its theatrical release, A Christmas Story would go on to become a perennial holiday favorite via repeated TV airings and home video. A joint effort at a sequel in 1994, My Summer Story, did not fare as well; Maltin said that the studio waited too long, and Clark was forced to recast almost the entire film. Three other film versions of the Parker family had been produced for television by PBS with Shepherd's involvement during the late 1980s, also with a different cast, but without Clark's participation. Clark continued to stay active in the film industry until his death, with lower-budget fare mixed in with brief runs at higher targets. A The Hollywood Reporter critic, speaking after his death, described his career as "a very unusual mix of films", because he "at times was a director-for-hire and would do films that, to say the least, aren't stellar". Some of his last output included Baby Geniuses and Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2. Clark was nominated twice for the Razzie Awards as "Worst Director", for Rhinestone and Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2. At the end of his life, he was working with Howard Stern on a remake of Porky's, and, with Black Christmas having been remade, two of his other early horror films were slated for expensive remakes: Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things and Deathdream. Clark was divorced, and had two sons, Michael and Ariel. Death Clark and his younger son, Ariel Hanrath-Clark, 22, were killed in a head-on car crash on the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles on the morning of April 4, 2007. The crash occurred when an SUV crossed the median and struck Clark's Infiniti I30, causing the closure of the highway for eight hours. Police determined that the SUV's driver, Héctor Manuel Velázquez-Nava, had a blood alcohol level of three times the legal limit and was driving without a license. Velázquez-Nava was described by federal authorities as an illegal alien. The driver initially pleaded not guilty to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, but changed his plea to no contest in August, and was sentenced to six years in prison under the terms of a plea agreement on October 12, 2007. Filmography Film Television References External links Canadian Film Encyclopedia [A publication of The Film Reference Library/a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group] Canuxploitation interview Canuxploitation Interview: Bob Clark 1939 births 2007 deaths American