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." 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. He was announced for a number of other projects at Columbia: the biopic of Robert E.
Working for major studios
Roger Corman
Roger Corman | Working for major studios
"The Long Ride Home" Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context. Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context. "The Long Ride Home".
when was kingdom of the crystal skull filmed
user
2008
assistant
what is its genre?
user
Sorry. I cannot find the answer based on the context.
assistant
what is the significance of the crystal skull in the film?
user
It was believed that it belonged to an alien life form and holds great psychic power, and finding more skulls will grant the Soviet Union the ability to rule the world through the use of telepathy.
assistant
who played the role of jones?
user
Harrison Ford.
assistant
how is he related to aviation?
user
He is a licensed pilot of both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.
assistant
was he into archaeological expeditions as well?
user
Yes, he serves as a General Trustee on the Governing Board of the Archaeological Institute of America.
assistant
what opinions does he hold on politics?
user
He holds the opinion of being a Democrat.
assistant
any other famous movie he acted?
user
"A Time for Killing"
assistant
who was his co- star in this film regarding killing?
user
"Glenn Ford" and "George Hamilton"
assistant
what is the storyline of this film?
user
It revolves during the Civil War period, Confederate soldiers escape from a Union prison and head for the Mexican border. Along the way, they kill a Union courier bearing the news that the war is over. Keeping the message a secret, the captain has his men go on and they soon find themselves in a battle with the Union search party who also is unaware of the war's end.
assistant
where was the filming done?
user
Columbia
assistant
who directed it?
user
The direction was initially by Roger Corman but was finished by Phil Karlson.
assistant
any reason behind it?
user
The reason is not known.
assistant
which was his debut film?
user
"Five Guns West"
assistant
which film did he associate for columbia?
user
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." 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. He was announced for a number of other projects at Columbia: the biopic of Robert E.
Roger Corman | Working for major studios
By the end of 1964, Roger Corman was one of the most successful low-budget filmmakers in Hollywood, mostly working for American International Pictures. "Everything had been interesting, artistically satisfying, economically satisfying", Corman said eighteen months later. "But I decided I was going nowhere and wanted to move directly into the business." So he accepted a contract with Columbia. Corman had a deal to make three films with Columbia. "But every idea I submitted was too strange, too weird", he later said. "Every idea they had seemed to ordinary to me. Ordinary pictures don't make money today [in 1966] because audiences today are too intelligent...
A Time for Killing | Pre-production
Following his success with Corman, Columbia Pictures signed Griffith to a contract as producer and director. Jonathan Haze later recalled: Chuck had a friend who was a lawyer, Art Sherman, who had met Gordon Stolberg, then vice-president of Columbia Pictures. Art sold Stolberg on the idea that Chuck was the talent behind Roger Corman. At that point, Columbia was making a lot of Sam Katzman movies and Art sold Columbia on the idea that Chuck could do better than Katzman, and cheaper. So, they gave him a two-picture deal.Had he come through and he had really done what he said he was going to do.
Charles B. Griffith | Columbia Films
Corman found work at 20th Century Fox initially in the mail room. He worked his way up to a story reader. The one property that he liked the most and provided ideas for was filmed as "The Gunfighter" with Gregory Peck. When Corman received no credit at all, he left Fox and decided he would work in film by himself. Under the G.I. Bill, Corman studied English literature at Oxford University and lived in Paris for a time. He then returned to Los Angeles and tried to re-establish himself in the film industry. He took various jobs, including television stage hand at KLAC and a messenger at Fox.
Roger Corman | Early film career
He worked as an assistant to agent Dick Hyland, a literary agent.
Roger Corman | Early film career
He had a four-picture deal with 20th Century Fox, making "Capone" (1975), "Fighting Mad" (1976) (directed by Demme), Moving Violation (1976) and "Thunder and Lightning" (1977).
Roger Corman | 20th Century Fox
In a 10-year period, New World Pictures won more Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film than all other studios combined.
Roger Corman | Distributing foreign films
He was going to make a film of "Couples", a novel by John Updike for United Artists, and "In" from a script by Richard Schupe, but decided to take a break from directing.
Roger Corman | Final films as director
Lee, an adaptation of "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", an adaptation of Kafka's "The Penal Colony", and a script by novelist Richard Yates about the Battle of Iwo Jima. He intended to make "The Deserters" for UA, from a script by Wright, but that was not made either.
Roger Corman | Working for major studios
Campbell began writing for anthology series such as "Loretta Young Theatre". Through his brother William, Campbell met Roger Corman for whom he wrote the screen play "Five Guns West" (1955), which was the first film Corman directed. Campbell sold two original Western scripts to Universal, "Gun for a Coward" and "Quantez". Both ended up being made with Fred MacMurray.
Robert Wright Campbell | Hollywood
Corman received his first serious critical praise for "Machine-Gun Kelly" (1958), an AIP biopic of the famous gangster, which gave Charles Bronson his first leading role and co-starred Cabot. Campbell wrote the script. Also for AIP, he did "Teenage Caveman" (1958), with Robert Vaughn, originally titled "Prehistoric World". He helped produce two films for Allied Artists, both from scripts by Leo Gordon: "Hot Car Girl" (1958), directed by Bernard Kowalski and produced by his brother Gene (the first film they made together) from a script by Gordon; and "The Cry Baby Killer" (1958), which gave Jack Nicholson his first starring role.
Roger Corman | "Machine Gun Kelly" and producing
Corman entered the film industry before his brother, working as an agent. He became vice president of MCA, representing such clients as Joan Crawford, Fred MacMurray, Richard Conte, Harry Belafonte, and Ray Milland. He moved into producing in the late 1950s, making a number of movies with Bernard L. Kowalski and Robert L. Lippert as well as his brother. In the early 1970s, he had his own producing unit at MGM. He later became vice-president of 20th Century Fox Television.
Gene Corman | Biography
Filming started in June 1966 in Kanab, Utah. By the end of the month, Corman had left the project and been replaced by Phil Karlson. Columbia gave no reason for this decision. Once Corman left, his editor Monte Hellman also left the project. Richard Devon, an actor who had worked with Corman, later argued the problem on the film was that Corman could not reconcile his low budget ways to work for a major studio. He was given a fine budget and stars and everything else. But he started shooting the film and he just couldn't get out of his old ways.
A Time for Killing | Principal photography
ARC later became the famous American International Pictures. Corman had directed second unit on "Fast and the Furious" and decided to direct "Five Guns West" himself. This was announced in November 1954. Corman later said "the work by the directors on the two films I had produced was acceptable. But I thought, I can do better, more efficient work; I can make better films." Arkoff said "He almost had to direct and produce to be able to get on the screen in a short period of time with the amount of money available. If he hadn’t been his own director, he couldn’t possibly have made them so fast.
Five Guns West | Development
These films are currently owned by Shout! Factory and Ace Film HK Company.
New World Pictures | Roger Corman regime (1970-1984)
The IMDB credits Corman with 55 directed films and some 385 produced films from 1954 through 2008, many as uncredited producer or executive producer (consistent with his role as head of his own New World Pictures from 1970 through 1983). Corman also has significant credits as writer and actor.
Roger Corman | Filmography
The film was the third movie producer by Roger Corman but the first one he directed, and his first movie in color. The second film he produced, "The Fast and the Furious" and been bought for distribution by a newly formed company, American Releasing Corporation (ARC), headed by Sam Arkoff and James H. Nicholson. Corman had offers from other companies but said he chose ARC because the company were willing to forward him money in advance, which he could use to finance other films. In October 1954 ARC announced that they would make three more films with Corman's company, Palo Alto, over the next twelve months, starting with "Five Guns West" in November.
Five Guns West | Development
Corman used his script fee and personal contacts to raise $12,000 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 by Robert L. Lippert. The film did well enough to encourage Corman to produce another film, the racing-car thriller "The Fast and the Furious" (1955), directed by its star, John Ireland, and co-starring Dorothy Malone. Corman sold the movie to a new independent company, the American Releasing Company, run by James H. Nicholson and Samuel 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.
Roger Corman | Producer
He returned to Stanford to finish his degree, receiving a bachelor of science in industrial engineering in 1947. While at Stanford University, Corman was initiated in the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon. In 1948, he worked briefly at U.S. Electrical Motors on Slauson 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." His brother Gene was already working in the film industry as an agent and Roger decided to go into filmmaking, instead.
Roger Corman | Early life
After weighing offers from Columbia, Allied and Republic, Corman made a deal for "The Fast and the Furious" to be picked up for distribution by a new company, American Releasing Corporation, formed by Sam Arkoff and James H. Nicholson. Corman said "I realized that the trap for an independent producer was that you made a picture but waited a long time to get your money back. So you couldn't make many films. And what I wanted to do was to get an advance back immediately to make a series of films." Corman says he told ARC "I would give them the film if they would give me all of my money back immediately as an advance against distribution and I would do the same thing on three more films, so I could set myself up as a producer.
The Fast and the Furious (1954 film) | Distribution
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."
Roger Corman | New World Pictures
Corman continued to be an important member of AIP (though he also worked for Allied Artists and his own Filmgroup company during this period). He had a big hit for the company with the science fiction film "It Conquered the World" (1956) from a script by Rusoff that was rewritten by Charles B. Griffith. His films included "Rock All Night" (1956); "Naked Paradise" (1957), in which Arkoff had a small role; "The Undead", "Sorority Girl", "The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent" (1957), "Machine Gun Kelly" with Charles Bronson, and "Teenage Caveman" (1958), with Robert Vaughn.
American International Pictures | Roger Corman
In February 1955, Corman announced he would follow the movie with "Fortress Beneath the Sea", to be made off the coast at Baja; "High Steel", a steeplejack story; "Cobra", to be filmed in India; and an untitled film written by Campbell. Corman wanted Malone for "Cobra". None of these movies would be made. In June 1955 Corman said he wanted to reunited Lund and Malone in "Reception", about a Confederate hero who brings a northern bride to his home in Georgia. That film was not made either. However Campbell and Corman later made "The Secret Invasion" using the same basic idea.
Five Guns West | Proposed Follow Ups
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 and John Lund. The script was written by Robert 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. Instead, Corman did some uncredited directing on "The Beast with a Million Eyes" (1955), then made another Western, "Apache Woman" (1955), starring Lloyd Bridges, written by Lou Rusoff. Rusoff and Corman reunited on "Day the World Ended" (1955), a postapocalyptic science-fiction film, which was popular.
Roger Corman | Director
His first film written specifically for Universal, was an adaptation of the James Roland novel, "This Way Out", late in 1944, titled "The Suspect", for which he received good reviews. The film was directed by Robert Siodmak, and starred Charles Laughton and Ella Raines. His next film at Universal saw him once again writing for Abbott & Costello. Released in early 1945, "Here Come the Co-Eds" was co-written by John Grant, from a story by Edmund Hartmann, and directed by Jean Yarbrough.
Arthur T. Horman | Life and career
Capra returned to Harry Cohn's studio, now named Columbia Pictures, which was then producing short films and two-reel comedies for "fillers" to play between main features. Columbia was one of many start-up studios on "Poverty Row" in Los Angeles. Like the others, Columbia was unable to compete with larger studios, which often had their own production facilities, distribution, and theaters. Cohn rehired Capra in 1928 to help his studio produce new, full-length feature films, to compete with the major studios. Capra would eventually direct 20 films for Cohn's studio, including all of his classics. Because of Capra's engineering education, he adapted more easily to the new sound technology than most directors.
Frank Capra | Columbia Pictures
This is a list of films directed or produced by Roger Corman. This is a partial list. Corman is famously prolific, in his American International Pictures years and afterward. The IMDb credits Corman with 55 directed films and some 385 produced films from 1954 through 2008, many as un-credited producer or executive producer (consistent with his role as head of his own New World Pictures from 1970 through 1983). Corman also has significant credits as writer and actor.
Roger Corman filmography | Introduction
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's "Hardbodies" (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."
Roger Corman | New Horizons
Columbia's product line consisted mostly of moderately budgeted features and short subjects including comedies, sports films, various serials, and cartoons. Columbia gradually moved into the production of higher-budget fare, eventually joining the second tier of Hollywood studios along with United Artists and Universal. Like United Artists and Universal, Columbia was a horizontally integrated company. It controlled production and distribution; it did not own any theaters. Helping Columbia's climb was the arrival of an ambitious director, Frank Capra. Between 1927 and 1939, Capra constantly pushed Cohn for better material and bigger budgets. A string of hits he directed in the early and mid 1930s solidified Columbia's status as a major studio.
Columbia Pictures | Reorganization and new name
The relationship between the two brothers was not always good, and Brandt, finding the partnership stressful, eventually sold his third of the company to Harry Cohn, who took over as president, by which time the firm had been renamed Columbia Pictures Corporation. Most of Columbia's early work was action fare starring rock-jawed leading man Jack Holt. Columbia was unable to shake off its stigma as a Poverty Row studio until 1934, when director Frank Capra's Columbia comedy "It Happened One Night" swept the Academy Awards. Exhibitors who formerly wouldn't touch Columbia product became steady customers. As a horizontally integrated company that only controlled production and distribution, Columbia had been at the mercy of theater owners.
Harry Cohn | Life and career
Before the film had even been released, ARC assigned Corman to another Western, "Apache Woman". According to Corman both films made a profit. Corman said the fact the film was in color helped put it in the top half of double bills through most of the US, although in some major cities in was a second feature. However the film struggled to recoup money because it often played on the bottom of double bills, which meant it received a flat fee instead of a percentage. Alex Gordon confirmed that saying "it soon became obvious that single B-pictures like these first three ["Fast and Furious", "Five Guns West", "Apache Woman"] would not work out for the new company— they played the bottom of twin- bill programming at $25 per booking.
Five Guns West | Box Office
In 2009, he was awarded an Honorary Academy Award "for his rich engendering of films and filmmakers." Corman mentored and gave a start to many young film directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, John Sayles, and James Cameron, and was highly influential in the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He also helped to launch the careers of actors like Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Bruce Dern, Sylvester Stallone, Diane Ladd, and William Shatner. Corman has occasionally taken minor acting roles in the films of directors who started with him, including "The Silence of the Lambs", "The Godfather Part II", "Apollo 13", "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Philadelphia".
Roger Corman | Introduction
For AIP, Corman returned to the director's chair for a gangster film, "Bloody Mama" (1970), starring Shelley Winters and a young Robert de Niro. It was a big hit at the box office. He also directed a black comedy, "Gas-s-s-s" (1970), written by George Armitage; it was cut without his permission by AIP, and was a financial failure. United Artists finally agreed to finance his Red Baron project, although they asked it be given emphasis on American characters. Accordingly, it was filmed as "Von Richthofen and Brown" (1971), shot in Ireland in July 1970. There were several plane crashes during filming and one person died.
Roger Corman | Final films as director
Corman says filming commenced using a first draft, which was rewritten constantly throughout the shoot. "Winter was coming and I wanted to do the film", said Corman. "I was going to be shooting in New Mexico. I actually shot in December and to wait one more month would have put me in January and I could not have made the film. To wait till next summer would have dated the material I was dealing with, so I wanted to bring the film out early." Armitage recalls, "We went back in '69 to shoot in New Mexico and Texas. I was the associate producer as well, and we were writing it as we went—which is something that Roger liked to do.
Gas-s-s-s | Shooting
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 starred Peter Fonda and Nancy 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. He wanted to make a film about the Red Baron, but Columbia turned it down because of "The Blue Max" (1966).
Roger Corman | "The Wild Angels"
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. He sold the remake rights of "Death Race 2000" to Universal, who made "Death 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.
Roger Corman | Later career: Syfy Channel
Corman was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Anne (née High) and William Corman, an engineer. His younger brother, Eugene Harold "Gene" Corman, has also produced numerous films, sometimes in collaboration with Roger. Corman and his brother were baptized in the Catholic faith. Corman went to Beverly Hills High School and then to Stanford University to study industrial engineering. While at Stanford, Corman realized he did not want to be an engineer. He enlisted in the V-12 Navy College Training Program with six months of study to complete. He served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946.
Roger Corman | Early life
In January 1959, Corman announced he would be moving into distribution. In 1959, Corman founded The Filmgroup with his brother Gene, a company producing or releasing low-budget black-and-white films as double features for drive-ins and action houses. In February 1959, Filmgroup announced they would release 10 films. Their first movies were "High School Big Shot" (1959) and "T-Bird Gang" (1959) produced by Stanley Bickman. 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". It does not seem to have been made.
Roger Corman | The Filmgroup
The Columbia Drug Store, which stood on the southeast corner for several decades, was a hangout for many western film extras in hopes of finding work, knowing the casting agents from the studio could reach them there. Indeed, John Wayne, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers all got their start in this neighborhood, as did director John Ford. Columbia Studios was filming western films about every ten days for a time. The cowboy extras stood at the corner already dressed in their Stetson hats, boots, and bandannas, ready for saloon scenes, as cattle rustlers, or as members of a posse. The pay was about $5 a day or $10 for a minor speaking role.
Gower Gulch | Introduction
He prefers to describe his metier as "low-budget exploitation films." In later years Corman, both with AIP and as head of his own companies, would help launch the careers of Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Jonathan Demme, Robert Towne, Jack Nicholson, and Robert De Niro, among many others.
B movies in the 1950s | AIP and Corman
In 2010, Roger Corman teamed up New Horizons Pictures with Shout! Factory to release new DVD and Blu-ray editions of Corman productions under the name Roger Corman's Cult Classics. The releases have concentrated on 1970–1980s films he produced through New World rather than directed. These titles include "Rock 'n' Roll High School", "Death Race 2000", "Galaxy of Terror", "Forbidden World" and "Piranha", with additional titles continuing to be released.
Roger Corman | Cult classics
AIP also distributed films Corman helped finance films, such as "Night of the Blood Beast", "She Gods of Shark Reef" and "The Brain Eaters" (all released in 1958).
American International Pictures | Roger Corman
Following his success with Corman, Columbia Pictures signed Griffith to a contract as producer and director. The film was the first of what was meant to be five movies made by Griffith for Columbia Pictures, but he ended up only making two - this and "Forbidden Island". Both were shot on location in Hawaii. Jonathan Haze later recalled: Chuck had a friend who was a lawyer, Art Sherman, who had met Gordon Stolberg, then vice-president of Columbia Pictures. Art sold Stolberg on the idea that Chuck was the talent behind Roger Corman. At that point, Columbia was making a lot of Sam Katzman movies and Art sold Columbia on the idea that Chuck could do better than Katzman, and cheaper.
Ghost of the China Sea | Production
In the 1940s, propelled in part by the surge in audiences for their films during the war, the studio also benefited from the popularity of its biggest star, Rita Hayworth. Columbia maintained a long list of contractees well into the 1950s: Glenn Ford, Penny Singleton, William Holden, Judy Holliday, The Three Stooges, Ann Miller, Evelyn Keyes, Ann Doran, Jack Lemmon, Cleo Moore, Barbara Hale, Adele Jergens, Larry Parks, Arthur Lake, Lucille Ball, Kerwin Mathews, and Kim Novak. Harry Cohn monitored the budgets of his films, and the studio got the maximum use out of costly sets, costumes, and props by reusing them in other films.
Columbia Pictures | 1940s
Griffith began writing film scripts, which an actor friend of his, Jonathan Haze showed to Roger Corman, who hired Griffith as a writer. He wrote two Westerns for Corman: "Three Bright Banners", based on the Battle of Brownsville, and "Hangtown". Neither was made, but Corman hired Griffith to do an uncredited rewrite on "It Conquered the World" (Griffith says he asked to take his name off). He received his debut credit with "Gunslinger" (1955), a Western about a female sheriff. He wrote the script with a partner, Mark Hanna, with whom he worked for the next few years, although Griffith later claimed that he did most of the writing while Hanna did the selling.
Charles B. Griffith | Meeting Roger Corman
Another biopic, 1946's "The Jolson Story" with Larry Parks and Evelyn Keyes, was started in black-and-white, but when Cohn saw how well the project was proceeding, he scrapped the footage and insisted on filming in Technicolor. In 1948, the "United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc." anti-trust decision forced Hollywood motion picture companies to divest themselves of the theatre chains that they owned. Since Columbia did not own any theaters, it was now on equal terms with the largest studios, and soon replaced RKO on the list of the "Big Five" studios.
Columbia Pictures | 1940s
He resigned from RKO in August 1936, and joined Columbia as vice-president in 1938. He produced Charles Vidor's "The Lady in Question" (1940), the first joint film of Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford.
B. B. Kahane | Career
Five Guns West is a 1955 Western film set during the American Civil War directed by Roger Corman. It was Corman's first film as director although he had already made two as producer. It was the second film released by the American Releasing Company, which later became American International Pictures. The film stars Dorothy Malone, John Lund and Mike Connors. The cast also includes R. Wright Campbell, who wrote the screenplay. He is billed as "Bob Campbell" in the credits as an actor but as "R. Wright Campbell" as screenwriter.
Five Guns West | Introduction
Many of Corman's protegés have paid their mentor homage by awarding him cameos in films, such as in "The Godfather Part II", "The Silence of the Lambs", "Apollo 13", and as recently as Demme's 2008 film "Rachel Getting Married".
Roger Corman | "The Corman Film School"
The film was based on an original script by Leo Gordon, who also worked as an actor. Gordon took the script to producer Gene Corman, who he had worked with several times before. Corman originally intended to make the film on a relatively low budget, around a million dollars, for United Artists – he had just made "The Secret Invasion" (1964) for that studio. The scope of the film changed when Corman discovered Rock Hudson, then one of the biggest stars in the world, was about to leave his home studio of Universal because he was unhappy with the roles he had been playing (he had just signed to make "Seconds" at Paramount).
Tobruk (1967 film) | Development
This was one of the first films made by B movie giant Roger Corman for his company New World Pictures. According to Stephanie Rothman, Corman originally purchased a screenplay by James Gordon White, which he then asked to be rewritten. Rothman says she, her husband Charles S. Swartz and New World story editor Frances Doel pitched story proposals to Jack Hill, who did not like any of them. They then plotted a new storyline themselves and hired Don Spencer to write the screenplay. Rothman also says that Corman wanted her to direct the picture but she turned it down, so Corman hired Jack Hill instead.
The Big Doll House | Production
In 1974 Teague was employed by Roger Corman at New World Pictures at the recommendation of Martin Scorsese who had also been to NYU. He edited "Cockfighter" (1974); was second unit director and assistant editor on "Death Race 2000" (1975); edited "Crazy Mama" (1975) for Jonathan Demme; assistant director on "Thunder and Lightning" (1977) (made for Corman but at 20th Century Fox); and was responsible for the avalanche sequence in "Avalanche" (1978). Teague later said, "The main things you learn by working for Corman are how to get every nickel on the screen, how to be as expedient as possible, and how to work very quickly.
Lewis Teague | Roger Corman
He continued to finance films for Filmgroup: "Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet" (1965), dubbing an old Soviet movie "Planeta 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 by Stephanie Rothman and Jack Hill; "Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women" (1967), yet another dubbed version of "Planeta Bur" with some additional footage shot by Corman's then-assistant Peter Bogdanovich. He had money in "Navy 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) and "Ride in the Whirlwind" (1967) which became cult successes.
Roger Corman | Return to independence
Roger Corman Presents was a series of films made for Showtime by movie producer Roger Corman.
Roger Corman Presents | Introduction
Showtime approached Corman with the idea of doing a series of science fiction and horror feature films. They started filming in January 1995 and finished shooting 13 films in mid June. Corman said, "I don't think a day went by that we weren't shooting. We were shooting on weekends, we were shooting at our studio here. We were shooting at local locations, and we shot one film in Moscow and one film in Manila. So we were all over the world with this thing." Corman ended up re-making two more films in the first season. According to Corman, "They were actually chosen by Showtime who did a lot of market research.
Roger Corman Presents | Production
His autobiography, titled "How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime" (), documents his experiences in the film industry. In 1964, Corman was the youngest producer/director to be given a retrospective at the Cinémathèque Française, as well as retrospectives at the British Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art. Corman won the Lifetime Achievement Award at Stockholm International Film Festival in 1990.
Roger Corman | Remembrances and awards
Corman established his own company, Palo Alto Productions, in 1954, which was responsible for his first two movies. Filmgroup came out of a desire for Corman to move into distribution. In February 1959 Filmgroup announced they would release ten films. Their first movies were "High School Big Shot" (1959) and "T-Bird Gang" (1959) produced by Stanley Bickman. Corman would also buy films made by independent distributors, in addition to several films from the Soviet Union, which he would re-dub and have additional scenes shot and added to.
The Filmgroup | History
Columbia expanded its scope to offer moviegoers a regular program of economically made features, short subjects, serials, travelogues, sports reels, and cartoons. Columbia released a few "class" productions each year ("Lost Horizon", "Holiday", "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington","The Jolson Story", "Gilda", "All the King's Men", etc.), but depended on its popular "budget" productions to keep the company solvent. During Cohn's tenure, the studio always turned a profit. Cohn did not build a stable of movie stars like other studios. Instead, he generally signed actors who usually worked for more expensive studios (Wheeler & Woolsey, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Mae West, Humphrey Bogart, Dorothy Lamour, Mickey Rooney, Chester Morris, Warren William, Warner Baxter, Sabu, Gloria Jean, Margaret O'Brien, etc.) to attract a pre-sold audience.
Harry Cohn | Life and career
He returned to directing once more with "Frankenstein Unbound" (1990).
Roger Corman | "Frankenstein Unbound"
Hill says Corman approached him to do a sword and sorcery film inspired by the success of "Conan the Barbarian". Hill: At that time, Roger had a special effects studio [at the New World Studios in Venice, California] that was doing really good work. They had done some of the special effects work on [John Carpenter's] Escape from New York [1981] and some other big pictures, and Corman owned the special effects unit himself, so he could do it for a low budget. So to me, it was an opportunity to make something that would look like a big movie, which I had never had an opportunity to do before.
Sorceress (1982 film) | Development
Within a few months he would direct "Day the World Ended", half of Arkoff and Nicholson's first twin-bill package, and one of the first AIP films, "It Conquered the World". Corman would go on to direct over fifty feature films through 1990. As of 2007, he remained active as a producer, with more than 350 movies to his credit. Often referred to as the "King of the B's", the historically sensitive Corman has said that "to my way of thinking, I never made a 'B' movie in my life", as B movies, in the classic Hollywood sense of the term, were dying out by the time he began making pictures.
B movies in the 1950s | AIP and Corman
Paul Birch's casting was announced in April 1955. "The Beast with a Million Eyes" was the third of a three-picture deal Roger Corman had with the American Releasing Company following "The Fast and the Furious" (1955) and "Five Guns West" (1955). Reportedly, cost over-runs on "Five Guns West" meant only $29,000 remained to make the film for Pacemaker Productions.
The Beast with a Million Eyes | Production
Ric Hardman wrote the original script and it was adapted by Frank Nugent. Van Heflin signed to star in August 1957. Rudolph Mate was originally meant to be the director but he dropped out (he would be replaced by Phil Karlson). Tab Hunter was borrowed from Warner Bros. Columbia contractee James Darren was assigned to a support role. Filming started in November 1957. Director Phil Karlson says the film reduced Columbia studio head Harry Cohn to tears. "He had two sons and this was a story about a father and two sons. He identified completely."
Gunman's Walk | Production notes
Roger William Corman (born April 5, 1926) is an American director, producer, and actor. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and is known as a trailblazer in the world of independent film. Much of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of low-budget cult films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe. In 1964, Corman—admired by members of the French New Wave and "Cahiers du Cinéma"—became the youngest filmmaker to have a retrospective at the Cinémathèque Française, as well as in the British Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art. He was the co-founder of New World Pictures, the founder of New Concorde and is a longtime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Roger Corman | Introduction
Roger Corman had money in the film. His former company, New World Pictures refused to distribute it, contributing to Corman suing New World.
Wheels of Fire (film) | Production
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 story "It Conquered the World" (1956). Co-written by Griffith, it was a follow-up to "The Day the World Ended". It was a big hit. He optioned a TV play "The Stake" and hoped to get Dana Andrews to star. It was never made. Instead, Walter Mirisch of Allied Artists hired Corman to make "The Undead" (1957), inspired by "The 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.
Roger Corman | American International Pictures and Allied Artists
In its early years, Columbia was a minor player in Hollywood, but began to grow in the late 1920s, spurred by a successful association with director Frank Capra. With Capra and others, Columbia became one of the primary homes of the screwball comedy. In the 1930s, Columbia's major contract stars were Jean Arthur and Cary Grant. In the 1940s, Rita Hayworth became the studio's premier star and propelled their fortunes into the late 1950s. Rosalind Russell, Glenn Ford, and William Holden also became major stars at the studio.
Columbia Pictures | Introduction
Shortly thereafter Guber was named head of American production. In August 1973 he was promoted to vice-president of worldwide production. Steven Spielberg noted that he "used to go to (Guber's) office at Columbia when (he) was just starting. (Guber) had an enormous chart on (his) wall with what every director in the world was planning that listed their pictures in development and planned for production." It made a lasting impression on Spielberg. During his time at Columbia the studio released, among other films, "Shampoo", "Taxi Driver", "Tommy", and "The Way We Were". Upon leaving Columbia in 1975, Guber was given a three-year production deal with the studio.
Peter Guber | Columbia Pictures
In 1951, Columbia Pictures president Harry Cohn offered Kramer's company an opportunity to form a production unit working with his studio. Kramer was given free rein over what films he chose to make, along with a budget of nearly a million dollars each. Kramer agreed to a five-year contract during which time he would produce twenty films. However, Kramer would later state that the agreement was "one of the most dangerous and foolhardy moves of my entire career." He agreed to the commitment because of his "deep-seated desire to direct," he states, along with the security of ready studio financing.
Stanley Kramer | Films with Columbia Pictures
Corman says that the script was developed by AIP. He did not like it and had some of it rewritten, although not as much as he liked. Shooting started 15 July 1957 at Ziv Studios. Filming also took place at the mansion of Ruta Lee in Laurel Canyon. Susan Cabot later recalled working on Corman films: We would have some sort of a script, but there was a lot of, “Who’s going to say what?” and “How ’bout I do this?’ ’ — plenty of ad-libbing and improvising. But Roger was really great in a way; he was very loose.
Sorority Girl | Production
Cameron, Coppola, Demme, Hanson, Howard and Scorsese have all gone on to win Academy 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." Actors who obtained their career breaks working for Corman include Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern, Charles Bronson, Todd Field Michael McDonald, Dennis Hopper, Talia Shire, Sandra Bullock, Robert De Niro, and David Carradine, who received one of his first starring film roles in the Corman-produced "Boxcar Bertha" (1972) and went on to star in "Death Race 2000" (along with Sylvester Stallone).
Roger Corman | "The Corman Film School"
Filming started 29 November 1954. The film was shot over nine days at Iverson's ranch in the San Fernando Valley near Chatsworth, and Ingram’s Ranch, owned by cowboy actor Jack Ingram, who had built a Western town there. Corman bought stock footage of Indians to use in the film. He says he prepared thoroughly for the shoot with the assistance of Floyd Crosby and art director Ben Hayne. Corman says Hayne was particularly helpful being a western buff and would assist Corman in doing sketches for each shot. The director says he was comfortable working with the camera but less so with actors.
Five Guns West | Filming
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 productions "School Spirit", "Wheels of Fire" and "Barbarian Queen". Concorde later merged with a low budget production company, Cinema Group, and announced plans to make 15-20 films a year. Early Concorde releases include "Loose Screws" (1985), a sequel to "Screwballs"; "Streetwalkin'" (1985), a more serious drama directed by Joan Freeman; "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 by Luis Llosa; and "Munchies" (1987), a spoof of "Gremlins" directed by Tina Hirsch.
Roger Corman | Concorde Pictures
Corman still needed more footage for the flooding sequence, but then Coppola accepted a job at Seven Arts and was no longer available to do the required work. Coppola recommended a friend from UCLA, Dennis Jakob, who Corman hired to shoot shots of water at Hoover Dam. Corman says Jakob took three days and used Corman's camera and equipment to shoot his thesis movie on the side. Corman was annoyed but knew this was the sort of thing Corman liked to do himself. He used Jakob as Karloff's stand in for later scenes.
The Terror (1963 film) | Dennis Jakob
"I got into the habit of writing very quickly without realising it and, because I was raised in a radio family, I didn't know that you were supposed to take a long time to write a film script", said Griffith.
Charles B. Griffith | Meeting Roger Corman
It includes all the staples of the exploitation film—a drag race, a necking party, the flip and shallow conversation of a segment of youth, the slight and unconvincing nod to conventional morality at the ending." In 1954, a young filmmaker named Roger Corman received his first screen credits as writer and associate producer of Allied Artists' "Highway Dragnet". Later that year, he independently produced his first movie, "The Monster from the Ocean Floor", on a $12,000 budget and a six-day shooting schedule. In 1955, Corman produced and directed the first official ARC release, "Apache Woman", one of five movies he had a hand in directing that year.
B movies in the 1950s | AIP and Corman
Film elements and prints for many movies directed, produced, and/or distributed by Corman are held at the Academy Film Archive as part of the New Horizons Collection. The Academy Film Archive restored Corman's film "The Masque of the Red Death" in 2019.
Roger Corman | Archive
Corman says he was attracted to the story of Kelly because of how the gangster meekly surrendered. He hired Campbell who Corman says "wrote a very good script with strong, well-sketched characters" based a great deal on the true facts. The film was announced in December 1957. It was to replace "The Land of Prehistoric Women" on Corman's schedule and R Wright Campbell did the script. Dick Miller was originally announced as star. In early January Susan Cabot was announced as female lead. Miller dropped out and the film was the first lead role for actor Charles Bronson, who would later be acclaimed for roles in "Once Upon a Time in the West", "The Magnificent Seven", and the "Death Wish" series.
Machine-Gun Kelly (film) | Production
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" and "Cop Killer". In March 1960, Corman announced that Filmgroup would be part of an international production group, Compass Productions. He directed a peplum in Greece, "Atlas" (1961) in August.
Roger Corman | "House of Usher"
It was successful enough for Corman to give both men jobs directing features on their own: Dante with "Piranha" (1978) and Arkush with "Rock 'n' Roll High School" (1979). "Piranha" was written by John Sayles, who had been discovered by Corman's story editor, Frances Doel. Sayles later wrote "The Lady in Red" (1979) for Corman, which was directed by Lewis Teague.
Roger Corman | Peak of New World
Filming started 15 July 1958. It was Corman's biggest budgeted production to date. Cochrane was borrowed from Robert Alexander Productions. Independent film producer Edward L. Alperson brought the screen play to Corman. The screenplay was written by Steve Fisher
I Mobster | Production
A number of noted filmmakers (including directors, producers, writers, and cinematographers) have worked with Corman, usually early in their careers, including Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, 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, George Armitage, Jonathan Kaplan, George Hickenlooper, Curtis Hanson, Jack Hill, Robert Towne, Menahem Golan, James Horner, and Timur Bekmambetov. Many have said that Corman's influence taught them some of the ins and outs of filmmaking. In the extras for the DVD of "The Terminator", director James Cameron asserts, "I trained at the Roger Corman Film School." The British director Nicolas Roeg served as the cinematographer on "The Masque of the Red Death".
Roger Corman | "The Corman Film School"
The screenplay, adapted by producer Carl Foreman, made significant changes from the novel "The Guns of Navarone" by Alistair MacLean. Foreman wanted to direct as well but Columbia refused, insisting on a British director. The job went to Alexander Mackendrick who said he "wanted to take what was essentially a typical, action-packed wartime melodrama and give it some pretentious overtones." Mackendrick was fired by Carl Foreman a week before shooting started due to "creative differences". He was replaced by J. Lee Thompson, in part because star Gregory Peck was impressed by "North West Frontier".
The Guns of Navarone (film) | Production
He met with various contractual and legal problems when dealing with New World, causing his plans with them to fall through. He then combined the two firms to create Concorde-New Horizon, and began talks with independent producers in the hopes of setting up a distribution arm for CNH. Those talks were not successful, and this left Corman distributing his own films.
New Concorde | Beginnings
Hellman said that Roger Corman had agreed to put up funds for a Hellman-directed western at a lunch meeting at the old Brown Derby on Vine Street, just south of Hollywood Boulevard, one of a small chain of famous restaurants in Los Angeles (the famous hat-shaped location was on Wilshire Boulevard). By the end of the lunch, Corman had allowed that since Hellman was making one western, he might as well make two – presumably because, in the mind of the budget-conscious Corman, this would allow them to make two films for less than the usual cost. The films were made back-to-back, with "The Shooting" in production first.
Ride in the Whirlwind | Production
Cort entered the motion picture industry in 1976 and one year later was named vice president of advertising, publicity and promotion for Columbia Pictures. In 1980, he became executive vice president of marketing for Fox. In his five years as a marketing chief, Cort planned and supervised the campaigns of such films as "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Midnight Express", "The China Syndrome", "All That Jazz", "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Nine to Five". He then served as executive vice president of production at Twentieth Century Fox, where he oversaw the making of "Romancing the Stone", "Bachelor Party", and "Revenge of the Nerds".
Robert W. Cort | Career history
It's a young people's audience... They can see the average for free on TV. You've got to give them something a little more complex artistically and intellectually. To show something you can't see on TV leads inevitably to unusual material." Corman says the ideas he submitted to Columbia were a biopic of Baron Von Ritchofen, a story of the St Valentine's Day Massacre and an adaptation of "Only Lovers Left Alive". (He would end up making the first two films for other studios).
A Time for Killing | Pre-production
It was made by Columbia who asked Karlson to take over from Roger Corman on "A Time for Killing" (1967). He returned to the Matt Helm movies for the fourth and final one, "The Wrecking Crew" (1968), co-starring Sharon Tate and Elke Sommer.
Phil Karlson | 1960s
Corman sold New World Pictures in January 1983 to a consortium of three lawyers for $16.9 million. Under the terms of the contract, he agreed to stay on as 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 the National Film Theatre of London. He announced plans to make films budgeted between $2–5 million using cash from his sale of New World to finance personally.
Roger Corman | Millennium Films
Corman's brother Gene, an agent, negotiated the sale of the film to a distributor. Although Herbert Yates of Republic Pictures had an interest in the film, Corman says the only person willing to put up an advance against income was Robert Lippert. "Monster from the Ocean Floor" was sold to Lippert Pictures for $110,000. Gene Corman later said that Lippert renegotiated his deal on the film once he found out that Roger Corman had not spent $100,000 on making it, but considerably less. Roger Corman says he ultimately received a $60,000 advance for "Monster", which enabled him to make his next film.
Monster from the Ocean Floor | Distributor
In April 1932 he was assigned to his first film, "Hollywood Speaks" (1932), directed by Eddie Buzzell. He would go on to write four pictures at Columbia, one in collaboration, the rest on his own. After that he was put in charge of the junior writers and no longer wrote on his own. In August he was working on "That's My Boy" (1932). In October 1932 he was appointed assistant to Harry Cohn. Krasna wrote "So This Is Africa" (1933) Wheeler and Woolsey, who had come to Columbia for one movie. He also did "Parole Girl" (1933).
Norman Krasna | Columbia
Columbia also distributed some films made by Hammer.
Columbia Pictures | 1950s
Eugene Harold "Gene" Corman (September 24, 1927 – September 28, 2020) was an American film producer and agent. He is the younger brother of Roger Corman.
Gene Corman | Introduction
Instead Griffith reused the same script structure and Corman employed many of the same cast in "The Little Shop of Horrors" (1960). This film was reputedly shot in two days and one night.
Roger Corman | The Filmgroup
Corman showed the script to Hudson who liked it, and he succeeded in getting the film financed at Universal, who wanted to keep Hudson within its fold. The film was a co production between Universal, Gibraltar Productions (Rock Hudson's company), and the Corman Co. The film was known at one stage as "The Cliffs at Mersa" and "The Cliffs". Hudson came on board in May 1965 (he would make it after "Blindfold" and "Seconds") and Peppard was signed to co star with Hudson in July 1965, at a fee of $400,000.
Tobruk (1967 film) | Development
"All films, he was producer unless otherwise noted."
Moritz Borman | Filmography
He proposed a movie about the St Valentine's Day Massacre and also an adaptation of the novel "Only Lovers Left Alive". Nick Ray was meant to be making "Only Lovers" in Britain. Corman did begin directing "Long Ride Home" with Glenn Ford at Columbia. However, Corman left production a few weeks into the shoot in June 1966 and was replaced by Phil Karlson. The film was retitled "A Time for Killing" (1967).
Roger Corman | "The Wild Angels"
The executive producer on the film was Roger Corman. Harvey Berman was a high school drama teacher in northern California who had gone to the UCLA drama school with some friends of Corman. He decided to make a film during the summer using some of his high school drama class students in the cast and crew and sending a few Hollywood professionals to work with them. One of these was Jack Nicholson. Corman later wrote "this is one of the little pictures I remember with pleasure; it turned out very well."
The Wild Ride | Production
Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel is a 2011 documentary film about the life and career of filmmaker Roger Corman.
Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel | Introduction
When Maury M. Cohen closed down Invincible and signed an agreement with RKO, Horman followed him back to his old studio. Other "B"-films on which Horman worked during this period include the story and screenplay for the crime-drama "Double Danger" (1938), directed by Lew Landers, the screenplay for another crime-drama, "My Son Is a Criminal", directed by Charles C. Coleman, which Horman received positive notices for the plot, and the story and screenplay for another Coleman film, "When G-Men Step In" (1938). While working at Columbia, Horman would write the screenplay for one of their "Lone Wolf" series, "The Lone Wolf in Paris", which was the only film in the series which stars Francis Lederer in the title role.
Arthur T. Horman | Life and career