H. Wesley Kenney

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.

H. Wesley Kenney
Born
Harold Wesley Kenney, Jr.

(1926-01-03)January 3, 1926
Dayton, Ohio
DiedJanuary 13, 2015(2015-01-13) (aged 89)
Santa Monica, California
Other namesWes Kenney
Occupation(s)Television producer, director
Years active1952–2000s
Spouse
​
(m. 1971)​

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, producing and directing Days of Our Lives from 1968 to 1979, and then becoming Co-Executive Producer of The Young and the Restless, a spot he held 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

References
  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.

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