We’re always sad to report about the death of an important person from the industry, but that is also part of our reality and we have to honor the work that these people put into the history of cinema. This is why we are sad to report that it has been announced that legendary indie director Roger Corman passed away in his come in Santa Monica, CA, on May 9, 2024 at the age of 98. Roger Corman never became a mainstream author, but he was a pioneer of independent cinema and one of the most important filmmakers in history.
No official cause of death was revealed, but the news was confirmed by Corman’s family yesterday, who also issued the following statement: “His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age. When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just...
No official cause of death was revealed, but the news was confirmed by Corman’s family yesterday, who also issued the following statement: “His films were revolutionary and iconoclastic, and captured the spirit of an age. When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just...
- 5/12/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
Roger Corman, the fabled “King of the B’s” producer and director who churned out low-budget genre films with breakneck speed and provided career boosts to young, untested talents like Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Gale Anne Hurd and James Cameron, has died. He was 98.
The filmmaker, who received an honorary Oscar in 2009 at the Governors Awards, died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, his family told The Hollywood Reporter.
“He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him,” they said in a statement. “When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that.’”
Corman perhaps is best known for such horror fare as The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and his series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations starring Vincent Price, but he became celebrated for drugs-and-biker sagas like The Wild Angels...
The filmmaker, who received an honorary Oscar in 2009 at the Governors Awards, died Thursday at his home in Santa Monica, his family told The Hollywood Reporter.
“He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him,” they said in a statement. “When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that.’”
Corman perhaps is best known for such horror fare as The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and his series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations starring Vincent Price, but he became celebrated for drugs-and-biker sagas like The Wild Angels...
- 5/12/2024
- by Duane Byrge and Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Part of a perfect 1956 matinee double bill, Alex Gordon’s supernatural thriller features an iconic monster, a piece of real horror art from monster-maker Paul Blaisdell. The production can best be described as ‘pedestrian’ but there’s no denying that the movie is an odd nostalgic favorite — a great poster helps. The cast mixes veterans with new blood — but the real reason to watch is starlet Marla English. This one should have been a classic.
The She-Creature
Blu-ray
1956 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 77 min. / Street Date June 28, 2022
Starring: Chester Morris, Marla English, Tom Conway, Cathy Downs, Lance Fuller, Ron Randell, Frieda Inescort, Frank Jenks, El Brendel, Paul Dubov, William Hudson, Paul Blaisdell.
Cinematography: Frederick E. West
Production Designer: Art Director: Don Ament
Creature costume: Paul Blaisdell
Film Editor: Ronald Sinclair
Original Music: Ronald Stein
Written by Lou Rusoff
Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, Alex Gordon
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Nicholson...
The She-Creature
Blu-ray
1956 / B&w / 1:85 widescreen / 77 min. / Street Date June 28, 2022
Starring: Chester Morris, Marla English, Tom Conway, Cathy Downs, Lance Fuller, Ron Randell, Frieda Inescort, Frank Jenks, El Brendel, Paul Dubov, William Hudson, Paul Blaisdell.
Cinematography: Frederick E. West
Production Designer: Art Director: Don Ament
Creature costume: Paul Blaisdell
Film Editor: Ronald Sinclair
Original Music: Ronald Stein
Written by Lou Rusoff
Produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff, Alex Gordon
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Nicholson...
- 7/9/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It’s low-rent Noir A Go-Go: Angela Lansbury is a double-crossing femme fatale in this independent cheapie with modest charms. You can’t trust anyone these days, especially real estate developers with plans to collect Your life insurance. Lansbury is the seductive ‘motivator’ with a preference for late-night rendezvous in the high mountains, where everything is a long drop, nudge nudge wink wink. She makes with the hotcha come-ons but rugged Keith Andes is the one who goes around topless for an entire reel. One of the most obscure ’50s films noir, this one gives us a peek at an evocative Hollywood location or two.
A Life at Stake
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1955 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 76 min. / Street Date September 7, 2021 / 24.95
Starring: Angela Lansbury, Keith Andes, Douglass Dumbrille, Claudia Barrett, Jane Darwell, Gavin Gordon, Charles Maxwell, William Henry.
Cinematography: Ted Allan
Set Designer: Robert Haver
Film Editor: Frank Sullivan
Original...
A Life at Stake
Blu-ray
The Film Detective
1955 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 76 min. / Street Date September 7, 2021 / 24.95
Starring: Angela Lansbury, Keith Andes, Douglass Dumbrille, Claudia Barrett, Jane Darwell, Gavin Gordon, Charles Maxwell, William Henry.
Cinematography: Ted Allan
Set Designer: Robert Haver
Film Editor: Frank Sullivan
Original...
- 9/4/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It was 60 years ago this month that American International Pictures (Aip) released The Fall of the House of Usher (also known as just House of Usher), a film based on the classic 1839 short story by Edgar Allan Poe, produced and directed by a low-budget B-movie specialist named Roger Corman.
Corman recruited horror and sci-fi writer Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) to adapt the Poe tale, while also hiring Vincent Price — already established as a horror star in films like The Fly and House on Haunted Hill — for the lead role (just one of four in the film) as the tormented, doomed Roderick Usher.
“This film was a gamble for all of us and yet I was prepared to take a gamble because I believed in the works of Edgar Allan Poe,” Price told film historian David Del Valle (in the liner notes for the Shout Factory Blu-ray set The Vincent...
Corman recruited horror and sci-fi writer Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) to adapt the Poe tale, while also hiring Vincent Price — already established as a horror star in films like The Fly and House on Haunted Hill — for the lead role (just one of four in the film) as the tormented, doomed Roderick Usher.
“This film was a gamble for all of us and yet I was prepared to take a gamble because I believed in the works of Edgar Allan Poe,” Price told film historian David Del Valle (in the liner notes for the Shout Factory Blu-ray set The Vincent...
- 6/25/2020
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
Arguably the most prolific filmmaker in history, Roger Corman has produced and/or directed over 400 features in the course of his remarkable seven-decade career. His nimbleness (he specializes in films that shoot in a matter of days on a shoestring budget) and unapologetic grindhouse aesthetic — Corman has helmed everything from sci-fi shlock like 1956's It Conquered the World to his early-1960s Edgar Allan Poe series starring Vincent Price — have made him a god among genre fans and a regular on the festival circuit.
Corman also has proven to have an unmatched golden eye for talent, having given first breaks ...
Corman also has proven to have an unmatched golden eye for talent, having given first breaks ...
- 11/1/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Arguably the most prolific filmmaker in history, Roger Corman has produced and/or directed over 400 features in the course of his remarkable seven-decade career. His nimbleness (he specializes in films that shoot in a matter of days on a shoestring budget) and unapologetic grindhouse aesthetic — Corman has helmed everything from sci-fi shlock like 1956's It Conquered the World to his early-1960s Edgar Allan Poe series starring Vincent Price — have made him a god among genre fans and a regular on the festival circuit.
Corman also has proven to have an unmatched golden eye for talent, having given first breaks ...
Corman also has proven to have an unmatched golden eye for talent, having given first breaks ...
- 11/1/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
A significant subplot of Quentin Tarantino's ninth feature, Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood, involves the offer of work to fading movie stars from the Italian film business, where a few got lucky and reinvigorated their careers and others merely paid the rent or tarnished their reputations, if any.This notion is certainly not one of Q.T.'s notorious counter-historical plot turns: Italy had been offering opportunities to Hollywood and European flotsam since the fifties.In the era of Il Boom, the post-war economic miracle, filmmakers, including actors, were offered a great deal: they could live and work in Italy tax-free for a year. Projects were not only re-written to take advantage of this possibility, they were conceived for it: it's uncertain Roman Holiday would exist without the big tax break incentive.For actors, there was clearly another consideration, beyond the big, or at least tax-exempt, bucks and...
- 7/24/2019
- MUBI
Before we say goodbye to the month of May, we have one final day of Blu-ray and DVD releases ahead of us, and it’s an eclectic bunch of titles, to say the least. If you missed them in theaters earlier this year, Gaspar Noé’s Climax as well as Neil Jordan’s Greta hit both formats this Tuesday, and for you David Lynch lovers out there, Criterion is showing Blue Velvet some much-deserved love with their brand-new release of the cult classic as well.
Scream Factory is doing the dark lord’s work with their new Blus for both When A Stranger Calls Back and The Alligator People, and Severin Films is bringing home The Uncanny in HD for the first time ever this week.
Other home media releases for May 28th include Double Impact, Near Extinction, Splatter Farm, and a Shark Attack 3-Pack.
The Alligator People
Terror in the Bayou!
Scream Factory is doing the dark lord’s work with their new Blus for both When A Stranger Calls Back and The Alligator People, and Severin Films is bringing home The Uncanny in HD for the first time ever this week.
Other home media releases for May 28th include Double Impact, Near Extinction, Splatter Farm, and a Shark Attack 3-Pack.
The Alligator People
Terror in the Bayou!
- 5/27/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
A lot of words have already been written this week, and hopefully a lot more will be written in the next few weeks, months and years, about the great and beloved character actor Dick Miller, who passed away on January 30th in Burbank, California at age 90. A quick look at his bio page on IMDb will give you the basics about his early life— born in The Bronx, he served in the Us Navy and, despite his diminutive stature, even won a prize title as a middleweight boxer. But that’s not why several generations of movie fans know him, love him, or get such a kick out of seeing him pop up, sometimes seemingly out of nowhere, in the over-180 films and TV episodes in which he appeared.
Miller made his way out to Los Angeles from New York in the mid-50s and thus assured said multiple generations...
Miller made his way out to Los Angeles from New York in the mid-50s and thus assured said multiple generations...
- 2/2/2019
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
Dick Miller in Gremlins
The much-loved character actor Dick Miller has passed away at the age of 90, it emerged last night. Celebrated for his work in Gremlins and Gremlins 2, he also appeared in cult favourites like The Terminator and Small Soldiers.
Miller began his career in B-movies including Apache Woman and It Conquered The World before making his breakthrough as troubled sculptor Walter Paisley in A Bucket Of Blood. The name stuck and he went on to play different versions of the Paisley character, with different occupations, in several films down the years, including a notable turn in The Howling. He had a long association with Bucket director Roger Corman which included an appearance in the original The Little Shop Of Horrors.
Also active on the small screen, Miller had a long-running role in Fame, made memorable appearances in Police Squad!, The Virginian and Star Trek:...
The much-loved character actor Dick Miller has passed away at the age of 90, it emerged last night. Celebrated for his work in Gremlins and Gremlins 2, he also appeared in cult favourites like The Terminator and Small Soldiers.
Miller began his career in B-movies including Apache Woman and It Conquered The World before making his breakthrough as troubled sculptor Walter Paisley in A Bucket Of Blood. The name stuck and he went on to play different versions of the Paisley character, with different occupations, in several films down the years, including a notable turn in The Howling. He had a long association with Bucket director Roger Corman which included an appearance in the original The Little Shop Of Horrors.
Also active on the small screen, Miller had a long-running role in Fame, made memorable appearances in Police Squad!, The Virginian and Star Trek:...
- 1/31/2019
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
For many people, Alien (1979) is the yardstick by which all “creature on a spaceship” films are measured. However, the first few inches on that stick are occupied by It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958), an effective low budget shocker that helped write the template still used in sci-fi and horror today. Climb aboard for a 69 minute rocket ride to Mars and back with an unwanted passenger. And no, I don’t mean (insert name or political affiliate you hate here).
Released in August stateside by United Artists, with a November drop in the U.K., It! was mostly dismissed by critics, with the exception of Variety who said, “It’s old stuff, with only a slight twist.” In the B world, that’s as close to a rave as one might get from the mainstream media, and that’s fine; audiences enjoyed the straightforward thrills and somewhat unique concept offered up,...
Released in August stateside by United Artists, with a November drop in the U.K., It! was mostly dismissed by critics, with the exception of Variety who said, “It’s old stuff, with only a slight twist.” In the B world, that’s as close to a rave as one might get from the mainstream media, and that’s fine; audiences enjoyed the straightforward thrills and somewhat unique concept offered up,...
- 3/11/2017
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
"Earth Given 24 Hours to Surrender!" Invisible murderous moon maniacs invade, with invisible troops and invisible flying saucers! John Agar, Jean Byron and John Carradine do their best to keep this underfed sci-fi turnip on its feet --- and we diehard monster fans love it. Invisible Invaders Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1959 / B&W /1:66 widescreen / 67 min. / Street Date July 12, 2016 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring John Agar, Jean Byron, Philip Tonge, Robert Hutton, John Carradine, Paul Langton. Cinematography Maury Gertsman Film Editor Grant Whytock Original Music Paul Dunlap Written by Samuel Newman Produced by Robert E. Kent Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
At the tail end of the '50s monster boom the pickings became lean indeed. For every killer matinee filler like The Blob or The Fly, cheap double bills encouraged by American-International's example became even cheaper. Producers at Columbia, Allied Artists and United Artists turned out...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
At the tail end of the '50s monster boom the pickings became lean indeed. For every killer matinee filler like The Blob or The Fly, cheap double bills encouraged by American-International's example became even cheaper. Producers at Columbia, Allied Artists and United Artists turned out...
- 7/8/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
“If a movie makes you happy, for whatever reason, then it’s a good movie.”
—Big E
*******Warning: Review Contains Spoilers*******
By Ernie Magnotta
If there’s one thing I love, it’s 1970s made-for-tv horror films. I remember sitting in front of the television as a kid and watching a plethora of films such as Gargoyles, Bad Ronald, Satan’s School for Girls, Horror at 37,000 Feet, Devil Dog: Hound of Hell, Scream Pretty Peggy, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Moon of the Wolf and The Initiation of Sarah just to name a few. Some of those are better than others, but all were fun.
When I think back, there have been some legendary names associated with small screen horrors. Genre masters John Carpenter (Halloween), Steven Spielberg (Jaws), Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street), Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Joseph Stefano (Psycho) all took shots at television...
—Big E
*******Warning: Review Contains Spoilers*******
By Ernie Magnotta
If there’s one thing I love, it’s 1970s made-for-tv horror films. I remember sitting in front of the television as a kid and watching a plethora of films such as Gargoyles, Bad Ronald, Satan’s School for Girls, Horror at 37,000 Feet, Devil Dog: Hound of Hell, Scream Pretty Peggy, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Moon of the Wolf and The Initiation of Sarah just to name a few. Some of those are better than others, but all were fun.
When I think back, there have been some legendary names associated with small screen horrors. Genre masters John Carpenter (Halloween), Steven Spielberg (Jaws), Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm Street), Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Joseph Stefano (Psycho) all took shots at television...
- 11/9/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Cult movie classic ‘Pretty Poison’ filmmaker Noel Black dead at 77 (photo: Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins in ‘Pretty Poison’) Noel Black, best remembered for the 1968 cult movie classic Pretty Poison, died of pneumonia at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital on July 5, 2014. Black (born on June 30, 1937, in Chicago) was 77. Prior to Pretty Poison, Noel Black earned praise for the 18-minute short film Skaterdater (1965), the tale of a boy skateboarder who falls for a girl bike rider. Shot on the beaches of Los Angeles County, the dialogue-less Skaterdater went on to win the Palme d’Or for Best Short Film and tied with Orson Welles’ Falstaff - Chimes at Midnight for the Technical Grand Prize at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival. Besides, Skaterdater received an Academy Award nomination in the Best Short Subject, Live Action category. (The Oscar winner that year was Claude Berri’s Le Poulet.) ‘Pretty Poison’: Fun and games and...
- 8/10/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Humankind’s collision with otherworldly life forms can make for unforgettable cinema.
This article will highlight the best of live-action human vs. alien films. The creatures may be from other planets or may be non-demonic entities from other dimensions.
Excluded from consideration were giant monster films as the diakaiju genre would make a great subject for separate articles.
Readers looking for “friendly alien” films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), It Came from Outer Space (1953) and the comically overrated Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) are advised to keep watching the skies because they won’t find them here.
Film writing being the game of knowledge filtered through personal taste that it is, some readers’ subgenre favorites might not have made the list such as War of the Worlds (1953) and 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957).
Now let’s take a chronological look at the cinema’s best battles between Us and Them.
This article will highlight the best of live-action human vs. alien films. The creatures may be from other planets or may be non-demonic entities from other dimensions.
Excluded from consideration were giant monster films as the diakaiju genre would make a great subject for separate articles.
Readers looking for “friendly alien” films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), It Came from Outer Space (1953) and the comically overrated Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) are advised to keep watching the skies because they won’t find them here.
Film writing being the game of knowledge filtered through personal taste that it is, some readers’ subgenre favorites might not have made the list such as War of the Worlds (1953) and 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957).
Now let’s take a chronological look at the cinema’s best battles between Us and Them.
- 7/13/2014
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
We’ll be honoring alternative lifestyle with a slate of Super-8 Movies celebrating Lbgt culture on April 1st at the Way Out Club! It’s Super-8 Gay Movie Madness, a fabulous night of gay-themed films shown on the Super-8 sound condensed format projected on our massive screen.
On April 1st we’ll be showing: The Village People and Bruce Jenner in Can’T Stop The Music, Tim Curry as the sweet transvestite Frank N. Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show, a Judy Garland Double Feature of Easter Parade and Wizard Of Oz, the Ed Wood cross-dressing opus Glen Or Glenda, Lesbian Vampire ‘70s style in Vampyres, Frank Sinatra battles a gay serial killer in The Detective, Midnight Express, Bette Midler in The Rose, Joan Crawford in Straight-jacket, Karen Black in Airport ’75, It Conquered The World, the silent version of Ben Hur, and the gross educational film Coping With The Discomforts Of Pregnancy.
On April 1st we’ll be showing: The Village People and Bruce Jenner in Can’T Stop The Music, Tim Curry as the sweet transvestite Frank N. Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show, a Judy Garland Double Feature of Easter Parade and Wizard Of Oz, the Ed Wood cross-dressing opus Glen Or Glenda, Lesbian Vampire ‘70s style in Vampyres, Frank Sinatra battles a gay serial killer in The Detective, Midnight Express, Bette Midler in The Rose, Joan Crawford in Straight-jacket, Karen Black in Airport ’75, It Conquered The World, the silent version of Ben Hur, and the gross educational film Coping With The Discomforts Of Pregnancy.
- 3/28/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Scream Factory will release The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956) and The Neanderthal Man (1953) early next year as a 2-disc Blu-ray and DVD combo pack. We’ve been provided with official release details and a look at the cover art:
“This January 2014, loyal fans are invited to combat the winter chills with a double dose of 50s high-camp creature features when Edward Nassour and Ismael Rodriguez’s The Beast Of Hollow Mountain, starring Guy Madison (Blood of the Executioner) and Patricia Medina (Snow White and the Three Stooges), and E.A Dupont’s The Neanderthal Man, starring Robert Shayne (How To Make A Monster), Richard Crane (Devil’s Partner), Doris Merrick (Untamed Women), Joyce Terry (The Beatniks) and Beverly Garland (It Conquered The World, The Alligator People), arrive on home entertainment shelves together in a double-feature 2-Disc Blu-ray™+ DVD Combo Pack on January 28, 2014. This highly collectible home entertainment release features anamorphic...
“This January 2014, loyal fans are invited to combat the winter chills with a double dose of 50s high-camp creature features when Edward Nassour and Ismael Rodriguez’s The Beast Of Hollow Mountain, starring Guy Madison (Blood of the Executioner) and Patricia Medina (Snow White and the Three Stooges), and E.A Dupont’s The Neanderthal Man, starring Robert Shayne (How To Make A Monster), Richard Crane (Devil’s Partner), Doris Merrick (Untamed Women), Joyce Terry (The Beatniks) and Beverly Garland (It Conquered The World, The Alligator People), arrive on home entertainment shelves together in a double-feature 2-Disc Blu-ray™+ DVD Combo Pack on January 28, 2014. This highly collectible home entertainment release features anamorphic...
- 10/24/2013
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Up next from our friends over at Scream Factory is a double dose of campy creature feature fun, when The Beast of Hollow Mountain and The Neanderthal Man link up and come home together. Read on for the skinny!
From the Press Release
This January 2014, loyal fans are invited to combat the winter chills with a double dose of 50s high-camp creature features when Edward Nassour and Ismael Rodriguez’s The Beast Of Hollow Mountain, starring Guy Madison (Blood of the Executioner) and Patricia Medina (Snow White and the Three Stooges), and E.A Dupont’s The Neanderthal Man, starring Robert Shayne (How To Make A Monster), Richard Crane (Devil’s Partner), Doris Merrick (Untamed Women), Joyce Terry (The Beatniks) and Beverly Garland (It Conquered The World, The Alligator People), arrive on home entertainment shelves together in a double-feature 2-Disc Blu-ray™+ DVD Combo Pack on January 28, 2014. This highly collectible home...
From the Press Release
This January 2014, loyal fans are invited to combat the winter chills with a double dose of 50s high-camp creature features when Edward Nassour and Ismael Rodriguez’s The Beast Of Hollow Mountain, starring Guy Madison (Blood of the Executioner) and Patricia Medina (Snow White and the Three Stooges), and E.A Dupont’s The Neanderthal Man, starring Robert Shayne (How To Make A Monster), Richard Crane (Devil’s Partner), Doris Merrick (Untamed Women), Joyce Terry (The Beatniks) and Beverly Garland (It Conquered The World, The Alligator People), arrive on home entertainment shelves together in a double-feature 2-Disc Blu-ray™+ DVD Combo Pack on January 28, 2014. This highly collectible home...
- 10/24/2013
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
Them!
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Written by Ted Sherdeman
1954, USA
In that filled-to-bursting canon of 1950s science fiction cinema, movies range from true film classics – like the Hawksian The Thing from Another World (1951), and that alarm bell about human desensitization, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – to cheapie craptasmagoriums like Beginning of the End (1957 – giant grasshoppers crawling over photographs of downtown Chicago), and It Conquered the World (1956 – “It” being an alien that looks like a devil-faced carrot with lobster claws). I’d go as far as to say the consensus is probably there’s just a few of the former, and a whole stinking pile of the latter. But scattered (thinly, I’d have to say) between those poles are movies neither classic nor crap, but made with enough craftsmanship to be eminently and repeatably watchable. You know: just good, damned fun! One of my faves from that group: Them! (1954).
A...
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Written by Ted Sherdeman
1954, USA
In that filled-to-bursting canon of 1950s science fiction cinema, movies range from true film classics – like the Hawksian The Thing from Another World (1951), and that alarm bell about human desensitization, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – to cheapie craptasmagoriums like Beginning of the End (1957 – giant grasshoppers crawling over photographs of downtown Chicago), and It Conquered the World (1956 – “It” being an alien that looks like a devil-faced carrot with lobster claws). I’d go as far as to say the consensus is probably there’s just a few of the former, and a whole stinking pile of the latter. But scattered (thinly, I’d have to say) between those poles are movies neither classic nor crap, but made with enough craftsmanship to be eminently and repeatably watchable. You know: just good, damned fun! One of my faves from that group: Them! (1954).
A...
- 7/7/2013
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Super-8 Movie Madness at the Way Out Club will be held on Tuesday January 3rd from 8pm to Midnight. These are Super-8 Sound films condensed from features (they average 15 minutes in length) and will be projected on a large screen at the Way Out Club. Admission is only Three Bucks!!!!
The films on January 3rd are: The Warriors, Christopher Lee in Dracula Prince Of Darkness, Richard Burton in The Medusatouch, The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, George C Scott in Patton, It Conquered The World, Disney On Parade, David Carradine in Cannonball, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in Grease, Frankenstein Conquers The World, Invaders From Mars, The Incredible Hulk (the ‘60s cartoon), and a Marilyn Monroe double feature of There’S No Business Like Show Business and The Seven Year Itch.
There will be lots of posters and T-Shirts and stuff given away. The Way Out Club is located at 2525 Jefferson Avenue in South St.
The films on January 3rd are: The Warriors, Christopher Lee in Dracula Prince Of Darkness, Richard Burton in The Medusatouch, The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad, George C Scott in Patton, It Conquered The World, Disney On Parade, David Carradine in Cannonball, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in Grease, Frankenstein Conquers The World, Invaders From Mars, The Incredible Hulk (the ‘60s cartoon), and a Marilyn Monroe double feature of There’S No Business Like Show Business and The Seven Year Itch.
There will be lots of posters and T-Shirts and stuff given away. The Way Out Club is located at 2525 Jefferson Avenue in South St.
- 12/30/2011
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
These are times to get your hands dirty.
Revolutions are ripping up the map overseas. Mobs are taking the streets at home. Industries from film to finance are discovering their idols have clay feet.
We're living in Corman's World.
Director Alex Stapleton gets this. It's not just gloss on her eye-catching documentary, Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel. It's the core of the film — the do-or-die meat of it. She knows these are Diy times, and Alex is a Diy Lady.
"Get off your butt," Alex Stapleton says to new filmmakers, "and go do something . . . You're never going to read enough books or have enough lectures to teach you to make a film. You learn by doing."
Armed with simple tools and an ambitious will, Stapleton has managed to assemble a stellar first effort. Corman's World has an array of luminary facets going for it: sharp technical skill; a...
Revolutions are ripping up the map overseas. Mobs are taking the streets at home. Industries from film to finance are discovering their idols have clay feet.
We're living in Corman's World.
Director Alex Stapleton gets this. It's not just gloss on her eye-catching documentary, Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel. It's the core of the film — the do-or-die meat of it. She knows these are Diy times, and Alex is a Diy Lady.
"Get off your butt," Alex Stapleton says to new filmmakers, "and go do something . . . You're never going to read enough books or have enough lectures to teach you to make a film. You learn by doing."
Armed with simple tools and an ambitious will, Stapleton has managed to assemble a stellar first effort. Corman's World has an array of luminary facets going for it: sharp technical skill; a...
- 12/21/2011
- by M C Funk
- Planet Fury
It's hard to overestimate Roger Corman's significance. As the director of low-budget fare like It Conquered the World and Creature from the Haunted Sea, Corman is often regarded as a schlockmeister. And though that may be true, Corman is also a groundbreaking filmmaker without whom the landscape of contemporary cinema would look very different.
Thankfully, to remind us of Corman's immense importance to Hollywood comes Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, an in-depth new documentary from Alex Stapleton — and I cannot think of a better Christmas gift.
Corman got his start back in the 1950s, working extensively for American International Pictures, the independent production house responsible for so many of the B-movie drive-in flicks made during the '50s, '60s and '70s. Along the way, he shepherded the careers of budding filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese.
With the mandate "make...
Thankfully, to remind us of Corman's immense importance to Hollywood comes Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, an in-depth new documentary from Alex Stapleton — and I cannot think of a better Christmas gift.
Corman got his start back in the 1950s, working extensively for American International Pictures, the independent production house responsible for so many of the B-movie drive-in flicks made during the '50s, '60s and '70s. Along the way, he shepherded the careers of budding filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese.
With the mandate "make...
- 12/19/2011
- by Theron
- Planet Fury
To celebrate Roger Corman’s appearance as Guest of Honor at the upcoming Vincentennial, the Vincent Price 100th Birthday Celebration in St. Louis, we’re doing something special at the Way Out Club Tuesday May 3rd. It’s Super-8 Roger Corman Movie Madness !! That’s right, we will be showing seven films directed by the ‘King of the B’s’ in condensed format on Super-8 sound film (average length: 10 minutes). They are: The Raven, The St. Valentines Day Massacre, Bucket Of Blood, The Undead, Pit And The Pendulum, It Conquered The World, and Night Of The Blood Beast (not directed, but produced by Corman but in his style). Then we’re going to do something unprecedented at the Madness: some 16mm Madness !!! We’re going to take down the Super-8 projector at some point and put up a 16mm projector and screen a complete Roger Corman feature; his 63-minute 1957 epic...
- 4/28/2011
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
While other releases in the Shout! Factory’s Roger Corman’s Cult Classics focus on his producing credits, the recent Sci-Fi Classics showcases three of his early directorial works. Oh, he also produced all three, worked with the writers on the scripts and even pitched the projects to investors. Like many directors today, when you call something a "Corman film", it’s because he’s influenced the project from the start.
First up is Attack of the Crab Monsters, which manages to be quite effective despite its ludicrous premise. A group of scientists arrive on a remote Pacific island to study the effects of fallout from recent nuclear testing in the Pacific. They also want to discover what happened to the first team, which disappeared without a trace.
It’s not long before mysterious things start to happen. A sailor is pulled out of the water without his head, the...
First up is Attack of the Crab Monsters, which manages to be quite effective despite its ludicrous premise. A group of scientists arrive on a remote Pacific island to study the effects of fallout from recent nuclear testing in the Pacific. They also want to discover what happened to the first team, which disappeared without a trace.
It’s not long before mysterious things start to happen. A sailor is pulled out of the water without his head, the...
- 1/31/2011
- by Chris McMillan
- Planet Fury
Hey Fiends! Happy Monday! Got another list of flicks on the format of your choice.
Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Triple Feature (Attack of the Crab Monsters / War of the Satellites / Not of This Earth)
Format: DVD
———————————–
Three Films Produced And Directed By Honorary Academy Award Recipient And King Of B-Movies, Roger Corman: With All New Film Transfers From The Negative!
In Attack Of The Crab Monsters, a group of scientists become marooned on an island while investigating the disappearance of researchers who were looking into atomic activity in the Pacific. They quickly fall prey to giant, mutant crustaceans that have the ability to absorb the minds of their prey. Starring Russell Johnson (Gilligans Island), Richard Garland and Mel Welles (Little Shop Of Horrors).
An alien comes to Earth, masquerading as a human, to scout our planet for a new blood source in Not Of This Earth. He needs...
Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Triple Feature (Attack of the Crab Monsters / War of the Satellites / Not of This Earth)
Format: DVD
———————————–
Three Films Produced And Directed By Honorary Academy Award Recipient And King Of B-Movies, Roger Corman: With All New Film Transfers From The Negative!
In Attack Of The Crab Monsters, a group of scientists become marooned on an island while investigating the disappearance of researchers who were looking into atomic activity in the Pacific. They quickly fall prey to giant, mutant crustaceans that have the ability to absorb the minds of their prey. Starring Russell Johnson (Gilligans Island), Richard Garland and Mel Welles (Little Shop Of Horrors).
An alien comes to Earth, masquerading as a human, to scout our planet for a new blood source in Not Of This Earth. He needs...
- 1/18/2011
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
There's no doubt that amongst the hardcore horror crowd there are few authors as beloved as John Skipp so any time the man turns out something new, we're all over it so you can be all over it. We're good like that.
Over on HorrorDrive-in.com Skipp has just published a short story titled Skipp's Hollywood Alphabet Soup of Horror, and as always it's the goods. Check out an excerpt below, and click the link for the whole enchilada!
A Is For Alpha
Above, somethings slither with ponderous weight.
Below, they are tearing off pounds at a time.
In the stands that surround the blood pit, the Audience leans forward as if their heads were every bit as heavy, watching as the man with the ancient Oscar takes a swing at the kid lining up for nomination, the statue’s skull a jagged thing that severs as it thuds.
The...
Over on HorrorDrive-in.com Skipp has just published a short story titled Skipp's Hollywood Alphabet Soup of Horror, and as always it's the goods. Check out an excerpt below, and click the link for the whole enchilada!
A Is For Alpha
Above, somethings slither with ponderous weight.
Below, they are tearing off pounds at a time.
In the stands that surround the blood pit, the Audience leans forward as if their heads were every bit as heavy, watching as the man with the ancient Oscar takes a swing at the kid lining up for nomination, the statue’s skull a jagged thing that severs as it thuds.
The...
- 11/22/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
In 2010 Shout! Factory delivered us stellar editions of some truly classic Roger Corman films. The best part? They have no signs of slowing down in 2011! That's right, kids, five more flicks are on the way on January 18th that are bound to bring a smile to your horror-loving face!
From the Press Release
Roger Corman’S Cult Classics: Sci-fi Classics Triple-feature Collector’S Edition 2-dvd Set
In Attack Of The Crab Monsters, a group of scientists become marooned on an island while investigating the disappearance of researchers who were looking into atomic activity in the Pacific. They quickly fall prey to giant, mutant crustaceans that have the ability to absorb the minds of their prey. Starring Russell Johnson (Gilligan’s Island), Richard Garland and Mel Welles (Little Shop Of Horrors). Attack Of The Crab Monsters is a Roger Corman Production. Produced and directed by Roger Corman; screenplay by Charles B. Griffith.
From the Press Release
Roger Corman’S Cult Classics: Sci-fi Classics Triple-feature Collector’S Edition 2-dvd Set
In Attack Of The Crab Monsters, a group of scientists become marooned on an island while investigating the disappearance of researchers who were looking into atomic activity in the Pacific. They quickly fall prey to giant, mutant crustaceans that have the ability to absorb the minds of their prey. Starring Russell Johnson (Gilligan’s Island), Richard Garland and Mel Welles (Little Shop Of Horrors). Attack Of The Crab Monsters is a Roger Corman Production. Produced and directed by Roger Corman; screenplay by Charles B. Griffith.
- 11/19/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
The always fantastic Fantastic Fest begins today, and to celebrate, they've released six incredible new posters for select films and events taking place over the next week. The posters were created by various artists for Mondo, the Alamo Drafthouse's collectible art boutique. In addition, we have details on the title card in the 2010 Fantastic Debates.
Not familiar with the Debates? Here's the skinny:
This is a yearly event where press, filmmakers and film professionals enter a Fantastic Fest arena for a formal debate followed by a single round of boxing. In this ring the great issues facing the fan community are solved once and for all. The headlining bout will feature Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar and the upcoming Citizen Jane), star of the most successful film of all time, debating against Fantastic Fest founder and noted film enthusiast Tim League on the topic "Avatar should have won the Academy Award for Best Feature Film.
Not familiar with the Debates? Here's the skinny:
This is a yearly event where press, filmmakers and film professionals enter a Fantastic Fest arena for a formal debate followed by a single round of boxing. In this ring the great issues facing the fan community are solved once and for all. The headlining bout will feature Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar and the upcoming Citizen Jane), star of the most successful film of all time, debating against Fantastic Fest founder and noted film enthusiast Tim League on the topic "Avatar should have won the Academy Award for Best Feature Film.
- 9/23/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Fantastic Fest kicks off tomorrow! Fantastic Fest - Posters Fantastic Fest just released (6) incredible posters for select films & events and you can check them out all over this article. The posters were created by various artists for Mondo, the Alamo Drafthouse's collectible art boutique. The collection includes a stunning poster for Let Me In from world famous artist, Olly Moss (his Rolling Roadshow work for the Alamo Drafthouse/Mondo can be viewed here -- http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/events/rollingroadshow/)
Fantastic Debates - Tim League vs. Michelle Rodriguez This is a yearly event where press, filmmakers & film professionals will enter a Fantastic Fest arena for a formal debate followed by a single round of boxing. In this ring, the great issues facing the fan community are solved once and for all. Fantastic Fest is proud and a bit anxious to announce the title card in the 2010 Fantastic Debates.
Fantastic Debates - Tim League vs. Michelle Rodriguez This is a yearly event where press, filmmakers & film professionals will enter a Fantastic Fest arena for a formal debate followed by a single round of boxing. In this ring, the great issues facing the fan community are solved once and for all. Fantastic Fest is proud and a bit anxious to announce the title card in the 2010 Fantastic Debates.
- 9/22/2010
- by brians
- GeekTyrant
Fantastic Fest Honors Roger And Julie Corman With
"Syfy Imagine Greater" Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award Will Be Presented Preceding the
World Premiere Gala Screening of “Sharktopus”
One check mark I had the honor of marking off of my bucket list earlier this summer was meeting the living legend Roger Corman at Fright night film Fest!
The 6th annual Fantastic Fest will honor Roger and Julie Corman with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Premiere of their new Syfy movie Sharktopus, starring Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, The Expendables) and Sara Malakul Lane (Belly of the Beast) on Friday, September 24, 2010 at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX. Sponsored exclusively by Syfy, the film will play as the second part of a double feature with the U.S. premiere of Machete Maidens Unleashed!, a documentary about Philippine exploitation films from the 70's and 80's directed by Mark Hartley...
"Syfy Imagine Greater" Lifetime Achievement Award
The Lifetime Achievement Award Will Be Presented Preceding the
World Premiere Gala Screening of “Sharktopus”
One check mark I had the honor of marking off of my bucket list earlier this summer was meeting the living legend Roger Corman at Fright night film Fest!
The 6th annual Fantastic Fest will honor Roger and Julie Corman with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Premiere of their new Syfy movie Sharktopus, starring Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, The Expendables) and Sara Malakul Lane (Belly of the Beast) on Friday, September 24, 2010 at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX. Sponsored exclusively by Syfy, the film will play as the second part of a double feature with the U.S. premiere of Machete Maidens Unleashed!, a documentary about Philippine exploitation films from the 70's and 80's directed by Mark Hartley...
- 9/9/2010
- by brians
- GeekTyrant
By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Roger and Julie Corman will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th annual Fantastic Fest, it was announced today. The fest is scheduled for Sept. 23-30, in Austin, Texas.
The award coincides with the world premiere of the Corman’s new Syfy movie “Sharktopus,” starring Eric Roberts and Sara Malakul Lane. The film will play as the second part of a double feature with the U.S. premiere of Machete Maidens Unleashed!, a documentary about Philippine exploitation films from the 70’s and 80’s directed by Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood), which features Roger Corman prominently.
From the release:
Roger Corman received an Honorary 2010 Oscar for his contributions to filmmaking, and is the legendary director and producer of numerous cult classics, among them It Conquered the World, Death Race 2000, The Little Shop of Horrors, and a series of Edgar Allen Poe adaptations that starred Vincent Price,...
Hollywoodnews.com: Roger and Julie Corman will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th annual Fantastic Fest, it was announced today. The fest is scheduled for Sept. 23-30, in Austin, Texas.
The award coincides with the world premiere of the Corman’s new Syfy movie “Sharktopus,” starring Eric Roberts and Sara Malakul Lane. The film will play as the second part of a double feature with the U.S. premiere of Machete Maidens Unleashed!, a documentary about Philippine exploitation films from the 70’s and 80’s directed by Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood), which features Roger Corman prominently.
From the release:
Roger Corman received an Honorary 2010 Oscar for his contributions to filmmaking, and is the legendary director and producer of numerous cult classics, among them It Conquered the World, Death Race 2000, The Little Shop of Horrors, and a series of Edgar Allen Poe adaptations that starred Vincent Price,...
- 9/7/2010
- by Sean O'Connell
- Hollywoodnews.com
The 6th annual Fantastic Fest will honor Roger and Julie Corman with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Premiere of their new Syfy movie Sharktopus, starring Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight, The Expendables) and Sara Malakul Lane (Belly of the Beast) on Friday, September 24, 2010 at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX. Sponsored exclusively by Syfy, the film will play as the second part of a double feature with the U.S. premiere of Machete Maidens Unleashed!, a documentary about Philippine exploitation films from the 70’s and 80’s directed by Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood), which features Roger Corman prominently. The Lifetime Achievement award ceremony will take place between the two shows, each of which will include classic Corman trailers and surprises.
Roger Corman received an Honorary 2010 Oscar for his contributions to filmmaking, and is the legendary director and producer of numerous cult classics, among them It Conquered the World,...
Roger Corman received an Honorary 2010 Oscar for his contributions to filmmaking, and is the legendary director and producer of numerous cult classics, among them It Conquered the World,...
- 9/7/2010
- by George Bragdon
- OriginalAlamo.com
Our look back at the history of the American B-movie takes in the 40s and 50s, which saw the emergence of Mr Roger Corman...
"From Out of Space... A Warning and An Ultimatum!" Tagline for The Day The Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise, 1951)
The term B-movie is perhaps most synonymous with the 40s and 50s era of Hollywood. At this stage the label was sometimes used as derogatory slang for cheapo movies with stale dialogue, unknown actors and old sets. But most movie lovers remember something magical about these classics. Whether it's watching Cat People when you were a kid, or Ed Wood's hilarious cult oddities as a teenager, they stay with you forever.
Rko were renowned for their horrors around this time, thanks to screen writer and producer Val Lewton. His production team made the aforementioned Cat People (1942), as well as I Walked With A Zombie (1943) and Stranger On The Third Floor...
"From Out of Space... A Warning and An Ultimatum!" Tagline for The Day The Earth Stood Still (Robert Wise, 1951)
The term B-movie is perhaps most synonymous with the 40s and 50s era of Hollywood. At this stage the label was sometimes used as derogatory slang for cheapo movies with stale dialogue, unknown actors and old sets. But most movie lovers remember something magical about these classics. Whether it's watching Cat People when you were a kid, or Ed Wood's hilarious cult oddities as a teenager, they stay with you forever.
Rko were renowned for their horrors around this time, thanks to screen writer and producer Val Lewton. His production team made the aforementioned Cat People (1942), as well as I Walked With A Zombie (1943) and Stranger On The Third Floor...
- 3/23/2010
- Den of Geek
Actor Peter Graves was best known for his starring role as Jim Phelps, leader of the Impossible Mission Force, on the popular television drama series Mission: Impossible, from 1967 to 1973. He took over as star of the series from Steven Hill with the second season.
Graves was also a leading actor in science fiction films in the 1950s. He spoke with bible-quoting Martians in the 1952 Cold War thriller Red Planet Mars, and battled bug-eyed aliens in Killers from Space in 1954. He fended off a creepy Venusian invader in the Roger Corman cult classic It Conquered the World in 1956, and saved the country from gigantic grasshoppers in 1957’s Beginning of the End.
He was born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 18, 1926. He served in the United States Army Air Force near the end of World War II.
He followed his brother, actor and future Gunsmoke star Jim Arness, to Hollywood in the late 1940s,...
Graves was also a leading actor in science fiction films in the 1950s. He spoke with bible-quoting Martians in the 1952 Cold War thriller Red Planet Mars, and battled bug-eyed aliens in Killers from Space in 1954. He fended off a creepy Venusian invader in the Roger Corman cult classic It Conquered the World in 1956, and saved the country from gigantic grasshoppers in 1957’s Beginning of the End.
He was born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on March 18, 1926. He served in the United States Army Air Force near the end of World War II.
He followed his brother, actor and future Gunsmoke star Jim Arness, to Hollywood in the late 1940s,...
- 3/17/2010
- by Jesse
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
American actor and star of television's Mission: Impossible who made fun of his image in Airplane!
Despite his long career as a serious actor in dozens of films and television shows, Peter Graves, who has died aged 83, might be most remembered for a role that lampooned his square-jawed, stolid screen persona. As the captain of a plane heading for disaster in the spoof movie Airplane! (1980), Graves got laughs by playing it as straight as his other roles. (Although his roles in a number of trashy, low-budget science fiction movies in the 1950s had produced unintentional laughs.)
Audiences around the world were also familiar with Graves as the tall, gruff, deep-voiced, silver-haired Jim Phelps, head of the Imf (Impossible Missions Force), an elite American espionage group, in the TV series Mission: Impossible (1967-73). He won a Golden Globe in the role in 1971.
The show famously opened with the words: "Your mission,...
Despite his long career as a serious actor in dozens of films and television shows, Peter Graves, who has died aged 83, might be most remembered for a role that lampooned his square-jawed, stolid screen persona. As the captain of a plane heading for disaster in the spoof movie Airplane! (1980), Graves got laughs by playing it as straight as his other roles. (Although his roles in a number of trashy, low-budget science fiction movies in the 1950s had produced unintentional laughs.)
Audiences around the world were also familiar with Graves as the tall, gruff, deep-voiced, silver-haired Jim Phelps, head of the Imf (Impossible Missions Force), an elite American espionage group, in the TV series Mission: Impossible (1967-73). He won a Golden Globe in the role in 1971.
The show famously opened with the words: "Your mission,...
- 3/15/2010
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
'Airplane!' and 'Mission Impossible' star died in Los Angeles on Sunday.
By Gil Kaufman
Peter Graves
Photo: Getty Images
Actor Peter Graves, whose career spanned a star-making role in the 1960s TV series "Mission Impossible" to a late career reboot in the 1980s as Captain Clarence Oveur in the two slapstick "Airplane!" movies, died at age 83 on Sunday.
According to CNN, Graves collapsed in the driveway of his Los Angeles home on Sunday and was found by his daughter, who attempted to perform CPR unsuccessfully. A spokesperson for the actor said he was in good health and died of natural causes.
Born Peter Aurness on March 26, 1925, Graves had a long and storied career in Hollywood that spanned more than 70 movies and a number of TV series, beginning in 1942 with an uncredited debut in the war film "Winning Your Wings." He moved out to Hollywood to join his older brother,...
By Gil Kaufman
Peter Graves
Photo: Getty Images
Actor Peter Graves, whose career spanned a star-making role in the 1960s TV series "Mission Impossible" to a late career reboot in the 1980s as Captain Clarence Oveur in the two slapstick "Airplane!" movies, died at age 83 on Sunday.
According to CNN, Graves collapsed in the driveway of his Los Angeles home on Sunday and was found by his daughter, who attempted to perform CPR unsuccessfully. A spokesperson for the actor said he was in good health and died of natural causes.
Born Peter Aurness on March 26, 1925, Graves had a long and storied career in Hollywood that spanned more than 70 movies and a number of TV series, beginning in 1942 with an uncredited debut in the war film "Winning Your Wings." He moved out to Hollywood to join his older brother,...
- 3/15/2010
- MTV Music News
Peter Graves, best known for his role in the 60s TV spy drama Mission: Impossible as well as the Airplane! films, has died.
Graves passed away on Sunday, just a few days before his 84th birthday, outside his home in Los Angeles, his publicist, Sandy Brokaw, said. Graves was returning from brunch with his wife of nearly 60 years and his family when he had what Graves's doctor believed was a heart attack, Brokaw said.
Graves first gained attention with the 1950s TV series Fury, but remained best known for the role of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in TV's Mission: Impossible.
Graves appeared in dozens of films and a handful of television shows in a career of nearly 60 years.
Graves passed away on Sunday, just a few days before his 84th birthday, outside his home in Los Angeles, his publicist, Sandy Brokaw, said. Graves was returning from brunch with his wife of nearly 60 years and his family when he had what Graves's doctor believed was a heart attack, Brokaw said.
Graves first gained attention with the 1950s TV series Fury, but remained best known for the role of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in TV's Mission: Impossible.
Graves appeared in dozens of films and a handful of television shows in a career of nearly 60 years.
- 3/15/2010
- The Guardian - Film News
For horror fans everyone who ever contributed to our genre is important, even if it was for only a couple of films. Legendary actor Peter Graves cut his teeth in the biz battling all manner of creatures during the Fifties and Sixties, and we're sad to say he's no longer with us.
Best known to fans from the Airplane! films, and as James Phelps on the hit television show "Mission: Impossible", Graves could also be seen back in the day fighting giant grasshoppers in The Beginning of the End, going toe-to-toe with The Eye Creatures, The Killers From Space, The Clonus Horror, and of course the hilarious looking psychic pointy headed alien veggie-monster from It Conquered the World.
Graves was found dead Sunday afternoon in front of his Pacific Palisades home from apparent natural causes. He was 83. We here at Dread Central would like to take this time to send...
Best known to fans from the Airplane! films, and as James Phelps on the hit television show "Mission: Impossible", Graves could also be seen back in the day fighting giant grasshoppers in The Beginning of the End, going toe-to-toe with The Eye Creatures, The Killers From Space, The Clonus Horror, and of course the hilarious looking psychic pointy headed alien veggie-monster from It Conquered the World.
Graves was found dead Sunday afternoon in front of his Pacific Palisades home from apparent natural causes. He was 83. We here at Dread Central would like to take this time to send...
- 3/15/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
People Magazine reports that Peter Graves, who starred in TV's Mission Impossible, and later spoofed his persona in the Airplane comedies, died in Los Angeles on Sunday at the age of 83.
In honor of his memory, I'm going to go watch some gladiator films which will self-destruct in five seconds.
Or we can just sit back and watch his role in It Conquered The World:...
In honor of his memory, I'm going to go watch some gladiator films which will self-destruct in five seconds.
Or we can just sit back and watch his role in It Conquered The World:...
- 3/15/2010
- by Glenn Hauman
- Comicmix.com
eter Graves, the tall, stalwart actor likely best known for his portrayal of Jim Phelps, leader of a gang of special agents who battled evil conspirators in the long-running television series "Mission: Impossible," died Sunday.Graves died of an apparent heart attack outside his Los Angeles home, publicist Sandy Brokaw said. He would have been 84 this week.Graves had just returned from brunch with his wife and kids and collapsed before he made it into the house, Brokaw said. One of his daughters administered CPR but was unable to revive him. Graves' family doctor visited the house and believed he had a heart attack, Brokaw said.Although Graves never achieved the stardom his older brother, James Arness, enjoyed as Marshal Matt Dillon on TV's "Gunsmoke," he had a number of memorable roles in both films and television.Normally cast as a hero, he turned in an...
- 3/14/2010
- Filmicafe
He may now be in the autumn of a prolific directing/producing career which has delivered such disparate movie treats as The Last Woman on Earth (deadly mist wipes out world’s entire population except for one girl and two guys - one of whom is played by a pseudonymous Robert Towne), A Bucket of Blood (lowly busboy dazzles the beatnik hipster crowd with sculptures crafted from his murder victims), and It Conquered the World (Earth is menaced by a crab/traffic cone hybrid in an alien invasion flick commemorated on Frank Zappa’s Roxy and Elsewhere album), but Roger Corman is now set to receive his greatest accolade, having been named as one of next year’s recipients of an honorary Oscar.
Aside from the early plethora of ultra low-budget quickie movies such as those cited above, Corman is also well known as director of the 1960s series of...
Aside from the early plethora of ultra low-budget quickie movies such as those cited above, Corman is also well known as director of the 1960s series of...
- 9/15/2009
- by Paul Martin
- Movie-moron.com
When I read the news the other day that Roger Corman was selected to receive an Honorary Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, I was kind of surprised. Not because I couldn't believe Roger Corman would be given an Honorary Academy Award but because I'd have sworn they'd already done so years ago. Apparently not. Talk about an honor long overdue.
Roger Corman began his directing career with 1955's Swamp Women and last sat in the director's chair for 1990's Frankenstein Unbound, but he still remains active as a producer, such as his forthcoming Syfy production DinoShark. As one of his assistants once told me, "He'll be making movies until the day he dies."
If any of you are wondering why they would bestow an Oscar, Honorary or otherwise, upon a man whose cinematic canon includes the likes of It Conquered the World and The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent...
Roger Corman began his directing career with 1955's Swamp Women and last sat in the director's chair for 1990's Frankenstein Unbound, but he still remains active as a producer, such as his forthcoming Syfy production DinoShark. As one of his assistants once told me, "He'll be making movies until the day he dies."
If any of you are wondering why they would bestow an Oscar, Honorary or otherwise, upon a man whose cinematic canon includes the likes of It Conquered the World and The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent...
- 9/13/2009
- by Foywonder
- DreadCentral.com
Lauren Bacall, producer-executive John Calley, producer-director Roger Corman and Gordon Willis will all be honored at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' inaugural Governors Awards event on Nov. 14 at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland.
Calley will receive the Irving G. Thalbergh Memorial Award, while Bacall, Corman and Willis will be presented with honorary awards, more informally known as honorary Oscars.
In a break with tradition, this year the Academy's honorary awards will be handed out at the new event in November.
While the awards will be acknowledged during the Oscarcast on March 7, the show won't devote the same amount of time to toasting the honorees on air as in past years.
The Academy's rules allow as many as four honorees per year, although most years the Academy's board of governors hasn't chosen to single out that many individuals.
But in its vote Thursday night, the board of...
Calley will receive the Irving G. Thalbergh Memorial Award, while Bacall, Corman and Willis will be presented with honorary awards, more informally known as honorary Oscars.
In a break with tradition, this year the Academy's honorary awards will be handed out at the new event in November.
While the awards will be acknowledged during the Oscarcast on March 7, the show won't devote the same amount of time to toasting the honorees on air as in past years.
The Academy's rules allow as many as four honorees per year, although most years the Academy's board of governors hasn't chosen to single out that many individuals.
But in its vote Thursday night, the board of...
- 9/11/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In memory of Forrest J Ackerman, the Famous Monsters of Filmland editor and genre legend who died last week (see item here), Fango classic-horror specialist Tom Weaver sent in some rare pics of Forry on the set of the Roger Corman flicks Day The World Ended and It Conquered The World and Edward L. Cahn’s Voodoo Woman; you can see them below. He also arranged for Joe Dante, one of countless filmmakers inspired and influenced by Forry and FM, to pass along his own tribute:
“A lot of us so-called ‘Monster Kids’ can divide our lives into two parts: before Famous Monsters and after Famous Monsters. Before, we were just geeky fans of horror and science fiction movies, somewhat isolated in our devotion to stuff the rest of the world looked at askance, when they looked at it at all. After, we became part of an exclusive club, secure...
“A lot of us so-called ‘Monster Kids’ can divide our lives into two parts: before Famous Monsters and after Famous Monsters. Before, we were just geeky fans of horror and science fiction movies, somewhat isolated in our devotion to stuff the rest of the world looked at askance, when they looked at it at all. After, we became part of an exclusive club, secure...
- 12/10/2008
- Fangoria
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