How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime [Hardcover]

Roger Corman (Author), Jim Jerome (Collaborator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 1990

In this witty, revealing and instructive book, Roger Corman--as well as many of the celebrities he's worked with--reveals the inside story on how, with the trick of efficiency, resourcefulness, and a good sense of humor, he rose from movie studio messenger to an antistudio maverick. Illustrated.

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.

From Library Journal

Corman has had two careers in Hollywood. From 1955 to 1971, he produced and directed dozens of low-budget science fiction, horror, and action movies, all of them (as the title says) successful. That those films were in less respectable genres was not necessarily to his detriment; as he proudly points out, he was the youngest director given retrospectives at two film archives. In his second incarnation, Corman became an executive whose company nurtured young talent on more low-budget (and high-profit) products, as well as distributing films by Bergman, Fellini, and Truffaut. An amazing career, told here in a disarmingly modest fashion, with "cameo" comments from Corman alumni (Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese, Francis Coppola). Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/90.
- Thomas Wiener, formerly with "American Film," Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 237 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (July 28, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394569741
• ISBN-13: 978-0394569741
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,145 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.