Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Jack H. Harris

Film producer best known for 'The Blob' -- via the Hollywood Reporter. With director Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr., he created a trio of drive-in classics -- The Blob (1958), which made a star of Steve McQueen; The 4D Man (1959), and Dinosaurus! (1960). Harris had exquisite taste in up-and-coming talent -- he bankrolled Equinox (1970) into a feature, starting the career of nine-time Oscar winner Dennis Muren, as well as animators Jim Danforth and Dave Allen (and inspiring Sam Raimi's Evil Dead films as well). He produced John Landis' first feature, Schlock, in 1973, and he helped Dark Star (1974) into feature length, starting the careers of sci-fi/horror scripter Dan O'Bannon and the directing great John Carpenter. Producers likeHarris let newcomers take the baby steps they needed to do innovative work (and made good money doing it). And it's all so delightfully cheesy . . .