Motion Picture Producer. The son of legendary comedy producer Hal Roach, he attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana and returned to California in 1936 to share executive chores at his father's studio. He co-directed the science-fiction film "One Million B.C." (1940) and produced the Roach "Streamliners," a series of four-reel theatrical comedies. These included "Curley" (1947) and "Who Killed Doc Robbin?" (1948), which were unsuccessful attempts at reviving the "Little Rascals" franchise. He then aided the company's 1948 transition from film to TV production and served as executive producer for the sitcoms "Blondie" and "The Stu Erwin Show". From the beginning Roach was groomed to take over the family business and did so upon the senior Roach's retirement in 1955, but his excessive spending and poor management drove the studio into bankruptcy in 1959. Three years later Hal Roach Studios went into foreclosure and its historic Culver City plant, affectionately nicknamed "The Lot of Fun," was demolished in 1963. In spite of this Roach remained involved in his father's sporadic Hollywood projects and he received producer credits for the compilation film "The Crazy World of Laurel and Hardy" (1967) and the features "Spree" (1967) and "The Groundstar Conspiracy" (1972).
Motion Picture Producer. The son of legendary comedy producer Hal Roach, he attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana and returned to California in 1936 to share executive chores at his father's studio. He co-directed the science-fiction film "One Million B.C." (1940) and produced the Roach "Streamliners," a series of four-reel theatrical comedies. These included "Curley" (1947) and "Who Killed Doc Robbin?" (1948), which were unsuccessful attempts at reviving the "Little Rascals" franchise. He then aided the company's 1948 transition from film to TV production and served as executive producer for the sitcoms "Blondie" and "The Stu Erwin Show". From the beginning Roach was groomed to take over the family business and did so upon the senior Roach's retirement in 1955, but his excessive spending and poor management drove the studio into bankruptcy in 1959. Three years later Hal Roach Studios went into foreclosure and its historic Culver City plant, affectionately nicknamed "The Lot of Fun," was demolished in 1963. In spite of this Roach remained involved in his father's sporadic Hollywood projects and he received producer credits for the compilation film "The Crazy World of Laurel and Hardy" (1967) and the features "Spree" (1967) and "The Groundstar Conspiracy" (1972).
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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ROACH
Hal E. Jr.
1918 † 1972
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