Actor Parker W. Fennelly, 96; ‘Titus Moody’ of Allen’s Alley

Parker W. Fennelly, an actor whose Broadway and radio careers stretched back to the 1920s, has died at his home after a brief illness. He was 96.

Fennelly, who died Friday, was well-known for his portrayal of Titus Moody on “The Fred Allen Show” in the 1930s and 1940s. The character was the model for the folksy Pepperidge Farm baked goods spokesman, played on radio and television by Fennelly until 1977, when he retired from acting.

Fennelly first appeared on Broadway in 1924 in “Mr. Pitt,” and his credits include performances in “Our Town” and “Carousel.”

His movie credits include roles in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Trouble With Harry,” “It Happened to Jane” with Doris Day and “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.”

He co-wrote “Fulton of Oak Falls” with George M. Cohan and is the author of “Cuckoos on the Hearth,” a play that is still performed in little theaters in the United States and abroad.

A native of Northeast Harbor, Me., Fennelly studied Shakespearean theater in Boston, then traveled around the country with several theater troupes, settling in this community north of New York City in 1930.

Fennelly is survived by his wife of 69 years, Catherine, two daughters, four grandsons, and a great-grandson.