Kenne Duncan

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Kenne Duncan
Kenne Duncan in Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941).jpg
Born
Kenneth Duncan MacLachlan

(1903-02-17)February 17, 1903
DiedFebruary 5, 1972(1972-02-05) (aged 68)
Resting place Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California
Other namesKen Dincan
Kenneth Duncan
OccupationActor
Years active1928–1962

Kenne Duncan (February 17, 1903 February 5, 1972) was a Canadian-born American B-movie character actor. Hyped professionally as "The Meanest Man in the Movies," the vast majority of his over 250 appearances on camera were Westerns, but he also did occasional forays into horror, crime drama, and science fiction. He also appeared in over a dozen serials.

Contents

Early years

Duncan was born Kenneth Duncan MacLachlan in Ontario, Canada. [1]

Before he became an actor, Duncan enjoyed riding, and for a time he worked as a jockey. His accomplishments in that field included winning the steeplechase at Blue Bonnets raceway in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. [2]

Career

Duncan is best known, in some circles, for his work with Ed Wood. Duncan appeared in five Wood productions: Night of the Ghouls , Trick Shooting with Kenne Duncan , Crossroad Avenger , The Sinister Urge , and The Lawless Rider , a film Wood did with Yakima Canutt in the Director's chair. Duncan's final appearances on screen were Wood's low-budget The Sinister Urge, and a bit part in an episode of Rawhide ("Incident of the Sharpshooter"). He also made television appearances, especially westerns, such as The Cisco Kid , Bat Masterson , The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp , and Tombstone Territory . He retired from filmmaking in 1961 at age 58.

Duncan had a reputation for being a womanizer with his female co-stars, and had a reputation in Hollywood for being very well endowed. [3] Actress Valda Hansen remarked "Kenne Duncan kept whispering obscene things in my ear, over and over between takes, such as "Do you like tongues?"....Finally I had had enough of the old wolf, so I screamed over the mikes on the set "Oh, shut up!"....and everyone cracked up." [4] Filmmaker Ron Ashcroft recalled "Kenne had a book, and it was quite thick, of the women that he had in bed. He said there was over a thousand in there. A thousand women." [3] Makeup man Harry Thomas saw Kenne Duncan naked at a Hollywood party once, and remarked years later to an interviewer "You know, all men are not created equal." [3]

Death

On February 5, 1972, Duncan committed suicide by overdosing on barbiturates [5] twelve days before his 69th birthday. His friend Ron Ashcroft recalled "When he committed suicide, I couldn't believe it. He was tired of living. Just like George Sanders, he had seen everything, done everything. All he did was sit around and watch television." [6] Duncan was buried at Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Ed Wood was named executor of Kenne Duncan's estate, and he held a small memorial funeral in his backyard around the swimming pool. Wood and his wife and friends took turns walking onto the diving board where each of them in turn would deliver a brief eulogy of the man. [6]

Selected filmography

Selected Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1950 The Cisco Kid Station AgentEpisode "Dog Story"
1950 The Lone Ranger (TV Series) Jeff BarnesEpisode "Greed for Gold"
1950 The Lone Ranger (TV Series) Deputy Joe ParkerEpisode "Death Trap"
1951 The Cisco Kid SheriffEpisode "The Old Bum"
1951 The Cisco Kid SheriffEpisode "Water Rights"
1953 Death Valley Days Second RobberSeason 1, Episode 9 " Cynthy's Dream Dress "
1953 The Lone Ranger (TV Series) Sheriff DunnEpisode "Trader Boggs"
1953 Death Valley Days Nevada Secretary of StateSeason 2, Episode 2 " Little Washington"
1955 The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Davie - Pierce ForemanEpisode " King of the Cattle Trails"
1956 Death Valley Days BartenderEpisode "Pay Dirt "
1956 Death Valley Days McConnellEpisode " Year of Destiny"
1956 The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Dr. PerkinsEpisode " The Lonesomest Man in the World"
1958 The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Duecey MillerEpisode " The Kansas Lily"
1958 The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp KendallEpisode "The Bounty Killer"
1958 The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp CaldwellEpisode " Kill the Editor"
1958 Tombstone Territory BartenderEpisode "Fight for a Fugitive "
1958 Tombstone Territory BartenderEpisode " The Gatling Gun"
1958 Tombstone Territory BartenderEpisode " The Black Marshal from Deadwood"
1958 Bat Masterson Newspaper ReporterEpisode " General Sherman's March Through Dodge City "
1960 Rawhide Sheriff BrownEpisode "Incident of the Sharpshooter"

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References

  1. Lewis, C. Jack (2002). White Horse, Black Hat: A Quarter Century on Hollywood's Poverty Row. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 125. ISBN   9780810843585.
  2. "Kenne Duncan Has Lead in Picture". The Cumberland News. Maryland, Cumberland. February 4, 1944. p. 16. Retrieved December 26, 2017 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. 1 2 3 Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). pg. 114. ISBN   978-0-922915-24-8.
  4. Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). pg. 90. ISBN   978-0-922915-24-8.
  5. Stewart, W. T. (1972). "Chapter 16". Those Enduring Matinee Idols. 2 (6): 231. ISSN   0040-6422.
  6. 1 2 Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). pg. 115. ISBN   978-0-922915-24-8.
  7. Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.
  8. Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.