to return to work. Chase was preparing to return to Hawaii when he received a telephone call telling him that his friend was missing. Kenney died on August 27, 1980, aged 33, after falling from a 35-foot cliff called the Hanapepe Lookout. Police found his car the following day. His death was classified as accidental by Kauai police. Found in Kenney's hotel room were notes for projects he had been planning, jokes, and an outline for a new movie. A gag line that he had left was also found: "These last few days are among the happiest I've ever ignored." The National Lampoon published a tribute to him by Matty Simmons, and a cartoon showing a sign next to the edge of a cliff with the inscription, "Doug Kenney Slipped Here." Legacy Kenney received a nomination from The Writers Guild of America for his National Lampoon's Animal House screenplay (along with Harold Ramis and Chris Miller). The June 1985 issue of National Lampoon, titled "The Doug Kenney Collection," was dedicated entirely to Kenney and contained a compilation of all of his contributions. Chris Miller paid homage by naming the main character in his 1996 film Multiplicity "Doug Kinney." Twenty-six years after Kenney's death, the book A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever was published, a biography on Kenney and the impact he made on comedy and the people he knew. The book was adapted into the 2018 Netflix feature film A Futile and Stupid Gesture, which stars comedian Will Forte as Kenney and is narrated by the actor Martin Mull, who plays a fictional 70-year-old version of Kenney who had survived into old age. Bibliography Bored of the Rings (1969) (with Henry Beard) Harvard Lampoon Time (1969) (with Henry Beard) National Lampoon (1970–1977) (founder, with Henry Beard and Robert Hoffman) National Lampoon's 1964 High School Yearbook Parody (1974) (with P. J. O'Rourke) FilmographyExecutive producer''' Modern Problems (1981) References Further reading New Times, August 21, 1978 People, September 1, 1980 Esquire, October, 1981 Karp, Josh. A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever'' (2006) External links Cult classic, an homage to Doug Kenney, ESPN/Golf Digest, April 2004 1946 births 1980 deaths Accidental deaths from falls American humorists American satirists American parodists Parody novelists American magazine editors American male screenwriters American people of Irish descent American people of Polish