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Ken Kragen

Ken Kragen

Producer · Died December 14, 2021, aged 85 · Berkeley, California, USA

Primetime Emmy nominee

Ken Kragen was born on 24 November 1936 in Berkeley, California, USA. He was a producer and director, known for Gallagher: Two Real (1982), The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1988) and Gallagher: An Uncensored Evening (1981). He was married to Cathy Worthington. He died on 14 December 2021 in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
November 24, 1936
Died
December 14, 2021 (aged 85)
From
Berkeley, California, USA
Works as
Producer
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 21 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 41% in 30 days

What are Ken Kragen's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
31%
Morality
29%
Society
14%
Survival
8%
Ideas
8%
Power
5%
Self
4%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 8 · Serious 4 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 9 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 6 · Intense 0

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

Steady 9 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 12 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
8
Hopeful
8
Tense
6
Thrilling
4
Joyful
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Feel-good7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet5

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 Ken Kragen's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ken Kragen'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

21 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • 12 Dogs of Christmas: Great Puppy Rescue(2012)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Family Holiday(2007)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The 12 Dogs of Christmas(2004)

    Executive Producer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Late Shift(1995)

    as Ken Kragen

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • MacShayne: The Final Roll of the Dice(1994)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Gambler V: Playing for Keeps(1994)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • MacShayne: Winner Takes All(1994)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Rio Diablo(1993)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Christmas in America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Executive Producer

  • Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues(1987)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers - Real Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Executive Producer

  • Wild Horses(1985)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • We Are the World(1985)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Kenny & Dolly: A Christmas to Remember (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Producer

  • The Gambler: The Adventure Continues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Producer

  • The Gambler: The Adventure Continues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 2 episodes · Producer

  • Gallagher: Two Real (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Producer

  • Coward of the County(1981)

    Executive Producer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Gallagher: An Uncensored Evening (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Producer

  • The Gambler(1980)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Pat Paulsen for President (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Producer

Career shape

A full career of 17 titles from 1968 to 2012.

Highest rated

We Are the World (1985)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 17: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleProducing16 of 17: 16 only producing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score34th

By decade

1960s1 · crew1980s11 · crew1990s3 · 1 acting · 2 crew2000s1 · crew2010s1 · 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.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 1986–1988.

  1. 1988
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Program
  2. 1986
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Informational Special

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Ken Kragen's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 33rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

39thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 13 titles are Mixed.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · producer

12 Dogs of Christmas: Great Puppy Rescue (2012)

79th percentile spread · 36% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

We Are the World (1985)

Midcredits 97th · 84% liked

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.

Who does Ken Kragen work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ken Kragen's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kenny Rogers shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers