Douglas C. Kenney
Author profile
born
December 10, 1946
in West Palm Beach, Florida, The United States
died
August 27, 1980
genre
About this author
Douglas C. Kenney was an American actor and writer who co-founded National Lampoon magazine in 1970. Kenney edited the magazine and wrote much of its early material.
While at Harvard University, Kenney was a member of the Signet society 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 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.
Kenney was one of the originating forc...more
Douglas C. Kenney was an American actor and writer who co-founded National Lampoon magazine in 1970. Kenney edited the magazine and wrote much of its early material.
While at Harvard University, Kenney was a member of the Signet society 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 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.
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 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 (or "Spiggy")'s wife, chronicling her life among 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 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 channelled into the 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 remained on staff until 1977. He quit to co-author the screenplay to National Lampoon's Animal House, along with Chris Miller and Harold Ramis.
Kenney had a small role in Animal House as the fraternity brother called "Stork," whose only line of dialogue was the combative "Well, whut the hail we s'posed to do, yuh mo-ron?" Produced quickly on a small budget, National Lampoon's Animal House was, until Ghostbusters, the most profitable Hollywood comedy.(less)
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3.13 avg rating — 2,408 ratings
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published
1969
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26 editions
