Thursday, June 13, 2013

Refocusing on Bob Crane: A Friend Shares His Opinion of 'Auto Focus'

By Carol Ford

I know I have not posted in quite awhile - I wish there were more hours in the day! However, it has not been without good reason. I have been concentrating all of my writing efforts on Bob Crane's biography, and I'm happy to report that it is moving along well. I absolutely cannot wait for it to be written and published so that Bob's full and complete story can finally, after all these decades, be known. 

One individual whom Linda Groundwater and I interviewed for Bob Crane's biography was Bob's good friend and neighbor, Harvey Geller, who had been Vice President and Editor of Cash Box Magazine (West Coast), as well as a feature writer, columnist, reviewer, and sales executive for Billboard and Variety magazines. Mr. Geller had known Bob in Bridgeport, Connecticut, at WICC, and later, after both men had relocated on the West Coast, they reconnected while Bob was at KNX in Hollywood. He provided Linda and me with an interview rich with anecdotes and insights and fascinating history about Bob, information that has never before been shared and will be included in the book. Sadly, Mr. Geller passed away in March 2009.

In October 2002, Harvey Geller wrote a Letter to the Editor that was published in the Los Angeles Times. He had a very strong opinion about the film Auto Focus, which had just been released in theaters. We agree whole-heartedly with his opinion on the film, and although we have shared the link to the article many times, I am also sharing it again here. Mr. Geller sums up in a succinct letter exactly how damaging Auto Focus is and the reason why a new, serious biography about Bob Crane is so desperately necessary.

Source: Los Angeles Times / October 13, 2002
Refocusing on Crane - Harvey Geller discusses his friend Bob Crane
of Hogan's Heroes and his dissatisfaction with the film Auto Focus.

Now...Back to writing.