Richard Denning
Encyclopedia
Richard Denning was an American actor who starred in such movies as Creature from the Black Lagoon
(1954
) and An Affair to Remember
(1957
), and on radio with Lucille Ball
as her husband George Cooper in My Favorite Husband
(1948–1951), the forerunner of television's I Love Lucy
, for which Denning was replaced by Ball's real-life husband, Desi Arnaz
.
Paul Jameson in the CBS
series Hawaii Five-O
(1968–1980). He also starred as the title character in the detective series Michael Shayne
(1960–61) and shared title billing with Barbara Britton
in the detective series Mr. and Mrs. North
(1952–1954), later appearing as Dr. Greg Graham in the series "The Flying Doctor" (1959). He appeared three times on the ABC
anthology series Crossroads
.
According to Denning, after interrupting his career to enlist in the military during World War II
, upon his return he experienced a full 18 months before Paramount Pictures
put him back to work. During that time period, Denning and his famiy lived in a mobile home that he alternately parked at Malibu and Palm Springs
. His period of unemployment ended when he was hired to star on the radio opposite Lucille Ball in My Favorite Husband.
Denning was already retired and living on the island of Maui
with his wife, when producer Leonard Freeman
telephoned him with an offer to appear as the Governor in the new series Hawaii Five-O. Freeman guaranteed Denning five-hour days and a four-day work week in order to snag him.
(co-star of The Wolf Man), who retired from films at the age of thirty-two after they were married. After Ankers' death from cancer
in 1985, Denning married Patricia Leffingwell.
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 monster horror film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, and Whit Bissell. The eponymous creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in underwater scenes...
(1954
1954 in film
The year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda...
) and An Affair to Remember
An Affair to Remember
An Affair to Remember is a 1957 film starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, and directed by Leo McCarey. It was distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation....
(1957
1957 in film
The year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
), and on radio with Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
as her husband George Cooper in My Favorite Husband
My Favorite Husband
My Favorite Husband is the name of an American radio program and network television series. The original radio show, co-starring Lucille Ball, was the initial basis for what evolved into the groundbreaking TV sitcom I Love Lucy. The series was based on the novel Mr. and Mrs...
(1948–1951), the forerunner of television's I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
, for which Denning was replaced by Ball's real-life husband, Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
.
Biography
Denning was born as Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger, Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. He became an actor, best-known for his recurring role as Governor of HawaiiGovernor of Hawaii
The Governor of Hawaii is the chief executive of the state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state...
Paul Jameson in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
series Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
(1968–1980). He also starred as the title character in the detective series Michael Shayne
Michael Shayne
Michael Shayne is a fictional private detective character created during the late 1930s by writer Brett Halliday. It was the title of a series of 12 films starring Lloyd Nolan, a radio series under a variety of names, between 1944 and 1953, and later in 1960-1961, a 32 episode NBC television series...
(1960–61) and shared title billing with Barbara Britton
Barbara Britton
Barbara Britton was an American film and television actress.She was the first actress to play Laura Petrie on television on the pilot program, Head of the Family, which was retooled and became The Dick Van Dyke Show with the role taken over by Mary Tyler Moore. The California native signed a film...
in the detective series Mr. and Mrs. North
Mr. and Mrs. North
Mr. and Mrs. North are fictional American amateur detectives. Created by Frances and Richard Lockridge, the couple were featured in a series of 26 Mr. and Mrs. North novels, a Broadway play, a motion picture and several radio and television series....
(1952–1954), later appearing as Dr. Greg Graham in the series "The Flying Doctor" (1959). He appeared three times on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
anthology series Crossroads
Crossroads (1955 TV series)
Crossroads is the title of a 30-minute American television religion drama series which aired from 1955–1957, the first season on ABC and the second via syndication....
.
According to Denning, after interrupting his career to enlist in the military during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, upon his return he experienced a full 18 months before Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
put him back to work. During that time period, Denning and his famiy lived in a mobile home that he alternately parked at Malibu and Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
. His period of unemployment ended when he was hired to star on the radio opposite Lucille Ball in My Favorite Husband.
Denning was already retired and living on the island of Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
with his wife, when producer Leonard Freeman
Leonard Freeman
Leonard Freeman was an American television writer and producer whose most famous achievement was the creation of the CBS television network series Hawaii Five-O in 1968. The show ran for twelve seasons. At the time that was a record for a crime drama. In 1960, he wrote for the series Route 66; in...
telephoned him with an offer to appear as the Governor in the new series Hawaii Five-O. Freeman guaranteed Denning five-hour days and a four-day work week in order to snag him.
Personal life
Denning was married to 1940s horror movie queen Evelyn AnkersEvelyn Ankers
Evelyn Ankers was a British actress born in Chile. She often played variations on the role of the cultured young leading lady in many American horror films during the 1940s, most notably The Wolf Man at age 23 opposite Lon Chaney, Jr., a frequent screen partner...
(co-star of The Wolf Man), who retired from films at the age of thirty-two after they were married. After Ankers' death from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1985, Denning married Patricia Leffingwell.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1937 | Hold 'em Navy | Midshipman Jepson | |
1937 | Wells Fargo | uncredited | |
1938 | Captain Reid | ||
1938 | Officer, S.S. Gigantic | uncredited | |
1938 | Her Jungle Love Her Jungle Love Her Jungle Love is a 1938 adventure film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Dorothy Lamour.-Cast:* Dorothy Lamour - Tura* Ray Milland - Bob Mitchell* Lynne Overman - Jimmy Wallace* J. Carrol Naish - Kuasa... |
Pilot | |
1938 | College Swing College Swing College Swing, also known as Swing, Teacher, Swing in the U.K., is a 1938 comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring George Burns, Gracie Allen, Martha Raye, and Bob Hope... |
Student | uncredited |
1938 | You and Me | ||
1938 | Cpl. Parker | ||
1938 | Give Me a Sailor | Sailor | uncredited |
1938 | Campus Confessions | Buck Hogan | |
1938 | King of Alcatraz King of Alcatraz King of Alcatraz is a 1938 drama film directed by Robert Florey and starring Gail Patrick.-Cast:* Gail Patrick - Dale Borden* Lloyd Nolan - Raymond Grayson* Harry Carey - Captain Glennan* J... |
Harry Vay | |
1938 | Touchdown Army | Cadet | uncredited |
1938 | |||
1938 | Illegal Traffic | Silk Patterson | |
1938 | Say It in French | Elevator Passenger | uncredited |
1939 | Ambush | Police Garage Mechanic | |
1939 | Persons in Hiding | Powder, Henchman | |
1939 | King of Chinatown | First Intern | |
1939 | I'm From Missouri | Plane Pilot | |
1939 | Sudden Money | Johnny Jordan | |
1939 | Union Pacific Union Pacific (film) Union Pacific is a 1939 American dramatic western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea. Based on the novel Trouble Shooter by Western fiction author Ernest Haycox, the film is about the building of the railroad across the American West.-Plot:The 1862... |
Reporter | uncredited |
1939 | Hotel Imperial | uncredited | |
1939 | Some Like It Hot Some Like It Hot (1939 film) Some Like It Hot is a 1939 comedy film starring Bob Hope, Shirley Ross, and Gene Krupa. The movie was directed by George Archainbaud, and the screenplay was written by Wilkie C. Mahoney and Lewis R. Foster, based on the play The Great Magoo by Ben Hecht and Gene Fowler, which performed briefly on... |
Mr. Weems | |
1939 | Undercover Doctor | Frank Oliver | |
1939 | Fred | ||
1939 | Grand Jury Secrets | Murph | |
1939 | Million Dollar Legs Million Dollar Legs (1939 film) Million Dollar Legs is a 1939 American comedy film starring Betty Grable, John Hartley, Donald O'Connor, and Jackie Coogan.-Cast:* Betty Grable as Carol Parker* John Hartley as Greg Melton Jr.* Donald O'Connor as Sticky Boone... |
Hunk Jordan | |
1939 | Assistant Dance Director | uncredited | |
1939 | Television Spy Television Spy -Plot:A scientist invents a television called the Iconoscope, which thieves try to steal. Ironically, the term iconoscope was used in real life for certain television vacuum tubes.-Cast:* William Henry as Douglas Cameron* Judith Barrett as Gwen Lawson... |
Dick Randolph | |
1939 | Disputed Passage Disputed Passage Disputed Passage is a 1939 American film starring John Howard, Dorothy Lamour, Akim Tamiroff, Judith Barrett, and William Collier, Sr. Set in war-torn China, the film was described by the New York Times as a "lavish soap opera". The 87 minute-long film was based on the best-selling novel of the... |
Student | uncredited |
1939 | Our Neighbors – The Carters | Pilot | uncredited |
1939 | Geronimo | Lt. Larned | |
1939 | Call Boy | ||
1940 | Emergency Squad Emergency Squad (film) -Cast:* William Henry as Peter Barton* Louise Campbell as Betty Bryant* Richard Denning as Dan Barton* Robert Paige as Chester 'Chesty' Miller* Anthony Quinn as Nick Buller* John Miljan as Slade Wiley* John Marston as Lt. Murdock... |
Dan Barton | |
1940 | Parole Fixer | Bruce Eaton | |
1940 | Dennis Crane | ||
1940 | Seventeen | Jack | |
1940 | Queen of the Mob | Charlie Webster | |
1940 | Those Were the Days! | Briggs | |
1940 | Golden Gloves Golden Gloves (1940 film) -Cast:* Richard Denning as Bill Crane* Jeanne Cagney as Mary Parker* J. Carrol Naish as Joe Taggerty* Robert Paige as Wally Matson* William Frawley as Emory Balzar* Edward Brophy as Potsy Brill* Robert Ryan as Pete Wells* George Ernest as Joey Parker... |
Bill Crane | |
1940 | Northwest Mounted Police | Const. Thornton | |
1940 | Love Thy Neighbor Love Thy Neighbor (1940 film) Love Thy Neighbor is a movie produced by Paramount in 1940 which starred Jack Benny and Fred Allen. It featured Mary Martin with her famous fur coat striptease performance of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" which is set in a stage revue.... |
||
1941 | Adam Had Four Sons Adam Had Four Sons Adam Had Four Sons is a 1941 drama and romance film, starring Ingrid Bergman, Warner Baxter, and Susan Hayward.-Plot:Warner Baxter portrays the wealthy, easy-going patriarch of a family that falls on hard times after the death of his wife and a stock market crash that wipes out his wealth. Recently... |
Jack Stoddard (older) | |
1941 | West Point Widow | Lt. Rhody Graves | |
1942 | Beyond the Blue Horizon | Jackra the Magnificent | |
1942 | Taylor Henry | ||
1942 | Quiet Please, Murder Quiet Please, Murder Quiet Please, Murder is a 1943 Drama directed by John Larkin, starring George Sanders, Gail Patrick and Richard Denning. Based on the short story Death Walks in Marble Halls by Lawrence G... |
Hal McByrne | |
1942 | Ice-Capades Revue | Jeff | |
1944 | Golden Gloves | ||
1946 | Black Beauty Black Beauty Black Beauty is an 1877 novel by English author Anna Sewell. It was composed in the last years of her life, during which she remained in her house as an invalid. The novel became an immediate bestseller, with Sewell dying just five months after its publication, long enough to see her first and only... |
Bill Dixon | |
1946 | Rex | ||
1947 | Seven Were Saved Seven Were Saved - Cast :*Richard Denning as Captain Allen Danton*Catherine Craig as Susan Briscoe*Russell Hayden as Captain Jim Willis*Ann Doran as Mrs. Rollin Hartley*Byron Barr as Lt. Martin Pinkert*Richard Loo as Colonel Yamura*Don Castle as Lt. Pete Sturdevant... |
Captain Allen Danton | |
1948 | Caged Fury | Blaney Lewis | |
1948 | Lady at Midnight | Peter Wiggins | |
1948 | Unknown Island Unknown Island Unknown island is a 1948 adventure film directed by Jack Bernhard. The Film Stars Virginia Grey, Phillip Reed, Richard Denning and Barton MacLane. Ray Corrigan also stars in this film, playing a Giant sloth... |
John Fairbanks | |
1948 | Disaster | Bill Wyatt | |
1950 | No Man of Her Own No Man of Her Own No Man of Her Own is a 1950 drama starring Barbara Stanwyck.It was the second she made with director Mitchell Leisen. It was based on a Cornell Woolrich novel, I Married a Dead Man. Woolrich is credited as William Irish in the film's opening credits.The film was later remade in 1996 as Mrs.... |
Hugh Harkness | |
1950 | Harbor of Missing Men | Jim 'Brooklyn' Gannon | |
1950 | Double Deal | Buzz Doyle | |
1951 | TV series, episode: "The Hot Welcome" | ||
1951 | Secrets of Beauty | Dr. John Waldron | |
1951 | Flame of Stamboul | Larry Wilson | |
1951 | Insurance Investigator | Tom Davison | |
1951 | Week-End with Father | Don Adams | |
1952 | Okinawa | Lt. Phillips | |
1952 | Scarlet Angel | Malcolm Bradley | |
1952 | Cavalcade of America Cavalcade of America Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on... |
TV series episode: "The Man Who Took a Chance" | |
1952 | Hangman's Knot Hangman's Knot Hangman's Knot is a 1952 western movie written and directed by Roy Huggins and starring Randolph Scott and Donna Reed.-Plot:Matt Stewart leads an ambush and robbery of a military gold train. It is 1865 in Nevada and Major Stewart's band is a unit of Rebels... |
Lee Kemper | |
1953 | Target Hong Kong | Mike Lassiter | |
1953 | Ford Television Theatre Ford Theatre Ford Theatre was a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s. At various times the television series appeared on all three major television networks, while the radio version was broadcast on two separate networks and on two separate coasts... |
Dr. James Baker | TV series, episode: "The Doctor's Downfall" |
1953 | Chief Investigator Paul Reagan | ||
1953 | Dave Markson | ||
1954 | Jivaro | Jerry Russell | |
1954 | Ford Television Theatre | George Beagle | TV series, episode: "The Legal Beagles" |
1954 | Battle of Rogue River | Stacey Wyatt | |
1954 | Creature from the Black Lagoon Creature from the Black Lagoon Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 monster horror film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, and Whit Bissell. The eponymous creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in underwater scenes... |
Dr. Mark Williams | |
1954 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, is a weekly CBS anthology television series, was telecast on Friday nights from 1951 until 1959. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by Schlitz beer... |
TV series, episode: "Tapu" | |
1954 | Mr. & Mrs. North | Jerry North | TV series, 56 episodes |
1954 | Target Earth Target Earth (film) Target Earth is a 1954 science fiction film. It was directed by Sherman A. Rose and stars Richard Denning, Kathleen Crowley, Virginia Grey, and Whit Bissell. The film focuses on a deserted Chicago cityscape and a small group of people who have been overlooked during a mass evacuation due to an... |
Frank Brooks | |
1955 | TV Reader's Digest TV Reader's Digest TV Reader's Digest is the title of a 30 minute American television anthology drama series which aired on the ABC from 1955 to 1956.Based on articles that appeared in Reader's Digest magazine, the episodes based on true stories which were varied in their themes, plots and content. Themes included... |
Don Wilkerson | TV series, episode: "I'll Pick More Daisies" |
1955 | Ford Television Theatre | Tim Barker | TV series, episode: "All That Glitters" |
1955 | Air Strike | Cmdr. Stanley Blair | |
1955 | Mark Russell | ||
1955 | Creature with the Atom Brain Creature with the Atom Brain (1955 film) Creature with the Atom Brain was a 1955 B-movie zombie film from Clover Productions, directed by Edward L. Cahn from a screenplay by Curt Siodmak and distributed by Columbia Pictures as the bottom half of a double bill with It Came from Beneath the Sea... |
Dr. Chet Walker | |
1955 | 'Dakota' Jack Gaines | ||
1955 | Frank Daniel | ||
1955 | Rick | ||
1956 | Cheyenne | Capt. Quinlan | TV series, episode: "Decision" |
1956 | Celebrity Playhouse Celebrity Playhouse Celebrity Playhouse is the title of a 30 minute American television drama series which aired from 1956-1957 .Recurring Roles and Notable Guest Stars:... |
William Broder | TV series, episode: "Bachelor Husband" |
1956 | Steve Ward | ||
1956 | Girls in Prison Girls in Prison Girls in Prison is a 1956 drama/sexploitation women in prison film about a young woman who is convicted of being an accomplice to a bank robbery and is sent to an all-female prison. The film was directed by Edward L. Cahn, and stars Richard Denning, Joan Taylor, and Mae Marsh... |
Rev. Fulton | |
1956 | Crossroads | Dr. Ira Langston | TV series, episode: "Chinese Checkers" |
1956 | Crossroads | Rev. George Bolton | TV series, episode: "The Bowery Bishop" |
1956 | Crossroads | Reverend Lloyd E. Williams | TV series, episode: "The Pure White Orchid" |
1956 | Million Dollar Manhunt | Major Gregory Keen | |
1956 | Ford Television Theatre | Barney Maddock | TV series, episode: "Double Trouble |
1956 | Ford Television Theatre | Davy Jones | TV series, episode: "On the Beach" |
1957 | Ford Television Theatre | Charlie Frye | TV series, episode: "The Idea Man" |
1957 | Kenneth Bradley | ||
1957 | Dr. Bruce Merritt | ||
1957 | Hank Scott | ||
1957 | General Electric Theater General Electric Theater General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald W. Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.-Radio:... |
Dr. Mark Andrews | TV series, episode: "Eyes of a Stranger" |
1958 | General Electric Theater | Jim Kendall | TV series, episode: "Letters from Cairo" |
1958 | Al Reynolds | ||
1958 | Studio One Studio One (TV series) Studio One is a long-running American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by the 26-year-old Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC.-Radio:... |
Jack Marshall | TV series, episode: "The Laughing Willow" |
1958 | Desert Hell | Sgt. Major Pierre Benet | |
1959 | Dr. Greg Graham | TV series, 39 episodes | |
1960 | No Greater Love No Greater Love (1960 film) No Greater Love is a 1960 film starring Evelyn Ankers and Richard Denning and is notable for being Ankers' last movie.-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database... |
||
1960–1961 | Michael Shayne | Michael Shayne Michael Shayne Michael Shayne is a fictional private detective character created during the late 1930s by writer Brett Halliday. It was the title of a series of 12 films starring Lloyd Nolan, a radio series under a variety of names, between 1944 and 1953, and later in 1960-1961, a 32 episode NBC television series... |
TV series, 32 episodes |
1963 | Going My Way Going My Way (TV series) Going My Way is an American comedy-drama series starring dancer and actor Gene Kelly. Based on the 1944 film of the same name starring Bing Crosby, the series aired on ABC with new episodes from October 3, 1962 to April 24, 1963. The program was Kelly's first and only attempt at a weekly television... |
Larry | TV series, episode: "Don't Forget to Say Goodbye" |
1963 | Twice-Told Tales Twice-Told Tales (film) Twice-Told Tales is a 1963 American horror film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Vincent Price. It is based on three of Nathaniel Hawthorne's stories found in the book Twice-Told Tales: "Dr... |
Jonathan Maulle | |
1964–1965 | Karen | Steve Scott | TV series, 27 episodes |
1966 | Alice Through the Looking Glass | Alice's Father | |
1968 | I Sailed to Tahiti With an All Girl Crew | Commodore | |
1968 | I Spy | Delaney | TV series, episode: "This Guy Smith" |
1968–1980 | Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,... |
Governor Paul Jameson | TV series, 69 episodes |
1974 | McCloud | Edgar Hamilton | TV series, episode: "A Cowboy in Paradise" |
1980 | Charles Van Heuran |