Skip to content
MovieCove
Burt Kennedy

Burt Kennedy

Director, writer and producer · Died February 15, 2001, aged 78 · Muskegon, Michigan, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Burt Kennedy (September 3, 1922 - February 15, 2001) was an American screenwriter and director known for mainly directing film Westerns. After World War II service in the 1st Cavalry Division, Muskegon, Michigan-born Kennedy found work writing for radio, then used his training as a cavalry officer to secure a job as a fencing trainer and fencing stunt doubles in films. That led to Kennedy being hired to write for a television program with a fencing theme for John Wayne's Batjac productions. Although the TV program was never produced it led the young writer to write screenplays for a number of Batjac films starting with the 1956 film Seven Men from Now. In the 1960s, after also becoming a film director, Kennedy moved on to write for western television programs. Description above from the Wikipedia article Burt Kennedy, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 3, 1922
Died
February 15, 2001 (aged 78)
From
Muskegon, Michigan, USA
Works as
Director, writer and producer
Titles
44 on MovieCove · 59 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 15% in 30 days

What are Burt Kennedy's films like?

Across their 42 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 32nd percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Western5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Western movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
29%
Bonds
24%
Self
14%
Power
14%
Survival
12%
Society
7%
Ideas
0%
Loyalty13 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice11 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival11 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge6 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed6 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 41 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 17 · Serious 16 · Dark 8

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 22 · Stylized 16 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 14 · Charged 19 · Intense 8

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 28 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 20 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 8

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 26 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 26 · Engaged 15 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 37 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
27
Absurd
11
Joyful
10
Warm
10
Melancholic
11
Other
32

How their films linger

Fun18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy17
  • Bittersweet15
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous8

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Burt Kennedy's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 44 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (13).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Burt Kennedy's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

59 credits, 44 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Comanche (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Suburban Commando(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • White Hunter Black Heart(1990)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Big Bad John (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Snoops (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Where the Hell's That Gold?!!?(1988)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Once Upon a Texas Train(1988)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Trouble with Spies(1987)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory(1987)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director

  • The Yellow Rose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Simon & Simon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Show 16 episodes · Director

  • Magnum, P.I.(1980)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • More Wild Wild West(1980)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Wolf Lake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Writer

  • The Concrete Cowboys(1979)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Wild Wild West Revisited(1979)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Kate Bliss and the Ticker Tape Kid(1978)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Big Hawaii (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Rhinemann Exchange (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • The Killer Inside Me(1976)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Littlest Horse Thieves(1976)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Drum(1976)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • All the Kind Strangers(1974)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Sidekicks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Producer

  • Shootout in a One Dog Town(1974)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Train Robbers(1973)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Hannie Caulder(1971)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Support Your Local Gunfighter(1971)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Devil's Backbone(1970)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Dirty Dingus Magee(1970)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Young Billy Young(1969)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Good Guys and the Bad Guys(1969)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Support Your Local Sheriff!(1969)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Stay Away, Joe(1968)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • The War Wagon(1967)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Welcome to Hard Times(1967)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Return of the Gunfighter(1966)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Return of the Seven(1966)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The Rounders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Money Trap(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Rounders(1965)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Mail Order Bride(1964)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Combat!(1962)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • The Virginian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Six Black Horses(1962)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Canadians (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director · Writer

  • Comanche Station(1960)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Yellowstone Kelly(1959)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Ride Lonesome(1959)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Lawman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Fort Dobbs(1958)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Buchanan Rides Alone(1958)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Tall T(1957)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Man in the Vault(1956)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Gun the Man Down(1956)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • 7 Men from Now(1956)

    Original Story · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Three Musketeers(1948)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 56 titles from 1948 to 2000.

Biggest box office

Suburban Commando (1991)

$6.9M worldwide

Highest rated

7 Men from Now (1956)

Midcredits 91st

Most popular right now

Magnum, P.I. (1980)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 56: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting43 of 56: 27 only directing, 16 with another role · typical Midcredits score47thWriting25 of 56: 12 only writing, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thProducing5 of 56: 0 only producing, 5 with another role

56 titles, 16 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 13 of them.

By decade

1940s1 · acting1950s8 · crew1960s16 · crew1970s15 · crew1980s12 · crew1990s3 · crew2000s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Burt Kennedy's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 42; across their 41 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 41

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 41

Reach · how many have seen their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 41

Midcredits score across 44 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th15
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

23 of their 44 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser23
  • Broadly Agreed6
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · writer

Stay Away, Joe (1968)

74th percentile spread · 45% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Combat! (1962)

Midcredits 96th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 40 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Burt Kennedy's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 4 categories sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 52 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles13–33 · median 28 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 24 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 38 · moderateMedian of all films: 33

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Burt Kennedy work with?

People who share at least 2 of Burt Kennedy's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jack Elam shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles