Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel Page #9

---

what had happened during the day.

But it got to be

a little embarrassing

because Roger didn't really know

what all I was doing

and I didn't really know

what all he was doing.

And I said, "look, Roger,

it's very embarrassing

when people say,

'what movies is Roger making?'

and I don't know.

You know, it is our company,

but there's what you're making

and what I'm making."

And so he said,

"well, I'll tell you what I'm making."

He said,

"I'm making 12 films."

And he couldn't remember

the last two.

So he said, "well, whatever they are,

I'm gonna cancel them."

Reporter:
You had made

a statement to the press

that you were getting out

of exploitation films

and into higher-budget films.

What brought you back into it?

In my last years

as a director,

I was climbing out of

the low-budget field

and was doing

more expensive films,

but when I started

my own company,

which was financed

essentially out of my own savings,

I was forced back

to low-budget films

because those were

all I could afford.

New world has had several

profitable years

and we're now starting

to make more expensive films

and we're climbing

once more.

Roger's had such success

with new world pictures

in the past couple of years

that now

people are dying to invest

in his movies.

And if a script is going around town

which has his endorsement on it

and a promise that he will distribute

it, you're in fabulous shape.

There's an old story about

the producer with a successful

Broadway play.

And his friend comes to him

and says,

"here's the way we can fix

the second act."

And the producer says,

"never -- around with a winner."

Roger came bounding

up the stairs.

And he said,

"Ron, you're here.

Have you heard the news?"

I said, "no."

"Great news:

'Grand Theft Auto'--"

which was a very successful

movie for him--

"'Grand Theft Auto'

just sold to CBS.

It's the first time we've ever

sold a movie to the networks--

for $1.1 million."

And I said,

"well, that's great, Roger."

He said, "lt's fantastic.

That makes your 7.5%

look awfully good."

'Cause I had a little profit

participation in "Grand Theft Auto."

I said, "yeah, it does."

He said,

"it makes my 92.5%

look goddamn wonderful."

Open up the sky,

open up the sky

'cause I'm coming up to you,

I'm coming up to you

so send down your wings,

so send down your wings

and let them bring me to you

and bring me to you

get on up, big bird,

to my baby's love

get on up, big bird

to my baby's love

get on up, big bird,

'cause I've got to make it

just get on up, big bird

'cause I've got to make it

get on up, big bird

get on up,

big bird

get on up, big bird

get on up,

big bird

get on up, big bird

just get on up, big bird

get on up, big bird...

Announcer:
There is

a creature alive today.

It lives to kill--

a mindless eating machine.

It is as if god

created the devil

and gave him jaws.

The blockbuster movie

of the summer is "jaws,"

the tale of a murderous

white shark...

The record-breaking box office

receipts created by "jaws"...

- ...the movie "jaws."

- Some people who have seen it

are now seeing phantom sharks

every time...

- Steven Spielberg...

- "Time magazine" seldom...

When that movie was released...

Announcer:
See it

before you go swimming.

When Steven Spielberg

made "jaws,"

he took a very cormanesque idea--

you know, the killer shark.

I mean, it doesn't get

any more corman than that--

killer shark eating naked girls

as they go skinny-dipping.

Roth:
Once people got a taste

of movies like "jaws,"

they really didn't want

the drive-in movies anymore.

They stopped going.

They wanted

to go to the theaters

and be part of some

cultural phenomenon

that everyone was talking about

and everyone was going to see.

And it wasn't about

taking your girl to the drive-in.

And then everything

kind of changed

- on the day "star wars" came out.

- Yeah.

We went to an 11 :00 show

right over at the Chinese

and it was extraordinary.

- When these lines appeared...

- Yeah.

...everybody was astounded.

I mean, they couldn't understand.

"Jaws"-- it was like, okay,

it's a best-seller and we sort of know

that's gonna make a lot of money.

But "star wars" came from nowhere.

And all of a sudden

this gigantic change happened.

It was just like

the "easy rider" change.

It was like going to a revival meeting.

That first screening just was amazing.

Corman:

When I saw "star wars"

I said, "this is a threat to me

because it means

that the major studios

are beginning to understand

what we've been doing

for $100,000 or so

and they're now doing it

for multi-millions of dollars.

And it's going to be

very difficult for us to compete."

Corman:

I felt the major studios

are hitting straight into

what has been

my bread and butter

for 20 years

and also the staple

of many of my compatriots.

McCarthy:

"Jaws" and then "star wars"

set a whole new standard.

I mean, just the bar

got set higher.

You couldn't really get away

with doing cheap

science fiction films anymore.

Nicholson:

I hated "star wars."

Lf "star wars" doesn't make

a ton of cabbage,

you know,

we'd still be having

these weird green flashing lines

going across the screen.

All these guys are coming

from film school.

We're all coming from,

"let us get a job."

He did it first

with horror pictures,

with science fiction pictures

which he did for no money

and, you know, quickly

and unpretentiously.

That's who we are today.

And I miss

the Roger corman versions.

What we see now is the tent poles

of the studios.

The summer

and Christmas tent poles

are very often films

that could have been done

by Roger corman

at a much smaller budget.

But those are the films now

that are attracting

the top filmmakers

and the biggest budgets.

And what has the wonderful

revolution done

for independence

of filmmaking?

Well, we make 12 circuses a year

and very few movies.

When you read that a picture cost

$35 million to make,

what do you think

of that cost?

Actually I think it's wrong.

I think the artist should be able

to express himself

for less money than that.

And the businessman should be able

to invest his money better.

I think from both an artistic

and a commercial standpoint,

it is wrong to spend that much money.

And in addition,

I think there are better things to do

with the money in our society.

- For example?

- You could--

for $30 million or $40 million,

which is what some of these films

are costing,

you could rebuild a portion

of the slums of a city,

- just as one example.

- Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

So you think it's obscene

to spend that much money.

Yes, I would use

that word.

Once the "star wars"

juggernaut thing happened

and the idea that everything

had to be an event movie,

it just became difficult.

The business changed.

He ended up having to go

direct to video with a lot of the stuff.

There's just 100 billion shelves

with 100 billion DVDs

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes