Eagle Pennell
Encyclopedia
Eagle Pennell was an American
independent filmmaker. His film The Whole Shootin' Match
(1978) is often credited with inspiring Robert Redford
to start the Sundance Institute
.
Born Glenn Irwin Pinnell in Andrews, Texas
, Pennell grew up in Lubbock
and College Station
. He became interested in film
as a teenager and would use his father's Super 8
camera to shoot skits starring his brother and sisters. He graduated from A&M Consolidated High School
. Pennell then attended the University of Texas at Austin
majoring in Radio-Television-Film
but dropped out in 1973 during his junior year to do film work.
He changed his name while in his early twenties. His first name is supposedly based on the story that Pennell was once told his large nose looked like the beak of an eagle. His last name comes from 2nd Lt. Ross Pennell, a character from John Ford's
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
(1949). Ford was one of his father's favorite directors.
Pennell's first film was a short documentary
titled Rodeo Cowboys. He co-organized Austin's
first film festival
in April 1975. He made his first narrative short film, A Hell of a Note, in 1977. This short inspired his most notable film The Whole Shootin' Match.
In the early 1980s, Pennell moved to Houston
, where he produced and directed his second feature film Last Night at the Alamo
(1984).
Pennell struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction for much of his adult life. For years before his death, he was intermittently homeless and often borrowed or begged for money. Pennell died in Houston
and is buried in College Station.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
independent filmmaker. His film The Whole Shootin' Match
The Whole Shootin' Match
The Whole Shootin' Match is a 1978 American independent film directed and co-written by Eagle Pennell and starring Sonny Carl Davis, Lou Perryman and Doris Hargrave. The Black-and-white film was originally shot in 16 mm...
(1978) is often credited with inspiring Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
to start the Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981 that actively advances the work of filmmakers and storytellers worldwide...
.
Born Glenn Irwin Pinnell in Andrews, Texas
Andrews, Texas
Andrews is a city in and the county seat of Andrews County in the U.S. state of Texas within the West Texas region. The population was 10,448 in 2009. Along with Midland and Odessa, these cities form the Midland-Odessa Combined Statistical Area with a population of 241,316 in four counties...
, Pennell grew up in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
and College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
. He became interested in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
as a teenager and would use his father's Super 8
Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....
camera to shoot skits starring his brother and sisters. He graduated from A&M Consolidated High School
A&M Consolidated High School
A&M Consolidated High School is a four-year public high school consisting of grades 9–12 located in College Station, Texas and is part of the College Station Independent School District.The family housing of Texas A&M University is zoned to this school....
. Pennell then attended the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
majoring in Radio-Television-Film
University of Texas at Austin Department of Radio-Television-Film
The Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin located in Austin, Texas, is one of the five departments comprising the College of Communication...
but dropped out in 1973 during his junior year to do film work.
He changed his name while in his early twenties. His first name is supposedly based on the story that Pennell was once told his large nose looked like the beak of an eagle. His last name comes from 2nd Lt. Ross Pennell, a character from John Ford's
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is a 1949 Western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. The film was the second of Ford's trilogy of films focusing on the US Cavalry ; the other two films were Fort Apache and Rio Grande...
(1949). Ford was one of his father's favorite directors.
Pennell's first film was a short documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
titled Rodeo Cowboys. He co-organized Austin's
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
first film festival
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
in April 1975. He made his first narrative short film, A Hell of a Note, in 1977. This short inspired his most notable film The Whole Shootin' Match.
In the early 1980s, Pennell moved to Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, where he produced and directed his second feature film Last Night at the Alamo
Last Night at the Alamo
Last Night at the Alamo is a 1983 American black-and-white independent film directed and co-produced by Eagle Pennell, written and co-produced by Kim Henkel and starring Sonny Carl Davis and Lou Perryman.-Plot:...
(1984).
Pennell struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction for much of his adult life. For years before his death, he was intermittently homeless and often borrowed or begged for money. Pennell died in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and is buried in College Station.