Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Bob Clark, Director Of 'A Christmas Story" Killed In Car Accident

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Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 04-04-2007, 07:27 PM:

Yahoo!/AP News Story

quote:

'Christmas Story' director dies in crash
By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 32 minutes ago

Film director Robert Clark, best known for the beloved holiday classic "A Christmas Story," was killed with his son Wednesday in a car wreck, the filmmaker's assistant and police said.

Clark, 67, and son Ariel Hanrath-Clark, 22, were killed in the accident in Pacific Palisades, said Lyne Leavy, Clark's personal assistant.

The two men were in an Infiniti that collided head-on with a GMC Yukon around 2:30 a.m. PST, said Lt. Paul Vernon, a police spokesman. The driver of the other car was under the influence of alcohol and was driving without a license, Vernon said.

The driver, Hector Velazquez-Nava, 24, of Los Angeles, remained hospitalized and will be booked for investigation of gross vehicular manslaughter after being treated, Vernon said. A female passenger in his car also was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and released, police said.

In Clark's most famous film, all 9-year-old Ralphie Parker wants for Christmas is an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle.

His mother, teacher and Santa Claus all warn: "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."

A school bully named Scut Farkus, a leg lamp, a freezing flagpole mishap and some four-letter defiance helped the movie become a seasonal fixture with "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street."

Clark specialized in horror movies and thrillers early in his career, directing such 1970s flicks as "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things," "Murder by Decree," "Breaking Point" and "Black Christmas," which was remade last year.

His breakout success came with 1981's sex farce "Porky's," a coming-of-age romp that he followed two years later with "Porky's II: The Next Day."

In 1983, "A Christmas Story" marked a career high for Clark. Darrin McGavin, Melinda Dillon and Peter Billingsley starred in the adaptation of Jean Shepard's childhood memoir of a boy in the 1940s.

The film was a modest theatrical success, but critics loved it.

In 1994, Clark directed a forgettable sequel, "It Runs in the Family," featuring Charles Grodin, Mary Steenburgen and Kieran Culkin in a continuation of Shepard's memoirs.

In recent years, Clark made family comedies that were savaged by critics, including "Karate Dog," "Baby Geniuses" and its sequel, "Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2."

Among Clark's other movies were Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton's "Rhinestone," Timothy Hutton's "Turk 182!", and Gene Hackman and Dan Aykroyd's "Loose Cannons."

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 04-04-2007, 08:09 PM:

Wow! How unfortunate. He was just in Cleveland last Thanksgiving for the grand openeing of the Christmas Story House and Museum.

Posted by Jeremy Jorgenson (Member # 2989) on 04-05-2007, 12:41 AM:

[Frown]

I think "Black Christmas" is such an amazing film. It has influenced so many horror films.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 04-05-2007, 03:07 PM:

How senseless.

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 04-06-2007, 05:52 PM:

Sad and indeed senseless. And now we learn the drunk wrong-way driver was ANOTHER ***ILLEGAL*** Mexican alien!

Story Link

I am sick to death of paying mega tax $$$ to support those freeloaders on our public systems. I have NO problem with legal immigrants, just those law-breakers.

I hope that asswipe gets sent to jail and meets the baseball-bat squad...may he rot in hell!

RIP Bob and your talented son...both of your lives were cut short by a POS.

Yours in Christ... [Smile]

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-06-2007, 06:09 PM:

Bob Clark's death is really sad, messed up news. I still can't believe the same guy who directed Porky's (one of the very best sex/youth charged comedies of the 1980's) also managed to direct A Christmas Story, which is nothing less than an enduring classic today.

"You'll put your eye out, kid."

It's really maddening to find Clark was killed by some moron who wasn't even in the country legally. It would be even more rich if it turns out this character was deported a number of times previously. Quite a few grisly rapes and murders have been committed in Texas and Oklahoma by illegal aliens who had been deported numerous times previously. But I guess I'm a bigot if I have a problem with our laws not being enforced.
[Roll Eyes]

Maybe I'll watch Porky's this weekend.

Posted by Hillary Charles (Member # 769) on 04-06-2007, 06:43 PM:

" He could face at least four to 10 years imprisonment if convicted of vehicular manslaughter."

D'ya think he'll be deported after that? D'ya?

I saw this on the news yesterday, damn illegal alien has (had) a better car than me!

What a terrible waste. [Frown]

Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 04-07-2007, 01:48 AM:

quote:
I still can't believe the same guy who directed Porky's (one of the very best sex/youth charged comedies of the 1980's) also managed to direct A Christmas Story, which is nothing less than an enduring classic today.

Indeed. I remember Porky's at the drive-in just packing them in. A huge hit considering no-one under 18 was admitted due to its 'R' rating in Australia.

A Christmas Story I ran at the cinema when it came out in 1983. It did one matinee per day and I think it was lucky if it had 20 people in it at any session. I recall thinking that those 20 were the luckiest people in town at that point...all the rest were poorer for their absence.

[ 04-07-2007, 12:04 PM: Message edited by: John Wilson ]

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 04-07-2007, 03:06 AM:

Here's the text for Phil's Los Angeles Times Story Link

quote:
Driver accused in crash that killed director pleads not guilty

The man at the wheel of an SUV that killed Bob Clark and his son had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit, police say.

By Valerie Reitman and Andrew Blankstein
Times Staff Writers

3:19 PM PDT, April 6, 2007

Hector Velazquez-Nava, the driver accused of causing the crash that killed movie director Bob Clark and his son, pleaded not guilty today to a pair of counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

He remains in custody at Van Nuys Jail with bail set at $200,000, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.

Velazquez-Nava, 24, had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit when the crash occurred early Wednesday on Pacific Coast Highway, police said. He is a native of Mexico who federal authorities said was in the U.S. illegally.

The crash killed Clark, the director of "A Christmas Story" and the "Porky's" movies, and his son Ariel, 22.

Velazquez-Nava suffered minor injuries in the accident.

The high-speed collision left the mangled vehicles about 100 feet apart amid a long trail of debris, including parts of wheels, undercarriages and axles.

The passenger sides of both vehicles sustained the heaviest damage, indicating that Velazquez-Nava may have swerved toward the ocean and Clark the opposite way as they collided at high speed.

Velazquez-Nava had a blood alcohol level of 0.24 percent, three times the 0.08 legal limit for driving. There was no evidence the Clarks had been drinking, police said.

Velazquez-Nava does not have documentation of legal U.S. residency, nor does he appear to have ever had a U.S. driver's license, authorities said.

Velazquez-Nava lives in Los Angeles, but little other information was available. He told authorities that he was on his way from Hollywood to West Covina when he crashed, although he was traveling in the opposite direction.

Law enforcement sources said Velazquez-Nava pleaded guilty in 2005 in Los Angeles to a prostitution-related charge and was sentenced to two years' probation. He could face at least four to 10 years imprisonment if convicted of vehicular manslaughter.

The article states that the driver is being held at the Van Nuys Jail. Belive it or not, I live within walking distance of there. Anyone have a message for the accused? I could personally deliver the message! I certainly have a few things I'd like to say to the jackass, not the least of which would be to inform him that West Covina is east of Hollywood. EAST!!! (Malibu is west of Hollywood.)

And to think he pleaded not guilty. What's his defense gonna be: The Clarks were in his way? Whatever. The worst part is that there's probably some morally bankrupt lawyer out there licking his chops for an opportunity to defend this dude. Just deport his ass; skip a trial.

I attended a screening of "A Christmas Story" in '03 (a promo event tied to its DVD release) which included a cast & crew reunion. If I'd have known that Clark was gonna be taken out by some drunken illegal jackass I would've made a greater effort to meet and speak with him.

Posted by Christopher Crouch (Member # 3784) on 04-07-2007, 05:01 AM:

quote:
I still can't believe the same guy who directed Porky's (one of the very best sex/youth charged comedies of the 1980's) also managed to direct A Christmas Story, which is nothing less than an enduring classic today.

And to top that off, the original "Black Christmas" basically set the blueprint for the slasher genre that exploded in the late 70's/early 80's. View "Black Christmas" prior to watching John Carpenter's genre cornerstone, "Halloween", and you'll be amazed at how much Clark's film "inspired" Carpenter.

To create true classics, in three seperate genres, is an unheard of feat. Bob Clark was definitely an underapreciated talent.

Posted by Anslem Rayburn (Member # 1267) on 04-07-2007, 05:11 AM:

quote: Michael Coate
Just deport his ass; skip a trial.

Why, so he can come back and do it all over again. The best place for this guy is in a prison. I am willing to contribute to his incarceration to keep him out of society.

R.I.P. Bob Clark, and his young son.

[ 04-07-2007, 03:25 PM: Message edited by: Anslem Rayburn ]

Posted by Hillary Charles (Member # 769) on 04-07-2007, 07:47 AM:

quote: Michael Coate
Anyone have a message for the accused? I could personally deliver the message! I certainly have a few things I'd like to say to the jackass

Michael, I hope you know how to speak Spanish... [Mad]

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 04-07-2007, 08:55 AM:

Of course, it's only natural that Velazquez-Nava-eeny-meeney-mieny-moe walked away without a scratch! [Mad]

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-07-2007, 03:08 PM:

quote: Michael Coate
Just deport his ass; skip a trial.

If he's just deported he'll be right back in the United States, thanks to our insanely stupid, wide open border and lack of desire to enforce immigration laws. Velazquez-Nava could be driving on American roads liquored up again to kill some other American citizen. Or he might rape or kill someone, like so many others who have been previously deported numerous times have done.

One thing I'm wondering about is if the INS tossed Velazquez-Nava out of the country 2 years ago when he was busted on a prostitution related change. It doesn't sound like they deported him then, instead they just gave an illegal alien 2 years of probation.
[Roll Eyes]

quote:
I saw this on the news yesterday, damn illegal alien has (had) a better car than me!

Makes me wonder what he was doing to be able to afford a SUV like that, or what he was using the SUV to do (like perhaps smuggle drugs across the border or something).

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 04-08-2007, 12:24 AM:

quote: Hillary Charles
Michael, I hope you know how to speak Spanish...

Sí.

Posted by Hillary Charles (Member # 769) on 04-08-2007, 08:31 AM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
Makes me wonder what he was doing to be able to afford a SUV like that, or what he was using the SUV to do (like perhaps smuggle drugs across the border or something).

Even if it's a legit laborer job, it helps when you're not paying any taxes.

And Michael,
Bueno. [Wink]