Parker W. Fennelly (October 22, 1891 – January 22, 1988) was an American character actor who appeared in ten films, numerous television episodes and hundreds of radio programs.

Early life

The son of gardener Nathan Fennelly and Estelle Dolliver Fennelly, he was born and raised in

Northeast Harbor, Maine Northeast Harbor is a village on Mount Desert Island, located in the town of Mount Desert in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The original settlers, the Someses and Richardsons, arrived around 1761. The village has a significant summe ...

, and studied classical acting in Boston, where he was a member of the Toy Theater company and participated in

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua bro ...

readings. He studied under the performing arts educator Leland T. Powers.

Stage

In 1915 and 1916, Fennelly toured on the Midland Chautauqua Circuit with the Maud Scheerer Shakespeare Players. In 1919, he traveled and acted with the Jack X. Lewis Stock Company. Fennelly and his wife, Catherine Reynolds Fennelly, formed the Parker Fennelly Duo, presenting short plays, readings and impersonations (1921–1923). Fennelly's performances on Broadway included roles in ''Mr. Pitt'' (1924), ''The Small Timers'' (1925), ''Florida Girl'' (1925), ''Babbling Brookes'' (1927), ''Black Velvet'' (1927), ''The County Chairman'' (1936), ''Yours, A. Lincoln'' (1942), ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 throug ...

'' (1944), ''Happily Ever After'' (1945), ''Live Life Again'' (1945), ''Loco'' (1946) and ''The Southwest Corner'' (1955). His other Broadway credits include directing ''Technique'' (1931), providing source material for ''Fulton of Oak Falls'' (1937) and writing ''Cuckoos on the Hearth'' (1941).

Radio

Fennelly and Arthur Allen played "Yankee codgers" on ''The Stebbins Boys of Bucksport Point'' and ''Snow Village Sketches'' in the early years of radio.

Allen's Alley

Fennelly personified the crusty New England Yankee in roles on radio, films and television. He was heard weekly as Titus Moody on the "Allen's Alley" segment of

Fred Allen John Florence Sullivan (May 31, 1894 – March 17, 1956), known professionally as Fred Allen, was an American comedian. His absurdist, topically pointed radio program ''The Fred Allen Show'' (1932–1949) made him one of the most popular and for ...

's radio show where he delivered his famous opening line, "Howdy, Bub".

Other radio

Fennelly's other roles on radio included the following: In 1960, Fennelly recorded ''Moody Speaking'', a series of "sparkling one-minute and five-minute vignettes" produced by Banner Radio Company for local stations.

Television and films

Fennelly made numerous appearances on live television shows in the early 1950s, including ''

Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vid ...

'', ''

The Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the Golde ...

'' and '' Studio One''. In 1970–1971, he played Mr. Purdy on ''

Headmaster A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the teacher, staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school ...

'' on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

. In 1956, he guest-starred on an episode of ''

Father Knows Best ''Father Knows Best'' is an American sitcom starring Robert Young, Jane Wyatt, Elinor Donahue, Billy Gray and Lauren Chapin. The series, which began on radio in 1949, aired as a television show for six seasons and 203 episodes. Created by E ...

'' as a housepainter. In film, Fennelly portrayed the millionaire in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's ''

The Trouble with Harry ''The Trouble with Harry'' is a 1955 American Technicolor black comedy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The screenplay by John Michael Hayes was based on the 1950 novel by Jack Trevor Story. It starred Edmund Gwenn, John Forsythe, Mildred N ...

'' (1955) and he replaced

Percy Kilbride Percy William Kilbride (July 16, 1888 – December 11, 1964) was an American character actor. He made a career of playing country hicks, most memorably as Pa Kettle in the ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' series of feature films. Early life Kilbride was ...

as Pa Kettle in the final film of the "

Ma and Pa Kettle Ma and Pa Kettle are comic film characters of the successful film series of the same name, produced by Universal Studios, in the late 1940s and 1950s. The hillbilly duo had their hands full with a ramshackle farm and a brood of rambunctious child ...

" series, ''

The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm ''The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm'' is a 1957 American comedy film directed by Virgil Vogel. It is the tenth and last installment of Universal-International's ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' series starring Marjorie Main and introducing Parker Fennell ...

''. After ''

Angel in My Pocket ''Angel in My Pocket'' is a 1969 American comedy film directed by Alan Rafkin and starring Andy Griffith. One of three films originally planned by Universal Pictures to star Griffith, it also features Lee Meriwether, Jerry Van Dyke, Kay Medford, ...

'' (1969), his last movie role was

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 ...

's ''

How to Frame a Figg ''How to Frame a Figg'' is a 1971 comedy film about a bookkeeper's bungling assistant, Hollis Alexander Figg (played by Don Knotts), in the Dalton city hall, who finds himself framed for embezzlement. Plot Hollis Figg is an earnest if not too br ...

'' (1971) starring Don Knotts. In later years, he became a familiar face as the

Pepperidge Farm Pepperidge Farm is an American commercial bakery founded in 1937 by Margaret Rudkin, who named the brand after her family's 123-acre farm property in Fairfield, Connecticut, which had been named for the pepperidge tree. A subsidiary of the Camp ...

's television spokesman between 1956 and 1977, delivering the slogan "Pepperidge Farm remembers" in his New England accent, then turned over the role to Charles C. Welch.

Personal life

In 1918, Fennelly met and married Catherine Deane "while both of them were playing in a stock company in Moline, Illinois". They had two daughters, Mary and Jane, and a son, John.

Recordings

In 1950, Fennelly made the children's record "Ride 'Em Cowboy (I and II)" (CGR-1003). In 1953, he recorded another children's item, "Hunters of the Sea" (Record Guild 9006).

Death

Fennelly died on January 22, 1988, aged 96, at his home in

Peekskill, New York Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across fro ...

. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, four grandsons and one great-grandson. His widow, Catherine Fennelly (1892–1988), died five months later, aged 95. Their remains were interred in

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is the final resting place of numerous famous figures, including Washington Irving, whose 1820 short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set in the adjacent burying ground at the Old Dutch C ...

Sleepy Hollow, New York Sleepy Hollow is a village in the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, New York, United States. The village is located on the east bank of the Hudson River, about north of New York City, and is served by the Philipse Manor stop on ...

Filmography

References

External links

* * *
Parker Fennelly papers, 1896-1997
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fennelly, Parker 1891 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male radio actors American male stage actors American male television actors Burials at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery People from Northeast Harbor, Maine Male actors from Maine