A Hollywood screen writer and director, Kennedy is best known as the director of the John Wayne epic, The War Wagon.
Known for injecting humor into the usually sober Western genre, Kennedy enjoyed working on the James Garner films Support Your Local Sheriff and Support Your Local Gunfighter, spinning off Garner’s “Maverick” character. He also directed the Frank Sinatra Western spoof Dirty Dingus McGee and co-wrote the screenplay for the classic book Catch-22. Kennedy died at his Sherman Oaks, Calif., home on February 15 from cancer. He was 78.