Fred Kennedy

FRED KENNEDY

Born
Frederick O. Kennedy
1909
in Ainsworth, Nebraska, USA
Died
December 5, 1958 (age 48)
in Natchitoches, Louisiana, USA

Height
5' 9" (1.75 m)

Trivia
Brother of Roy Kennedy.

Mini-Biography
Fred Kennedy was a stuntman for over 25 years,
A favourite of John Ford he appeared notably in
John Wayne films and alsoWagon Master
He was also in westerns of Howard Hawks,
including Red River.

Fred appeared in seven of John Wayne's top films.
The Horse Soldiers,The Searchers ,Hondo
The Quiet Man ,Rio Grande,She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
and Red River

In his movies Fred could be seen in the background, and sometimes in the foreground
with small speaking parts. He was very shy, about having speaking parts!
He was a stunt man (falling horses, blind driving wagons, extra) etc. from the late 1930's
until his death in 1958.
When the SPCA stepped in regarding animal cruelty (horses being tripped, etc.),
Fred started training falling horses.
He also made a "short" which I believe was aired on Channel 2 (Los Angeles, California)
This would have been in the early 1940's, showing the public how he trained his horses,
and that he was more likely to get hurt than the horses, which came true.

Frederick O. Kennedy trained and stabled his horses -
TRIXIE, DIXIE and SHANGHAI at Hudkins Brothers Movie Ranch in Burbank, California.
Fred was good friends with Terry Wilson ("Hawk" on Wagon Train,
who started my bronze horse collection!)
and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams (he was a big man in many ways).

..

Fred Kennedy,................Shanghai and Fred
standing "Roman"
the palomino
(owned by Ace Hudkins,
and later purchased by
Roy Rogers)
with SMOKEY
another Hudkins horse.

It was in John Wayne's,The Horse Soldiers
that he suffered a fatal accident.
John Ford was so upset by this tragic event
that he postponed location shooting in Louisiana,
and finished the film back in the studios.
As a result, the movie's climatic finale lacked in detail.
The scene was kept in the movie but some video versions cut it out.

They shipped his body back to California for funeral services and burial.
Written by ethanedwards

Filmography
Stunts
1959 The Horse Soldiers (stunts - uncredited)
1956 The Searchers (stunts - uncredited)
1954 Prince Valiant (stunts - uncredited)
1953 Hondo (stunts - uncredited)
1953 The Charge at Feather River (stunts - uncredited)
1952 The Quiet Man (stunts - uncredited)
1951 Across the Wide Missouri (stunts - uncredited)
1950 Rio Grande (stunts - uncredited)
1950 Tripoli (stunts - uncredited)
1950 Wagon Master (stunts - uncredited)
1949 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (stunts - uncredited)
1949 Mighty Joe Young (stunts - uncredited)
1949 South of St. Louis (stunts - uncredited)
1948 A Date with Destiny (stunts - uncredited)
1948 Red River (stunts - uncredited)
1947 The Red Stallion (stunts: bear suit - uncredited)
1944 Buffalo Bill (stunts - uncredited)
1938 The Adventures of Robin Hood (stunts - uncredited)
1938 The Old Barn Dance (stunts - uncredited)

Actor
1959 The Horse Soldiers...Soldier (uncredited)
1958 The Last Hurrah...Bit Role (uncredited)
1953 The Charge at Feather River...Leech
1952 What Price Glory...Young Marine (uncredited)
1950 Rio Grande...Trooper Heinze
1949 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon...Badger (uncredited)
1949 Mighty Joe Young...Cowboy (uncredited)
1945 Jeep Herders...Hollister
1944 Buffalo Bill...Undetermined Role (uncredited)

02.jpg

Fred appeared with Duke in 7 movies

The Horse Soldiers(1959)...Soldier (uncredited) (stunts - uncredited)
The Searchers (1956) (stunts - uncredited)
Hondo (1953) (stunts - uncredited)
The Quiet Man (1952) (stunts - uncredited)
Rio Grande (1950)...Trooper Heinze (stunts - uncredited)
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)...Badger (uncredited) (stunts - uncredited)
Red River (1948)(stunts - uncredited)

Story Behind Fred Kennedy's Death
by Walter Reed

Newspaper ad for "The Horse Soldiers" starring John Wayne.Walter Reed,
who portrayed a Union officer in “Horse Soldiers”, told Western Clippings,
he disagrees slightly with Hayward’s assessment and vehemently with Burt Kennedy’s account
(in his book HOLLYWOOD TRAIL BOSS) that Fred Kennedy died in Ford’s arms.

Ford liked 48 year old Kennedy and used him whenever he could, although Kennedy
was out of condition. On this particular day, Ford had pre-arranged a practical joke
on Kennedy involving leading lady Constance Towers. Kennedy was doubling
William Holden near Natchitoches, LA.

Fred kennedy teaches Claude Jarman Jr. a few pointers in the proper method of a stunt fight in
"Rio Grande" ('50).Reed remembers, “Ford wanted to give Fred some extra money.

There were several of us in a Cavalry charge. I was riding right behind Fred when he died on location.
He starts to do this saddle fall, which he’d done many of in his day, and just as he started to go over,
the horse shied away from this little tiny campfire.
It changed his trajectory and Kennedy landed right on his head. I’m right behind him.
A joke had been pre-planned where Connie Towers ran in to Fred and said,
‘Oh my darling….’ You see, Fred was very bashful and shy.
Anyway, Connie went into her act and picked Fred up and all of a sudden she exclaimed
‘There’s something wrong.’ Ford may have gone over then
but Connie was the one who picked Fred up and started the kidding joke; but he was out.
They put him on the back of a pickup and we listened on the 2-way radio.
When he got there, the hospital pronounced him DOA.
The fall broke his neck, I guess. It upset Ford so much, he said right then,
‘Wrap it up, we’re going home.’ We had two more days but he did ‘em out at Iverson
or somewhere in California.
There’s a picture I have that shows Kennedy falling, with me right behind him.”
Information from Western Clippings- Neil Summers

Also see:-

Stuntman Fred Kennedy,and his falling stunt horses
Trixie, Dixie & Shanghai

Saw 'Rio Grande' again, just the other day.

Fred had a decent part in this film, and so sad he was so tragically killed
in 'The Horse Soldiers', just doing his job!!