.
Following his admission before the committee, Columbia Pictures released 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 starring Robert Cummings). At the time, Parks' fee was $75,000 a film. A romantic comedy he made for MGM, Love Is Better Than Ever, was shelved until 1953.
He made a TV film for The Ford Television Theatre in 1953 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. His last appearance in a major role was in the John Huston film, (1962).
A Democrat, Parks supported Adlai Stevenson's campaign in the 1952 presidential election. Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers
Parks died of a heart attack in 1975 at the age of 60.
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