Bob Clark: 1941-2007

The AP story announcing the death of film director Bob Clark in a car accident had a lead paragraph that highlighted his 1983 film "A Christmas Story." I'm sure that would have been a relief to Clark, who was no doubt dreading going down in history as the man who directed "Porky's," the teen sex comedy to end all teen sex comedies.

While Clark was no auteur, he did have more of a range than most people, who merely associate him with the "Porky's" franchise, might believe. One of the more underrated films of the late 70s was Clark's "Murder by Decree," a fascinating take on the Jack the Ripper story. If you can get your hands on a copy, try it some time -- it makes a nifty double bill with another Ripper film of the same era, Nicholas Meyer's "Time After Time."

Clark and his 22-year-old son were both killed by a drunk driver whose SUV had wandered into the wrong lane. He was 67.

Tom Moran