Harold J. Kennedy (1964)

Harold J. Kennedy was one of the most enduring figures in the Historic Elitch Theatre’s summer stock era, working as a director, actor, playwright, and producer across two decades, from 1964 to 1983.

A graduate of Dartmouth College and the Yale Drama School, Kennedy built a career on the summer theatre circuit that spanned more than 40 years, and Elitch’s was a regular stop on that circuit. He had a knack for assembling “star package” productions — pairing well-known names from film and television with strong supporting casts — and directed at least ten productions at the theatre, including Strictly Dishonorable, Room Service, Light Up the Sky, Tonight at 8:30, The Rainmaker, and Outward Bound. His work brought a remarkable roster of stars to the Elitch stage over the years, among them Cesar Romero, June Allyson, Gloria Swanson, Kitty Carlisle, Steve Allen, Sandra Dee, Dirk Benedict, and Tyrone Power.

Beyond directing, Kennedy was frequently part of the action onstage himself, appearing as an actor in nearly every production he directed at Elitch’s. He also brought his own writing to the theatre, penning Goodbye Ghost (1966), which starred June Allyson, and Reprise (1967), in which he co-starred alongside Gloria Swanson — making him, for two consecutive seasons, both the author of Elitch’s opening-night play and a performer in it.

In a 1979 letter to a theatre representative, Kennedy reflected warmly on his working relationship with the Elitch team, praising their reliability and noting his admiration for how much they accomplished each season. That correspondence, along with his decades of contributions as director, actor, and playwright, reflects the deep and lasting bond Kennedy had with the Historic Elitch Theatre.

New York Times Obituary:

Harold Kennedy, Producer, Dies

January 15, 1988, Section A, Page 14

Harold J. Kennedy, a jack-of-all-theatrical-trades and for nearly half a century a champion of the summer theater circuit, died of cardiac arrest on Sunday at Doctors Hospital. He was 73 years old and lived in Manhattan.

In the 1940’s and 50’s, Mr. Kennedy wrote, directed and produced plays that traveled, on the power of the stars in their casts, to summer stock theaters around the country. Light entertainments, they rarely fared well with critics, generally pleased audiences and always contained a comic role for the playwright. Among the best known of these was ”A Goose for the Gander,” which arrived at the Playhouse Theater in January 1945 after an arduous tryout and provided an inauspicious Broadway debut for Gloria Swanson. ”Being the author, with all the privileges of royalty, Mr. Kennedy has written all the best parts for himself,” Lewis Nichols wrote in The New York Times in probably the most favorable line in the review. Film Roles in 1950’s

Mr. Kennedy met with greater success as a director of other writers’ works. He staged the national or West Coast productions of such Broadway plays as ”Tiger at the Gates,” ”The Madwoman of Chaillot,” ”Detective Story” and ”A Man for All Seasons.” As a character actor during the 1950’s, he appeared in several films, including ”The Captive City,” ”Run for Cover,” ”Riot in Cellblock 11” and ”It Should Happen to You.” He also appeared on television.

Mr. Kennnedy, who lived on the West Side with his dog, Poodgie, was born in Holyoke, Mass. He was a graduate of Dartmouth College and, in 1938, the Yale School of Drama. He joined the Mercury Theater before taking to the road and was a frequent lecturer. Mr. Kennedy contributed theater stories and articles to many publications, including The Times.

In 1969, Mr. Kennedy staged an acclaimed revival of ”The Front Page” at the Barrymore Theater. In 1979, he directed ”Candida” for the Roundabout Theater and in 1981 ”Light Up the Sky” at the John Drew Theater of Guild Hall in East Hampton, L.I. The director recounted his experiences in ” ‘No Pickle, No Performance’ (An Irreverent Theatrical Excursion From Tallulah to Travolta),” which was published in 1978 by Doubleday.

[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/15/obituaries/harold-kennedy-producer-dies.html]

Seasons at the Theatre

1964
1966
1967
1968
1970
1974
1979
1983

Productions/Roles:

Elitch Shows Directed by Harold J. Kennedy
- 1964 — Strictly Dishonorable (July 13–18)
- By Preston Sturges. Starring Cesar Romero, Monica Lovett, Dick Van Patten, Leopold Badia, Walter Flanagan, Harold J. Kennedy, Dick Chauncey, Harry Lordino, and Edison Youngblood.
- 1964 — Bachelor’s Wife (July 20–25)
- By Don Appell. Starring Peggy Cass, Ramon Bieri, Edith King, Harold J. Kennedy, and Paul Eckles.
- 1966 — Goodbye Ghost
- Written by and starring Harold J. Kennedy, alongside June Allyson, Dick Powell Jr., Allyson Powell, and Bill Morey.
- 1967 — Reprise
- Written by Harold J. Kennedy, who also co-starred with Gloria Swanson.
- 1968 — Room Service (July 8–13)
- By John Murray and Allen Boretz. Starring Morey Amsterdam, Kay Amsterdam, Cathy Amsterdam, Harold J. Kennedy, Rik Colitti, Todd Harris, Leon Benedict, Jose Borcia, Robert Koesis, Craig Thomas, Charles Gilbert, Harlan Knudson, Roger A. Hampton, and William Gordon.
- 1970 — Light Up the Sky (July 13–25)
- By Moss Hart. Starring Kitty Carlisle, Kay Medford, Sam Levene, Jan Sterling, Carleton Carpenter, Harold J. Kennedy, and Jack Collard (local actor Robert Lee).
- 1974 — Tonight at 8:30 (July 22–August 3)
- By Noël Coward. Starring Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows, Nancy Cushman, Skipp Lynch, Donna Elliott, Gene Baylor, Tom Foley, Laura Julian, and Harold J. Kennedy.
- 1976 — Sabrina Fair (August 2–14)
- By Samuel Taylor. Starring Sandra Dee, Russell Nype, Maureen O’Sullivan, Sylvia Sidney, Ronald Winters, Donegan Smith, Nicholas Saunders, Peter Flint, Eileen Burns, and Pat Musick.
- 1979 — The Rainmaker (August 6–18)
- By N. Richard Nash. Starring Dirk Benedict, Christine Rose, Steve Elmore, Skipp Lynch, Tom Charvat, Charles Noel, and Harold J. Kennedy.
- 1983 — Outward Bound (July 11–23)
- By Sutton Vane. Starring Keir Dullea, Tammy Grimes, John Ireland, David McCallum, Maureen O’Sullivan, Tyrone Power, Skipp Lynch, Cindy Diskin, and Harold J. Kennedy.
Elitch Acting Appearances by Harold J. Kennedy
- 1964 — Strictly Dishonorable
- 1964 — Bachelor’s Wife
- 1966 — Goodbye Ghost (also playwright)
- 1967 — Reprise (co-starred with Gloria Swanson; also playwright)
- 1968 — Room Service
- 1970 — Light Up the Sky
- 1974 — Tonight at 8:30 (co-starred with Steve Allen)
- 1979 — The Rainmaker
- 1983 — Outward Bound (played the character who sends each passenger to heaven or hell)