He should have spent his glory years on SNL, but he didn’t. I ask this right away because A Stupid and Futile Gesture is a biographical comedy/drama about Douglas Kinney, the comic mastermind who co-created the National Lampoon and co-wrote Animal House and Caddyshack. With Frank Gingerich, Morgan Gingerich, Annette O'Toole, Harry Groener. "We didn't want to do a traditional biopic—we wanted to do something that would reflect the material we were talking about." A lot of TV versions inexplicably contain deleted scenes added into the films. The Harvard-educated mastermind behind the Lampoon, as well as the movies Animal House and Caddyshack, was Doug Kenney, whose story and intersections with other star-crossed geniuses like Michael O'Donoghue, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and P.J. "If you read his interviews about the show, he didn't like the hours, and he didn't wanna be there that long. When I ask McHale about those stories, he's the very definition of diplomatic. The latest bizarre chapter in the comedian’s long and perplexing career, Is this the end of Chevy? I want people to laugh, and this isn’t funny.”, But this is more than just another star-versus-show controversy: It’s the Passion of the Chevy, what could be the last act in one of the weirdest and most perplexing careers in the history of American comedy – the one that started in the Seventies with “I’m Chevy Chase, and you’re not.”. By signing up to the VICE newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. Community is about misfits who hang out together because nobody else can stand them – and yet Chevy is the one even they can’t stand. He never seemed to fit in with the ensemble, and it was a running joke from the start that no one could abide him. You and me both, Joel. For the madman-hipster geniuses of the 1970s comedy revolution, Chevy was the perfect instrument. “He's basically the starting stone of all this stuff…It also was an opportunity to tell a real story about a real life that has dramatic elements and opportunities to stretch as a filmmaker. So has Chevy seen it yet? He should have taken over for Johnny Carson, but he didn’t. A Futile and Stupid Gesture (Trailer) A Food-caked Serenade from Martin Mull (Extra) More Details. Do you think Will Forte looks 27?”, "We wanted to pay homage to the magazine, and the sensibility of that," Principato explains. Joel McHale plays Chevy Chase in the Netflix movie “A Futile and Stupid Gesture.” (Kevin Winter/Getty Images) Joel McHale has no standards. He would definitely… let that be known. Retrouvez toutes les dernières critiques sur le film A Futile And Stupid Gesture, réalisé par David Wain avec Domhnall Gleeson, Will Forte, Seth Green. I was very excited to jump in. He’s held true to the role he staked out in the 1970s, as the great American anti-social crank. Matty Simmons, who co-founded the National Lampoon magazine and produced films including Animal House and the Vacation movies starring Chevy Chase, died Wednesday, his daughter announced. Together with Beard, he wrot… They were too hung up on warmth and humanity. ", McHale is more modest: “I don't know why David thought of me, other than he might've guessed that Chevy and I were the same height." When National Lampoon co-founder Doug Kenney died tragically in 1980, falling off a cliff in Hawaii, SNL writer Michael O’Donoghue said, “Too bad he wasn’t shaking hands with Chevy when it happened.”. He's smart, and a real actor. 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. Another of these writers was Henry Beard, with whom Kenney frequently collaborated, and who became a lifelong friend. These interviews, along with behind-the-scenes stories about the making of both Animal House and Caddyshack, help to capture the nostalgia, humor, and popular … Even when he was burning through his one and only season on Saturday Night Live, they were doing gags about how the rest of the cast despised him. The two divorced in 1973. I had to just make the leap that if this guy thinks he can play Chevy, then he probably can. This story is from the May 10th, 2012 issue of Rolling Stone. --Bill Zehme, author, Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman "Josh Karp has informed us well about one of the funniest and innovative humorists of the last century. In a life full of triumph and failure, "National Lampoon" co-founder Doug Kenney built a comedy empire, molding pop culture in the 1970s. More than 130 interviews were conducted with people connected to Kenney and the magazine, including Chevy Chase, John Hughes, P. J. O'Rourke, Tony Hendra, Sean Kelly, Chris Miller, and Bruce McCall. He writes, “Briefly curtailing their … We all just were blessed when he walked on that set and he was Chevy. "He kind of laughed, I think.". Chevy says, “According to Schulz, he will replace Woodstock with a bird named Altamont, who will beat the other birds to death with a pool cue.”. Doug Kenny was a great friend of mine and it is a good read." Longtime companion of Kathryn Walker. 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. O'Rourke, Harold Ramis, and others [Playscript]: National Lampoon's Lemmings [No place]: 1973. Chase is right about Kenney’s long-overdue spotlight, and A Stupid and Futile Gesture is generally a risky proposition; after all, it’s not often that there's biopics about people who audiences will likely require an explainer on. You can make an argument that he could be tough, and there's a lot of tough actors around, but when you watched him on the show, you got gold. Kenney’s final trip to Hawaii, with pal Chevy Chase in tow, was designed as a detox. Everyone knows who Winston Churchill and Thurgood Marshall and Tonya Harding and P.T. One of his frequent collaborators and best friends was Chevy Chase, whom McHale plays in the movie—and McHale and Chase spent four years working together, somewhat contentiously, on Community. It would be great to be in, and I'd love to do it."). "I was like, 'Holy shit, who is this guy? Readers are immersed in the comedy scene … -- Chevy Chase, actor, Caddyshack, "Josh Karp achieves the unthinkable--he's written an essential American excavation of comedy that is, of itself, very, very, very, very, very, very funny. He helped create National Lampoon and co-wrote ‘Animal House.’ Then one day he went off a cliff. Ramis was a first-time director trying … But he won’t. Sign up for our newsletter. Chevy Chase and Doug Kenney. Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (/ ˈ tʃ ɛ v i /; born October 8, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer.Born into a prominent family, he had a variety of jobs before moving into comedy and started acting with National Lampoon.He became a key cast member in the first season of Saturday Night Live, where his recurring Weekend Update segment became a staple … There, he was part of the first group of newcomers who restyled the college humor magazine. He should have been Otter in Animal House, but he wasn’t. Doug Kenney was educated in the 1960s at Harvard University, ... Chevy Chase eulogized Kenney at the cemetery and Karp notes he "tried to be funny, but spoke through tears." Not as a clueless-dad figure, but as a cold-livered bitch out for revenge on the world. That wasn't hard to connect to. Draft script for the wildly successful 1973 play at the Village Gate/Downstairs which ran for 350 performances and … Called A Futile and Stupid Gesture, the movie will tell the tragic story of Doug Kenney, who died at the age of 33. Doug Kenny was a great friend of mine and it is a good read." And now he’s raging his way out of Community in a blaze of bilious glory, declaring, “It’s just a fucking mediocre sitcom! ", Not that Wain took leave of his satirical sensibilities: A Futile and Stupid Gesture isn’t a Walk Hard–style parody of biopics, but it's aware of the conventions and frequently breaks with dramatic norms to send them up. Doug Kenney would be extremely proud and humbled, if he weren't dead." Kenney develops a cocaine addiction, which takes over. What’s brilliant about Community – its gawky, earnest, we-accept-you warmth – is the exact opposite of what’s brilliant about Chevy. But doesn’t every community have one of those? We want to hear from you! "I just thought he was so impressive, and I've been a fan of what he'd done before. His directives to himself were simple: "Don't do an impression. Achetez neuf ou … Want more Rolling Stone? And he should have whiled away his golden years breezing through Community. Chevy has been a doddering Clark Griswold figure for so long, it’s easy to forget that, for a moment there, he was the funniest guy on the planet. © Copyright 2021 Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. They couldn’t have changed the world without their smoothie frontman, but he didn’t make a lot of friends. He never got many lines, and he always came off as a pain in everyone’s ass. One of his frequent collaborators and best friends was Chevy Chase, ... “He was very happy that Doug Kenney, who was his best friend at the time, is finally getting the due that he deserves. Based on more than 130 interviews conducted with key players including Chevy Chase, Harold Ramis, P. J. O'Rourke, John Landis, and others and boasting behind-the-scenes stories of how … Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Do you think I looked like Will Forte when I was 27? Chevy helped create the exploded-­context irony-bludgeoning cut-and-paste pop world where Community takes place, yet he’s an outcast from his own tribe. And yet the cast, producer Doug Kenney and director Harold Ramis were prepared for “Caddyshack” to tank. Will Forte As Doug Kenney: Maybe it's just the fact that they have the same hat, but as far as actors' portrayals of real-life people go, Forte's rendition of Kenney seems spot on. "I called him to let him know, 'David gave me the role, and it's going forward,” McHale recalls with a grin and a nod. Death. Chevy Chase and Doug Kenney His close friend Chevy Chase figured Kenney needed to get away from Hollywood and took him to the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i. ", But he also emphasizes, "When they cut the show together, he popped off the screen… People would say, 'That's Chevy being Chevy,' and I'd agree with that. Originally published: 6th April 2016. BELUSHI, John, Chevy Chase, Doug Kenney, Ann Beatts, Henry Beard, Bob Hoban, Sean Kelly, Christopher Guest, Paul Jacobs, P.J. When Chevy left to go back to work, Kenney’s girlfriend, actress Kathryn Walker, came … It also stars Doyle-Murray, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Michael O’Keefe, Ted Knight, and Rodney Dangerfield. This is the point at which he begins to speak directly into the microphone, almost pleadingly: "Dan, I would love for you to write the script. Noté /5. '” Wain recalls. O'Rourke are wonderfully told in this interview-driven, behind-the-scenes account. Retrouvez A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever et des millions de livres en stock sur Amazon.fr. That history along with interviews conducted with more than 130 people connected to Kenney and the magazine-including Chevy Chase, John Hughes, P. J. O'Rourke, Tony Hendra, Sean Kelly, Chris Miller, and Bruce McCall-and behind-the-scenes stories about the making of Animal House and Caddyshack help to capture the nostalgia, humor, and popular culture that … Isn’t every human collective stuck with a Chevy, whether it’s a family or a bunch of fictional characters you watch every week and adopt as your imaginary friends? “That didn’t happen,” Karp says. Price: $6,000.00 . "I called him last week ,and it was like, 'The movie's done, and I hear it's great.' Doug Kenney was many things to many people—funny, generous, unknowable. Douglas Kenney died on August 27, 1980, in Kauai, Hawaii, USA, after a fall from a cliff. His close friend Chevy Chase figured Kenney needed to get away from Hollywood and took him to the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i. "I always saw him as a legend, so it's easy to separate my personal relationship with him and go, 'Right, this is the guy that I knew growing up.’ I knew every word to Fletch, I watched Modern Problems, Vacation, and European Vacation endlessly, and obviously SNL. Available … But he wasn’t familiar with Kenney’s background or influence until producers Jonathan Stern and Peter Principato brought him Josh Karp’s book A Stupid and Futile Gesture (which takes its title from one of Animal House’s many quotable lines). He decided once he got to college, he was going to re-invent himself as an all-round golden boy. ', The Best Netflix Movies to Watch When You’re Stoned. Watch all you want. Whispers from the set of Community indicated that Chase was not exactly the most beloved member of the company; indeed, Chase himself frequently voiced his unhappiness with the show and the way it used him. He was always too prickly and headstrong to have a midlife attack of the cuddlies like Murray. On June 27, 1970, Douglas Kenney married Alexandra Appleton Garcia-Mata, an alumna of the Madeira School in Greenway. Dan is obviously making Rick and Morty, and it would be great." Directed by David Wain. Softcover. Will Forte stars as Kenney, but Martin Mull co-stars as the older, wiser man Kenney never became, wandering through scenes and breaking the fourth wall to offer up wry commentary like, “Yeah, so these actors don’t look like the real people. The makers of A Futile and Stupid Gesture might have wondered if that title would be the verdict on their biopic of Doug Kenney, the National Lampoon co … When National Lampoon co-founder Doug Kenney died tragically in 1980, falling off a cliff in Hawaii, SNL writer Michael O’Donoghue said, “Too bad … Chevy’s affably cynical voice-of-authority deadpan was what put all that shock humor across. But I sent him a link, and I'll be very curious to see what he says." Doug Kenney would be extremely proud and humbled, if he weren't dead." Wain concurs: "We knew that we wanted it to be in that mold based on the fact that Doug Kinney himself was a rule-breaker, and that we want to be rule-breakers.”, But few things in the movie are as self-aware as casting McHale as Chase—though Wain insists it wasn’t stunt casting. Joel McHale is in “final negotiations” to play Chevy Chase in Netflix’s National Lampoon biopic. But that’s his greatness, as well as his curse. “He was very happy that Doug Kenney, who was his best friend at the time, is finally getting the due that he deserves. The former 'Community' star takes on his former co-star in Netflix's 'A Futile and Stupid Gesture. JOIN NOW. While at Harvard University, Kenney was a member of the Signet Society, president of the Spee Club and editor of The Harvard Lampoon. Chevy delivers the line with a flicker of sadistic pleasure, as if to say, “Yeah, I did that.” Dan Aykroyd couldn’t have sold that joke, and neither could have Jane Curtin or Bill Murray. As is often the case with such endeavors, Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead—a documentary about the early years of the National Lampoon comedy empire—is never shy about showering praise on … A Futile and Stupid Gesture (2018) Joel McHale as Chevy Chase. It'd be really bad if I was like, 'Hey, the movie's done, it's a real pile of crap, so… I'm so sorry.' He was just 33 years … He was the advance agent for the 1970s SNL-National Lampoon revolution. "It vaguely rang a bell from having watched Caddyshack and Animal House 7 billion times, but I didn't know really who he was,” says David Wain, alum of The State and director of Wet Hot American Summer (and its various Netflix offspring) as well as films like Wanderlust and Role Models. People have been asking this question for as long as Chevy Chase has been around. Capture the essence of his personality—and to have that amount of confidence is pretty remarkable, at such a young age. In 1980, at age 33, Kenney's body is found at the bottom of a Hawaiian cliff (with his eyeglasses and shoes neatly stacked at … "Modified for time" they say. Barnum are—but even the director of A Stupid and Futile Gesture didn’t know much about Douglas Kenney before this project came his way. You don’t hire Altamont and then ask him to be Woodstock. Starring: Will Forte, Domhnall Gleeson, Emmy Rossum. ", But squaring away the personal relationship was the tricky part. Chevy never fit in on Community – but then, he never fit in anywhere. When I sit down with Joel McHale to talk about his new film A Stupid and Futile Gesture—which premieres at the Sundance Film Festival this week before debuting on Netflix Friday—I have one question right off the bat: Does Chevy know? Watch offline. In the 1970s and '80s, National Lampoon's success and influence creates a new media empire overseen in part by the brilliant and troubled Douglas Kenney.