The Ransom of Red Chief

Benjamin "Bob" Clark was an American actor, director, screenwriter and producer best known for directing and writing the script with Jean Shepherd to the 1983 Christmas film A Christmas Story. Although he worked primarily in the United States, from 1973 to 1983 he worked in Canada and was... responsible for some of most successful films in Canadian history such as Black Christmas , Murder by Decree , Tribute , and Porky's . Clark was born in New Orleans, but grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and later moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He grew up poor, as his father died during his childhood and his mother was a barmaid. After attending Catawba College majoring in philosophy, Clark won a football scholarship to Hillsdale College in Michigan, where he played quarterback. Eventually he studied theater at the University of Miami, turning down offers to play professional football. He did briefly play semi-pro for the Fort Lauderdale Black Knights. Though best known for his involvement with these familiar titles, Clark's career actually began squarely in the horror genre, in the early 1970s.
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