Series: Paul Parrott Director: Ray Grey Producer: Hal Roach Titles: Photography: Editor: Stars: James Parrott, Ernest Morrison, Mark Jones, Jobyna Ralston Company: Pathé Exchange Released: 14 March 1926 Length: 1 reel Production No.: C-38 Filming dates: November 12-25, 1921 Rating: 3/10

Hired And Fired

We're at a powder factory when the front door is blown clean off. When the dust (or powder) clears Paul is left standing there and is given his marching orders from the boss. Paul finds a store where a start-of-the-art washing machine is being demontrated outside so he takes off his shirt and cleans it in the machine. He then takes the shirt and lays it on the ground for a conveniently-timed bulldozer to run over it. Paul is then seen crawling out of a truck full of pigs and is chased by one of the farmers counting them. Paul picks up a 'wanted for hire' sign from a fence which has just been put out by the farmer (MARK JONES), who also gives chase, conducting a conversation with Paul as they run. They eventually stop at a pile of wood blocks where the farmer tells Paul he has the job and to get to work with chopping the blocks. Paul begins swinging the axe and ends up chopping down a telegraph pole which lands on the farmer and sinks him into the ground. Paul's next job is to milk a cow, with the assistance of farm hand ERNEST MORRISON. After fiddling around with the cow's udder for a few moments Paul attaches a nozzle to the underside of the animal and starts extracting some milk. The cow doesn't seem to mind the wasted milk being squirted into the mouth of a stray dog but draws the line when the dog starts drinking directly from its tap! Paul brings a bucket of milk to the farmer but they get into an argument. The farmer's daughter makes a brief appearance when she lands in Paul's arms following an accident involving a swing. Paul continues to cause mischief with random jobs such as putting boots onto a donkey and getting himself tangled up in a pulley in a barn. The film (finally) ends with him being converted into a bale of hay when he gets caught in a machine and is chased down the road by the rifle-tooting farmer.

Favourite bit When James Parrott chops down the telegraph pole, hitting Mark Jones on the head and smashing him into the ground.

Trivia • Copyrighted December 16, 1922, and February 6, 1926. • Premiered March 2, 1926 - more than 3 years after it was originally filmed. • This was the last film in the series to be released. • In the scene where Paul chops down the telegraph pole you can see the exact marking on the pole just before he strikes it. • This was Ernest Morrison, Mark Jones and Jobyna Ralston's last film for Roach to be released, albeit it was filmed several years prior. My opinion • Nothing special. A couple of decent gags with Mark Jones taking the falls and Ernie Morrison laughing his ass off when he gets sprayed with the milk hose (looks like this wasn't intended), but it is just another example of mediocrity.

	James Parrott Paul
	Ernest Morrison Farm hand
	Mark Jones Farmer
	Jobyna Ralston The farmer's daughter
	Charles Stevenson Boss
	William Gillespie Scrubbo Washing Machine store manager
	George Rowe Pig counter

Acknowledgements: Dave Glass (footage) Jesse Brisson (identification of Jobyna Ralston) This page was last updated on: 14 March 2023