How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood And Never Lost A Dime [Paperback]

Roger Corman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 1998

In these pages Roger Corman, the most successful independent filmmaker in Hollywood relates his experiences as the director and/or producer of such low-budget classics Attack of the Crab Monsters, The Little Shop of Horrors, The Raven, The Man with the X-ray Eyes, The Wild Angels, The Trip, Night Call Nurses, Bloody Mama, Piranha, and many others. He also discusses his distribution of the Bergman, Fellini, and Truffaut movies that later won Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category. Corman alumni—John Sayles, Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, Vincent Price, Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Peter Fonda, Joe Dante, and Jonathan Demme, among others—contribute their recollections to give added perspective to Corman's often hilarious, always informative autobiography.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Independent filmmaker Corman ( The Beast ; The Little Shop of Horrors ) wrongly argues here that his is not "one of the more significant careers in film history." Having helped launch directors Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich and Martin Scorsese, and actors Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern and Sylvester Stallone, he is certainly one of the motive forces in American movies today. In this revealing autobiography, written with the coauthor of Papa John , Corman tells amazing tales of shooting full-length films in mere days with budgets under $100,000, and states his conviction that cinema is a fusion of art and money--which explains, he believes, why Americans do it so well. This account of Corman's life and career includes reminiscences by those who have worked with him: performers, directors, assistant producers, writers. The book is a significant contribution to the history of American movies. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

As a screenwriter, producer, and director, Corman is responsible for making many of the most god-awful?but profitable?stinkers in cinematic history. Still, he launched the careers of many other, more talented artists, e.g., Jack Nicholson, Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, and Francis Coppola, and where would Mystery Science Theater be without him? Here he reveals the secrets of his quite remarkable career in a "disarmingly modest fashion" (LJ 5/1/90). A solid volume for all film collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306808749
• ISBN-13: 978-0306808746
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #294,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, inspirational look inside indie film making., July 6, 2000

By 

Blake Watson "===Blake===" (Winnetka, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood And Never Lost A Dime (Paperback)

This book reads like one of Corman's movies plays out: fast, to the point, and when the monster's dead, the movie (or book) is over. There's not a lot of brooding, introspective material. (Mr. Corman muses some on why he never "sold out" to the majors and also why the European community has accorded him more respect, but these are fortunately brief segments.)

In the meantime the reader is treated to many of the adventures Corman and his ensemble braved to make his movies, some insights on how to squeeze the most out of a small budget, and a refreshingly forthright attitude about money and movies.

The book could stand an update, as Mr. C has been busy in the past decade, but it's still a worthwhile read as is.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful book about crab creatures and criminal bikers, January 2, 2002

By 

Joseph P. Menta, Jr. (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood And Never Lost A Dime (Paperback)

A terrific book, loaded with great stories and anecdotes about the world of low-budget film making-- from its heyday in the 50's and 60's, to the 1980's, when the industry kind of petered out because the major studios began making the types of visceral horror, science fiction, and exploitation movies previously reserved for "quickie" independent producers like Mr. Corman. It was fun to read this book and rent some of the films as they were being discussed. Another plus: the book is peppered with informative and revealing guest essays by the likes of Francis Coppola, Joe Dante, Martin Scorcese, Jack Nicholson, and various other directors, actors, and producers who worked with and/or got their start with Roger Corman. Though most of the comments about Mr. Corman in these essays are predictably laudatory, we are also allowed to read the occasional critical or negative observation, which permits the reader to get a nicely balanced view of the subject. The book is rounded out by a great selection of photos from the dozens of movies covered.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but kind of shallow., March 20, 2002

By 

James Manson (St. Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood And Never Lost A Dime (Paperback)

Considering the book is about Roger Corman the shallowness might be understandable.

The book is a retrospective of some of his movies and a little bit of the life he spent around them. The anecdotes are interesting and for the most part the book is well written.

The main problem that I had with the book is the length and the lack of detail about the movies and the making of them. In only a couple of cases does he go into any real depth. Most of the movies are limited to a few paragraphs.

I think that I would have preferred a book with fewer movies being covered but greater depth of coverage.

All in all a good book for those that are fans of Roger's films, as I am. However don't expect any major revelations.