Clark, Bob 1941-2007 (Benjamin Clark)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born August 5, 1941, in New Orleans, LA; died in a car accident, April 4, 2007, near Santa Cruz, CA. Film director, producer, and author. Clark was best known as the director and cowriter of the comedy movies Porky's and A Christmas Story. He began directing films in his twenties, beginning with, as an assistant director, Shanty Tramp (1966); the first film he wrote and directed was The She Man (1967). Later also working as a producer, Clark released such films as Revenge of the Living Dead (1972) and Breaking Point. His Porky's (1982) and Porky's II: The Next Day (1983) were comedies based on his own adventures with his friends growing up in Florida. A Christmas Story (1983), which is based on the novel In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd, has become a holiday classic on television and still sells well on DVD. The sequel, It Runs in the Family (1994), did not do well, however. Clark also wrote screenplays for the more recent films Loose Cannons (1990) and Baby Geniuses (1999). Many of his films were comedies, but Clark did well in the horror genre, too; Black Christmas, which he produced and directed, is credited by many horror buffs with inspiring the "Friday the 13th" series. Outside these genres, he directed Moonrunners (1975) inspired the Dukes of Hazard television series. Clark and his son, Ariel, were killed on the Pacific Coast Highway when a driver in a sport utility vehicle crossed the center line and ran into their sedan head-on. The driver was later charged with driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter. At the time of his death, Clark had just signed on for a new film to be titled There Goes the Neighborhood.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Chicago Tribune, April 5, 2007, Section 3, p. 8.

Los Angeles Times, April 5, 2007, pp. B1, B8.

New York Times, April 5, 2007, p. A17.

Times (London, England), April 7, 2007, p. 74.