Saw the first-season Adam-12 episode “Log 172: Boy…The Things You Do For The Job” for the 743rd time the other day. It’s one of my favorites. Ahna Capri plays Penelope Lang, a free-spirit rich girl pulled over by Reed (Kent McCord) and Malloy (Martin Milner).
Miss Lang takes a real shine to Pete, but he’s not amused. She keeps calling the cops for one thing or another, hoping Malloy and Reed will be dispatched to help. She turns up at the station. She even sends him a 1969 Porsche 911S with a Targa top. But Pete’s just not interested, and he does the slow burn throughout the episode. Eventually, in order to get all this to stop, Malloy gives in and sets up a date with her. The episode ends and we never know how it went.
Ahna Capri was great, one of those actresses you get excited about when they turn up in the credits. On TV, she was on about every cool show of the 60s and 70s — shows like The Wild Wild West, Mannix, The Mod Squad, The Invaders, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (above), Dan August, The F.B.I., Baretta, Ironside, Cannon, Police Story and Kojak.
She did some cool movies, too — The Girls On The Beach (1965), Darker Than Amber (1970, above), Payday (1973) and The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars And Motor Kings (1976). But the one she’ll always be remembered for is Enter The Dragon (1973) with Bruce Lee and John Saxon.
Ahna passed away on August 9, 2010. A truck hit her car in North Hollywood. She was on life support, in a coma, for more than a week before she died. What a shame.
She’s lovely, she’s funny and she’s a joy to watch. Keep an eye out for her.