Harry B. Parkinson

Born: Blackburn, England; 29 September, 1884
Died: Wallasey, England; 19 August 1970

Known as a typical ‘wheeler dealer’ in the 1920s British film industry, Harry B. Parkinson produced many films in the short series format as well as features, including the sensational titles Trapped by the Mormons (1922) and Married to a Mormon (1922). Both of these films featured American actress Evelyn Brent as the apparent ‘victim’ of the perilous Mormons (Trapped by the Mormons is also known as The Mormon Peril).
No stranger to controversy, Parkinson later produced the feature film The Life Story of Charles Chaplin (1926) without the star’s permission. The film consists of an impersonation of Chaplin by Chick Wango against a travelogue backdrop of London as the star visits significant places from his past. Not surprisingly, Chaplin’s lawyers prevented the release of this film. Despite this setback, Parkinson’s well-produced travelogues in the Wonderful London series of 1924, according to Robert Murphy, provide ‘a startlingly varied and evocative record of London locations and merit further investigation’.
The popularity of talkies in 1929 struck the death knell in Parkinson’s film career, who produced one sound feature A Sister to Assist ‘Er (George Dewhurst, 1930), before leaving the industry to pursue a career in hotel management. His son, Roy Parkinson (born in 1916) followed his father’s footsteps into the film industry, working as a production manager at MGM-British and other studios in the post-war decades.

Still controversial, Trapped by the Mormons was remade in 2005 www.trappedbythemormons.com
View the trailer below.

For a full filmography of Harry B. Parkinson, check out the entry in the BFI database.

Bibliography: McFarlane, Brian, The Encyclopedia of British Film (London: Methuen, 2003)
Murphy, Robert, Directors in British and Irish Cinema (London: British Film Institute, 2006)