Jack H. Harris, the producer who made a small Phoenixville theatre world famous in his movie The Blob, died on Tuesday at the age of 98, writes Pat Saperstein for Yahoo! Movies.

Harris, a Philadelphia native, spent his childhood performing in Vaudeville with the Cliff Edwards Kiddie Revue. He later collaborated with the Valley Forge religious film studio in making The Blob, and showed his eye for talent by casting the then-27-year-old Steve McQueen in the lead role.

The movie was directed by Methodist minister Irving S. Yeaworth from an idea by Irvine Millgate. It was filmed in Phoenixville, Chester Springs, and Downingtown. Thanks to cheap special effects that mostly consisted of silicone and red dye, the movie grossed around $4 million while only costing $240,000 to make.

The Blob quickly became a cult classic, with its iconic scene of a panicked crowd fleeing the Phoenixville Colonial Theatre re-enacted every year.

Harris received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame three years ago.

Read more about Harris’s life at Yahoo! Movies here.