Burt Kennedy
| Burt Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 3, 1922 Muskegon, Michigan, United States |
| Died |
February 15, 2001 (aged 78) Sherman Oaks, California, United States |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Occupation | Film director, writer, producer |
| Years active | 1955–2000 |
Burt Kennedy (September 3, 1922 – February 15, 2001) was an American screenwriter and director known mainly for directing Westerns.
Biography
After World War II service in the 1st Cavalry Division, the Muskegon, Michigan-born Kennedy found work writing for radio, then used his training as a cavalry officer to secure a job as a fencing trainer and fencing stunt double in films. That led to Kennedy being hired to write for a television program with a fencing theme for John Wayne's Batjac Productions.
Although the TV program was never produced, it led Kennedy to write screenplays for a number of Batjac films starting with the 1956 western Seven Men from Now starring Randolph Scott. In the 1960s, after also becoming a film director, Kennedy moved on to write for western television programs. He wrote and directed an episode from the first season of the '60s TV series Combat! titled "The Walking Wounded."
In 1996, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.[1]
An Army lieutenant in World War II, during which he received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart, Kennedy was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[2]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Other | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||
| 1971 | The Deserter | Yes | ||||
| Support Your Local Gunfighter | Yes | Yes | Executive producer | |||
| Hannie Caulder | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 1973 | The Train Robbers | Yes | Yes | |||
| 1976 | The Killer Inside Me | Yes | ||||
| 1977 | Escape from the Dark | Yes | ||||
| 1980 | Wolf Lake | Yes | 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 |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Shootout in a One-Dog Town | Director Television movie |
| Sidekicks | Director/Producer Television movie | |
| All the Kind Strangers | Director Television movie | |
| 1977 | The Rhinemann Exchange | Director Television miniseries |
| 1978 | Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid | Director Television movie |
| 1979 | The Wild Wild West Revisited | Director Television movie |
| 1980 | More Wild Wild West | Director Television movie |
| 1986 | Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills | Director Television movie |
| 1987 | The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory | Director Television movie |
| 1988 | Once Upon a Texas Train | Director/Producer/Writer Television movie |
| Where the Hell's That Gold? | Director/Producer/Writer Television movie |
References
External links
- Burt Kennedy at the Internet Movie Database
- Recollections and unique stills from "The Return of the Seven" directed by Burt Kennedy
- Sean Axmaker, 'Burt Kennedy: Writing Broadway in Arizona', The Parallax View, 6 November, 2008