Douglas Kenney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Douglas Kenney
Mid-1970s portrait by Pedar Ness
Born	Douglas Clark Francis Kenney (1946-12-10)December 10, 1946 West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Died	August 27, 1980(1980-08-27) (aged 33) Kauai, Hawaii, U.S.
Occupation	Screenwriter, magazine editor
Genre	Humor
Years active	1965–1980
Spouse	Alexandra Appleton Garcia-Mata ​ ​ (m. 1970; div. 1973)​
Partner	Kathryn Walker (?–1980, his death)

Douglas Clark Francis Kenney (born December 10, 1946 – died August 27, 1980) was an American comedy writer. He wrote for magazines, books, radio, TV, and movies. Douglas Kenney helped start the famous humor magazine National Lampoon in 1970. He was also an editor for the magazine and wrote many of its first stories. Later, he helped write, produce, and act in the popular comedy movies Animal House and Caddyshack. He passed away suddenly at the age of 33.

Douglas Kenney's Life

Early Years

Douglas Clark Francis Kenney was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. His parents, Estelle and Daniel, were from Massachusetts. His grandparents were from Ireland and Poland. He was named after a famous general, Douglas MacArthur.

His family moved to Mentor, Ohio, in the early 1950s. Then they settled in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, a suburb near Cleveland. Douglas lived in Chagrin Falls from 1958 to 1964. He went to Gilmour Academy, a Catholic high school for boys. He was married to Alexandra Appleton Garcia-Mata.

His Career in Comedy

While attending Harvard University, Douglas Kenney was very involved in comedy. He was a member of the Signet Society and president of the Spee Club. He also became the editor of The Harvard Lampoon, a college humor magazine.

Kenney often worked with his friend Henry Beard. Together, they wrote a short funny book called Bored of the Rings, which came out in 1969. Douglas graduated from Harvard in 1968. Soon after, he, Beard, and another Harvard friend, Robert Hoffman, started working on a new humor magazine. This magazine became the famous National Lampoon.

Starting National Lampoon

Douglas Kenney was a key person in creating a new kind of comedy in the 1970s. This style was often dark and didn't take things too seriously. Kenney used this humor as the main idea for the National Lampoon magazine.

He was the editor-in-chief from 1970 to 1972. He continued to work as an editor until 1976. The magazine was known for its unique humor. It was different from other comedy at the time. It often made fun of everything, even itself.

Writing for National Lampoon

Kenney wrote a lot of the early material for the Lampoon. One popular part was "Mrs. Agnew's Diary." This was a regular column written like the diary of Spiro Agnew's wife. Spiro Agnew was the Vice President at the time. The diary made fun of her life with politicians like Richard Nixon. This idea was similar to a column in a British magazine called Private Eye.

Sometimes, Kenney would take breaks from the magazine because of the pressure. But even when he was away, he always sent in his "Mrs. Agnew's Diary" column. During one break, he wrote a funny book called Teenage Commies from Outer Space. However, he threw the book's pages out his office window after a friend said it didn't make sense.

National Lampoon's 1964 High School Yearbook was the magazine's best-selling issue. Kenney co-wrote it with P. J. O'Rourke. It was based on an earlier idea by another writer, Michael O'Donoghue.

Kenney had a special contract with the Lampoon's publisher. This allowed him, Beard, and Hoffman to share $7 million. Kenney stayed with the magazine until 1977. Then, he left to help write the movie National Lampoon's Animal House. He wrote it with Chris Miller and Harold Ramis.

Animal House

Douglas Kenney also had a small acting role in Animal House. He played a fraternity brother named "Stork." He only had two lines in the movie. Stork's most memorable scene is when he leads the marching band down a wrong alley during a parade. Kenney chose this role because he felt it suited him best. National Lampoon's Animal House was made with a small budget. It became one of the most successful comedy films in Hollywood history for a while.

Caddyshack

Kenney also produced and wrote the movie Caddyshack. He worked on it with Brian Doyle-Murray and Harold Ramis. Kenney had another small role in Caddyshack. He played a dinner guest of the character Al Czervik.

When Caddyshack first came out in July 1980, some reviews were not very good. This made Kenney feel very sad. However, Harold Ramis joked that the movie was like "a six-million-dollar scholarship to film school," meaning they learned a lot from making it.

His Passing

Chevy Chase and Douglas Kenney went to Kauai, Hawaii. After Chevy Chase left for work, Kenney's girlfriend, Kathryn Walker, came to visit. But she also had to go back to work. Chevy Chase was getting ready to return to Hawaii when he heard that his friend was missing.

Douglas Kenney passed away on August 27, 1980, when he was 33 years old. He fell from a 35-foot cliff called the Hanapepe Lookout. Police found his car the next day. The police in Kauai said his death was an accident.

In Kenney's hotel room, notes were found for new projects he was planning. There were also jokes and an outline for a new movie. A funny line he had written was also found: "These last few days are among the happiest I've ever ignored." The National Lampoon magazine published a tribute to him. It included a cartoon showing a sign next to a cliff that said, "Doug Kenney Slipped Here."

His Lasting Impact

Douglas Kenney was nominated for an award from The Writers Guild of America. This was for his screenplay for National Lampoon's Animal House. He shared the nomination with Harold Ramis and Chris Miller.

In June 1985, the National Lampoon magazine released a special issue. It was called "The Doug Kenney Collection." This issue was all about Kenney and included many of his writings.

Chris Miller honored Kenney in his 1996 movie Multiplicity. The main character in that film was named "Doug Kinney."

Twenty-six years after Kenney's death, a book about him was published. It was called A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever. This book told the story of Kenney's life and how he changed comedy. It also showed his impact on the people he knew. This book was later made into a Netflix movie in 2018, also called A Futile and Stupid Gesture. In the movie, comedian Will Forte plays Douglas Kenney.

Filmography

Executive producer

• Modern Problems (1981)

See also

In Spanish: Douglas Kenney para niños