"Christmas Story" Director Killed In L.A.
Film Director And His Son Killed In Los Angeles Car Crash
13LOS ANGELES, April 4, 2007 | by none
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Director Robert Clark in 1984. (AP)
(AP) Film director Robert Clark, best known for the beloved holiday classic "A Christmas Story," was killed Wednesday along with his son in a head-on crash with an alleged drunken driver, the filmmaker's assistant and police said.
Clark, 67, and son Ariel Hanrath-Clark, 22, were killed in Pacific Palisades, said Lyne Leavy, Clark's personal assistant.
The two men were in an Infiniti that collided on Pacific Coast Highway with a GMC Yukon around 2:30 a.m., said Lt. Paul Vernon, a police spokesman.
The driver of the other vehicle, Hector Velazquez-Nava, 24, of Los Angeles and his passenger, described as a 29-year-old woman, were taken to UCLA Medical Center with minor injuries.
The driver remained hospitalized and will be booked for investigation of "gross vehicular manslaughter" after being treated, Vernon said.Photos: "A Christmas Story"
"The initial investigation has concluded that Nava was driving without a license northbound in the southbound lanes while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage," Vernon said.
Nava's passenger was released from the hospital after receiving treatment.
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 TV 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 the 1981 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."
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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The problem wasn't that the other driver was Mexican or Mexican-American. The problem was that he was drunk.
Lets address the actual problem, not go off on a tangent.
The problem is drunk drivers, and what to do about them.
djermano1: Are YOU drunk right this minute or simply on CRACK?
I think cops should be assigned to every bar and pub in LA.
High-profile accidents like this remind us of the cost of drunk drivers to our society.
He said, "I don't think they're very effective, because records show they don't catch very many drunk drivers."
Bork's mighty intellect failed him that time. These checkpoints are publicized, and they have a deterrent effect. If you know the police will be using them on a Saturday night in your part of the country, you're much more likely to appoint a designated driver or seek public transportation, or just moderate your alcohol consumption.
The civil liberties argument against these checkpoints as "unreasonable search and seizure" is all wrong. If that were valid, then toll booths on the highways would be unconstitutional too. All the patrolman does is ask you "How are you doing tonight ?" -- a friendly question, neither a search nor a seizure.
It's only if you slur your words in response, that he will do anything further -- and then he has probable cause.
And driving an automobile is a privilege, not a right.
Get caught ONCE driving while intoxicated, and you lose the right to drive FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
ONCE, and you NEVER drive legally in that country again, until the day you die.
Needless to say, these nations (which also use aggressive checkpoints on the highways) have a very low incidence of this problem.
Sad.
Posted by HypnoToad72 at 09:30 PM : Apr 04, 2007
Even more sad, the rate of drunk driving has gone up in this country along with the drunk driving deaths. Now, in a perfect world, the drunk driver would be the one who always dies, but unfortunately, it's usually the opposite.
Real punishment is needed for drunk driving, from the very first offense. REAL JAIL TIME is needed for first time offenders!
Sure, they may lose their job, their house, their family.......
.... but there are only 3 ways a stupid person can learn:
1. Take away their money
2. Take away that (or whom) which they care for
and finally, but most important...
3. TAKE AWAY THEIR FREEDOM!