While the name Doug Kenney may not be very familiar, he was a key figure in the new comedy movement of the ‘70s. Kenney helped co-found “National Lampoon” magazine. However, he died believing one of the biggest hits of the early ‘80s, Caddyshack, which he co-wrote, was a failure.

Kenney was editor of the Harvard Lampoon while a student there. He, along with select others such as Henry Beard, helped give the humor magazine a makeover. Kenney graduated in 1969 and along with Beard and another Harvard alum (Robert Hoffman) created National Lampoon magazine.
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He played the Man of Steel on television, but in real life, George Reeves proved to be less than bulletproof.

Reeves was a handsome man and soon after arriving in Hollywood, he signed to a contract with Warner Bros.  However, after appearing in some B-movies and the flop <i>Lydia</i>, Reeves was released from his contract.  He freelanced for a while before being drafted into the Army during World War II.  He was transferred to the Army Air Forces and landed a gig on the Broadway show Winged Victory.  After leaving the Army, Reeves took work where he could find it, finally moving to New York after his 1949 divorce from Ellanora Needles (Wikipedia). 
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It wasn’t until 2004 that I finally watched 1978’s Midnight Express, the film about an American held in the horrible conditions of a Turkish prison. I was amazed by this film, but mostly by the lead actor, sexy and talented Brad Davis. After the film, I immediately wondered what became of him. By that time, Hollywood and all the excesses it has to offer had consumed Davis.

Brad Davis was born into a middle class family which unfortunately included an alcoholic father and a mother who was sexually attached to her son. It must have been that childhood that both confused and angered Davis as an adult. He attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and also studied acting in New York at the American Place Theater. Davis’ wife, Susan Bluestein, said in “After Midnight: The Life and Death of Brad Davis” that he had been forced to hustle in Times Square to survive and at one point, had lived with a transvestite.
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It is rarely easy being the child of a celebrity and it was no different for Lindsay Crosby, the son of crooner Bing Crosby. Bing’s first marriage to actress/singer Dixie Lee produced four sons: Gary, Lindsay, and twins Dennis and Phillip. Having four strapping boys and the image of the ideal father played well for Bing’s reputation, but real life was far different than reel life. Dixie Lee had a drinking problem and Bing was a strict disciplinarian.

Still, the world knew no different and the boys, after appearing on their father’s holiday specials, formed a nightclub act, The Crosby Boys. That didn’t last long as the siblings fought and the act ended in 1959.
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The Barrymore Family seems to be blessed with a knack for acting and yet cursed with addictive personalities. Diana Barrymore was the daughter of famed Shakespearean actor John Barrymore and the poet Blanche Oelrichs Thomas, who went by the pseudonym of Michael Strange.

By the time she was a teenager, Diana was playing Ann in the touring company of Outward Bound. John called her “the best thing I’ve ever produced” yet the two weren’t very close, despite their shared interests in acting and Brandy Alexanders.
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Finding a gig in Hollywood is hard enough, but imagine trying to do it and being only 3″ 11″ tall. Such was the plight of pint-sized actor Herve Villechaize.

Herve was born in Paris in 1943. Bullied in school, he took solace in art and began painting. He attended Beaux-Arts and even had his own exhibits. He left France fo the United States at age 21. While still painting, he began acting in small cult films such as Chappaqua and The Last Stop. His big break came when he landed the role of Nick Nack in the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.

However, Herve would always be remembered for his role as Tattoo on “Fantasy Island.” As Mr. Roarke’s servant, Herve became famous for the quote “Da plane! Da plane!” The show made Herve a wealthy man, but when he asked the producers for even more money in 1983, he suddenly found himself unemployed.

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It only seems fitting to start my blog with one of the saddest Hollywood stories of which you have probably never heard. I just happened upon Lou’s story when visiting Hollywood . My husband bought me a book (“This is Hollywood ” by Ken Schessler) which listed Lou’s tragic story on page 10.

Lou was born in Holland in 1881, where he started his career on the stages of Amsterdam . By 1909, he had become the toast of Paris . He and Sarah Bernhardt, reported to be his lover even though she was 37 years his senior, toured North America in 1910.

Part of Lou’s success was his handsome looks. That helped him star in 26 silent movies during the Twenties. But, fame can be fleeting and the Talkies ruined many a silent career. By the Thirties, Lou’s career was all but over.
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