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Burt Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1922-09-03)September 3, 1922 Muskegon, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | February 15, 2001(2001-02-15) (aged 78) Sherman Oaks, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, writer, producer |
| Years active | 1955–2000 |
Burton Raphael Kennedy (September 3, 1922 – February 15, 2001) was an Americanscreenwriter anddirector known mainly for directingWesterns.Budd Boetticher called him "the best Western writer ever."[1]
Kennedy was born in 1922 inMuskegon, Michigan. His parents were dancers invaudeville and he joined their act, the Dancing Kennedys, when he was 4 years old.[2] They moved to Michigan, where Kennedy attended high school. He graduated school in 1941 and enlisted in the army the following year. Kennedy was commissioned and sawWorld War II service in the1st Cavalry Division during theLiberation of the Philippines as a first lieutenant.[3] He received theSilver Star,Bronze Star, andPurple Heart withoak leaf cluster.[2]
Kennedy studied at thePasadena Playhouse, where he did some acting. "I'd walk out on stage and it felt like I'd been there my whole life," he recalled, but he found acting unsatisfactory. "I could see that you could be around this town for a long time before you could be a success as an actor, but writing, no one could stop you from writing. You're never out of work if you're a writer, you could just sit down and write."[3]
Kennedy found work writing for radio in 1948.[2] He began to specialise inWesterns, in part due to the advice ofJames Edward Grant, who told him, "Why compete with all the big writers when there are hardly any good Western writers as such?" Some good writers have written Westerns, but there were very few genuine Western writers in this town that were really good writers. He said that the competition was easier that way, and if you write a good Western, you're apt to go further faster. And it turned out, he was right. Because I never stopped, from 1953-54 up until the mid-'70s, I never stopped working at all."[3]
Kennedy used his training as acavalry officer to secure a job as afencing trainer and fencing stunt double in films.
Kennedy wrote 13 episodes for a proposed TV series about a Mexican, whichJohn Wayne read and tried to get financed as a vehicle forPedro Gonzalez Gonzalez through Wayne'sBatjac Productions.[3]
Although the TV program was never produced, it led Kennedy to writeSeven Men from Now (1956) for Batjac. It was written for Wayne, but having just completedJohn Ford'sThe Searchers, he wanted to take a break from Westerns, so it was made withRandolph Scott; Wayne later expressed regret over having passed on the film. It was directed byBudd Boetticher and was the first of what became known as the "Ranown Cycle".
Also for Batjac, Kennedy wroteGun the Man Down (1956) starringJames Arness, andMan in the Vault (1956), a contemporary thriller. Both were directed byAndrew V. McLaglen.
Kennedy also wroteThe Tall T for Batjac, based on a story byElmore Leonard.[2] When Wayne broke up with his partnerRobert Fellows, Fellows tookThe Tall T script and made it with Scott and Boetticher.[3] Boetticher, Kennedy, and Scott were reteamed onBuchanan Rides Alone (1958).
Kennedy was put under contract byWarner Bros., for whom he wroteFort Dobbs (1958) andYellowstone Kelly (1959). He wrote two other scripts, including an adaptation ofA Distant Trumpet that was not used.[3]
Then for Boetticher and Scott again, he wroteRide Lonesome (1959) andComanche Station (1960).[2] He did some uncredited work onThe Alamo (1960).
Kennedy made his directorial debut with the WesternThe Canadians (1961) withRobert Ryan, which he also wrote, but it did poorly at the box office.[2] He began directing episodic TV, includingLawman,The Virginian, andCombat!. Kennedy often wrote the episodes he directed, and he also served as a producer onCombat.[2] He wrote but did not direct theAudie Murphy WesternSix Black Horses (1962).
Kennedy returned to features as director with the Western comedyMail Order Bride (1964) withBuddy Ebsen.[2] He followed it with comedy WesternThe Rounders (1965), starringGlenn Ford andHenry Fonda, which Kennedy also wrote and produced.[2] It was asleeper hit[2] and led to aTV series, for which Kennedy produced and directed some episodes.
Kennedy directed a contemporary filmThe Money Trap (1966), starring Ford andRita Hayworth, then returned to Westerns withReturn of the Seven (1966), a sequel toThe Magnificent Seven withYul Brynner returning andRobert Fuller replacingSteve McQueen as Vin Tanner.
Kennedy directedThe War Wagon (1967) with John Wayne andKirk Douglas andWelcome to Hard Times (1967) with Henry Fonda. His story formed the basis ofReturn of the Gunfighter (1967), though he did not direct it and he did some work on the script ofStay Away, Joe (1968).
Kennedy had a huge success directing the comedy WesternSupport Your Local Sheriff! (1969) starringJames Garner, though Kennedy did not write the script.
Kennedy directed two films withRobert Mitchum,Young Billy Young (1969) andThe Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969), then directedFrank Sinatra in another comedy WesternDirty Dingus Magee (1970), co-written byJoseph Heller.
Kennedy directedRichard Crenna inThe Devil's Backbone (1970), after which Garner and he tried to repeat the success ofSupport Your Local Sheriff withSupport Your Local Gunfighter (1971).
Kennedy madeHannie Caulder (1971) withRaquel Welch and was reunited with John Wayne inThe Train Robbers (1973).
He turned to television forShootout in a One Dog Town (1974) with Crenna, andSidekicks (1974), the pilot for a TV series based on the filmSkin Game (1971). He also directed a contemporary thriller,All the Kind Strangers (1974).
Kennedy started directingDrum (1976), but was replaced by producerDino De Laurentiis withSteve Carver during the shoot. He directedThe Killer Inside Me (1976), based on theJim Thompson (writer) novel. His story provided the basis forEscape from the Dark (1976).
Kennedy returned to television doing episodes ofBig Hawaii,How the West Was Won,The Rhinemann Exchange, andConcrete Cowboys. He also did the TV moviesKate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid (1978),The Wild Wild West Revisited (1979), andMore Wild Wild West (1980).
Kennedy wrote and directedWolf Lake (1981) withRod Steiger and directed more episodic television:Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,Magnum, P.I.,The Yellow Rose,Simon and Simon,Rowdies, andSnoops.
He did a feature withDonald Sutherland,The Trouble with Spies (shot 1984 released 1987), the TV moviesLouis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills,The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory (1987),Once Upon a Texas Train (1988),Where the Hell's That Gold? (1989), andBig Bad John (1990).
Kennedy's last credits as director were theHulk Hogan comedySuburban Commando (1991) and the TV movieComanche (2000). He also worked on the script for theClint Eastwood movieWhite Hunter Black Heart (1990).
In 1996, a Golden Palm Star on thePalm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.[4]
Kennedy died of cancer at home on February 15, 2001, inSherman Oaks, California.[2] He was buried atArlington National Cemetery on March 2, 2001.
His companion wasNancy Pendleton and he had two daughters.[2] A documentary was made about the suspicious circumstances of his death, which included interviews with his children and details allegations that Nancy Pendleton andCosta Mesa, Orange County, Police ChiefDavid Snowden were involved in Burt's death and the appropriation of his estate after his death.[5]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Seven Men From Now | Yes | ||
| Gun the Man Down | Yes | |||
| Man in the Vault | Yes | |||
| 1957 | The Tall T | Yes | ||
| 1959 | Ride Lonesome | Yes | ||
| 1960 | Comanche Station | Yes | ||
| 1961 | The Canadians | Yes | Yes | |
| 1962 | Six Black Horses | Yes | ||
| 1964 | Mail Order Bride | Yes | Yes | |
| 1965 | The Rounders | Yes | Yes | |
| The Money Trap | Yes | |||
| 1966 | Return of the Seven | Yes | ||
| 1967 | Return of the Gunfighter | Yes | ||
| Welcome to Hard Times | Yes | Yes | ||
| The War Wagon | Yes | |||
| 1969 | Support Your Local Sheriff! | Yes | ||
| Young Billy Young | Yes | Yes | ||
| The Good Guys and the Bad Guys | Yes | |||
| 1970 | Dirty Dingus Magee | Yes | Yes | |
| The Deserter | Yes | |||
| 1971 | Support Your Local Gunfighter | Yes | Executive | |
| Hannie Caulder | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1973 | The Train Robbers | Yes | Yes | |
| 1976 | The Killer Inside Me | Yes | ||
| Escape from the Dark | Yes | |||
| 1981 | Wolf Lake | Yes | ||
| 1987 | The Trouble with Spies | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1990 | Big Bad John | Yes | Yes | |
| White Hunter Black Heart | Yes | |||
| 1991 | Suburban Commando | Yes | ||
| 2000 | Comanche | Yes | Yes |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Shootout in a One-Dog Town | Yes | ||
| Sidekicks | Yes | Yes | ||
| All the Kind Strangers | Yes | |||
| 1978 | Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid | Yes | ||
| 1979 | The Wild Wild West Revisited | Yes | ||
| 1980 | More Wild Wild West | Yes | ||
| 1986 | Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills | Yes | ||
| 1987 | The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory | Yes | ||
| 1988 | Once Upon a Texas Train | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Where the Hell's That Gold? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
