Every film director must start somewhere, and Roger Corman has launched many careers. He has been called "The Pope of Pop Cinema" and "The King of B Films."
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He developed the secret formula that made films produced on time, on schedule, on budget, and with profit. It is the same formula that many independent producers and directors still use today.
Martin Scorsese
Before Martin Scorsesemade films like Goodfellas, The Departed, Taxi Driver, or The Wolf of Wall Street, he made gritty short films. Roger Corman allowed Martin Scorsese to make Boxcar Bertha, a (1972) film starring Barbara Hershey and David Carradine. It was a film made for riding off the popularity of Bonnie and Clyde.
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It is an interesting film to watch because it has the elements of a Martin Scorsese film but doesn't entirely feel like a Martin Scorsese film. He took what he learned making Boxcar Bertha and applied it to his next movie Mean Streets!
Dov S-S Simens
Dov S-S Simens is now more known as a film instructor than a director or producer. His most famous film was probably Microwave Massacre. A film that America Horror Story: 1984 gave a shout-out to with scenes in the series. The story goes thatRoger Corman handed a napkin and gave Dov S-S Simens a budget. He asked Dov how he would spend the money. Dov wrote his answer down on the napkin, and Roger Corman hired him.
He knew Dov knew what he was talking about and became a mentor to Dov. Dov became known as the king of B films and as a world-famous film instructor. You may have never heard of Dov, but you have heard of his students, Will Smith, Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, Queen Latifah, and many others.
Ron Howard
Sure, Ron Howard was already known as Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham, but he wasn't known as a director. Ron Howard got the directing itch, and it was Roger Corman gave him a shot at directing his first feature film.
Howard not only directed but stared in Grand Theft Auto. A comedy road film made in 1972 cashing in on the popularity of Smokey and the Bandit. This was one of Corman's strategies for success. Don't be first; watch what is successful and hot, and then make it cheaper and cash in on its success.
Francis Ford Coppola
Before Francis Ford Coppola was known for The Outsiders, The Conversation, and The Godfather films, he made a horror film called Dementia 13. It was a film that cashed in on the success of Psycho. There's the pattern again! The film was shot in less than two weeks for an extremely low budget for the time.
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Coppola would make some of the most well-known and respected films ever made for both audiences and critics alike. An interesting side note Nicolas Cage is Francis Ford Coppola's nephew, and Sofia Coppola is his daughter. A talented creative family.
Joe Dante
Before Joe Dante directed The Howling (1981) and Gremlins (1984), he got his start directing a low-budget film for Roger Corman. Dantewould later make a second film for Roger Corman - Piranha. Piranha was trying to cash in on the popularity of Jaws.
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There's the pattern again! And the pattern worked! Piranha was a major hit compared to the under $1,000,000 budget. Gremlins has been Dante’s most successful film and the film he is most known for. Gremlins was originally written as a horror film, but it was toned down to reach a wider audience.
Peter Bogdanovich
Before Peter Bogdanovich went on to make movies like The Last Picture Show(1971) and Paper Moon (1973), Roger Corman hired him to direct his first feature film, Targets (1968). Targets was a film about an insane Vietnam vet who kills his family and then goes on a shooting spree.
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Peter Bogdanovich dated Dorothy Stratten. She was a playmate, a Playboy playmate who was on her way to becoming a movie star. Unfortunately, she was brutally murdered by her husband, who committed suicide after murdering her. Peter Bogdanovich was a brilliant director but lived a life full of abuse, addiction, and tragedy. Like all of us, he had his own inner demons to battle.
James Cameron
James Cameron became known as one of the most successful directors of all time for directing hit films like Aliens, Terminator, and Titanic, however, he was hired by Roger Corman to direct Piranha 2: The Spawning. James Cameron has come a long way from his early days with Corman and is now one of the wealthiest film directors in the world.
Although Cameron was fired from directing Piranha 2: The Spawning. He used the skills he learned by working with Corman on his next film Terminator. Terminator became a massive hit. Two of Cameron's films, Titanic and Avatar, are two of the highest-grossing films ever made.
