Post by CBG on Dec 5, 2005 14:22:27 GMT -5
This just in from...
MORENO VALLEY, Calif.--Herbert L. Strock, a veteran producer and director who worked in the early days of television and directed several well-remembered 1950s B-movies, died here Nov. 30th of heart failure, following a car accident. He was 87. MSTies will remember him as the director of the movie in episode 106- THE CRAWLING HAND.
A Boston native, his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a teenager. He soon became interested in the movie business, and was still a student at Beverly Hills High School when he started working as a director for Fox Movietone newsreels. He had just graduated from USC, where he majored in journalism and film, when the U.S. entered World War II. He served a stint in the Army's Motion Picture Division. When he left the service, got a job as an editor at MGM.
When television arrived, he became involved immediately, as producer and director of "The Cases of Eddie Drake," an early detective series. He later worked on a number of series, including "Highway Patrol," "Sky King," "Sea Hunt," "Maverick" and "77 Sunset Strip."
He also landed directing jobs in a number of B movies made for the flouishing "drive-in" market, gaining a reputation for bringing projects in on time and under budget. Among them: "The Magnetic Monster," "Donovan's Brain," "Blood of Dracula" and "Gog," shot in 3-D.
In later years, Strock owned a post-production facility, and wrote about his career in the 2000 book "Picture Perfect."
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, three daughters and two grandsons.
MORENO VALLEY, Calif.--Herbert L. Strock, a veteran producer and director who worked in the early days of television and directed several well-remembered 1950s B-movies, died here Nov. 30th of heart failure, following a car accident. He was 87. MSTies will remember him as the director of the movie in episode 106- THE CRAWLING HAND.
A Boston native, his family moved to Los Angeles when he was a teenager. He soon became interested in the movie business, and was still a student at Beverly Hills High School when he started working as a director for Fox Movietone newsreels. He had just graduated from USC, where he majored in journalism and film, when the U.S. entered World War II. He served a stint in the Army's Motion Picture Division. When he left the service, got a job as an editor at MGM.
When television arrived, he became involved immediately, as producer and director of "The Cases of Eddie Drake," an early detective series. He later worked on a number of series, including "Highway Patrol," "Sky King," "Sea Hunt," "Maverick" and "77 Sunset Strip."
He also landed directing jobs in a number of B movies made for the flouishing "drive-in" market, gaining a reputation for bringing projects in on time and under budget. Among them: "The Magnetic Monster," "Donovan's Brain," "Blood of Dracula" and "Gog," shot in 3-D.
In later years, Strock owned a post-production facility, and wrote about his career in the 2000 book "Picture Perfect."
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, three daughters and two grandsons.
