Vernon Lehr Zimmerman (August 30, 1936 – October 18, 2023) was an American writer and director who made his debut as director with the 1962 short ''Lemon Hearts'' starring

Taylor Mead Taylor Mead (December 31, 1924 – May 8, 2013) was an American writer, actor and performer. Mead appeared in several of Andy Warhol's underground films filmed at Warhol's Factory, including ''Tarzan and Jane Regained... Sort of'' (1963) and '' T ...

. He collaborated with

Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (; born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. Malick began his career as part of the New Hollywood generation of filmmakers and received awards at the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, and ...

on the script to his directorial debut, the road movie, ''

Deadhead Miles ''Deadhead Miles'' is a 1973 American road comedy film directed by Vernon Zimmerman from a script by Terrence Malick, and starring Alan Arkin and Paul Benedict. Actors Bruce Bennett, George Raft and Ida Lupino make cameos. Plot Cooper (Alan Ar ...

''. Zimmerman wrote and directed the

Claudia Jennings Mary Eileen Chesterton (December 20, 1949 – October 3, 1979), known professionally as Claudia Jennings, was an American actress and model. Jennings was ''Playboy'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for November 1969, later becoming Playmate of ...

roller derby drive-in film ''

Unholy Rollers ''The Unholy Rollers'' is a 1972 American action comedy film directed by Vernon Zimmerman and starring Claudia Jennings. The film focuses on a team of roller derby skaters whose members are hostile to each other. Plot Karen wants more acti ...

''. He was most well known for his horror slasher film '' Fade to Black'', a dark and despairing psychological study of an awkward and alienated hardcore film buff who exacts a harsh revenge on his cruel tormentors. Zimmerman received a

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

nomination as Best Director for the film, a predecessor to more well-known modern parodies of the horror genre. Vernon also wrote the scripts for the horror-Western '' Hex'' (a.k.a. ''Charmed''), the redneck crime exploitation film '' Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw'', the made-for-TV wrestling comedy/drama '' Mad Bull'', the failed TV pilot film '' Shooting Stars'', and the teen fantasy comedy ''

Teen Witch ''Teen Witch'' is a 1989 American teen fantasy comedy film directed by Dorian Walker, written by Robin Menken and Vernon Zimmerman, and starring Robyn Lively and Zelda Rubinstein. The plot follows Louise, a teenage girl who discovers she is ...

''. Zimmerman's last film was the six-minute comic short '' Chuck and Wally on the Road''. He also worked as a script analyst, taught screen-writing courses at UCLA's Extension and Certificate Program, and taught classes on both writing feature scripts and directing actors for film and television at the USC School of Cinema and Television. Vernon Zimmerman lived in Los Angeles and was a member of both the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...

and the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...

Filmography

* '' To L.A. With Lust'' (short) (1961) * '' Lemon Hearts'' (short) (1962) * '' The College'' (documentary) (1964) * ''

'' (1972) also writer * ''

'' (1972) also writer * '' Hex'' (1973) writer only * '' Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw'' (1976) writer only * '' Mad Bull'' (TV movie) (1977) writer only * '' Fade to Black'' (1980) also writer * '' Shooting Stars'' (TV film) (1983) writer only * ''

'' (1989) writer only * '' Chuck and Wally on the Road'' (short) (1995)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmerman, Vernon Living people American male screenwriters Film directors from Los Angeles American film producers American horror film directors 1936 births