Benjamin Robert Clark (August 5, 1939 – April 4, 2007) was an American film director and screenwriter. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was responsible for some of the most successful films in Canadian film history such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), ''

Murder by Decree ''Murder by Decree'' is a 1979 mystery thriller film directed by Bob Clark. It features the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who are embroiled in the investigation surrounding the real-life 1 ...

'' (1979), ''

Tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...

'' (1980), ''

Porky's ''Porky's'' is a 1981 sex comedy film written and directed by Bob Clark about the escapades of teenagers in 1954 at the fictional Angel Beach High School in Florida. The film influenced many writers in the teen film genre and spawned two sequels: ...

'' (1981), and '' A Christmas Story'' (1983). He won three

Genie Awards The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scul ...

(two Best Direction and one Best Screenplay) with two additional nominations. He and his son were killed by a

drunk driver Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is i ...

in April 2007.

Personal life

Clark was born in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

in 1939,Reuters reported on the day of his death, "Clark was 67, according to police, although some reference sites list him as 65." but grew up in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, and later moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He grew up poor. His father died during his childhood and his mother was a

barmaid A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...

. After attending

Catawba College Catawba College is a private college in Salisbury, North Carolina. Founded in 1851 by the North Carolina Classis of the Reformed Church in Newton, the college adopted its name from its county of origin, Catawba County, before moving to its cu ...

majoring in philosophy, Clark won a football scholarship to Hillsdale College in

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, where he played

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. Eventually he studied theater at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

, turning down offers to play professional football. He did briefly play

semi-pro ''Semi-Pro'' is a 2008 American sports comedy film. The film was directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, written by Scot Armstrong, and produced by Jimmy Miller. It stars Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin and Maura Tier ...

for the Fort Lauderdale Black Knights. Clark was divorced, and had two sons, Michael and Ariel.

Career

Clark's career began with '' She-Man: A Story of Fixation'' (1967) featured in a gender-bender double feature. Then transitioned into the horror genre in the early 1970s. His first film, ''

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things ''Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things'' (also known as ''Revenge of the Living Dead'', ''Things from the Dead'', and ''Zreaks'') is a 1972 comedic horror film directed by Bob Clark. It later became a cult classic. This low-budget zombie f ...

'' (1972), was a blend of comedy and graphic horror. Clark and his collaborator for this film, screenwriter and makeup artist

Alan Ormsby Alan Ormsby (born December 14, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, make up artist, actor and author. Film career Ormsby began work in feature films with the Bob Clark-directed '' Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things'' (1972), which ...

, would revisit the zombie subgenre in 1972's ''

Deathdream ''Deathdream'' (also known as ''Dead of Night'') is a 1974 horror film directed by Bob Clark and written by Alan Ormsby, and starring Richard Backus, John Marley, and Lynn Carlin. Filmed in Brooksville, Florida, it was inspired by the W. W. Jaco ...

'', also known by its alternative title, ''Dead of Night'', a

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

allegory that takes its cue from the classic short story "

The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs, first published in the collection '' The Lady of the Barge'' in 1902. In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with ...

". The

slasher film A slasher film is a genre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools like knife, chainsaw, scalpel, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as ...

'' Black Christmas'' (1974) was one of his most successful films in this period, and is remembered today as an influential precursor to the modern

genre. Clark had moved to Canada, then a

tax haven A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

for Americans, and these '' Canuxploitation'' productions were small by Hollywood standards but made Clark a big fish in the small pond of the Canadian film industry of that era. Clark executive-produced the moonshine movie ''

Moonrunners ''Moonrunners'' is a 1975 action comedy film starring James Mitchum, about a Southern family who runs bootleg liquor. It was reworked four years later into the popular long-running television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', and the two product ...

'', which was used as source material for the TV series ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television serie ...

''. Clark later produced the 2000 TV movie ''The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood''. Clark and others sued

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

over the studio's 2005 movie ''

'', winning a $17.5 million settlement just prior to the movie's release. Turning toward more serious fare, Clark scored a critical success with the Sherlock Holmes film ''

'', starring

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage, and television. He received multiple accolades, inc ...

and

Geneviève Bujold Geneviève Bujold (; born July 1, 1942) is a Canadian actress. For her portrayal of Anne Boleyn in the period drama film ''Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969), Bujold received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Her other film cre ...

, which won five

including Best Achievement in Direction and Best Performance for both leads. He followed this with a movie of the

Bernard Slade Bernard Slade Newbound (May 2, 1930 – October 30, 2019) was a Canadian playwright and screenwriter. As a screenwriter, he created the sitcoms ''The Flying Nun'' and ''The Partridge Family''. As a playwright, he wrote '' Same Time, Next Year'', ...

play ''

'', starring Jack Lemmon reprising his Broadway role, for which Lemmon was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

and 11 Genies including a win for Lemmon's performance. Clark returned to his B-movie roots, though, co-writing, producing, and directing ''

'', a longtime personal project. Clark had a detailed outline based on his own youth in Florida, which he dictated into a cassette recorder due to illness, and collaborator Roger Swaybill said of listening to the tapes, "I became convinced that I was sharing in the birth of a major moment in movie history. It was the funniest film story I had ever heard." Though set in the United States, the film would go on to gross more than any other English-language Canadian film. The film was the third most successful release of 1982 and by the end of the film's lengthy initial release, in 1983, ''Porky's'' had secured itself a spot, albeit short-lived, as one of the top-25 highest-grossing films of all time in the US. The film was (also briefly) the most successful comedy in film history. The overwhelming success of ''Porky's'' is credited as launching the genre of the teen sex comedy so prevalent throughout the 1980s, and which continued into the millennium in such films as the '' American Pie'' series. Clark wrote, produced, and directed the film's first sequel, '' Porky's II: The Next Day'' (1983), which did not feature the title character, and introduced two new antagonists with perhaps greater relevance, a blustering

fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishi ...

preacher, and a sleazy local politician who cynically caters to his influence, while seducing a teenage girl. Clark refused involvement with a third film, ''

Porky's Revenge! ''Porky's Revenge!'' is a 1985 sex comedy film and the third and final film of the original '' Porky's'' film series. It was directed by James Komack. Plot During the semi-final basketball game, the cheerleaders promise the team an orgy if they ...

'', which brought Porky and the sexual exploits of the cast back front and center as in the first installment, as well as bringing everything full-circle and bringing the gang's high school rowdy escapades to a close. He instead collaborated with Jean Shepherd on '' A Christmas Story'', which critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

described as "one of those rare movies you can say is perfect in every way". Although not a box-office smash in its theatrical release, ''A Christmas Story'' would go on to become a perennial holiday favorite via repeated TV airings and

home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...

. A joint effort at a sequel in 1994, ''

My Summer Story ''My Summer Story'' (originally released in theaters as ''It Runs in the Family'') is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Bob Clark that serves as a sequel to his 1983 film ''A Christmas Story''. Like the previous film, it is based on semi-au ...

'', did not fare as well; Maltin said that the studio waited too long, and Clark was forced to recast almost the entire film. Three other film versions of the Parker family had been produced for television by

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

with Shepherd's involvement during the late 1980s, also with a different cast, but without Clark's participation. Clark continued to stay active in the film industry until his death, with lower-budget fare mixed in with brief runs at higher targets. A ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'' critic, speaking after his death, described his career as "a very unusual mix of films", because he "at times was a director-for-hire and would do films that, to say the least, aren't stellar". Typographical error fixed. Some of his last output included ''

Baby Geniuses ''Baby Geniuses'' is a 1999 American family comedy film directed by Bob Clark and written by Clark and Greg Michael based on a story by Clark, Steven Paul, Francisca Matos, and Robert Grasmere, and starring Kathleen Turner, Christopher Lloyd, Kim ...

'' and '' Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2''. Clark was nominated twice for the

Razzie Awards The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...

as "Worst Director", for ''

Rhinestone A rhinestone, paste or diamante is a diamond simulant originally made from rock crystal but since the 19th century from crystal glass or polymers such as acrylic. Original Originally, rhinestones were rock crystals gathered from the river ...

'' and '' Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2''. At the end of his life, he was working with

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, '' The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terr ...

on a remake of ''Porky's'', and, with ''Black Christmas'' having been remade, two of his other early horror films were slated for expensive remakes: ''Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things'' and ''Deathdream''.

Death

Clark and his younger son, Ariel Hanrath-Clark, 22, were killed in a head-on car crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

on the morning of April 4, 2007. The crash occurred when an SUV crossed the median and struck Clark's

Infiniti I30 The is a front-engine, five passenger, mid-size passenger car manufactured and marketed by Nissan Motors over three generations. Almost all Cefiro's were marketed as four-door sedans, though a five-door wagon body style was briefly available (199 ...

, causing the closure of the highway for eight hours. Police determined that the SUV's driver, Héctor Manuel Velázquez-Nava, had a

blood alcohol level Blood alcohol content (BAC), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level, is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes; it is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume or mass of blood. For example ...

of three times the legal limit and was driving without a license. Velázquez-Nava was described by federal authorities as an illegal alien. The driver initially pleaded not guilty to two counts of gross

vehicular manslaughter Vehicular homicide is a crime that involves the death of a person other than the driver as a result of either criminally negligent or murderous operation of a motor vehicle. In cases of criminal negligence, the defendant is commonly charged ...

, but changed his plea to

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neith ...

in August, and was sentenced to six years in prison under the terms of a plea agreement on October 12, 2007.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Canadian Film Encyclopedia
publication of The Film Reference Library/a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group*Canuxploitation intervie
Canuxploitation Interview: Bob Clark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Bob 1939 births 2007 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters American expatriates in Canada American film directors American film producers American male screenwriters American male television writers American television directors American television writers Best Director Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Best Screenplay Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Catawba College alumni Comedy film directors Film directors from Alabama Film directors from Florida Film directors from Louisiana Film producers from Alabama Film producers from Florida Film producers from Louisiana Fort Lauderdale High School alumni Hillsdale Chargers football players Hillsdale College alumni Horror film directors Male actors from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Male actors from New Orleans People from Birmingham, Alabama People from Fort Lauderdale, Florida People from New Orleans Road incident deaths in California Screenwriters from Alabama Screenwriters from Florida Screenwriters from Louisiana University of Miami alumni Writers from Birmingham, Alabama Writers from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Writers from New Orleans