Irvin Yeaworth
| Irvin Yeaworth | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 14, 1926 Berlin, Germany |
| Died |
July 19, 2004 (aged 78) Amman, Jordan[1] |
| Occupation | Film director |
Irvin Shortess "Shorty" Yeaworth, Jr. (February 14, 1926 in Berlin, Germany – July 19, 2004, in Amman, Jordan) was a German-born American film director,[1][2] producer, screenwriter and theme park builder. He began his career singing at age 10 at KDKA, the world's first radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He later became a radio producer. He directed more than 400 films for motivational, educational, and religious purposes. As an impresario, he directed the Wayne (Pa.) Concert Series from 1979 to 2003. However, he is best known for directing the classic film The Blob which depicts a growing alien mass that sucks the life out of citizens.[1]
In the 1970s he began leading American Christians on tours of Israel and Jordan which he continued to do up until his death. While in these countries he designed and produced World's Fair and theme park pavilions for local enterprises.[3]
He was married to Jean Yeaworth and had five children. Before he died in a road accident in Amman, he was building a theme park called Jordanian Experience at the Aquaba Gateway in Jordan.
In 2007, The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania (the filming location of the famous "Running Out" scene in The Blob) honored Irvin Yeaworth and The Blob by holding a film contest in which amateur film-makers competed for the "Shorty" award. "Shorty" was Yeaworth's nickname.
Filmography
Director
- The Flaming Teen-Age (1956) (also writer and producer)
- The Blob (1958)
- 4D Man (1959) (also producer)
- Dinosaurus! (1960) (also producer)
- The Gospel Blimp (1967) (also producer)
- Way Out (1967) (also producer)
References
- 1 2 3 "Irvin Yeaworth Jr., 78, Director of 'The Blob', Dies". The New York Times. August 2, 2004.
- ↑ Erickson, Glen. "DVD Savant Review: 4D Man". DVD Talk.
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jul/30/local/me-yeaworth30