Strock, Herbert L. 1918–2005

(Herbert Leonard Strock)

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born January 13, 1918, in Boston, MA; died of heart failure, November 30, 2005, in Moreno Valley, CA. Television director, film director, and author. Strock had a long and successful career in both television and film, and was best known for directing B-movie horror pictures. His interest in the media began at an early age, and when he was seventeen he was already directing segments for Fox Movietone News. Completing a degree in film and journalism at the University of Southern California in 1941, he served in the U.S. Army Ordnance Motion Picture Division for a time. He was next hired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as an assistant film editor. From 1946 to 1965 he was an editor and film director for Hal Roach Studios, while also working in these capacities for Ivantors Productions in the early 1950s and as a producer and director for ZIV-TV in Hollywood from 1956 to 1966. Strock was involved with a variety of television programs during this time, including such popular shows as Highway Patrol, Sea Hunt, and Maverick. He was even better known, however, for directing such low-budget horror movies as How to Make a Monster, Donovan's Brain, The Magnetic Monster, and I Was a Teenage Frankenstein. The key to Strock's success, many would say, was his professionalism and flexibility. He would always manage to make his films on time and within budget, and was also liked by the actors who worked for him; they appreciated his ability to accommodate their professional needs. For example, when actress Patricia Morison had to travel to New York City to perform in a production of Kiss Me, Kate, Strock rearranged his filming schedule to make it possible for her to go and still work on one of his films. Retiring from Hollywood in 1980, Strock recalled his experiences in the autobiography Picture Perfect (2000).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

BOOKS

Strock, Herbert L., Picture Perfect, Scarecrow Press (Lanham, MD), 2000.

PERIODICALS

Los Angeles Times, December 4, 2005, p. B14.

New York Times, December 6, 2005, p. C21.