The man responsible for bringing one of my favorite sci-fi horror creatures to the screen has passed away. That man was producer Jack H. Harris, who died at his home yesterday at the age of 98. The creature is The Blob, that gelatinous man-eater that creeps and leaps and glides and slides.
A World War II veteran who had been in show business since he was just 7 years old, starting off doing vaudeville performances and then getting into theatre management and film distribution, Harris was nearing 40 when he decided he wanted to make his own monster movie in his home state of Pennsylvania. Inspired by an actual police report about a glowing, pulsating blob that fell from the sky outside Philadelphia, THE BLOB was made on a budget of $130,000. The film was then sold to Paramount for $300,000 and ended up making $4 million during its theatrical release. A horror classic was born.
In the fifty-nine years since the release of THE BLOB, Harris brought us a few more Blob projects: the 1972 sequel BEWARE! THE BLOB, the 1988 remake, and 1991's BLOBERMOUTH, which re-dubbed the 1958 film into a comedy. Recently, he had been involved with another remake of THE BLOB, this one with – last we heard – Simon West and Samuel L. Jackson attached to direct and star, respectively.
Harris is best known for THE BLOB, but those weren't the only movies he produced. His other credits include 4D MAN, DINOSAURUS!, EQUINOX (which is often referred to as a source of inspiration for THE EVIL DEAD), John Landis's directorial debut SCHLOCK, John Carpenter's feature debut DARK STAR, the Carpenter-scripted EYES OF LAURA MARS, and the 1986 Fred Olen Ray film PRISON SHIP.
The only film Harris ever directed himself was the 1966 sex and drugs comedy UNKISSED BRIDE.
His contributions to cinema were honored when he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2014. Being 95 at the time, Harris made the record for being the oldest honoree. His memoir Father of the Blob: The Making of a Monster Smash and Other Hollywood Tales, which can be purchased at THIS LINK, was published in 2015.
Harris is survived by his wife and two children. A memorial service will be held at Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles on Monday.
Here's hoping the new BLOB remake will finally start filming soon, because that would be a perfect tribute to the "father of the Blob".
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