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Cor man left his mark on 30 years of movies by Kick Brough People don't know Roger Corman, but they remember the pictures he's made: the 1950s monster movies like "Attack of the Crab Monsters" that played on weekend late-night horror shows; the Poe films with Peter Loire and Vincent Price; the motorcycledrug pictures of the '60s; and the films in the ' '70s where Corman gave a start to directors such as Joe Dante (later to do "Gremlins") and Paul Bartel (later . to dr" Eating Raoul"). As a result, the United States Film Festival is featuring a Corman retrospective pictures either directed or produced by him or both. (Corman also talked on the phone to the Record, about which more later.) One book about Corman was called "Brilliance on a Budget," which sums up the legend of Corman as director and producer. He is famous for an ability to create pictures almost on impulse and with little money. Corman once recalled that while shooting "The Raven" he came up with a story idea over a weekend so he could film another movie on the same set. The result was the quickly-made "The Terror," with Boris Karloff and Jack Nicholson. About five years later, Comian made an offer to one of his assistants, a guy named Peter Bogdanovich. The young man could get a chance to direct a picture if it somehow used Boris Karloff (who owed Corman a few day's work). Bogdanovich came up with a plot about an aging horror star and a young sniper and used scenes from "The Terror." The result was "Targets." considered by some the best film made by cither Bogdanovich Bogdano-vich or Karloff. On a Corman set, the budget often dictated the creativity. In "Little Shop of Horrors," Corman t-ld the .Record, he filmed a comic fight that was supposed to be somewhat lengthy. Then the dentist's chair was knocked over, and he found out how much it would cost to replace the chair. "We derided that was the end of the scene," Gorman said. n "ijale snop" was shot in toda. and a night, said Corman, to see if he could make a picture that quickly. When he had a longer shooting schedule, he said, he got a better-looking picture. But he said he enjoys a shorter schedule. "Perhaps I am by nature a sprinter," he said. Of "Little Shop," he said, "It was so audacious I thought it would be a major failure or a major success." Instead, he said, it made a conservative profit. That profit has grown, however, since the picture has become an underground favorite. It was also made into a Broadway musical recently. On the other hand Corman had a surprise success with the 1966 motorcycle movie "The Wild Angels." The film was me U.S. entry in the Venice Film Festival. Actually, Corman said, the Furo-pean Furo-pean critics had been interested in his films since the late '50s, when he made "Machine Gun Kelly" (starring (star-ring another little-known actor this time, Charles Bronson). Corman said he has always tried to pitch Ins films to two levels the action story, and an underlying meaning. This was true even in his "Crab Monster" period, he said. Most overtly, he said, he explored human relationships and styles of mysticism in the Poe films. His strongest attempt at a message picture was "The Intruder," Intru-der," a story about a bigot (William Shatner) who incites tensions in a small Southern town. It was praised by the critics but lost money. "After that, I went to more overt commercial movies, used more of a sub-text for the ideas," he said. When the '70s began Corman stopped directing to give his exclusive attention to producing. "I had always done both," he said. ' But I had done about 60 pictures in 16 years. I decided I had directed too many pictures and I would take one or two years off." That was 15 years ago. But Gorman told the Record he thought he would begin directing again soon. Paradoxically, wnitc ins, company, New World Pictures, produced action films in the '70s, Corman was 7 also the distributor for such foreign films as "The Tin Drum" and "Cries and Whispers." I was a great admirer of the people who made them," he said. As a producer, Corman hired young directors such as Bogdanovich and Francis Ford Coppola. Robert Towne (writer of "Chinatown" and "Greystoke") worked for Corman both as a writer and performer. "Robert Towne was potentially a very fine actor," he said. Corman has worked with a wide variety of actors over the years. Among tb m: In the '50s, "Touch" Connors frequently played villains in Corman pictures. "In those days, actors were called Rock and Tab and so forth. One day he woke up and said, 'I'm tired of being called "Touch." ' " As Mike Connors, he went on to television fame. "He can be masculine with a certain sensitivity," sensi-tivity," said Corman. Corman named Jack Nicholson as one of the most brilliant actors around, a portrayer of complex people overlaid with Nicholson's ow n sense oi humor. "He plays himself, but he uses different nuances of his personality for each role." In the Poe film, he said, he directed two fine actors with different styles. Vincent Price was polished and prepared. "Peter Loire was equally good but less prepared, more improvisational." Peter Fonda, who was in Corman's "Wild Angels," may be associated too closely with the Protest period of movies, he said. "He was a very good actor with great sensitivity, but his great success may have hurt him." In recent years Corman has also attempted low-budget quality dramatic dra-matic films, such as "Love Letters," "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden," and Bogdanovich's "Saint Jack." He added, "I prefer to do that type of film. I think it will come back." But he voiced no regrets over his long career with action horror science fiction film. "By and large I am fairly pleased with tha work," he said. "I and my company are dedicated to doing the best work we can within limitations." |