(not to be confused with National Gorilla-Suit Day)
It's midnight, so maybe I'll be the first to post a Roger Corman blog on the Great Man's 80th birthday. For anyone who might read this and not know who Roger Corman is, he's a director/producer known for releasing tons of sci-fi/horror films in the 50's,60's, & 70's. His reputation mostly centers around two distinct qualities: first, he left no stone unturned in the exploitation film market, releasing films (some great, some awful, but always profitable) that were often shot in just a few days, with an eye always on the bottom line and what sure-fire elements would lure the teens to the drive-in or theater. Second, he had an uncanny eye for spotting potential in unknown aspiring actors and directors, and he gave an amazing list of people their first big breaks in the film biz: Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Joe Dante, Jonathan Demme, Dennis Hopper, Bruce Dern, Jack Hill, just to name a few.
So Tim Lucas, of Video Watchdog, has asked bloggers everywhere to write something about Roger on his birthday, and how can I refuse? Lord knows I've spent countless hours being entertained by the filmic fruits of Rog's labors. I really don't have anything profound to say that hasn't been said before, so instead I'll just jot down a few quick thoughts on the great Mr. Corman:
First, I think it's cool that our Shannon Smith shares a birthday with Roger. Here's some things they also share:
1. Shannon can accomplish in two days what a huge crew of overpaid people would fumble over for months.
2. Like Roger, Shannon has a keen eye for talent that others might sneer upon, as witness her enthusiasm for The Exotic Ones and Secret Commonwealth.
3. Shannon might occasionally break even, but she's never at a loss.
THE TERROR is a classic example of the Corman magic/method. He finished filming his comedy version of THE RAVEN, and discovered he still had some of the cast (including Jack Nicholson and Boris Karloff), crew, and sets available for another two days. Never one to waste any part of the buffalo, Roger had a second film made - one with no script, with several people taking turns directing (including, you guessed it - Jack Nicholson), and the result was THE TERROR, which despite being made up on the spot, manages to actually have some pretty creepy moments.
Corman is a fascinating blend of pragmatist and visionary. He loved film and his own directorial efforts show undeniable artistry and style, even as he kept one eye always on the budget sheet. He acquired and introduced numerous high-brow foreign films for distribution in this country, yet he was known to splice footage of an exploding helicopter into foreign film trailers, in order to convince theater patrons that these were thrilling pictures. I can't remember off the top of my head what specific films he did this "trailer doctoring" for, but it's fun to imagine a trailer for Ingmar Bergman's THE SEVENTH SEAL....Max Von Sydow engaging Death in a chess-game and existential Swedish dialogue, against the stark black-and-white landscape...and then suddenly we cut to an exploding helicopter!!
For me, Corman's crowning achievements were the series of films (very loosely) based on Edgar Allan Poe, starring Vincent Price. In particular, MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, and PIT AND THE PENDULUM (which is one of my top five favorite horror films), are just all wonderfully presented, with gorgeous colors and sets, creepy catacombs, fine performances by Price et al, and with great, literate scripts from Richard Matheson & Charles Beaumont. All this and Les Baxter's scores! Here is the true testament to the artist that lay beneath Roger Corman's bean-counting exterior, and in my opinion his Poe films was America's best answer to Britain's Hammer Films and the 60's Italian Horror boom, until George Romero came along with Night of the Living Dead and changed the game for everyone.
I have a fantasy of Roger Corman getting an Irving Thalberg Lifetime Achievement award at the Oscars, presented to him by none other than Jack Nicholson. But it ain't likely...so it's up to us bloggers to give him his due. Roger, for everything from IT CONQUERED THE WORLD to ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES, from THE BIG BIRD CAGE to ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL....this Monster Kid says thank you!!