214: You Just Think You're Seeing the Thing: The Career of Roger Corman - Part 1

This week marks the beginning of a new, shorter journey through the career of Roger Corman who passed away earlier in 2024. Corman was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter renowned for his prolific work in low-budget filmmaking. Over six decades, he directed over 50 films and produced more than 400, pioneering genres like horror, science fiction, and exploitation. Corman's early work includes cult classics such as The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and The Pit and the Pendulum (1961). He revolutionized the industry with his ability to produce films quickly and cheaply, often launching the careers of future Hollywood icons like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and actors such as Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro. Working with American International Pictures (AIP), Corman's films were both commercially successful and socially relevant, earning him the title "Pope of Pop Cinema." He received an Honorary Academy Award in 2009, and his impact on cinema continues to be celebrated through documentaries and his enduring legacy in Hollywood.