Roger Corman

by Bruce Eder film biography
A former engineering student, Roger Corman entered the picture business as a messenger and ended up a producer/director after a stint as a story analyst and a brief detour to Oxford University. After returning to Hollywood, he saw an opportunity to make money and gain experience by making low-budget films to feed the drive-in and neighborhood theater circuits, which had been abandoned in large part by the major studios. Working from budgets of as little as 50,000 dollars, he quickly learned the art of creating bargain-basement entertainment and making money at it, producing and directing pictures for American International Pictures and Allied Artists. Five Guns West, Apache Woman, The Day The World Ended, It Conquered The World, Not of This Earth, The Undead, Attack of the Crab Monsters, Teenage Doll, Machine Gun Kelly, The Wasp Woman, and Sorority Girl were only a few of the titles, and they were indicative of their subjects. These films were short (some as little as 62 minutes) and threadbare in production values. (Reportedly, distributor Samuel Z. Arkoff used to look at the film footage at the end of each day of shooting and call Corman, telling him, "Roger, for chrissake, hire a couple more extras and put a little more furniture on the set!") But his films were also extremely entertaining, and endeared Corman to at least two generations of young filmgoers.
During the early '60s, Corman became more ambitious, and made the serious school desegregation drama The Intruder. Adapted for the screen by his brother Gene Corman from Charles Beaumont's novel, it was the only one of his movies to lose money -- because few theaters would book it -- although it was one of the finest B-movies ever made. Corman also began working in color, most notably on a series of adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe stories starring Vincent Price that won the respect of younger critics and aspiring filmmakers alike. Corman also employed many young film students and writers during this period, including Francis Ford Coppola, Curtis Harrington, and author Robert Towne. His output decreased as his budgets went up, and Corman moved away from directing and into producing. In the 1970s, '80s and '90s, Corman was still producing exploitation films (such as Humanoids From the Deep), but his New World Pictures also distributed several important foreign movies, including Ingmar Bergman's Cries and Whispers and the groundbreaking Jamaican crime drama The Harder They Come.

filmography snapshot

1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
Year Title Rating    
1954 Highway Dragnet

Producer

1954 The Fast and the Furious

Producer, Screenwriter

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1954 The Monster from the Ocean Floor

Producer

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1955 Apache Woman

Producer, Director

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1955 Five Guns West

Producer, Director

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1955 Swamp Women

Director

1956 It Conquered the World

Producer, Director

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1956 The Day the World Ended

Director, Producer

1956 The Gunslinger

Producer, Director

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1956 The Oklahoma Woman

Producer, Director

1957 Attack of the Crab Monsters

Producer, Director

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1957 Carnival Rock

Director, Producer

1957 Naked Paradise

Producer, Director

1957 Not of This Earth

Director, Producer

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1957 Rock All Night

Director, Producer

1957 Sorority Girl

Director, Producer

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1957 Teenage Doll

Producer, Director

1957 The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent

Producer, Director

1957 The Undead

Director, Producer

1958 I, Mobster

Director, Producer

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1958 Machine Gun Kelly

Producer, Director

1958 Night of the Blood Beast

Producer

1958 She-Gods of Shark Reef

Director

1958 Stakeout on Dope Street

Producer

1958 Teenage Caveman

Producer, Director

1958 The Brain Eaters

Executive Producer

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1958 War of the Satellites

Director, Producer

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1959 A Bucket of Blood

Director, Producer

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1959 Attack of the Giant Leeches

Executive Producer

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1959 High School Big Shot

Producer

1959 T-Bird Gang

Producer

1959 The Wasp Woman

Producer, Director

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1960 Atlas

Producer, Director, Actor

1960 Battle of Blood Island

Producer

1960 Little Shop of Horrors

Director, Producer

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1960 Ski Troop Attack

Director, Actor, Producer

1960 The Fall of the House of Usher

Producer, Director

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1960 The Last Woman on Earth

Producer, Director

1960 The Wild Ride

Presented by

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1961 Creature from the Haunted Sea

Actor, Director, Producer

1961 Pit and the Pendulum

Director, Producer

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1961 The Intruder

Director, Producer

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1962 Tales of Terror

Producer, Director

1962 The Premature Burial

Director, Producer

1962 Tower of London

Director

1963 Battle Beyond the Sun

Producer

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1963 Dementia 13

Producer

1963 The Haunted Palace

Director, Producer

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1963 The Raven

Producer, Director

1963 The Terror

Director, Screenwriter, Producer

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1963 The Young Racers

Producer, Director

1963 X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes

Director, Producer

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1964 The Masque of the Red Death

Producer, Director

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1964 The Secret Invasion

Director

1964 The Tomb of Ligeia

Producer, Director

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1965 Beach Ball

Producer

1965 Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet

Executive Producer

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1966 Planet of Blood

Producer

1966 The Navy vs. the Night Monsters

Producer

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1966 The Wild Angels

Director, Producer

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1966 Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women

Producer

1967 Devil's Angels

Producer

1967 The St. Valentine's Day Massacre

Director, Producer

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1967 The Trip

Producer, Director

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1968 Targets

Producer

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1968 The Wild Racers

Producer

1969 Target: Harry

Producer, Director

1970 Beast of the Yellow Night

Executive Producer

1970 Bloody Mama

Producer, Director

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1970 Gas-S-S-S!

Director, Producer

1970 The Dunwich Horror

Executive Producer

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1970 The Student Nurses

Executive Producer

1970 Von Richthofen and Brown

Director

1971 Big Doll House

Producer

1971 Private Duty Nurses

Producer

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1971 The Dirt Gang

Producer

1971 Women in Cages

Producer

1972 Boxcar Bertha

Producer

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1972 The Big Bird Cage

Producer

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1972 The Cremators

Producer

1972 The Final Comedown

Producer

1972 The Hot Box

Executive Producer

1972 Twilight People

Executive Producer

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1972 Unholy Rollers

Executive Producer

1973 I Escaped from Devil's Island

Producer

1973 Tender Loving Care

Producer

1973 The Student Teachers

Producer

1973 The Young Nurses

Producer

1974 Big Bad Mama

Producer

1974 Caged Heat

Producer

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1974 Candy Stripe Nurses

Producer

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1974 Cockfighter

Producer

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1974 The Godfather Part II

Actor

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1975 Capone

Producer

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1975 Crazy Mama

Producer

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1975 Death Race 2000

Producer

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1975 Grotesque

Producer

1976 Cannonball

Actor

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1976 Eat My Dust!

Producer

1976 Fighting Mad

Producer

1976 Jackson County Jail

Producer, Executive Producer

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1976 Lumière

Producer

1976 Moving Violation

Producer

1976 Small Change

Producer

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1976 Too Hot to Handle

Producer

1977 Grand Theft Auto

Producer

1977 I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

Producer

1977 The Godfather Saga

Actor

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1977 Thunder and Lightning

Producer

1978 Avalanche

Producer

1978 Death Sport

Producer

1978 Outside Chance

Executive Producer

1978 Piranha

Executive Producer

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1978 Roger Corman: Hollywood's Wild Angel

Actor

1979 Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider

Producer

1979 Rock 'n' Roll High School

Executive Producer

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1979 Saint Jack

Producer

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1979 The Lady in Red

Producer

1979 Up from the Depths

Executive Producer

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1980 Battle Beyond the Stars

Producer, Executive Producer

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1980 Humanoids from the Deep

Producer

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1981 Galaxy of Terror

Producer

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1981 Smokey Bites the Dust

Producer

1981 The Howling

Actor

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1981 The Territory

Producer

1982 Der Stand der Dinge

Actor

1982 Forbidden World

Producer

1983 Hell's Angels Forever

Producer

1983 Love Letters

Producer

1983 Space Raiders

Producer

1983 Suburbia

Producer

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1984 Oddballs

Executive Producer

1984 Swing Shift

Actor

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1984 The Warrior and the Sorceress

Producer

1985 Moving Violations

Producer

1985 Streetwalkin'

Producer

1986 Amazons

Associate Producer

1986 Cocaine Wars

Producer

1986 Hour of the Assassin

Executive Producer

1986 Sorority House Massacre

Producer

1986 Summer Camp Nightmare

Executive Producer

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1987 Big Bad Mama 2

Producer

1987 Daddy's Boys

Producer

1987 Munchies

Producer

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1987 Stripped to Kill

Producer, Executive Producer

1987 Sweet Revenge

Producer, Executive Producer

1988 Crime Zone

Executive Producer

1988 The Drifter

Producer, Executive Producer

1988 The Lawless Land

Producer

1988 The New Gladiators

Executive Producer

1988 The Terror Within

Co-producer

1988 Time Trackers

Producer

1988 Two to Tango

Co-producer

1988 Watchers

Executive Producer

1989 Andy Colby's Incredibly Awesome Adventure

Executive Producer

1989 Bloodfist

Producer

1989 Heroes Stand Alone

Executive Producer

1989 Hollywood Boulevard, Part 2

Actor, Producer

1989 Lords of the Deep

Producer, Actor

1989 Primary Target

Executive Producer

1989 Silk 2

Executive Producer

1989 Stripped to Kill II

Producer

1989 The Masque of the Red Death

Producer

1989 Transylvania Twist

Producer

1990 A Cry in the Wild

Producer

1990 Back to Back

Producer

1990 Bloodfist II

Producer

1990 Frankenstein Unbound

Producer, Screenwriter, Director

1990 Overexposed

Producer

1990 Streets

Producer

1990 The Haunting of Morella

Producer

1990 The Terror Within 2

Executive Producer

1990 Watchers II

Producer

1991 Besos En la Oscuridad

Producer

1991 Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight

Producer

1991 Body Chemistry 2: Voice of a Stranger

Producer

1991 Body Waves

Producer, Actor

1991 Dune Warriors

Producer

1991 Eye of the Eagle 3

Producer

1991 Futurekick

Producer

1991 In the Heat of Passion

Producer

1991 Play Murder for Me

Producer

1991 Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever

Producer

1992 Angel Fist

Producer

1992 Beyond the Call of Duty

Producer

1992 Blackbelt

Executive Producer

1992 Blackbelt 2: Fatal Force

Executive Producer

1992 Bloodfist IV: Die Trying

Producer

1992 Field of Fire

Producer

1992 Homicidal Impulse

Producer

1992 Munchie

Producer

1992 Raiders of the Sun

Producer

1992 The Assassination Game

Executive Producer

1992 Ultraviolet

Executive Producer

1993 Bloodfist V: Human Target

Executive Producer

1993 Body Bags

Actor

1993 Carnosaur

Executive Producer

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1993 Dracula Rising

Producer

1993 Dragonfire

Executive Producer

1993 Fire on the Amazon

Executive Producer

1993 Grey Knight

Executive Producer

1993 Home for Christmas

Executive Producer

1993 Kill Zone

Producer

1993 Live by the Fist

Producer

1993 One Man Army

Producer

1993 Philadelphia

Actor

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1994 Angel of Destruction

Executive Producer

1994 Cheyenne Warrior

Producer

1994 Fantastic Four

Executive Producer

1994 No Dessert Dad, 'til You Mow the Lawn

Executive Producer

1994 Reflections on a Crime

Producer

1994 Revenge of the Red Baron

Producer

1994 Runaway Daughters

Actor

1994 Saturday Night Special

Executive Producer

1994 Stranglehold

Executive Producer

1994 The Spy Within

Executive Producer

1995 Apollo 13

Actor

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1995 Black Rose of Harlem

Executive Producer

1995 Bram Stoker's Burial of the Rats

Producer

1995 Droid Gunner

Executive Producer

1995 First Works: A Revealing Look at Today's Greatest Directors, Vol. 1

Interviewee

1995 Midnight Tease II

Executive Producer

1995 One Night Stand

Executive Producer

1995 Terminal Virus

Executive Producer

1995 The Crazysitter

Executive Producer

1996 Circuit Breaker

Executive Producer

1997 Humanoids From the Deep

Executive Producer

1998 Black Thunder

Executive Producer

1998 Some Nudity Required

Participant

1999 Henry James' The Ghostly Rental

Producer

2000 Doorway

Executive Producer

2000 Nightfall

Producer

2000 Scream 3

Actor

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2000 The Game of Death

Producer

2001 A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Actor

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2001 Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies

Interviewee

2003 A Decade Under the Influence

Participant

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2003 Barbarian

Executive Producer

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2003 Easy Riders, Raging Bulls

Interviewee

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2003 Rage and Discipline

Executive Producer

2004 DinoCroc

Executive Producer

2004 Edgar G. Ulmer: The Man Off-Screen

Participant

2005 Bloodfist 2050

Executive Producer

2006 Hunt For Eagle One: Crash Point

Producer

2007 Searchers 2.0

Actor, Executive Producer

2007 Spine Tingler!: The William Castle Story

Participant

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2007 Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows

Participant

2008 Comic Books Unbound

Interviewee

2008 Cyclops

Producer

2008 Death Race

Executive Producer

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2008 Rachel Getting Married

Actor

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2009 Nightmares in Red, White and Blue

Participant

2010 Dinocroc vs. Supergator

Executive Producer

2010 Dinoshark

Actor

2010 Machete Maidens Unleashed!

Participant

2010 Sharktopus

Producer

2011 Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel

Participant

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2011 Trailers from Hell!, Vol. 2

Participant

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