One of the rarest and most desirable pieces we have ever offered:  A 7.5 x 9.5-inch black and white signed and inscribed portrait of the brilliant silent and early talkie comedy actor, director and writer who was the brother of the equally marvelous Charley Chase.  In the image, he is dressed as a Little Tramp type, holding a paper flower and his shirt held together by a safety pin.  Wonderful!  After appearing opposite Marie Mosquini, Jobyna Ralston, Eddie Baker, and Sunshine Sammy in a string of 75 Hal Roach and Pathe howlers, billed as Paul Parrott, which is how he signed here in 1922, he switched his name to James Parrott and embarked upon a second career, as a director and screenwriter. He directed the two-reel misadventures of Laurel and Hardy, the Oscar-winning classic The Music Box (1932), Helpmates (1932), Thelma Todd-Patsy Kelly flicks, and "Our Gang" shorts, among other gems.  By the late 1930s, Parrott developed a serious drug and alcohol problem and found himself increasingly incapable of landing work.  He died of heart failure at the age of 41 and his brother Charley, who was completely devastated, followed him to the grave by a mere 13 months.  This irreplaceable piece is in good condition, with a thin black bit of a photo mount attached to the upper left-hand corner and a minute tear to the upper border.

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