Douglas Kenney Biography

Along with Henry Beard and Rob Hoffman, Doug Kenney founded the humor magazine National Lampoon in 1969. (The name was borrowed from the college humor magazine Harvard Lampoon, where the three met.) National Lampoon attracted writers like Michael O’Donoghue and became a sensation with college readers; the magazine often is credited with creating the absurdist, irony-drenched humor which became a pop culture mainstay for the rest of the 20th century. Kenney edited the magazine and wrote much of its early material, and later he helped launch Lampoon comedy albums and live shows (including the popular Lemmings). He co-edited the popular 1964 High School Yearbook Parody. Kenney co-wrote the hit movie comedies Animal House (1978, starring John Belushi) and Caddyshack (1980, with Bill Murray and Chevy Chase). Kenney died in 1980 after falling from a crumbling cliff while vacationing on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. A few rumors suggested his death was a suicide, but that claim has never been proved.