Helen Virginia Parrish (March 12, 1923 – February 22, 1959) was an American stage and film actress.
Career
Parrish was born in Columbus, Georgia. She started in movies at the age of 4, getting her first part playing
Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
's daughter in the silent film '' Babe Comes Home'' in 1927. She was featured in the ''
Our Gang
''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...
''
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
shorts
Shorts are a garment worn over the human pelvis, pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" b ...
and sometimes played the lead character as a child, co-starring with some of the great female stars of the day. In her teens she made herself known as a kid sister. During this time she also starred opposite
Deanna Durbin
Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With t ...
in several of her films, playing a jealous, spiteful rival.
Their first film together, ''
Mad About Music
''Mad About Music'' is a 1938 American musical film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Deanna Durbin, Herbert Marshall, and Gail Patrick. Based on a story by Marcella Burke and Frederick Kohner, the film is about a girl at an exclusive boardin ...
'' (1938), worked so well that they soon formed a sort of
Shirley Temple
Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...
/
Jane Withers
Jane Withers (April 12, 1926 – August 7, 2021) was an American actress and children's radio show host. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for ...
team in a couple of other movie confections for
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a ...
. In their second film together, ''
Three Smart Girls Grow Up
''Three Smart Girls Grow Up'' is a 1939 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster, written by Felix Jackson and Bruce Manning, and starring Deanna Durbin, Nan Grey, and Helen Parrish. Durbin and Grey reprise their roles from ''Three Sm ...
'' (1939), Parrish replaced Barbara Read as sister Kay Craig. Her films included '' X Marks the Spot'' (1931), ''
When a Feller Needs a Friend
''When a Feller Needs a Friend'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Harry A. Pollard and written by Frank Butler and Sylvia Thalberg. The film stars Jackie Cooper, Charles "Chic" Sale, Ralph Graves, Dorothy Peterson, Andy Sh ...
Little Tough Guy
''Little Tough Guy'' is a 1938 crime film that starred several of the ''Dead End Kids''. In the follow-up films, the studio began using the group name '' The Little Tough Guys'', and later '' The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys''. This was ...
Too Many Blondes
''Too Many Blondes'' is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Rudy Vallee, Helen Parrish and Lon Chaney Jr.
Creighton Tull Chaney (February10, 1906 – July12, 1973), known by his stage name Lon ...
'' (1941), '' X Marks the Spot'' (1942; a remake of her earlier film), Mystery of the 13th Guest (1943) and '' The Wolf Hunters'' (1949).
By her mid-twenties she had left motion pictures and turned to
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
, co-hosting ''
Hour Glass
An hourglass (or sandglass, sand timer, sand clock or egg timer) is a device used to measure the passage of time. It comprises two glass bulbs connected vertically by a narrow neck that allows a regulated flow of a substance (historically sand) ...
'', the first U.S. network variety show in 1946-47. In an era when "... it was a social 'taboo' for a pregnant woman to display herself in public," Parrish was forced to leave ''Hour Glass'' as a result of her pregnancy. In 1953, she was host of ''It's a Good Idea'' and ''This Is Your Music''.
One notable TV role was that of Geraldine Rutherford in the first season of the American television situation comedy '' Leave It to Beaver''.
Her last role on television was as women's editor of a morning program, ''Panorama Pacific'', on the West Coast.
Parrish appeared in TV commercials for a variety of products throughout the 1950s, earning more income from them than from roles in shows. In 1955, she said that making commercials "turned out to be the next best thing to owning an oil well."
Family
Her brother,
Robert Parrish
Robert R. Parrish (January 4, 1916December 4, 1995) was an American film director, screenwriter, editor and former child actor. He received an Academy Award for Best Film Editing for his contribution to '' Body and Soul'' (1947).
Life and caree ...
, was a minor child actor who earned respect as a film editor and
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
and her sister, Beverly Parrish, died suddenly at the age of 11 after filming only one movie.
On July 11, 1942, Parrish married actor Charles G. Lang, Jr. in Hollywood. They had a son and a daughter, then divorced in 1954. On August 3, 1956, she married television producer
John Guedel
John Guedel, (October 9, 1913 in Portland, Indiana – December 14, 2001 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, larges ...
. She had a miscarriage in April 1958.
Recognition
Parrish has a star at 6263 Hollywood Boulevard in the Motion Pictures section of the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...
. It was dedicated on February 8, 1960.
Death
On February 22, 1959, Parrish died of cancer at Presbyterian Hospital in Hollywood. She is buried at the
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles ...
.
Partial filmography
* '' Babe Comes Home'' (1927) - Young Girl (uncredited)
* '' The Valiant'' (1929) - Little Child on Train (uncredited)
* '' Words and Music'' (1929) - Song and dance principal
* ''
His First Command
''His First Command'' is a 1929 American pre-Code comedy action film directed by Gregory La Cava and starring William Boyd, Dorothy Sebastian and Gavin Gordon.Munden p.352 Location shooting took place at Fort Riley in Kansas.
Synopsis
A playboy ...
'' (1929) - Jane Sargent
* ''
The Big Trail
''The Big Trail'' is a 1930 American pre-Code Western early widescreen film shot on location across the American West starring 23-year-old John Wayne in his first leading role and directed by Raoul Walsh.
In 2006, the United States Libra ...
'' (1930) - Honey Girl Cameron (uncredited)
* ''
Beau Ideal
''Beau Ideal'' is a 1931 American pre-Code adventure film directed by Herbert Brenon and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film was based on the 1927 adventure novel ''Beau Ideal'' by P. C. Wren, the third novel in a series of five novels base ...
'' (1931) - Isobel - as a Child (uncredited)
* '' Cimarron'' (1931) - Young Donna (uncredited)
* ''
The Public Enemy
''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American all-talking pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman and stars James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward ...
'' (1931) - Little Girl (uncredited)
* ''
Seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
'' (1931) - Margaret Carter as a Child
* '' X Marks the Spot'' (1931) - Gloria - as a Child (uncredited)
* '' Forbidden'' (1932) - Roberta - Age 8 (uncredited)
* ''
When a Feller Needs a Friend
''When a Feller Needs a Friend'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Harry A. Pollard and written by Frank Butler and Sylvia Thalberg. The film stars Jackie Cooper, Charles "Chic" Sale, Ralph Graves, Dorothy Peterson, Andy Sh ...
'' (1932) - Diana Manning
* ''
Goldie Gets Along
''Goldie Gets Along'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and starring Lili Damita, Charles Morton and Sam Hardy. The screenplay was written by William A. Drake, based on the 1931 novel of the same title by H ...
'' (1933) - Saunders' Child (uncredited)
* ''
Song of the Eagle
''Song of the Eagle'' is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Charles Bickford, Richard Arlen, Mary Brian and Jean Hersholt. It was produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Its release coincided with th ...
'' (1933) - Elsa as a Girl (uncredited)
* '' Broadway to Hollywood'' (1933) - Cousin (uncredited)
* ''
The Life of Vergie Winters
''The Life of Vergie Winters'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code film, starring Ann Harding and John Boles.
Plot
From her Parkville jail cell, Vergie Winters watches the funeral procession of Senator John Shadwell and remembers her twenty-year past ...
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' is the final novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in 1870.
Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, it focuses more on Drood's uncle, John Jasper, a precentor, choirmaster and opium ...
Bride of Frankenstein
''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring Boris Karlo ...
'' (1935) - Communion girl (uncredited)
* ''
Make Way for a Lady
''Make Way for a Lady'' is a 1936 romantic comedy/drama directed by David Burton, starring Herbert Marshall and Anne Shirley. June Drew ( Anne Shirley) is the teenaged "lady" based on Elizabeth Jordan's novel ''Daddy and I''.
Plot
June Drew ( ...
Mad About Music
''Mad About Music'' is a 1938 American musical film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Deanna Durbin, Herbert Marshall, and Gail Patrick. Based on a story by Marcella Burke and Frederick Kohner, the film is about a girl at an exclusive boardin ...
'' (1938) - Felice
* ''
Little Tough Guy
''Little Tough Guy'' is a 1938 crime film that starred several of the ''Dead End Kids''. In the follow-up films, the studio began using the group name '' The Little Tough Guys'', and later '' The Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys''. This was ...
'' (1938) - Kay Boylan
* ''
Little Tough Guys in Society
''Little Tough Guys in Society'' is a 1938 Universal Studios film that starred several of the ''Dead End Kids''. It was the second film that Universal made in their series and the first of three that they made without any of the original ''Dead E ...
'' (1938) - Penny
* ''
Three Smart Girls Grow Up
''Three Smart Girls Grow Up'' is a 1939 American musical comedy film directed by Henry Koster, written by Felix Jackson and Bruce Manning, and starring Deanna Durbin, Nan Grey, and Helen Parrish. Durbin and Grey reprise their roles from ''Three Sm ...
'' (1939) - Kay Craig
* ''
Winter Carnival
Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures d ...
'' (1939) - Ann Baxter
* ''
First Love
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
Too Many Blondes
''Too Many Blondes'' is a 1941 American musical comedy film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Rudy Vallee, Helen Parrish and Lon Chaney Jr.
Creighton Tull Chaney (February10, 1906 – July12, 1973), known by his stage name Lon ...
'' (1941) - Virginia Kerrigan
* ''
It Started with Eve
''It Started with Eve'' is a 1941 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Deanna Durbin, Robert Cummings, and Charles Laughton. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Music Score (Charles Previ ...
'' (1941) - Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
* '' In Old California'' (1942) - Ellen Sanford
* '' Tough As They Come'' (1942) - Ann Wilson
* ''
They All Kissed the Bride
''They All Kissed the Bride'' is a 1942 American screwball comedy film directed by Alexander Hall and starring Joan Crawford and Melvyn Douglas.
The plot follows a trucking firm executive who falls in love.
Crawford took over the title role a ...
Overland Mail
Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service ...
Stage Door Canteen
The Stage Door Canteen was an entertainment venue for American and Allied servicemen that operated in the Broadway theatre district of New York City throughout World War II. Founded by the American Theatre Wing (ATW) in 1942, the entertainers we ...
Quick on the Trigger
''Quick on the Trigger'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and written by Elmer Clifton. The film stars Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, Lyle Talbot, Helen Parrish, George Eldredge and Ted Adams. The film was released ...