Line #87 Creator/RogerCorman


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Roger_Corman_1553.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:"[[Film/RobotMonster To be like the Cor-Man]], [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S05E03SwampDiamonds to live like the Cor-Man."]]]]
3
4	->''"Well, that's it, we're doomed."''
5	-->-- '''Crow T. Robot''', ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', on seeing Roger Corman's name come up in the credits of ''Film/TheUndead''
6
7	Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American movie producer and director sometimes known as the "King of the BMovie". He has directed over 50 movies and produced over 300, every single one of them having been created on time and under budget. Most of them are low-brow {{exploitation film}}s of various types, and many have become "classic" examples of SoBadItsGood. A small few have actually become appreciated for their legitimate merits.
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9	Corman did have his shining moment of artistic legitimacy when he directed a series of Gothic {{horror}}s based on the works of Creator/EdgarAllanPoe. True, even these eight films--all released between 1960 and 1964, and all but one starring Creator/VincentPrice--are noticeably uneven, but the standouts ''really'' stand out. These include ''[[Film/ThePitandthePendulum The Pit and the Pendulum]]'' and ''Film/HouseOfUsher'', both of which featured legendary performances from Price, and ''Film/TheHauntedPalace'', which was the first [[LovecraftOnFilm screen adaptation]] of an Creator/HPLovecraft story (''Literature/TheCaseOfCharlesDexterWard''), [[DolledUpInstallment dolled up]] for the Poe series. Corman's best work is generally considered to be ''Film/ABucketOfBlood'', a satirical horror film that was partly autobiographical. His most enduring work, however, is probably ''Film/TheLittleShopOfHorrors''. Filmed in a world-record two days, this 1960 horror-comedy would go on to be adapted into a [[Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors musical]], a [[Film/LittleShopOfHorrors musical film]], and even a short-lived [[WesternAnimation/LittleShop animated kids' series]]. Corman made one film, ''The St. Valentine's Day Massacre'' (1967), for a major studio (Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox) with a decent budget, but disliked the experience and resumed making low-budget films.
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11	By the mid-'70s, he operated his own studio, New World Pictures, which allowed him to take a dip in the world of hoity-toity art films. He served as the American distributor for Creator/IngmarBergman's ''Film/CriesAndWhispers'', one of the rare foreign films to earn an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Picture. Other international films that Corman distributed in the U.S. included Volker Schlöndorff's ''Literature/TheTinDrum'', Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Literature/DersuUzala'', Bergman's ''Film/AutumnSonata'', Creator/FedericoFellini's ''Film/{{Amarcord}}'', Creator/AlainResnais's ''Film/MonOncleDAmerique'', and Creator/FrancoisTruffaut's ''Small Change'' and ''Film/TheStoryOfAdeleH''. Corman left New World Pictures in 1981 and formed another distribution company, Concorde-New Horizons.
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13	In addition to his knack for the financial aspects of moviemaking, Roger Corman had a keen eye for talent. Many well-known directors, including Creator/FrancisFordCoppola, Creator/JamesCameron, Creator/RonHoward, Creator/JoeDante, and Creator/MartinScorsese, started out directing films that Roger Corman produced. A number of actors--notably Creator/JackNicholson and Creator/RobertVaughn--also had their start under Corman. And in spite of his sexploitation films, many women such as Gale Anne Hurd also had their start in the film industry thanks to him. Corman realized women would work harder for less money as long as they had the opportunity to apply their talents, often denied thanks to the rampant sexism of mainstream Hollywood. In recognition of this, Corman received the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Academy Honorary Award]] in 2009.
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15	Please note that, although he's commonly known as the "King of the B-Movies", Corman ''hates'' the title. As he [[InsistentTerminology insists]], he made A-Movies on B-Movie budgets. Oh, and don't bring up ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' in his presence. Just ''don't!'' (During a Jorgenson Guest Filmmaker Lecture at Indiana University, [[TakeThat he took a swipe]] toward ''[=MST3K=]'', trenchantly observing that "If you don't have any ability yourself, maybe you can make money by [[LetsSeeYouDoBetter making fun of those who do]]".)
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17	----
18	!!Filmography on TV Tropes:
19	[[folder:Films Corman directed, produced, and/or distributed with their own pages (that aren't already mentioned here)]]
20	[[index]]
21	* ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheAdventureOfAllTime''
22	* ''Film/{{Amazons}}''
23	* ''Film/AttackOfTheCrabMonsters''
24	* ''Film/AttackOfTheGiantLeeches''
25	* ''Film/BarbarianQueen''
26	* ''Film/BattleBeyondTheStars''
27	* ''Film/BattleBeyondTheSun''
28	* ''Film/TheBigDollHouse''
29	* ''Film/BlackScorpion''
30	* ''Black Scorpion [=II=]: Aftershock''
31	* ''Film/BloodyMama''
32	* ''Film/BoxcarBertha''
33	* ''Bram Stoker's Burial of The Rats''
34	* ''Film/ABucketOfBlood''
35	* ''Film/CagedHeat''
36	* ''Caged Heat 3000''
37	* ''Film/{{Carnosaur}}''
38	* ''Film/ChoppingMall''
39	* ''Film/DeathRace2000''
40	* ''Film/DeathRace''
41	* ''Death Race 2''
42	* ''Death Race 3: Inferno''
43	* ''Death Race 2050''
44	* ''Death Race: Beyond Anarchy''
45	* ''Film/DeathstalkerSeries''
46	* ''Film/DeathstalkerIVMatchOfTheTitans''
47	* ''Film/Dementia13''
48	* ''Film/{{Dinocroc}}''
49	* ''Film/{{Dinoshark}}''
50	* ''WesternAnimation/DownAndDirtyDuck''
51	* ''Film/TheFantasticFour''
52	* ''Animation/FantasticPlanet''
53	* ''The Fast and the Furious'' (Not [[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious2001 that one.]])
54	* ''Film/ForbiddenWorld''
55	* ''Film/GalaxyOfTerror''
56	* ''Film/Godzilla1985''
57	* ''Film/GrandTheftAuto1977'' (unrelated to the video game ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'')
58	* ''Film/{{Gunslinger}}''
59	* ''Film/TheHauntedPalace''
60	* ''Film/HellComesToFrogtown''
61	* ''Film/HouseOfUsher''
62	* ''Film/HumanoidsFromTheDeep''
63	* ''Film/IBelieveInSantaClaus'' (as ''Here Comes Santa Claus'')
64	* ''Film/IlyaMuromets''
65	* ''Film/InTheAftermathAngelsNeverSleep''
66	* ''Film/TheIntruder''
67	* ''Film/TheLittleShopOfHorrors''
68	* ''Film/LordsOfTheDeep''
69	* ''Film/TheMasqueOfTheRedDeath''
70	* ''Munchies'' (1987)
71	* ''Film/{{Munchie}}''
72	* ''Munchie Strikes Back'' (1994)
73	* ''Film/NightCallNurses''
74	* ''Film/NightOfTheBloodBeast''
75	* ''Film/ThePitAndThePendulum''
76	* ''Film/PlanetOfStorms''
77	* ''Film/ThePrematureBurial''
78	* ''Film/TheRaven1963''
79	* ''Film/RockAndRollHighSchool''
80	* ''Film/TheSlumberPartyMassacre''
81	* ''Film/SlumberPartyMassacreII''
82	* ''Film/SlumberPartyMassacreIII''
83	* ''Film/{{Sorceress}}''
84	* ''Film/SororityHouseMassacre''
85	* ''Film/StrippedToKill''
86	* ''Film/TheStudentNurses''
87	* ''Film/{{Suburbia}}''
88	* ''Film/SwampDiamonds''
89	* ''Film/TalesOfTerror''
90	* ''Film/{{Targets}}''
91	* ''Film/TeenageCaveman''
92	* ''Film/TheTerror''
93	* ''Film/TheTombOfLigeia''
94	* ''Tower of London'' (1962)
95	* ''Film/TheTrip1967''
96	* ''Film/TheUndead''
97	* ''Film/{{Vampirella}}''
98	* ''Film/TheVelvetVampire''
99	* ''Film/VikingWomenAndTheSeaSerpent''
100	* ''Film/TheWarriorAndTheSorceress''
101	* ''[[Anime/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind Warriors of the Wind]]''
102	* ''Film/TheWaspWoman''
103	* ''Film/WizardsOfTheLostKingdom''
104	* ''Film/WizardsOfTheLostKingdom2''
105	* ''Film/TheWomanHunt''
106	* ''Film/XTheManWithTheXRayEyes''
107	[[/index]]
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	!!Corman's movies contain examples of:
111	* ActionGirl: Usually Creator/BeverlyGarland. Corman was a filmmaker who did not believe in the NeutralFemale - he had female protagonists who were tough, intelligent and resourceful. A good example is when Beverly Garland's character in ''Film/ItConqueredTheWorld'' ''grabs a shotgun'' when her idiot husband is mesmerized by the alien, and gives it a memorable TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, then growls: "You think you're gonna make a slave of the world... [[PrecisionFStrike I'll see you in Hell first!]]" Keep in mind, Garland was delivering this to a walking ''carrot'' and made it ''believable''. Heck, she's why it looks like a carrot in the first place. (The original character design was very squat, as Corman and creature designer Paul Blaisdell figured it was from a high-gravity planet. Bev walked up to it, said "So you're gonna conquer the world, huh? ''Ha!''" and ''kicked it.'' It was quickly decided that the creature would have to be taller than her. Given the usual time and budget restraints of Corman, this translated to "Give it a big tall conehead.")
112	-->'''Beverly Garland:''' ''[interviewed]'' He said, "Well, we figured it comes from a high-gravity planet, so it ought to be built low to the ground." I said, "Not ''that'' low!"
113	* TheBadGuyWins: ''Creature From The Haunted Sea''. It's one of his favorite endings.
114	-->'''Roger Corman:''' We have always killed off our monsters with fire, electricity, floods, whatever. This time the monster wins. The final shot in this picture is the monster sitting on the chest of gold at the bottom of the ocean floor. The skeletons of all the people in the picture are scattered around him and he's picking his teeth. That's it. The monster wins.
115	* BlackComedy
116	* CatScare
117	* ComicBookAdaptation;
118	** There were "[[Creator/DellComics Dell Movie Classics]]" based on ''The Raven'', ''The Tomb of Ligeia'', ''Tales of Terror'' and ''The Masque of Red Death''.
119	** Blue Water Productions did a ''Black Scorpion'' comic and a four-issue sequel to ''Battle Beyond The Stars'' called ''Battle Amongst The Stars''.
120	** Briefly had his own company in 1995 called ''Roger Corman's Cosmic Comics'' that only adapted his movies;
121	*** ''Welcome to The Little Shop Of Horrors'', a three-issue adaptation of the movie.
122	*** A two-issue adaptation of ''Rock and Roll High School''.
123	*** ''Death Race 2020''. A sequel to ''Death Race 2000'' that was cancelled after eight issues.
124	*** A ''Bram Stoker's Burial Of The Rats'' comic that came out alongside the movie.
125	*** A one-shot adaptation of ''Caged Heat 3000''.
126	** Creator/GoldKeyComics (a semi-spinoff of Dell Comics) adapted ''X! The Man With X-Ray Eyes''.
127	* CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority
128	* CreatorCameo: Particularly funny in his first film ''Monster from the Deep'', where he plays a jack-of-all-trades boathand who the captain calls "our one man crew."
129	* {{Fanservice}}: Many of his films will have a scene that shows the female lead topless.
130	** Blatantly obvious in ''Film/HumanoidsFromTheDeep''. He wanted more nudity but the director, Barbara Peeters, refused to shoot it, so he fired her and brought in someone else (in case you were wondering why a movie credited to a female director had so much monster-rape).
131	** Martin Scorsese recalls that the one piece of advice Corman gave him was "At least once every half hour, there must be nudity or the suggestion thereof."
132	* FollowTheLeader: [[invoked]] His films basically take whatever movie subjects are popular at the time, and make them cheaper, funnier, and (sometimes) racier.
133	* GirlsBehindBars: Corman didn't create the trope, but he did popularize it.
134	* IGaveMyWord: One of the reasons why he's so well remembered by anyone who worked with him. He actually kept any promises he made, something that's incredibly rare in Hollywood.
135	* JumpScare
136	* LineOfSightName: A nurse's union wrote to Corman to complain about one of his films which had an exploitative view of night call nurses. Corman realized he had the [[Film/NightCallNurses title of his next flick]].
137	* TheMockbuster: Did some of these. The most {{Egregious}} time was when New World Pictures [[{{Macekre}} butchered]] ''Anime/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' as ''Warriors of the Wind'' and attempted to sell the film as a ''Franchise/StarWars'' knockoff, complete with an [[CoversAlwaysLie all-new poster that rips off more than just]] ''Franchise/StarWars''.
138	** That said, the ''Nausicaa'' example was done by New World ''after'' Corman had left, so people who think he was behind it are [[{{Misblamed}} blaming him for something he didn't do]]. (Hell, New World was only responsible for the aforementioned poster; the actual butchering was done by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manson_International Manson International]], New World simply distributed it.)
139	* NeverTrustATrailer: Or never trust a movie poster, which had the sole purpose of getting people into the DriveInTheater.
140	* NoBudget: [[invoked]] Legendary for this, and is still going at it.
141	--> '''[[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Tom Servo]]''': Sorry about the costume. Corman's poodle died and he doesn't like to waste anything.
142	* ProductionPosse: [[invoked]] Corman had many regulars, including Jonathan Haze, Creator/DickMiller, and Beverly Garland.
143	* PublicDomainFeatureFilms: Any public domain DVD set is likely to have several of his pre 70s films on them.
144	* RecurringElement: In his fantasy films. Three Powers of Creation represented by a trio of {{MacGuffin}}s: A chalice, an amulet, and a sword. TheHero must collect all three from an evil wizard each.
145	* RecycledSet;
146	** ''Film/ABucketOfBlood'' was filmed on leftover sets from ''Diary Of a High School Bride'' and sets ''Bucket'' were reused for ''Film/TheLittleShopOfHorrors''.
147	** Sets from ''[[Film/TheRaven1963 The Raven]]'' were reused for ''Film/TheTerror''.
148	* RedplicaBaron: The 1971 movie, ''Von Richthofen and Brown'', alternatively titled ''The Red Baron'', starred John Phillip Law as Richthofen.
149	* ScreenToStageAdaptation;
150	** ''The Little Shop Of Horrors'' was adapted into the famous ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors'' musical in 1982.
151	** Chicago's ''Annoyance Theatre'' made ''A Bucket Of Blood'' into a musical in 2009.
152	* SelfAdaptation: He remade some of his own movies;
153	** He directed ''The Wasp Woman'' in 1960 and produced the 1995 remake.
154	** He produced ''Film/DeathRace2000'', its remake, ''Film/DeathRace'' and all of its prequels.
155	** He was executive producer for the original 1980 ''Humanoids from The Deep'' and produced its 1996 remake.
156	** He directed ''Film/ABucketOfBlood'' and produced its 1995 remake.
157	** He produced ''Film/ForbiddenWorld'' and its ''Dead Space'' remake.
158	* StarMakingRole: Launched the career's of many A-List Actors and Directors.
159	* StockFootage:
160	** Some of his early films had to do this to stay within budget. He actually wanted to avoid this in his remake of ''Tower Of London'', but ExecutiveMeddling wouldn't let him.
161	** Corman also used to buy quality Soviet sci-fi productions, re-edit them with added scenes, dub them in English and he'd have a cheapie sci-fi movie with quality special effects. He'd also reuse effects from more expensive movies like ''Film/BattleBeyondTheStars''.
162	* {{Stripperiffic}}: Mainly his output from the 70s and onward.
163	* ThrowItIn: [[invoked]] Some of the best moments in his films are this, as he was alright with letting his actors ad-lib as much as they want.

Context Creator / RogerCorman