Person
Herk Harvey
Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
Harold Arnold "Herk" Harvey (June 3, 1924 – April 3, 1996) was an American film director, actor, and film producer. Harvey is best known for his sole feature film, Carnival of So…
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Harold Arnold "Herk" Harvey (June 3, 1924 – April 3, 1996) was an American film director, actor, and film producer. Harvey is best known for his sole feature film, Carnival of Souls, a low budget 1962 horror film starring Candace Hilligoss. It was produced and directed by Harvey for an estimated $33,000. Harvey had witnessed the recent success of Elmer Rhoden Jr. and fellow industrial filmmaker Robert Altman in producing low-budget feature films in nearby Kansas City, and began to secure backing from local investors in order to mount a similar project in Lawrence. While returning to Kansas after shooting a Centron film in California, Harvey developed the idea for Carnival of Souls after driving past the abandoned Saltair Pavilion in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hiring an unknown New York actress, Lee Strasberg-trained Hilligoss, and otherwise employing mostly local talent, Harvey shot Carnival of Souls in three weeks, on location in Lawrence and Salt Lake City, using a script penned by Centron associate John Clifford. Harvey also played an uncredited role as the film's most prominent "ghoul." Originally marketed as a B film and released by an upstart distribution company that quickly went bankrupt, Carnival of Souls never gained widespread public attention upon its original release but today has become hailed as a cult classic. Set to an organ score by Gene Moore, Carnival of Souls relies more on atmosphere than on special effects to create its mood of psychological horror. The film has a large cult following, built up primarily via late-night television screenings, and has been released on DVD by the Criterion Collection (complete with a host of special features, including an hour of excerpts from Harvey's Centron productions). To this day, the movie is still discussed by film buffs and occasionally has screenings at Halloween and art film festivals.
Filmography
Movies and shows, newest first
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2022
exposer
Movie The Man
- 1998
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1987
Murder Ordained
Movie Jury Foreman
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1981
Signals: Read 'Em or Weep
Movie Director
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1980
Shake Hands with Danger
Movie Director
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1980
Korea: Overview
Movie Narrator (voice)
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1977
Halloween Safety
Movie Director
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1971
The Reluctant Witch
Movie Director
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1968
Tell It Like It Is
Movie Director
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1967
Take a Letter... From A to Z
Movie Director
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1964
Jamaica, Haiti and the Lesser Antilles
Movie Director
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1963
Case History of a Sales Meeting
Movie Self (uncredited)
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1963
Pork: The Meal with a Squeal
Movie Narrator
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1962
Carnival of Souls
Movie The Man
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1962
To Touch a Child
Movie Director
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1961
Operation Grass Killer
Movie Farmer
More credits
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1961
Dance, Little Children
Movie
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1961
Your Junior High Days
Movie Director
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1960
Exchanging Greetings and Introductions
Movie Director
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1959
The Trouble Maker
Movie Director
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1959
The Innocent Party
Movie Director
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1959
What About Prejudice?
Movie Doctor in Hospital
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1958
The Snob
Movie Director
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1958
Manners in School
Movie Director
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1958
Understanding Others
Movie Director
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1958
What About School Spirit?
Movie Man in School (uncredited)
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1958
Manners in Public
Movie Man in Bus
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1957
None For The Road
Movie Director
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1957
Make Your Home Safe
Movie Director
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1956
Why Study Industrial Arts
Movie Director
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1956
What About Alcoholism?
Movie Director
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1955
Rebound!
Movie Bob, the Blind man (uncredited)
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1955
Why Study Science?
Movie Director
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1955
Cindy Goes to a Party
Movie Director
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1955
The Gossip
Movie Director
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1955
The Sound of a Stone
Movie Director
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1955
What About Juvenile Delinquency
Movie Director
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1955
Why Study Home Economics?
Movie Construction Worker
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1954
What About Drinking
Movie Director
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1954
Caring For Your Toys
Movie Director
