Roger Corman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Corman in 1978 | |
| Born | Roger William Corman (1926-04-05)April 5, 1926 |
| Died | May 9, 2024(2024-05-09) (aged 98) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Stanford University (BS, Industrial Engineering, 1947)[1] |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1954–2024 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Gene Corman (brother) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1944–1946 |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Signature | |
 | |
Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor.[2][3] Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of theNew Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he was known as a trailblazer in the world ofindependent film.[4]
Many of the more than 500 features directed or produced by Corman were low-budget films that later attracted a cult following, such asA Bucket of Blood (1959),The Little Shop of Horrors (1960),The Intruder (1962),X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes (1963), and thecounterculture filmsThe Wild Angels (1966) andThe Trip (1967).House of Usher (1960) became the first of eight films directed by Corman that were adapted from the tales ofEdgar Allan Poe, and which collectively came to be known as the "Poe Cycle".[5][6]
In 1964, Corman became the youngest filmmaker to have a retrospective at theCinémathèque française,[7] as well as in theBritish Film Institute and theMuseum of Modern Art. He was the co-founder ofNew World Pictures, the founder ofNew Concorde and was a longtime member of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[8] In 2009, he was awarded anAcademy Honorary Award[9] "for his rich engendering of films and filmmakers".[10]
Corman was also famous for handling the American distribution of many films by noted foreign directors, includingFederico Fellini (Italy),Ingmar Bergman (Sweden),François Truffaut (France) andAkira Kurosawa (Japan). He mentored and gave a start to many young film directors such asFrancis Ford Coppola,[11]Ron Howard,[12]Martin Scorsese,[13]Jonathan Demme,[14]Peter Bogdanovich,[15]Joe Dante,[16]John Sayles,[17] andJames Cameron,[18][19] and was highly influential in theNew Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s.[20][21] He also helped to launch the careers of actors includingPeter Fonda,[22]Jack Nicholson,[18]Dennis Hopper,[17]Bruce Dern,[23]Diane Ladd,[24] andWilliam Shatner.[25]
Corman occasionally acted in films by directors who started with him, includingThe Godfather Part II (1974),[26]The Silence of the Lambs (1991),[27]Philadelphia (1993),[28]Apollo 13 (1995),[29] andThe Manchurian Candidate (2004).[30] A documentary about Corman's life and career titledCorman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, directed by Alex Stapleton, premiered at theSundance andCannes Film Festivals in 2011. The film's TV rights were picked up byA&E IndieFilms after a well-received screening at Sundance.[31]
Corman was born inDetroit,Michigan, to Anne (née High) and William Corman, a civil engineer,[32] ofRussian Jewish descent.[33][34] His younger brother,Gene, produced numerous films, sometimes in collaboration with Roger.[33] Corman was raised in his mother's Catholic faith.[35]
Corman went toBeverly Hills High School and then toStanford University to study industrial engineering. While at Stanford, Corman realized he did not want to be an engineer. He enlisted in theV-12 Navy College Training Program when he still had six months of study to complete. After serving in theUnited States Navy from 1944 to 1946, he returned to Stanford to finish his degree, receiving aBachelor of Science degree inindustrial engineering in 1947.[1] While at Stanford University, Corman was initiated in the fraternitySigma Alpha Epsilon.
In 1948, he worked briefly at U.S. Electrical Motors onSlauson Avenue in Los Angeles, but his career in engineering lasted only four days; he began work on Monday and quit on Thursday, telling his boss "I've made a terrible mistake." Soon after that he found work at20th Century Fox as a messenger in themailroom, earning $32.50 per week,[36] following his brother, who worked in themailroom, atMCA Inc..
Corman worked his way up to astory reader. The one property that he liked the most and provided ideas for was filmed asThe Gunfighter withGregory Peck. When Corman received no credit at all, he left Fox and decided he would work in film by himself. Under theG.I. Bill, Corman studied English literature at theUniversity of Oxford and lived in Paris for a time.[37]
Corman then returned to Los Angeles and tried to re-establish himself in the film industry. He took various jobs, including television stagehand atKLAC-TV and a messenger at Fox. He worked as an assistant to literary agent Dick Hyland.[38]
Corman wrote a script in his spare time and sold it toWilliam F. Broidy atAllied Artists for US$2,000 (equivalent to $23,418 in 2024). "Dick thought it was funny and let me pay myself a commission," said Corman.[39] Originally calledHouse in the Sea, it was retitledHighway Dragnet (1954) and starredRichard Conte andJoan Bennett. Corman also worked as associate producer on the film for nothing, just for the experience.[citation needed]
Corman used his script fee and personal contacts to raise US$12,000 (equivalent to $140,506 in 2024) to produce his first feature, a science-fiction film,Monster from the Ocean Floor (1954). It was produced by Corman's own company, Palo Alto, and released byRobert L. Lippert.[40]
The film did well enough to encourage Corman to produce another film, the racing-car thrillerThe Fast and the Furious (1954), directed by its star,John Ireland, and co-starringDorothy Malone. (Decades later, the title would be licensed from Corman fora blockbuster film of the same name.) Corman sold the movie to a new independent company, theAmerican Releasing Company (ARC), run byJames H. Nicholson andSamuel Z. Arkoff. Although Corman had a number of offers for the film from Republic and Columbia, he elected to go with ARC, because they undertook to advance money to enable him to make two more movies.[41]
Corman's second film for ARC was one he decided to direct,Five Guns West (1955), a Western, made in color for around $60,000, with Malone andJohn Lund.[42] The script was written byRobert Wright Campbell, who worked with Corman on several more occasions. Corman announced he would make four more projects for ARC:High Steel,Cobra,Fortress Beneath the Sea, and an untitled film from Campbell.[43] Instead, Corman did some uncredited directing onThe Beast with a Million Eyes (1955), then made another Western,Apache Woman (1955), starringLloyd Bridges, written byLou Rusoff. Rusoff and Corman reunited onDay the World Ended (1955), a postapocalyptic science-fiction film, which was popular.[44]
Corman was to makeThe Devil on Horseback byCharles B. Griffith about theBrownsville Raid,[45] but it was too expensive. TheWoolner Brothers, Louisiana drive-in owners, financed Corman'sSwamp Women (1956), a girls-on-the-lam saga. He returned to ARC for two Westerns,The Oklahoma Woman (1956) andGunslinger (1956) (with Ireland);Gunslinger was co-written by Griffith, who became a crucial collaborator with Corman over the next five years. He bought a script fromCurtis Harrington,The Girl from Beneath the Sea.[46] Harrington made it for Corman years later asNight Tide (1961).
Beverly Garland, one of Corman's early regular stock players, recalled working with him:
Roger made us work hard and long, I remember that! He was always fascinating to me, a fascinating man – and a good businessman! He had such incredible energy, it was tremendous – he was a dynamo to be around. I always knew he was going to be a huge success because there was no stopping him. He just made up his mind that he was going to be a success and that was it.[47]
ARC changed its name to American International Pictures. Corman was established as their leading filmmaker. They financed Corman's next film as director, the science-fiction storyIt Conquered the World (1956). Co-written by Griffith, it was a follow-up toThe Day the World Ended. It was a big hit.
He optioned a TV play,The Stake, and hoped to getDana Andrews to star.[49] It was never made. Instead,Walter Mirisch ofAllied Artists hired Corman to makeThe Undead (1957), inspired byThe Search for Bridey Murphy. Griffith wrote the script. In June, Corman made a science-fiction film for Allied Artists,Not of this Earth (1957), written by Griffith. In August 1956, AIP (American International Pictures) financed a Corman heist movie shot in Hawaii,Naked Paradise (1957), co-written by Griffith. Corman shot it back-to-back with a movie made with his own money,She Gods of Shark Reef (1958). Corman wound up selling the movie to AIP. Corman and Griffith reunited inAttack of the Crab Monsters (1957) for Allied, which wound up being one of his most successful early films.[50]
For his own production company, Corman made a rock-and-roll "quickle",Carnival Rock (1957), released by Howco.Rock All Night (1957) was a heist film written by Griffith expanded from a TV play, "The Little Guy", with musical acts inserted.[51] He was meant to makeRock'n'Roll Girl for AIP in December 1957.[52] In April 1957, Corman announced he would try to make two films back-to-back from then on to save costs.[53]
Corman made two "teen girl noirs",Teenage Doll (1957) for theWoolner Brothers andSorority Girl (1957), starringSusan Cabot for AIP.[54] For AIP, he madeThe Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent (1957), shot in August 1957.[55] He was meant to follow this withTeenage Jungle by Tony Miller.[56] The success ofNot of this Earth andCrab Monsters led to Allied offering Corman a four-picture deal for 1958.[57]
Corman received his first serious critical praise forMachine-Gun Kelly (1958), an AIP biopic ofthe famous gangster, which gaveCharles Bronson his first leading role and co-starred Cabot. Campbell wrote the script. Also for AIP, he didTeenage Caveman (1958), withRobert Vaughn, originally titledPrehistoric World. He helped produce two films for Allied Artists, both from scripts byLeo Gordon:Hot Car Girl (1958), directed byBernard Kowalski and produced by his brother Gene (the first film they made together) from a script by Gordon; andThe Cry Baby Killer (1958), which gaveJack Nicholson his first starring role.[58]
He had his biggest budget yet forI Mobster (1958), a gangster story, co-produced byEdward L. Alperson and Corman's brother Gene for 20th Century Fox. In September 1958, he was reported as scouting locations in Australia to do a remake ofH. Rider Haggard'sShe.[59]War of the Satellites (1958) was conceived and shot in record time to take advantage of the Sputnik launch; it was his first collaboration with art directorDaniel Haller. Corman also produced, but did not direct,Stakeout on Dope Street (1958), directed byIrvin Kershner,Night of the Blood Beast (1958), directed by Kowalski for AIP, using leftover costumes fromTeenage Caveman, andCrime and Punishment U.S.A. (1959), directed by Dennis Sanders withGeorge Hamilton in his first lead role.[60]
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In January 1959, Corman announced he would be moving into distribution.[61]
In 1959, Corman foundedThe Filmgroup with his brother Gene, a company producing or releasing low-budget black-and-white films asdouble features for drive-ins and action houses.[62] In February 1959, Filmgroup announced they would release 10 films. Their first movies wereHigh School Big Shot (1959) andT-Bird Gang (1959), produced by Stanley Bickman.[63]
Roger seemed a driven man. Roger wanted to accomplish a lot, he had to have a lot of drive to do it, and he pushed through. He not only pushed through, hepunched through! With a lot of energy, and a lot of disregard at times... What we did for Roger Corman – I mean, things that you could never do in a real studio, but you did for this guy! Everything seemed unreal with him.[64]
–Susan Cabot
For AIP, Corman and Griffith made a black comedy,A Bucket of Blood (1959). Corman announced he would follow it with a similar comedy,The Bloodshot Private Eye.[65] It does not seem to have been made. Instead, Griffith reused the same script structure and Corman employed many of the same cast inThe Little Shop of Horrors (1960). This film was reputedly shot in two days and one night.[66]
For Filmgroup, Corman directedThe Wasp Woman (1959), starring Cabot from a script by Gordon. His brother and he made two films back-to-back in South Dakota:Ski Troop Attack (1960), a war movie written by Griffith and directed by Corman, andBeast from Haunted Cave (1959), the first film directed byMonte Hellman.[67]
Corman went toPuerto Rico and produced another two films back-to-back:Battle of Blood Island (1960), directed byJoel Rapp, andLast Woman on Earth (1960), directed by Corman from a script byRobert Towne. Filming on these two films went so quickly and incentivized by the tax breaks on offer for filming in Puerto Rico, Corman commissioned Griffith to write a third, which was shot at the same time:Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961).[68]
Corman was going to makePart Time Mother from a script by Griffith[69] but it appears to have never been made.
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AIP wanted Corman to make two horror films for them, in black and white, at under $100,000 each on a 10-day shooting schedule. Corman, however, was tired of making films on this sort of budget and was worried the market for them was in decline. He proposed making a film in color for $200,000, shot over 15 days. Corman proposed an adaptation of "The Fall of the House of Usher" byEdgar Allan Poe and AIP agreed. The film was announced in May 1959.[70]
Richard Matheson was hired to do the adaptation andVincent Price was brought in to star; Haller did the art direction. The resulting film,House of Usher (1960), shot in early 1960, was a critical and commercial hit.
Following this, Corman bought two scripts,Sob Sisters Don't Cry andCop Killer.[71] In March 1960, Corman announced that Filmgroup would be part of an international production group, Compass Productions.[72] He directed apeplum in Greece,Atlas, (1961) in August.
He was going to direct a thriller from a script byRobert Towne,I Flew a Spy Plane Over Russia.[73] It was not made; neither were two comedies he was to make withDick Miller and Jon Haze,Murder at the Convention[74] andPan and the Satyrs.[75]
House of Usher had been so successful that AIP wanted a follow-up, and Corman, Haller, Matheson and Price reunited onThe Pit and the Pendulum (1961). It was another sizable hit, and the "Poe cycle" of films was underway.[76]
Corman hiredCharles Beaumont to writeMasque of the Red Death and announced two films,Captain Nemo and the Floating City[77] andHouse of Secrets.[78]
FollowingThe Pit and the Pendulum, Corman directed one ofWilliam Shatner's earliest appearances in a lead role withThe Intruder (a.k.a.The Stranger, 1962). Based on a novel byCharles Beaumont, the film was co-produced by Gene Corman and was shot in July and August 1961.[79] It took a while for the film to be released and it lost money.[80]
Corman was unhappy with his profit participation on the first two Poe films, so he made a third adaptation for different producers,The Premature Burial (1962), written byCharles Beaumont and starringRay Milland. The film was co-financed by Pathe labs; AIP put pressure on Pathe by threatening to withdraw lab work from them and ended up buying out their interest.[81]
For producerEdward Small, Corman made a historical horror piece aboutRichard III,Tower of London (1962), starringVincent Price. It was meant to be the first in a three-picture deal with Small, but Corman did not enjoy working with the producer.[82]
For Filmgroup, he also bought the rights to a Soviet science-fiction film,Nebo Zovyot (1959) and had some additional footage shot for it by his then-assistant, Francis Ford Coppola; the result wasBattle Beyond the Sun (1962). He also releasedThe Magic Voyage of Sinbad (1962), dubbed from a Soviet film.[83]
The fourth Poe was an anthology,Tales of Terror (1962), shot in late 1961. One of the installments, "The Black Cat", was a comedy, inspiring Corman to do a whole Poe story comedically next:The Raven (1963). Later, Corman used the sets for that film forThe Terror (1963), made for Filmgroup but released by AIP, and starringBoris Karloff (whose scenes were all shot in two days) and Jack Nicholson. Corman did not direct all of this film; additional scenes were shot by Monte Hellman, Coppola, and Jack Hill, among others.[citation needed]
The Young Racers (1963) was produced and directed by Corman in Europe for AIP, starring and written by Campbell. Working on the film was Francis Ford Coppola, whom Corman financed to make his directorial debut,Dementia 13 (1963).[citation needed]
Back in the U.S., Corman madeX: The Man with the X-ray Eyes (1963), a contemporary science-fiction film for AIP starringRay Milland. He followed it withThe Haunted Palace (1963), ostensibly part of the Poe cycle—it featured Price and was made for AIP, written by Beaumont—but was actually based on a story byH. P. Lovecraft.[citation needed]
Corman directed a war film in Yugoslavia with his brother,The Secret Invasion (1964), withStewart Granger andMickey Rooney, from a script by Campbell. Following this, he announced he would makeThe Life of Robert E. Lee as part of a four-picture deal with Filmgroup worth $3.75 million. Other movies wereFun and Profit by Joel Rapp,The Wild Surfers by John Lamb, andPlanet of Storms byJack Hill.[84] None of these films was made, nor wasThe Gold Bug, a Poe adaptation written by Griffith.[85]
Corman made two Poes in England starring Price, the much-delayedThe Masque of the Red Death (1964), with Campbell rewriting Beaumont's scripts, andThe Tomb of Ligeia (1965), from a script by Robert Towne.[86] Corman made no further Poes; AIP started up a fresh Poe cycle in the late 1960s, but Corman was not part of it.[87]
Corman got Towne to write a script calledThe Red Baron.[88] He bought the rights to another Soviet science-fiction film,Planeta Bur (1962), and had some additional footage added to it byCurtis Harrington. The result wasVoyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965). Harrington used footage fromPlaneta Bur in another film financed by Corman,Queen of Blood (1966).[citation needed]
He also bought the rights to a Yugoslavian film,Operation Titan (1963), and financed additional shooting byJack Hill andStephanie Rothman. The result wasBlood Bath (1966). He also had an investment in thebeach party filmsBeach Ball (1965) andIt's a Bikini World (1967).[89]
Corman said, "For ten years as an independent I could get financing for $100–$200–$300,000 pictures. Everything had been interesting, artistically satisfying, economically satisfying. But I decided I was going nowhere and wanted to move directly into the business. So I accepted a contract with Columbia."[90]
In August 1965, Corman announced he had signed a contract with United Artists to make two films over three years. He also signed with Columbia to make a Western,The Long Ride Home, based on a script by Robert Towne.[91]
He was announced for a number of other projects at Columbia: the biopic ofRobert E. Lee, an adaptation ofPortrait of the Artist as a Young Man, an adaptation of Kafka'sThe Penal Colony, and a script by novelist Richard Yates about theBattle of Iwo Jima.[92][93] He intended to makeThe Deserters for UA, from a script by Wright, but that was not made either.[94]
He later reflected, "Every idea I submitted was considered too strange, too weird; every idea they had seemed too ordinary to me. Ordinary pictures don't make money."[90]
After a year of not directing, Corman took a leave of absence under his contract with Columbia to make a film for AIP, the first biker movie,The Wild Angels. It starredPeter Fonda andNancy Sinatra, from a script by Griffith;Peter Bogdanovich worked as Corman's assistant. The film opened the 1966 Venice Film Festival and was hugely successful at the box office, making over $6 million on a $350,000 budget and kicking off the "biker movie" cycle.[95]
He wanted to make a film about theRed Baron, but Columbia turned it down because ofThe Blue Max (1966). He proposed a movie about theSt Valentine's Day Massacre and also an adaptation of the novelOnly Lovers Left Alive.[90]Nick Ray was meant to be makingOnly Lovers in Britain.
Corman did begin directingLong Ride Home withGlenn Ford at Columbia. However, Corman left production a few weeks into the shoot in June 1966 and was replaced byPhil Karlson.[96] The film was retitledA Time for Killing (1967).
Corman received an offer to direct a studio film,The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), for 20th Century Fox, starringJason Robards andGeorge Segal. He did not enjoy the restrictions of working for a major studio. He was given a $2.5 million budget and made it for $400,000 less.[97] Corman, an independent director, was most comfortable in his own style: shoestring budgets and shooting schedules measured in days, rather than weeks. Nonetheless, it is generally considered one of his best films as a director.[citation needed]
Corman was meant to follow this withRobert E. Lee for United Artists at a budget of $4.5 million.[90] It was not made. Neither was a story Corman optioned,The Spy in the Vatican.[98]
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Corman continued to finance films for Filmgroup:Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965), dubbing a Soviet moviePlaneta Bur into English with some additional footage shot by Curtis Harrington,Queen of Blood (1966), using some Soviet footage but a mostly new film, directed by Harrington,Blood Bath (1966), an adapted Yugoslavian film with additional footage shot byStephanie Rothman and Jack Hill, andVoyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1967), yet another dubbed version ofPlaneta Bur with some additional footage shot by Corman's then-assistantPeter Bogdanovich.[citation needed]
Corman had money inNavy vs. the Night Monsters (1967). He financed two Westerns shot back to back in Utah, directed by Monte Hellman and written and co-produced by Jack Nicholson,The Shooting (1967) andRide in the Whirlwind (1967), which were never released theatrically in the US but became cult successes several years later.[99][98] He also financed two films directed by Dan Haller,Devil's Angels (1967), a follow-up toWild Angels written by Griffith, and a car racing film shot in Europe,The Wild Racers (1968). He announced a comedy about the population explosion,There Just Isn't Any Room, but it appears to have never been made.[100]
Corman directedThe Trip for AIP, written byJack Nicholson and starringPeter Fonda,Dennis Hopper andBruce Dern. This began the psychedelic film craze of the late 1960s and was the American entry at Cannes that year.[101] Corman tookLSD and used the experience to shape the film.[102] AIP made some changes to the film in post-production, which made Corman unhappy.[102]
In September 1967, Corman announced plans to build a new film studio.[103] However, this did not happen for a number of years.[clarification needed][citation needed]
Corman made a film for American TV,Target: Harry (1968), shot in Europe with his brother producing. He did some uncredited directing on AIP'sDe Sade (1969) when directorCy Endfield fell ill. He financed Bogdanovich's first feature,Targets (1968), which incorporated footage fromThe Terror. He also producedThe Dunwich Horror (1970) for AIP, directed by Haller and co-written byCurtis Hanson, and financed Haller'sPaddy.[104]
For AIP, Corman returned to the director's chair for a gangster film,Bloody Mama (1970), starringShelley Winters and a youngRobert de Niro. It was a big hit at the box office. He also directed a black comedy,Gas-s-s-s (1970), written byGeorge Armitage; it was cut without his permission by AIP and was a financial failure.[105]
United Artists finally agreed to finance his Red Baron project, although they asked that it emphasize American characters. Accordingly, it was filmed asVon Richthofen and Brown (1971), shot in Ireland in July 1970. There were several plane crashes during filming and one person died.[106] Corman was going to make a film ofCouples, a novel byJohn Updike forUnited Artists, andIn from a script by Richard Schupe,[107] but decided to take a break from directing. "Directing is very hard and very painful," he said in 1971. "Producing is easy. I can do it without really thinking about it."[108]
In May 1970, Corman foundedNew World Pictures, which became a small independently owned production/distribution studio,[109] immediately successful withAngels Die Hard (1970), a biker film, andThe Student Nurses (1971), directed by Rothman.The Big Doll House (1971), directed byJack Hill in the Philippines, was a big hit, making a star ofPam Grier. The company made a profit of $3.2 million in its first financial year, and Corman said all eleven out of his first eleven films were successful.[110]Angels Die Hard led to a series of biker films, includingAngels Hard as They Come (1971), produced byJonathan Demme withJack Fisk working as art director.Bury Me an Angel (1971) was the first biker movie directed by a woman,Barbara Peeters. Corman financed the directorial debuts ofCurtis Hanson,Sweet Kill (1973), produced by Corman protégéeTamara Asseyev.Student Nurses led to a "cycle" of nurse pictures, includingPrivate Duty Nurses (the first film directed byGeorge Armitage),Night Call Nurses (1972) (the first feature directed byJonathan Kaplan),The Young Nurses andCandy Stripe Nurses (1975). There was alsoThe Student Teachers (1973) andSummer School Teachers (1974).Big Doll House was followed by a series of women in prison pictures, such asWomen in Cages (1972),The Hot Box (1972),Black Mama, White Mama (1973),The Arena (1974) (the first film directed bySteve Carver) andCaged Heat (1974) (the first film directed by Demme). Of New World's second year, Corman said 11 of the 12 releases were successful.[111] Corman produced one more film at AIP,Boxcar Bertha (1972), the second feature directed byMartin Scorsese, starringDavid Carradine. He also executive producedUnholy Rollers (1972) for AIP. A proposed political satire,The Wild Political Prank, was not made.[112] He madeI Escaped from Devil's Island (1973) with his brother and producedCockfighter (1974) with Monte Hellman, which was a rare financial failure for New World. A big hit wasBig Bad Mama (1974), a gangster film directed by Carver and starringAngie Dickinson. It led to a follow-up,Crazy Mama (1975), produced by his wife and directed by Demme. In 1975, Corman said New World was "the most successful independent film company in the country...if you count AIP as a major". He said they were "the best of the cheap acts".[113]
In the 1970s, the major Hollywood studios were moving away from distributing foreignarthouse pictures, New World moved into the market and became the American distributor forCries and Whispers (1972), directed byIngmar Bergman. Corman bought it for $75,000 and it earned over $2 million at the U.S. box office.[111][114] and Corman's distribution side of New World brought many foreign films to mass audiences in the U.S. for the first time – reportedly some played at drive-ins and grindhouses – including the works ofFrançois Truffaut (The Story of Adele H.,Small Change),Peter Weir (The Cars That Ate Paris),Federico Fellini (Amarcord),Joseph Losey (The Romantic Englishwoman),Volker Schlöndorff (The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum,The Tin Drum) andAkira Kurosawa (Dersu Uzala). New World also releasedFantastic Planet (1974).
In a 10-year period, New World Pictures won more Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film than all other studios combined.[citation needed]
Corman had a four-picture deal with20th Century Fox,[115] makingCapone (1975),Fighting Mad (1976) (directed by Demme),Moving Violation (1976) andThunder and Lightning (1977). According toFilmink, "most of his Fox movies may as well have been made for Corman's own company, as I'm sure he himself realised."[116]
Death Race 2000 (1975), written byRobert Thom and directed byPaul Bartel, was a big hit, earning $4 million.[117] It helped inspire a series of car chase movies:Cannonball (1976), directed by Bartel;Eat My Dust! (1976), directed by Griffith starringRon Howard, which led to a follow-up,Grand Theft Auto (1978), Howard's directorial debut. Other films from the same period includedThe Great Texas Dynamite Chase (1976),Deathsport (1978), andSmokey Bites the Dust (1981).[118]
New World's trailers were cut byJoe Dante and Alan Arkush. Corman gave them the chance to direct together, withHollywood Boulevard (1976), which used outtakes from other New World films.[119] It was successful enough for Corman to give both men jobs directing features on their own: Dante withPiranha (1978) and Arkush withRock 'n' Roll High School (1979).[citation needed]
Piranha was written byJohn Sayles, who had been discovered by Corman's story editor,Frances Doel. Sayles later wroteThe Lady in Red (1979) for Corman, which was directed byLewis Teague and featured the first score byJames Horner.[120]
Other popular films around this time includedTidal Wave (1975), a Japanese film to which Corman added some extra footage, andJackson County Jail (1976). He also financedI Never Promised You a Rose Garden.[121] Less popular wasAvalanche (1979), a disaster film directed by Corey Allen, which only grossed $87,000 on a budget of $6.5 million.[122]
For Universal, he madeFast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider (1979), directed by Carver. He produced Bogdanovich'sSaint Jack (1979).[123]
Corman was criticized when he insisted on the addition of footage featuring a rape forHumanoids from the Deep (1980).[124] Similarly, inGalaxy of Terror, as noted onSchlock and Awe...some, "Corman promised the investors that the film would feature a Taaffe O'Connell sex-scene and a gruesome death-scene as-well. To save time, Corman put the two together. The actress agreed to a nude scene, but NOT a rape scene. Corman isn't the kind of man who takes no for an answer, and after some contract renegotiation, O'Connell agreed to being raped to death by a giant worm-monster.Money... it does amazing things."[125]
The success ofStar Wars inspired New World's most expensive film yet,Battle Beyond the Stars (1981).[126] This film required extensive special effects, prompting Corman to buy a movie studio in Main Street Venice for $1.5 million.[127] Corman made a TV film for CBS,The Georgia Peaches (1980).[128]
Battle Beyond the Stars was so successful Corman had its footage and music score reused in other films such asGalaxy of Terror (1981) andForbidden World (1982).[129]
Corman picked up a film calledThe Personals (1983) that enjoyed success.[130]
Corman sold New World Pictures in January 1983 to a consortium of three lawyers for $16.9 million.[131]
Under the terms of the contract, he agreed to stay on as a consultant for two years and to provide New World with at least five films they could release. New World agreed to distribute all of Corman's films until March 1984. He set up a new production company, Millennium – the title of which was taken from the name of a 1981 retrospective of Corman's work at theNational Film Theatre in London. He announced plans to make films budgeted between $2–5 million using cash from his sale of New World to finance personally. He announced an intention to make fewer commercial films, movies more likeI Never Promised You a Rose Garden andCries and Whispers.[132]
Millennium's films includedSpace Raiders (1983), a science fiction epic using footage and music fromBattle Beyond the Stars;Love Letters (1983), a serious drama fromAmy Holden Jones;Screwballs (1984), a sex comedy in the vein ofPorky's;Suburbia (1984), directed byPenelope Spheeris, which he acquired,Deathstalker; andKain of Dark Planet (which becameThe Warrior and the Sorceress).Deathstalker was made through Corman's old company, Palo Alto Productions; it was the first in a series of sword and scorcery films he did in Argentina.[132] (Corman would ultimately made nine co productions in Argentina with the local company Aries.[133]
Corman says people struggled with the name "Millennium" – "nobody could spell it, nobody knew what it meant" – so he changed it to New Horizons by early 1984.[134]
Corman and the new owners of New World ended up suing each other in March 1985. Corman claimed that New World failed to honor their guarantee to distribute his movies at a fee of 15%. He sought $400 million in damages and the return of the company. He said they refused to distributeSchool Spirit (1985) andWheels of Fire. He also claimed that New World cheated him distributingSpace Raiders,Screwballs andSlumber Party Massacre. New World sued Corman in return, claiming he was seeking to return to distribution, and was discrediting New World to potential investors. They said Corman bypassed New World for some of his films, such as Columbia'sHardbodies (1984). Corman argued, "My whole point in selling was to free myself of the burden of running the company and to get guaranteed distribution. If I can't get my guaranteed distribution, I'm forced to go back to running the company."[135]
The case with New World settled out of court. In March 1985 Corman announced he would establish a new distribution "cooperative", Concorde Pictures, where producers could get relatively cheap distribution from Concorde in exchange for contributing to the company's overhead. Their first releases were Corman productionsSchool Spirit,Wheels of Fire andBarbarian Queen.[136] Concorde later merged with a low-budget production company, Cinema Group, and announced plans to make 15–20 films a year.[137] The first release between Cinema Release and Concorde wasStreetwalkin', a more serious drama from Joan Freeman.[138]
Early Concorde releases also includeLoose Screws (1985), a sequel toScrewballs;Cocaine Wars (1986), the first in a series of movies Corman would finance in South America;Hour of the Assassin (1987), shot in Peru and the first film directed byLuis Llosa; andMunchies (1987), a spoof ofGremlins directed byTina Hirsch.[139]
Corman also remadeNot of this Earth (1988) and releasedBig Bad Mama II (1987), andTransylvania Twist (1989); all three were directed byJim Wynorski. He produced another version ofMasque of the Red Death (1989), directed by Larry Brand. He producedSweet Revenge (1987),Slumber Party Massacre II (1988), directed by Deborah Brock,Andy Colby's Incredible Adventure (1988), also directed by Brock, andThe Terror Within (1989), directed by Thierry Notz. Corman financed the early directorial efforts ofCarl Franklin (Nowhere to Run (1989)),Vargas Llosa andKatt Shea (Stripped to Kill (1988),Stripped to Kill II (1989)). More experimental wasNightfall (1988). AfterHour of the Assassin, he made a series of films in Peru, includingCrime Zone (1989), also directed by Luis Llosa, andFull Fathom Five (1990), directed by Carl Franklin. Concorde had a big hit withBloodfist (1989), starring Don "the Dragon" Wilson which cost $1 million and earned over $6 million. Concorde signed Wilson to a long-term contract and he made a number of sequels for the company, includingBloodfist II andFighting to Win.[140]
Corman returned to directing once more withFrankenstein Unbound (1990). In 1990, Concorde sued MGM for $6 million.[141] Concorde's films includedOverexposed (1990),The Unborn (1991), andIn the Heat of Passion (1992). They had a big hit withCarnosaur (1993), which led to several sequels. He financedFire on the Amazon (1991, directedLuis Llosa) which hadSandra Bullock andCraig Sheffer in early roles.[citation needed]
Corman had to deal with the decline of the drive-in market and studio competition through the 1990s, but Concorde-New Horizons still made 15–24 pictures a year.[142] This includedThe Fantastic Four (1994), based on theMarvel Comicssuperhero team of the same name.Fantastic Four co-creatorStan Lee claimed that the film was made solely for the producer,Bernd Eichinger, and his production company,Constantin Films, to retain the film rights.Avi Arad, a Marvel executive at the time, disputes this and contends that he offered Corman & Eichinger "a couple million dollars" to never release the film in order to protect the image of the characters; this version was supported by both Corman & Eichinger.[143]The Fantastic Four was never officially released, thoughbootleg recordings have made the rounds over the years, and the film is available for free onYouTube andDailyMotion. The film's troubled production was the subject of a feature documentary,Doomed!: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four, released in 2015.[144]
In 1995, Corman was executive producer onRoger Corman Presents, a special series of 13 movies for Showtime with budgets of around $1.5 million each. "I think the Corman name means action, humor and some titillation," says Mike Elliott, the producer of the series. "It's going to deliver the goods – and it will have a little moral statement in there as well."[145] Corman ended up doing a second season of 11 movies. The films wereBram Stoker's Burial of the Rats,Hellfire,Virtual Seduction,Suspect Device,Unknown Origin,Terminal Virus,Where Evil Lies,Vampirella,Shadow of a Scream,Subliminal Seduction,House of the Damned (a.k.a.Spectre),The Haunted Sea,Alien Avengers (a.k.a.Aliens Among Us) and its sequel,Inhumanoid,Sawbones,Not Like Us, andLast Exit to Earth. He created his own comic book franchise,Black Scorpion, which led to a sequel and later a TV series. Corman also executive-produced remakes ofThe Wasp Woman,Humanoids from the Deep,A Bucket of Blood (a.k.a.The Death Artist),Piranha andNot of this Earth.
Concorde set up operations in Ireland asConcorde Anois, building studios inConnemara, County Galway.[146] He received some support from the Irish government, a decision which became controversial when the content of some Corman productions such asCriminal Affairs was criticized in the press.[147][148][149][150][146]
Later Concorde-New Horizons films includedOverdrive (1997). "The genres still hold", said Corman in 1997, "action adventure, the suspense thriller, science fiction and horror. The difference is that they are bigger and better now. "[151] Corman also produced the filmMoving Target which was filmed inCounty Galway. It was his last film produced with Concorde-New Horizons.[152]
Corman operated a short-lived comic book imprint in 1995–1996 calledRoger Corman's Cosmic Comics. It produced comics based on his films, written and drawn in a similar no-holds-barred style. Titles includedBram Stoker's Burial of the Rats,Caged Heat 3000,Death Race 2020,Welcome toThe Little Shop of Horrors, andRock & Roll High School — the latter featuring theMelvins (instead of theRamones).[153] Notable creators published by Cosmic Comics includedTrevor Goring,James Kochalka,Jason Lutes,Pat Mills,Shane Oakley,Jerry Prosser, andJ. R. Williams. The longest-running title wasDeath Race 2020, which lasted eight issues[154] — but was left unfinished when the company closed down.
Corman continued to produce creature films, such asRaptor (2001, dirJim Wynorski).Dinocroc (2004), which aired on theSyfy cable television channel[155] and was popular enough for two sequels,Supergator andDinocroc vs. Supergator (2010), as well as a spin-off film,Dinoshark (2010).Supergator (2007) was turned down by the Syfy channel, but Corman made it anyway.[156]
Corman also continued to make action films:Escape from Afghanistan (2001) was a Russian film,Peshavar Waltz plus some additional footage;The Hunt for Eagle One (2006) andThe Hunt for Eagle One: Crash Point (2006) were shot in the Philippines;Roger Corman's Operation Rogue (2014);Fist of the Dragon (2015).
In 2006, Corman said he made 60% of his films overseas. "These foreign countries are offering subsidies that are so great that not only I but many independent producers are moving overseas", he said.[157] He sold the remake rights ofDeath Race 2000 to Universal, who madeDeath Race (2008) with Jason Statham, with Corman credited as executive producer. It led to two direct-to-video prequels and one direct-to-video sequel.
In 2009, Corman produced and directed alongside directorJoe Dante the web seriesSplatter for Netflix.[158] The protagonist of the film is portrayed byCorey Feldman,[159] and the story talks of the haunting tale of rock-and-roll legend Johnny Splatter.[160] He also started contributing trailer commentaries to Dante's web seriesTrailers from Hell.[161] In 2011, Corman citedJames Cameron'sAvatar (2009) andChristopher Nolan'sInception (2010) as examples of "great imagination and originality".[162]
By now, the SyFy channel was Corman's leading market. For them, he madeSharktopus (2010) andPiranhaconda (2012). Corman produced the 2017 filmDeath Race 2050, a sequel to the 1975 filmDeath Race 2000. It was made with Universal, Corman's first film with a major studio in more than two decades.[163]
Selected credits:
In 2010, Roger Corman teamed upNew Horizons Pictures withShout! Factory to release new DVD and Blu-ray editions of Corman productions under the nameRoger Corman's Cult Classics.[164][165] The releases have concentrated on 1970–1980s films he produced through New World rather than directed. These titles includeRock 'n' Roll High School,Death Race 2000,Galaxy of Terror,Forbidden World,Big Bad Mama,Big Bad Mama II,The Terror Within,Deathsport,Time Walker,The Unborn andPiranha, with additional titles continuing to be released.[166]
In 2022, Corman participated in theSight & Sound film polls of that year. It is held every ten years to select the greatest films of all time, by asking contemporary directors to select ten films of their choice.[167]
Corman's selections were:
Corman was married toJulie Halloran from 1970 until his death.[168] They had four children.[169] Corman died at his home inSanta Monica, California, on May 9, 2024, at the age of 98.[37][170]
When Corman's death was announced by his family on Corman's official Instagram account, his sons were not mentioned in the announcement: "He is survived by his wife Julie and his daughters Catherine and Mary.... A devoted and selfless father, he was deeply loved by his daughters."[171]
In 2009, Corman was sued by his children, who claimed they had been unfairly fired from the family production business after raising questions about the family trust.[172]
In 2016, Corman alleged in litigation he was owed $170 million against a financial planner.[173]
In 2018, Corman and his wife were sued by their sons over the sale of Corman's film library.[174][175] This case was reportedly settled in February 2020. "It's settled and over," said Corman at the time.[176]
In 1964, Corman was the youngest producer/director to be given a retrospective at theCinémathèque Française, as well as retrospectives at theBritish Film Institute and theMuseum of Modern Art. Corman won the Lifetime Achievement Award atStockholm International Film Festival in 1990. Corman was the subject of the 1978 documentaryRoger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel, produced and directed byChristian Blackwood. Portions of the film reappeared in 2011'sCorman's World. He won the first Producer's Award ever given by theCannes Film Festival in 1998.[37][circular reporting?]
Corman received the David O. Selznick Award from theProducers Guild of America in 2006. That same year, his filmFall of the House of Usher was among the twenty-five movies selected for theNational Film Registry, a compilation of significant films being preserved by theLibrary of Congress. TheAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Corman with anAcademy Honorary Award at the inauguralGovernors Awards,[177] on November 14, 2009.[178]
In 2010, writer and actorMark Gatiss interviewed Corman for his BBC documentary seriesA History of Horror, of which the second half of the second episode focuses on Corman.[179] In 2010, Corman was inducted into theBeverly Hills High School Hall of Fame. Corman was honored with the Filmmaker on the Edge Award at theProvincetown International Film Festival in 2012. He received the "Extraordinary Contribution to Film" award at theAustin Film Festival in 2018.[180]
Corman was a member of numerous organizations such as theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and theProducers Guild of America as well asNew World Pictures,New Concorde, andAmerican International Pictures. Film elements and prints for many movies directed, produced, and/or distributed by Corman are held at theAcademy Film Archive as part of the New Horizons Collection.[181] The Academy Film Archive restored Corman's filmThe Masque of the Red Death in 2019.[182]
A number of noted filmmakers (including directors, producers, writers, and cinematographers) have worked with Corman, usually early in their careers, includingFrancis Ford Coppola,Martin Scorsese,Ron Howard,Polly Platt,Peter Bogdanovich,Declan O'Brien,Armondo Linus Acosta,Paul Bartel,Jonathan Demme,Donald G. Jackson,Gale Anne Hurd,Carl Colpaert,Joe Dante,James Cameron,John Sayles,Monte Hellman,Carl Franklin,[183]George Armitage,Jonathan Kaplan,George Hickenlooper,Curtis Hanson,Jack Hill,Robert Towne,Menahem Golan,James Horner, andTimur Bekmambetov. Many have said that Corman's influence taught them some of the ins and outs of filmmaking.[184] In the extras for the DVD ofThe Terminator, director James Cameron asserts, "I trained at the Roger Corman Film School." The British directorNicolas Roeg served as thecinematographer onThe Masque of the Red Death.[185] Cameron, Coppola, Demme, Hanson, Howard and Scorsese have all gone on to winAcademy Awards. Howard was reportedly told by Corman: "If you do a good job on this film, you'll never have to work for me again."[citation needed]
Actors who obtained their career breaks working for Corman includeJack Nicholson,Peter Fonda,Bruce Dern,Charles Bronson,Todd Field[186]Michael McDonald,Dennis Hopper,Tommy Lee Jones,Talia Shire,Sandra Bullock,Robert De Niro, andDavid Carradine, who received one of his first starring film roles in the Corman-producedBoxcar Bertha (1972) and went on to star inDeath Race 2000 (along withSylvester Stallone). Many of Corman's protegés have paid their mentor homage by awarding him cameos in films, such as inThe Godfather Part II,[187]The Silence of the Lambs,[188]Apollo 13,[184] and as recently as the Demme filmRachel Getting Married (2008).[citation needed]
Among the Corman associates and protegees interviewed are David Carradine, Peter Fonda, Ron Howard, Paul Bartel, Martin Scorsese, Joe Dante and Peter Bogdanovich.
I shot Little Shop of Horrors in two days and a night for about $30,000, and the picture has lasted all these years.
Premature Burial.
In 1990 Corman published an autobiography, written in collaboration with Jim Jerome, How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime and thereby, unwittingly, joined my act.
Biographies
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