Herman Cohen

Who was Herman Cohen?

Herman Cohen was a producer of B-movies during the 1950s, who helped to popularize the teen horror movie genre with films like the cult classic I Was a Teenage Werewolf.

Cohen began his career in show business as a gofer and later an usher at the Dexter Theater in Detroit, starting he was just 12. By 18, he was managing the Dexter. From there he went on to become assistant manager of the Fox Theatre — a theater featuring 5200 seats. After a tour of duty with the Marines, Cohen became sales manager for Columbia Pictures in the Detroit Area and moved to Hollywood to work for the publicity department of Columbia in the 1940s. In the 1950s he started producing films, first working as assistant producer for Jack Broder and Realart Pictures on such films as Bride of the Gorilla, Battles of Chief Pontiac, Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla and Kid Monk Baroni. He later worked for Allied Artists and United Artists producing such films as Target Earth, Magnificent Roughnecks, and Crime of Passion.