Person Biography:
Harry H. Novak was a legendary exploitation cinema producer and distributor born on January 12, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois. He started his career in the film industry at a young age, working for RKO Pictures distributing movie posters and press books to theaters while still in his teens.
After serving in the Army during World War II, Novak returned to RKO, this time booking and selling films as well as designing ads. One of his primary responsibilities was handling the distribution arrangements for innocent family fare made by the Walt Disney studio.
Following RKO's demise in 1957, Novak joined the JEM distribution company, booking exploitation films. In 1964, he founded his own production and distribution outfit, Boxoffice International Pictures (BIP). The first film released by BIP was the nudie cutie Kiss Me Quick! (1964).
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Novak made and/or released a wide range of films, including sexy soft-core smut, crime thrillers, Southern-fried hicksploitation sleaze, mondo crock documentaries, and creepy horror outings. His soft-core items often featured popular drive-in film starlets such as Rene Bond, Colleen Brennan, Marsha Jordan, and Uschi Digard.
Boxoffice International Pictures was forced to shut down in 1978, but Novak subsequently launched Valiant International Pictures, which distributed X-rated porno fare such as Sissy's Hot Summer (1979),Sweet Surrender (1980),and Leather Persuasion (1980).
In the early 1980s, Novak co-directed hardcore movies Moments of Love (1983) and Inspirations (1982) under the pseudonym H. Hershey. He also provided commentaries on DVD releases of his films on the Something Weird Video label.
Harry Novak passed away on March 26, 2014.
