Biography for
Douglas Kenney More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

10 December 1947, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Date of Death

27 August 1980, Kauai, Hawaii, USA (fall from a cliff)

Birth Name

Douglas Clark Kenney

Mini Biography

Though almost completely unknown, this man was one of the originators of a highly popular and groundbreaking new form of comedy and satire.

After working on the Harvard Lampoon as an undergraduate, Douglas C. Kenney co-founded the National Lampoon magazine and the National Lampoon Radio Hour.

Kenney had originally collaborated at Harvard with friend Henry Beard and founded the National Lampoon where the two pooled their talents and created a radical new humor magazine. Humor that was sophomoric, rebellious, off-color, vulgar and just plain laceratingly funny.

The Lampoon's humor was considered radical. Not only was the magazine an all-time best seller - particularly the infamous cover of the gun pointed at the family pet: "If you don't buy this magazine, we'll kill this dog". Kenney had broadened his comic touch all over. He and other members of the Lampoon had written books - the most popular being the "1964 High School Yearbook Parody" in 1974 (co-edited by 'P.J. O'Rourke' ). Written like a real yearbook and spoofing all the things that make them almost embarrassing and funny in their own right, Kenney and his cohorts had certainly written a little masterpiece.

Another best-selling classic of his was the cult favorite "Bored of the Rings", a humorous little take on Mr. J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary best-seller. The book was a best-seller and thanks to the release of Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning live-action adaptation of the novel trilogy, the book got another printing. Kenney's legacy was living on.

Another piece of his was "Mrs. Agnew's Diary", that roasted the Nixon administration.

Unfortunately, Kenney had a vice - cocaine. He had an enormous appetite for the stuff. One friend said, "What he spilled on the floor... kept most people high for a lifetime".

IMDb Mini Biography By: dane youssef

Spouse

Alex Garcia-Mata

(1970 - ?) (divorced)

Trade Mark

As a writer, Kenney specialized in teen angst, and 50s/early-60s Americana.

Trivia

Director Harold Ramis named his lead character in Multiplicity (1996), Doug Kinney, after longtime friend Kenney, one of the founding fathers of the National Lampoon.

Fell to his death; occurred when the cliff point on which he was standing overlooking the Hanapepe Valley on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, collapsed.

Before his death, he wrote a message on his hotel room mirror: "I love you" to his then-girlfriend. He had written notes and ideas for a new movie, along with a love-letter for all the reasons he loved his new girlfriend: "Those days with her... were the best I've ever ignored."

Wrote a manuscript for a book entitled "Teenage Commies From Outer Space." He threw the entire thing away after getting very negative feedback from long-time friend and partner Henry Beard.

Was one of Chevy Chase's longtime best friends.

After he helped write the sophomoric hit comedy, Caddyshack (1980), which grossed $39,800,000, it made him one of Hollywood most sought-after comedy writers.

Chevy Chase was very close to Kenney and convinced him to join him in a two-week class at Vic Braden's Tennis College in southern California.

Found in his hotel room (at the time of his death) were notes for projects he had been planning, jokes, and an outline for a new movie.

Longtime companion of Kathryn Walker.

About Kenney's death, Harold Ramis famously quipped "Doug probably fell while he was looking for a place to jump".

Personal Quotes

"I'm the best goddamn comedy writer in the world... I'm not worth a shit."

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z