H. Wesley Kenney

H. Wesley Kenney
H. Wesley Kenney
Born	Harold Wesley Kenney, Jr.; January 3, 1926; Dayton, Ohio
Died	January 13, 2015 (aged 89); Santa Monica, California
Other names	Wes Kenney
Occupation(s)	Television producer, director
Years active	1952–2000s
Spouse	Heather North (m. 1971)

Harold Wesley Kenney, Jr. (January 3, 1926 – January 13, 2015) was an American television producer and director whose career extended from the medium's formative years in the early 1950s, into the 2000s, and included thousands of episodes, both primetime and daytime, as well as five Emmy wins and eight nominations. He was frequently billed as Wes Kenney.

Early years

Shortly after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering in 1951, Kenney was hired by the DuMont Television Network. According to the 2004 book The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television, Kenney directed up to twelve different broadcasts each day during his career at the network and its flagship station WABD.^[1] This was because most of DuMont's programs were broadcast live, and were often done on small budgets. From 1950 to 1954 he directed many episodes of Rocky King Detective.^[2] Kenney continued to direct many programs after DuMont's dissolution in 1956.

Daytime dramas

He is best known for his work on soap operas. In the early 1960s, he worked on the controversial Special for Women. He produced and directed Days of Our Lives from 1968 to 1979, and then became Co-Executive Producer of The Young and the Restless from 1982 to 1987. Under Kenney's run as Y&R's Co-Executive Producer, he helped the show win three Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series in 1983, 1985, and 1986. From 1987 to 1989, Kenney replaced the legendary Gloria Monty as Executive Producer of General Hospital. He became General Hospital's Head Writer during the 1988 WGA strike.

Kenney's directing credits include All in the Family, Big John, Little John, Inside Detective, and Flo.

Personal life

He married actress Heather North in 1971, after meeting her on the set of Days of Our Lives, where she was playing the part of Sandy Horton.

After Kenney retired from directing, he was a professor at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. He died of cardiac arrest at Saint John's Health Center on January 13, 2015, just 10 days after his 89th birthday.^[3]

Selected filmography

Filthy Rich (1982) TV series
Big John, Little John (1976) TV series
Far Out Space Nuts (1975) TV series
All in the Family TV series (6 episodes, 1974–1975)
Distant Early Warning (1975) (TV Movie)
Murder in the First Person Singular (1974) (TV Movie)
Days of Our Lives (1965) TV series
My Favorite Martian TV series (2 episodes, 1965)
Your First Impression (1962) TV series
Rocky King, Inside Detective (The Forgotten Network says he directed most of the episodes produced during its 1950–1954 run)

References

^ "H. Wesley Kenney interview (conducted on April 30, 2008) at Archive of American Television". Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
^ David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network, DuMont and the Birth of American Television, pages 147 and 148, Temple University Press, 2004
^ "H. Wesley Kenney, Director on All in the Family When Carroll O'Connor Went on Strike, Dies at 89". The Hollywood Reporter. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-12-23. Retrieved 2020-05-07.

Sources

Weinstein, D. (2004). The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-499-8

External links

Preceded by Ann Marcus Norma Monty	*Head writer of General Hospital* (during the 1988 WGA strike)** April 1988-August 1988	Succeeded by Gene Palumbo
Preceded by Betty Corday	Executive producer of Days of Our Lives (with Betty Corday) April 20, 1977–January 18, 1980	Succeeded by Betty Corday Al Rabin
Preceded by William J. Bell John Conboy	Executive producer of The Young and the Restless (with William J. Bell) February 1982–December 1986	Succeeded by William J. Bell Edward J. Scott
Preceded by Gloria Monty	Executive producer of General Hospital January 1987–November 1989	Succeeded by Joseph Hardy

[1] "H. Wesley Kenney interview (conducted on April 30, 2008) at Archive of American Television". Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2013.

[2] David Weinstein, The Forgotten Network, DuMont and the Birth of American Television, pages 147 and 148, Temple University Press, 2004

[3] "H. Wesley Kenney, Director on All in the Family When Carroll O'Connor Went on Strike, Dies at 89". The Hollywood Reporter. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-12-23. Retrieved 2020-05-07.

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