Douglas Kenney

Douglas C. Kenney (December 10, 1947 - August 27, 1980) was an American writer and co-founder of National Lampoon magazine in the 1970s. Kenney edited the magazine and wrote much of its early material. [1] Image File history File linksMetadata 02caddyshack_vi. ... Image File history File linksMetadata 02caddyshack_vi. ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Births 1407 - Ashikaga Yoshikazu, Japanese shogun (d. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... National Lampoon is a humor magazine that began in 1970 as an offshoot of the Harvard Lampoon. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

Childhood

Douglas C. Kenney was born on December 10th, 1947 in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Kenney's older brother Daniel, who was always considered the better of the two, died of Kidney disease while Kenney was still in high school. Kenney was always considered second best, and lived mostly in his dead brother's shadow. After he graduated from high school Kenney was accepted to Harvard University. Chagrin Falls is a village located in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus (largest metropolitan area is Cleveland) Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 34th 44,825 square miles (116,096 square kilometers) LandArea = 40,986 square miles (106,154 square kilometers) WaterArea = 3,878 square miles (10,044 square kilometers) PCWater... See the article on the kidney for the anatomy and function of healthy kidneys and a list of diseases involving the kidney. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...

Harvard

While at Harvard Kenney was president of his fraternity, a member of the Signet society, and editor of the Harvard Lampoon. There Kenney was part of the first wave of young newcomers who infused new life into the then stagnant college humor magazine. Kenney graduated in 1968. Soon after, he met up with fellow Harvard alumni Henry Beard and Rob Hoffman, and they began work on National Lampoon. The Harvard Lampoon building with its characteristic rooftop ibis and its purple and yellow door The Harvard Lampoon is an undergraduate humor organization and publication founded in 1876 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... Humour (Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the ability or quality of people, objects or situations to evoke feelings of amusement in other people. ... A collection of magazines A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising and/or purchase by readers. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... National Lampoon is a humor magazine that began in 1970 as an offshoot of the Harvard Lampoon. ...

National Lampoon

Kenney was one of the originating forces of what was to become known during the 1970's as the "new wave" of comedy, a dark, irreverent style of humor Kenney used as the basis for his magazine. Kenney was Editor-in-Chief from 1970 to 1972, Senior Editor 1973 to 1974, and editor from 1975 to 1976. Kenney wrote much of the early material, such as "Mrs. Agnew's Diary", a regular column written as the diary of Spiro Agnew's wife, chronicling her life among Richard Nixon (or "Dick") and other famous politicians. Kenney had a 5 year buyout contract with the Lampoon's publisher, 21st Century Communications. Kenney, Beard, and Hoffman took advantage of this, dividing a sum of 7 million dollars among them. Kenney remained on staff until 1977. He quit after co-authoring the screenplay to National Lampoon's Animal House, along with Chris Miller and Harold Ramis. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... Spiro Theodore Agnew (November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996), born Spiros Anagnostopoulos in Towson, Maryland, was the thirty-ninth Vice President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1973 under President Richard M. Nixon. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... National Lampoons Animal House (often called Animal House) is a 1978 comedy film in which a misfit group of Delta fraternity boys takes on the system at their college. ... Chris Miller (born 1942) is an American screenwriter, most notable for his work on National Lampoon magazine and Animal House (he also had a bit part as Hardbar, he was credited as Christian Miller). ... Harold Ramis (right) with Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray in Ghostbusters. ...

Animal House

Kenney had a small but key role in Animal House as the frat brother called "Stork". National Lampoon's Animal House was the most successful comedy film to date, making Kenney one of the most sought-after writers in Hollywood. Unfortunately, the sense of self-satisfaction and happiness that Kenney felt following the premiere of Animal House faded in direct proportion to the attention and praise he received. He longed to be doing what he considered to be serious work—writing the great American novel or the movie-of-movies—and increasingly thought of himself as a failure.

Caddyshack

Kenney co-wrote Caddyshack with Brian Doyle-Murray and Harold Ramis. When it opened to negative reviews in July, 1980 (Ramis joked that the film was "a six-million-dollar scholarship to film school"), Kenney became extremely depressed. At a press conference, he verbally abused reporters and then fell into a drunken stupor. Concerned friends began asking Kenney to seek professional help, but by that time he was spinning out of control, joking about previous suicide attempts, driving recklessly, and using increasing amounts of cocaine. DVD cover Caddyshack is a 1980 U.S. comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Harold Ramis and Douglas Kenney. ... Brian Doyle-Murray (born October 31, 1945) is an American comedian and actor from Chicago, Illinois. ...

Death

He died on August 27, 1980, in Kauai, Hawaii, after falling from a thirty-foot cliff. Police found his abandoned vehicle the following day, but it wasn't until three days later that Kenney's body was discovered. Found in Kenney's hotel room were notes for projects he had been planning, jokes, and an outline for a new movie. "We also found," Chevy Chase told Rolling Stone magazine, "written on the back of a hotel receipt, a bunch of random thoughts that included the reasons why he loved Kathryn, and a gag line: 'These last few days are among the happiest I've ever ignored.'" Kauai (usually called Kauai outside the Hawaiian Islands) is the oldest and fourth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands, having an area of 1,446 km² . Known also as the Garden Isle, Kauai lies 105 miles (170 kilometers) across the Kauai Channel, northwest of Oahu. ... Official language(s) Hawaiian and English Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 43rd 28,337 km² n/a km 2,450 km 41. ...

References

• New Times, August 21, 1978
• People, September 1, 1980
• Esquire, October, 1981

The New Times Media corporation is a national publisher of alternative weekly newspapers. ... Cover of an issue of Esquire magazine. ...

External links

• Cult classic, an homage to Doug Kenney, ESPN/Golf Digest, April 2004
• Doug Kenney at IMDB