"A Futile and Stupid Gesture" National Lampoon's Doug Kenney story

[digs]

@commasense

I honestly have no idea how many shows I have or which ones they are. All I know is that there are some tapes labelled National Lampoon Radio Hour that I recorded off the local NPR station sometime in the 1970s. I don’t even know if these were their original airings, or later syndication (if that happened). I haven’t looked at the tapes in a while, but I’d be surprised if the 18-19-year-old me was very systematic in recording them or labeling what’s on the tapes. I’d probably have to play each tape all the way through to find out what I have.

Is there a lot more good stuff than the 3-CD Box Set that Rhino put out?

I’ve seen that on eBay for $50-ish, and it really does have great stuff.
There’s also some “Best Of” like the Gold Turkey “NL Radio Hour Greatest Hits” CD. Much cheaper, but one CD.

[Jack_Batty]

@WordMan

I’ve not quite pushed the button yet, but have hovered over it a lot. I know enough about the story and where there are some dark turns and such - I am not sure I want that pathos in my funny.

Ditto. I was a big National Lampoon fan in college (mid-80’s); I had a subscription delivered to my dorm. In fact, my user name derived from an article in an issue of National Lampoon. But I can’t quite wrap my head around the trailer. Is Martin Mull playing old Doug Kenney? Doug Kenny who died at age 33? I’m not sure I’m ready for that sort of movie device.

[TubaDiva]

@wolfpup

I wasn’t aware of that connection, but, as an aside, one must also appreciate the deep ties between the Second City and SNL. I’ve always been an admirer of the talent at The Second City and it’s amazing how many stars they’ve produced, among them Bill Murray, John Candy, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Steve Carell, and Stephen Colbert. The typical pattern is: make it big at Second City, then if you’re very lucky, SNL and maybe on to super-stardom.

As the documentary makes clear, National Lampoon pulled a lot of their cast for their shows and the Radio Hour directly from Second City. Then they went on to SNL. Not the first time Second City talent was poached; see SCTV. Some of those folks wound up on SNL as well.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

Haven’t seen the movie yet, but it sounds good! Copies of National Lampoon were passed around my prep school dorm with great glee in the early Eighties.

@ZipperJJ

…Somehow I completely missed the memo that Doug Kenny was from Chagrin Falls, Ohio which is a town very close to me and in fact the town where my brother works. My brother’s quite “in the know” about many things and he didn’t even know. It really tickled me how often he says “from Chagrin Falls, Ohio” in the movie. It’s like 3 times in just the first 5 minutes!..

Both he and Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes fame were born elsewhere but raised in Chagrin Falls. Watterson still lives in the area.

[Icarus]

@Jack_Batty

Is Martin Mull playing old Doug Kenney? Doug Kenny who died at age 33?

Yes. It allows him (Mull) to act as a first person omniscient unreliable narrator. But that is really the only thing in the movie that is like that. Everything else is fairly linear narrative.

[Jack_Batty]

I finally got around to watching this and you’re right; that weird narrative device wasn’t even a speed bump in my enjoyment of the movie. Loved it. I’m going to watch it again.

[commasense]

I, too, just got around to watching it, and enjoyed it very much. I didn’t know much about the original creators, but recognized most of the names from reading the mag and listening to the radio show. And I remembered a lot of the articles and covers.

I thought Will Forte did a good job as Kenney, but some of the other casting was inspired. In particular, Thomas Lennon was brilliant as Michael O’Donoghue, and (exec producer) Ed Helms was good as Tom Snyder. But Joel McHale never even faintly reminded me of Chevy Chase. He would have been better as Dan Aykroyd (if Aykroyd had figured in this story).

One final point: I was in Cambridge a few years ago, and noticed a strangely shaped building near the Harvard campus, but had no idea that it was the Lampoon “castle.” I wish I had known that at the time.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

@Elendil_s_Heir

…Both he and Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes fame were born elsewhere but raised in Chagrin Falls. Watterson still lives in the area.

Just learned that Lee Unkrich, director of Pixar’s Toy Story 3, is also a Chagrin Falls boy. A sticker for the Chagrin Falls High School Tigers appears in the movie.

[lawoot]

Sorry about the zombie bump. Just wanted to say that I also still say I’m from Chagrin Falls, Ohio when asked, even though I only lived there until I was 8 years old (I’m now 57). There’s just something about that town the inspires a real pride of place.

[burpo_the_wonder_mutt]

Tim Conway grew up in Chagrin Falls. Is there a pattern developing?