Ned Hockman(1921-2009)
- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Charles Nedwin "Ned" Hochman began his motion picture career as a
combat cameraman during World War II with the U.S. Army Air Corps
Motion Picture Production Unit. Housed in the old Hal Roach Studios,
Hochman helped to photograph hundreds of training films under the
supervision of unit commander Ronald Reagan. Later, Hochman would go afield
to photograph the hellish fighting conditions in the Burma-China
Theater of Operations, rubbing elbows with Stillwell's Raiders and
photographing the first instance of medical evacuation via helicopter,
deep in the Burmese jungle. Upon return to civilian life, Hochman
helped to establish film production studies at the University of
Oklahoma; became a charter member of the University Film and Video
Association; directed Stark Fear (1962), his first and only feature-length motion
picture, and became a leading proponent of luring "runaway" film
productions to Oklahoma. Many working motion picture professionals
(around the world, as well in Oklahoma) can trace their roots back to
this man and acknowledge him as a great teacher and true
friend.