Director Herk Harvey

98 years ago today, director Herk Harvey was born in Lawrence, Kansas.  Today, Harvey is best-remembered for his only feature film, 1962’s Carnival of Souls.  Carnival of Souls is a Halloween favorite here at the Shattered Lens and it’s a film that has been cited as being an influence on everyone from Sam Raimi to Martin Scorsese to David Lynch.

However, before and after he directed that ground-breaking film, Herk Harvey made his lesson directing educational short films.  Today, in honor of what would have been his birthday, the Shattered Lens presents Why Study Speech?  This 1954 short film explains why all high school seniors should study speech when they get to college.  It opens with a somewhat quirky montage that, if nothing else, serves to remind us that we’re watching a short film from the man who, just 8 years later, would direct Carnival of Souls.

And now …. WHY STUDY SPEECH?