A Futile and Stupid Gesture

Last updated
A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever
A Futile and Stupid Gesture.jpg
First edition
Author Josh Karp
Cover artist Rick Meyerowitz
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Chicago Review Press
Publication date
2006
Media typePrint
Pages416
ISBN 978-1556526022

A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever is an American book by Josh Karp that was published in 2006. It is a history of National Lampoon magazine and one of its three founders, Doug Kenney, during the 1970s. The book was based on numerous interviews with people who contributed to the magazine, and people who performed in The National Lampoon Radio Hour , and the stage show Lemmings .

Contents

As the book recounts, at that time the National Lampoon's performers included John Belushi, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner, all of whom subsequently went on to appear on Saturday Night Live and have careers in other media, including film. Writers and artists included John Hughes, Sean Kelly, Chris Miller, P. J. O'Rourke, Tony Hendra, and Bruce McCall. The book also includes stories about the making of the movies Animal House and Caddyshack . The main title of the book is a quote from Animal House , part of a line spoken by the character Otter.

Film adaptation

A film adaptation, also titled A Futile and Stupid Gesture , was released in 2018. David Wain directed from a script by Michael Colton and John Aboud, with Will Forte playing Doug Kenney and Domhnall Gleeson as Henry Beard. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Belushi</span> American actor, comedian, and musician (1949–1982)

John Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician. He was one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). Throughout his career, Belushi had a personal and artistic partnership with his fellow SNL star Dan Aykroyd, whom he met while they were both working at Chicago's Second City comedy club.

<i>National Lampoon</i> (magazine) American humor magazine

National Lampoon was an American humor magazine that ran from 1970 to 1998. The magazine started out as a spinoff from The Harvard Lampoon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. J. O'Rourke</span> American political satirist and journalist (1947–2022)

Patrick Jake O'Rourke was an American author, journalist, and political satirist who wrote twenty-two books on subjects as diverse as politics and cars and etiquette and economics. Parliament of Whores and Give War a Chance both reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.

<i>Animal House</i> 1978 comedy film by John Landis

National Lampoon's Animal House is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hulce and Donald Sutherland. The film is about a trouble-making fraternity whose members challenge the authority of the dean of the fictional Faber College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Ramis</span> American actor, comedian, and filmmaker (1944–2014)

Harold Allen Ramis was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His film acting roles include Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and as Russell Ziskey in Stripes (1981); he also co-wrote those films. As a director, his films include the comedies Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Groundhog Day (1993), Analyze This (1999) and Analyze That (2002). Ramis was the original head writer of the television series SCTV, on which he also performed, as well as a co-writer of Groundhog Day and National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). The final film that he wrote, produced, directed, and acted in was Year One (2009).

<i>The Harvard Lampoon</i> College humor magazine

The Harvard Lampoon is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Kenney</span> American comedy writer (1946–1980)

Douglas Clark Francis Kenney was an American comedy writer of magazine, novels, radio, TV and film, who co-founded the magazine National Lampoon in 1970. Kenney edited the magazine and wrote much of its early material. He went on to write, produce and perform in the influential comedies Animal House and Caddyshack before his sudden death at the age of 33.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Forte</span> American comedian and actor (born 1970)

Orville Willis Forte IV is an American comedian and actor. He was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live for eight seasons between 2002 and 2010. During his time on the show, he played a recurring character that led to a feature film adaptation, MacGruber (2010), and a streaming television, MacGruber, limited series in 2021. Forte also created and starred in the sitcom The Last Man on Earth (2015–2018). For the series, he received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations: two for acting and one for writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wain</span> American writer, director, actor, and comedian

David Benjamin Wain is an American comedian, writer, actor, and director. He has co-written and directed six feature films, including Wet Hot American Summer (2001), Role Models (2008), Wanderlust (2012) and They Came Together (2014). He has also served as a creator, producer, writer and director on a number of television series, including Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Childrens Hospital and Medical Police. He has had small roles in most of the films and TV series he has produced or directed. Wain had a starring voice role as The Warden on the 2008–2014 Adult Swim animated series Superjail!, and has provided the voices for Courtney Wheeler and Grover Fischoeder on Bob's Burgers since 2012.

Michael Colton is an American screenwriter and former journalist. With writing partner John Aboud, he was a regular commentator on Best Week Ever and other VH1 shows, including I Love the '80s.

<i>National Lampoons Movie Madness</i> 1982 American film

National Lampoon's Movie Madness is a 1982 American comedy film produced by National Lampoon as the second film from the magazine. The film was originally produced under the title National Lampoon Goes to the Movies; completed in 1981, the film was not released until 1982, and was reedited and retitled as Movie Madness.

Henry Nichols Beard is an American humorist, one of the founders of the magazine National Lampoon and the author of several best-selling books.

Rusty Lemorande is an American screenwriter, director, actor and film producer who directed the 1989 film Journey to the Center of the Earth based on the Jules Verne novel of the same name.

John Gemberling is an American actor and comedian best known for roles as Bevers on the Comedy Central series Broad City, as Gil on the NBC sitcom Marry Me, and as John Hancock on the Fox sitcom Making History. He also portrayed Steve Bannon on Comedy Central's political satire late night series The President Show, and Griff in the second season of Mixed-ish.

<i>Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead</i> (book) 2010 book by Rick Meyerowitz

Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Writers and Artists who made National Lampoon Insanely Great by Rick Meyerowitz, is a 2010 book which was published by Abrams Books of New York. The book consists of a compilation of work by a selection of writers and artists whose work appeared in National Lampoon magazine in the 1970s, as well as introductory commentary on those people and their work, by Meyerowitz and others. The book is hardback, coffee-table sized and is profusely illustrated.

<i>National Lampoon 1964 High School Yearbook Parody</i> American humor book

National Lampoon 1964 High School Yearbook Parody is an American humor book that was first published in 1973. It was a spin-off from National Lampoon magazine. The book was a parody of a high school yearbook from the early 1960s. It was edited by P. J. O'Rourke and Doug Kenney and art-directed by David Kaestle. Much of the writing was by P. J. O'Rourke and Doug Kenney. The "literary magazine" was written by Sean Kelly; the sports page was by Christopher Cerf; and the Principal's Letter and the "In Memorium" piece were both written by Ed Subitzky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spee Club (Harvard)</span> Social club at Harvard University

The Spee Club is a final club at Harvard University. After voting to adopt a gender-neutral membership policy in September 2015, the Spee Club became the first Harvard final club to admit members regardless of gender. The clubhouse is located at 76 Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts

<i>Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead</i> (film) 2015 film by Douglas Tirola

Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon is a 2015 American documentary film directed by Douglas Tirola. The film is about National Lampoon magazine, and how the magazine and its empire of spin-offs changed the course of comedy and humor.

<i>A Futile and Stupid Gesture</i> (film) 2018 American film

A Futile and Stupid Gesture is a 2018 American biographical comedy-drama film based on Josh Karp's book of the same title, directed by David Wain, and written by Michael Colton and John Aboud. The film stars Will Forte as comedy writer Douglas Kenney, during the rise and fall of National Lampoon.

References

  1. "Will Forte to Star as 'National Lampoon' Co-Founder in Netflix Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-24.