Larry Pennell


Lawrence Kenneth Pennell was an American television and film actor, often remembered for his role as "Dash Riprock" in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies. His career spanned half a century, including starring in the first-run syndicated adventure series Ripcord in the leading role of Skydiver Theodore "Ted" McKeever, as well as playing Keith Holden in Lassie. He was also a baseball player, playing on scholarship for the University of Southern California and later professionally for the Boston Braves organization.

Early life and education

Pennell was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania to entrepreneur Harold Pennell and homemaker Ruth Pennell. His parents moved to Niagara Falls, New York during the Great Depression in search of better opportunities. After a short time in New York, the family moved to California. They lived in a studio apartment overlooking Angels Flight in Downtown Los Angeles. His family moved again when he was still young, purchasing a home near Paramount Studios in Hollywood. He became a newsboy on the studio lot, but athletics distracted him from any early interest in film.
Pennell played baseball throughout his youth. He attended Hollywood High School, at which he played first base and was later inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame. He was recruited by Rod Dedeaux to play baseball at USC, where he began playing in 1947. Pennell attended the university on a full baseball scholarship and became one of the school's all-time letter winners. He left school early to play professionally for the Boston Braves organization, from 1948-53.

Baseball career

Just shy of graduating from USC, Pennell left the university to play professionally for the Boston Braves. During his time with the Braves, his teammates often referred to him as "Bud", a nickname that stuck with him throughout his life. He was with the organization for a total of seven seasons between 1948 and 1954, playing first base and outfield for the Evansville Braves, Boston's minor league affiliate.
In his first year in professional ball, he broke the Appalachian League record for runs batted in with 147 and hit.338 for the season while belting 18 home runs. He was portrayed in Hall of Famer, Eddie Mathews' autobiography, as a "fun-loving teammate." He did not play during the 1950–1953 seasons due to his service during the Korean War. He served in counter intelligence in the United States Army and received an honorable discharge upon completion of his service. Upon his return home, his baseball contract was purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers. Pennell never reported to spring training for the Dodgers and instead decided to pursue acting, a career he dabbled in during the off seasons. Regarding his retirement from baseball, sportswriter Furman Bisher was quoted as saying "his future seemed unlimited...I shall always be frustrated by a desire to know how great a star he might have become."

Acting career

In the baseball off-seasons, Pennell returned home to Hollywood. Shortly after his contract was purchased by the Brooklyn organization, he decided not to report spring training and instead began his career in films. After being seen by a talent scout, Pennell got a screen test at Paramount Pictures where he went under contract. Then he traveled to New York City to learn his new craft from drama icons such as Sanford Meisner and Stella Adler.
It was in 1955 when Pennell's acting career was launched. He appeared in his first role as Oliver Brown in the movie Seven Angry Men, a film about abolitionist John Brown, starring Raymond Massey. That role led him to a lead in Hell's Horizon, which was followed by The Far Horizons, starred Charlton Heston and Donna Reed. His next film role was as George Crandall opposite James Stewart in The FBI Story.
Other roles followed, including the leading role as Johnny Jargin in the car racing adventure movie The Devil's Hairpin. Early in his acting career, Pennell went to Europe to appear in films, including Old Surehand, a German production based upon a Karl May novel. In European films he was occasionally credited as Alessandro Pennelli. He returned to the United States and made guest appearances in several western television series such as Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater, Death Valley Days, Have Gun – Will Travel, Wagon Train, The Big Valley, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Rango, Custer, Branded, The Rough Riders, Cimarron City and Tombstone Territory.
as Elly May from The Beverly Hillbillies, ca. 1967
In 1961, he landed the leading role on the television series Ripcord as the handsome, headstrong, youthful, colorful, audacious, intrepid and brave skydiver Theodore McKeever. His co-star was Ken Curtis, later as Festus Haggin on Gunsmoke, as his inseparable, level-headed older mentor and best buddy James "Jim" Buckley. Ripcord ran for a total of 76 episodes between 1961 and 1963 and inspired a range of tie-in merchandise such as toy parachutes, action figures, board games, clean slates, reading books, comic books and coloring books, to name a few. More television guest appearances followed on The Outer Limits, Thriller, The Millionaire, The West Point Story, Wire Service, The Case of the Dangerous Robin, Steve Canyon, Sea Hunt, The Aquanauts, The Everglades, Adventures in Paradise, Dragnet, and Suspense Theater.
As Dash Riprock on The Beverly Hillbillies, he appeared in ten episodes as a film star courting Elly May Clampett. After The Beverly Hillbillies, Pennell guest starred in other television series like Blue Light, My Friend Tony, Mayberry, R.F.D., Family Affair, Land of the Giants, Bracken's World, BJ and the Bear and Salvage 1.
Throughout his career, Pennell continued to appear in a variety of genres in television series and movies made for television. He was cast in a lead role as Keith Holden in 1972 in the CBS series Lassie. He made guest starring appearances in various shows, including Mannix, Longstreet, Hunter, Banacek, ', The Streets of San Francisco, McMillan and Wife, Magnum, P.I., The Rookies, Little House on the Prairie, ', O'Hara, U.S. Treasury, Run, Joe, Run, Apple's Way, Silk Stalkings, Diagnosis Murder, Quantum Leap and Firefly and soap operas such as General Hospital and The Young and the Restless.
Pennell's film credits include roles in films such as The Great White Hope, starring James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander in which Pennell played former heavyweight champion Frank Brady. Pennell also appeared in the big budget World War II film Midway, as Captain Cyril Simard, alongside Charlton Heston and Henry Fonda. He had roles in other major films such as The Revengers, Journey Through Rosebud and Matilda. Pennell bore a striking resemblance to Clark Gable and played the icon in three roles. One of his notable roles as Gable was in the television film '. It was said of his work in that role "Pennell's performance is a little gem." In 1992, Pennell and Tom Selleck rejoined for a third time to appear in Mr. Baseball. Other films include The Fear, Bubba Ho-Tep starring Ossie Davis, Five Minutes, Last Confession, Seasons of Life and The Passing.
Pennell continued to experiment with his acting and writing craft in study with drama masters such as Milton Katselis and Daniel Mann. Pennell's stage work encompassed over 50 plays, including The Poker Game, Desperate Hours, Pieces of Time and Dead Autumn's Soul. He wrote and starred in The Signing and Close-Up and won best actor at The Method Fest 2002 for his work in the short film Five Minutes''. Throughout his career, Pennell accumulated over 400 credits in roles across stage, film and television, in addition to commercials and print advertisements.

Filmography

Select film credits

Select television credits

YearTitleMediumRoleNotes
1956General Electric TheaterTelevision seriesEalter Kellen
1956Studio 57Television seriesBruce
1956-1957The West Point StoryTelevision seriesBob Matson and Marson1 w/ Leonard Nimoy
1956Wire ServiceTelevision seriesJohnny
1957Schlitz PlayhouseTelevision seriesBob
1958-1960The MillionaireTelevision seriesLarry Maxwell
1958Tombstone TerritoryTelevision seriesBill Doolin
1958Steve CanyonTelevision seriesLt. Hawk Cameron
1958The Rough RidersTelevision seriesCreed Pearce
1958Cimarron CityTelevision seriesDrew McGowan
1959Have Gun – Will TravelTelevision seriesHenry Carver
1959Adventures in ParadiseTelevision seriesDr. Patrick Donovan
1960The AlaskansTelevision seriesHarry Seattle
1960Tales of Wells FargoTelevision seriesBen Hardie
1960The AquanautsTelevision seriesTyler SackEpisode: "The Paradivers"
1960Death Valley DaysTelevision anthology seriesRoner MaxwellEpisode: "Queen of the High-Rollers"
1960KlondikeTelevision seriesRule Lukas
1960Zane Grey TheaterTelevision seriesJason TullyEpisode: "The Black Wagon" with Esther Williams
1961OutlawsTelevision seriesBob Dalton
1961ThrillerTelevision seriesLarry Weeks"Late Date"
1961The Case of the Dangerous RobinTelevision series
1961Bat MastersonTelevision seriesCal Beamus
1961Sea HuntTelevision seriesSteve / A counterfeiter leaderEpisode: "The Meet"
1961–1963RipcordTelevision seriesParadiver Theodore McKeever76 episodes
1963General HospitalTelevision seriesHank PulaskiUnknown episodes
1964Wagon TrainTelevision seriesMarshal Trace McCloudEpisode: "The Trace McCloud Story"
1964The Outer LimitsTelevision seriesDr. Evan MarshallEpisode: "The Mutant"
1964Mr. BroadwayTelevision seriesJohn Chambers
1964-1967The VirginianTelevision seriesCarl Rand / Wally Koerner2 episodes
1965Kraft Suspense TheatreTelevision seriesPhil Scanlon
1965-1969The Beverly Hillbillies Television seriesDash Riprock10 episodes
1965BrandedTelevision seriesTuck Fraser
1966Blue LightTelevision seriesNick Brady
1967The Big ValleyTelevision seriesJack Kilbain
1967RangoTelevision series
1967Three for DangerTelevision seriesChris
1967CusterTelevision seriesChief Yellow Hawk
1967Cimarron StripTelevision seriesRapp
1968Dragnet 1967Television seriesJohn Anzo / A Police Commissioner
1968-1974GunsmokeTelevision seriesBen Akins / John Woolfe2 episodes
1969My Friend TonyTelevision series
1969Mayberry R.F.D.Television seriesChuck
1969Land of the GiantsTelevision seriesGuard
1969Bracken's WorldTelevision seriesChuck
1969-2+71MannixTelevision seriesAgent Barnes / Troy McBride2 episodes
1970'Television seriesKarl Burroughs
1970Family AffairTelevision seriesKen Granger
1971City Beneath the SeaTelevision movieBill Holmes
1971LongstreetTelevision seriesWard Blakeman
1971-1972O'Hara, U.S. TreasuryTelevision seriesCharles Donaldson / S.A. Peter Wade2 episodes
1971-1974McMillan & WifeTelevision seriesAgent CushingUnknown episode
1972-1973LassieTelevision seriesKeith Holden21 episodes
1973The Young and the RestlessTelevision seriesJudge Chet Ashford
1973BanacekTelevision seriesPete Biesecker
1973-1974The Streets of San FranciscoTelevision seriesBecker / A High School coach2 episodes
1974Apple's WayTelevision seriesSam Ferguson
1974'Television seriesSargeant Bill Carrington
1974The RookiesTelevision seriesHenry Glass
1974Walt Disney's Wonderful World of ColorTelevision seriesDave Fletcher
1977HunterTelevision seriesMichael Orlin
1977Little House on the Prairie Television seriesBen Griffin
1979Salvage 1Television seriesStreet
1979BJ and the BearTelevision seriesMary Ellen
1982-1986Magnum, P.I.Television seriesJack Martin / Norm Vogel2 episodes
1993Quantum LeapTelevision seriesClark GableEpisode: "Good-Bye, Norma Jean"
1997Television seriesDr. ArthurEpisode: "Looks Can Kill"
1997Silk StalkingsTelevision seriesDr. KurlandEpisode: "The Wedge"
2002FireflyTelevision seriesMurphyEpisode: "Shindig"

Select theater credits

Pennell met his wife Patricia Throop, a fashion model, actress, former Miss Oregon and finalist in the 1954 Miss America Pageant. He was shooting a film when they met. Throughout his life he enjoyed sports of all kinds such as baseball, football, tennis, boxing, running and horseback riding. Also he was an avid historian and a patriot with ancestral links in the American Revolution and the Mayflower Compact. Pennell died on August 28, 2013 at age 85.