TV director Ralph Senensky, 102, died on Nov. 1. Senensky started his career directing regional theater, but moved into TV in the early 1960s. He helmed multiple episodes of Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive, Star Trek, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Partridge Family, Nanny and the Professor, The FBI, The Waltons, and Hart to Hart, as well as one-offs of more than 70 other shows. “Directing episodic television is like jumping on a freight train in motion,” Senensky said. “As a director, you have to jump on and not break your legs . . . you have to get acquainted with who the people are . . . because you catch them as ongoing, already established characters.” He came out of retirement in 2013 to direct Marlyn Mason’s short film The Right Regrets. Mason recalls, “Ralph was a walking encyclopedia on film history. Watching an old classic with him was equal to a semester at Harvard. Stanwyck was his favorite actress, Davis his close second. The art of filmmaking was in his bones and felt much of it was lost in today’s output. He cherished good writing and good cinematography. Ralph never directed a feature film. He chose to stay in the world of television. But when you look at his work you feel you’re looking at a feature movie. He knew and understood the art.”
