Bob Roberts; ‘Body and Soul’ Producer

Bob Roberts, 88, a film noir producer who helped create the boxing film classic “Body and Soul.” Associate producer of the 1947 film starring John Garfield and Lilli Palmer, Roberts claimed remake rights and fought creation of the poorly received 1981 version starring real-life boxer Leon Isaac Kennedy and his wife Jayne Kennedy. The original film was nominated for an Academy Award. Roberts, a native of New York City, also produced “Force of Evil” in 1948, and “Call Me Mister” and “He Ran All the Way” in 1951. Blacklisted during the McCarthy anti-communist era, he moved to England, where he continued producing films, including “All Night Long” in 1961, and legitimate theater, including the long-running play “Double Image.” On Aug. 23 in London.