Douglas Kenney

National Lampoon

While at Harvard University, Kenney was a member of the Signet society, president of the Spee Club, and editor of The Harvard Lampoon. There, he was part of the first group of newcomers who restyled the college humor magazine. Another of these writers was Henry Beard, with whom Kenney frequently collaborated, and who became a lifelong friend. Together with Beard, he wrote the short novel Bored of the Rings, which was published during 1969. Kenney graduated in 1968. Soon after, he, Beard and fellow Harvard alumnus Robert Hoffman began work on founding the humor magazine National Lampoon.^[3] Doug found it hard to find a major, something he wanted to do in life. The only thing he seemed to enjoy and be talented at was writing for the college magazine. So he suggested to Beard they create a mainstream professional worldwide syndicated magazine with themselves as the headmasters.

Kenney was one of the originating forces of what was to become known during the 1970s as the "new wave" of comedy: a dark, irreverent style of humor Kenney used as the basis for the 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 Lampoon's early material, such as "Mrs. Agnew's Diary", a regular column written as the diary of Spiro Agnew (or "Spiggy")'s wife, chronicling her life amongst Richard Nixon and other famous politicians. The feature was an Americanized version of Private Eye's long-running column "Mrs. Wilson's Diary," written from the viewpoint of Prime Minister Harold Wilson's wife.

To escape the pressures of running a successful magazine, Kenney sometimes took unannounced extended breaks, although, despite these absences, "Mrs. Agnew's Diary" was always submitted to the Lampoon. During one of these breaks he wrote a comic novel, "Teenage Commies from Outer Space". Kenney threw the manuscript in a bin after a negative review from Beard. Beard later said that it was simply the wrong form and the spirit of the novel was channeled into National Lampoon's 1964 High School Yearbook, which Kenney co-wrote with P. J. O'Rourke.

Kenney had a five-year buyout contract with the Lampoon's publisher, 21st Century Communications. Kenney, Beard, and Hoffman took advantage of this, dividing a sum of $7,000,000 amongst them. Kenney remained on staff until 1977, when he left the magazine to co-write the screenplay to National Lampoon's Animal House, along with Chris Miller and Harold Ramis.

Kenney had a small role in Animal House as Delta fraternity brother "Stork," with only one line of dialogue. Stork's key scene is in the big parade climax, when he sabotages the drum major and leads the marching band down the alley. We see him and fellow co-writer Chris Miller as Harbar in the same shot during the coup. Kenney hand-selected this role for himself as it was a role he seemed most like. Produced on a very modest budget, National Lampoon's Animal House was, until Ghostbusters in 1984, the most profitable comedy film in Hollywood history.

Caddyshack

Kenney produced and wrote Caddyshack with Brian Doyle-Murray and Harold Ramis. Kenney also had a small role in Caddyshack as a dinner guest of Al Czervik. In the background of the Bushwood Club dinner party scene, Kenney is visible chopping out a line of cocaine for the female guest next to him. And he is seen dancing with her.

When Caddyshack opened to negative reviews in July 1980, Kenney became deeply depressed, though Ramis joked that the film was "a six-million-dollar scholarship to film school."^[3] At a press conference, Kenney 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 out of control, joking about previous suicide attempts, driving recklessly, and using increasing amounts of cocaine. He decided to stay with some friends of his. He played games with them, had them read him stories and tuck him in at night. And allowed Doug to call them "mom and dad".

Death

After the incident at the Caddyshack press conference, it became apparent that Kenney had a substance abuse problem. Kenney's close friend Chevy Chase took him to Kauai, Hawaii, hoping the relaxing environment would help him, but had to leave to return to work. After Chase left, Kenney's girlfriend, Kathryn Walker, came to keep him company, but she also had to return to work. Kenney had called Chase and invited him back. Chase was preparing to return to Hawaii when he received a telephone call telling him that his friend was missing.^[5]

Kenney died on August 27, 1980, aged 33, after falling from a 35-foot cliff called the Hanapepe Lookout. Police found his abandoned car the following day; three days later, Kenney's body was discovered stuck between two jagged rocks at the bottom of the cliff. His death was classified as accidental by Kauai police.^[6] According to Anne Beatts upon Kenney's death, Chris Miller humorously said once that "Doug was looking for a better place to jump from, while he slipped".^[5]

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". A gag line that he had left was found: "These last few days are among the happiest I've ever ignored."^[3]

National Lampoon's tribute to him was an editorial by Matty Simmons and a cartoon showing a sign next to the edge of a cliff with the inscription, "Doug Kenney Slipped Here."^[5]

Legacy

Kenney received a nomination from The Writers Guild of America for his National Lampoon's Animal House screenplay (along with Harold Ramis and Chris Miller).

Chris Miller, co-writer of Animal House, paid homage by naming the main character in his 1996 film Multiplicity Doug Kinney, a variation on, and tribute to, Kenney. Harold Ramis, who also worked with Kenney, directed (and co-wrote uncredited).

Twenty-six years after Kenney's death, the book A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever was published, a biography on Kenney and the impact he made on comedy and the people he knew. The book was adapted into the 2018 Netflix feature film A Futile and Stupid Gesture, which stars comedian Will Forte as Kenney and is narrated by actor Martin Mull as a fictional future Kenney.^[7] In the movie, they show Doug's shoes and glasses lying neatly by the otherwise vacant cliffside.