Customer Reviews

Roger Corman: An Unauthorized Biography of the Godfather of Indie Filmmaking

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Roger Corman is a Hollywood movie making legend in his own lifetime. What is sometimes overlooked is that he was also responsible for launching the film making careers of such luminaries as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, John Sayles, James Cameron, Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, and Sylvester Stallone. Roger Corman: An Unauthorized Biography Of The Godfather Of Indie Filmmaking is the thorough, informative, illuminating, at times inspiring life of a unique, one-of-a-kind film directors who has fifty low-budget movies to his credit, and who has producers almost five hundred more! This is one well-written, meticulously researched Hollywood biography that is a "must read" for all movie fans, film buffs, and show business historians.

Usually, these unauthorized bios of entertainment industry figures are either slick, superficial rehashes of newspaper articles cobbled together by pseudo-writers or vicious hack-jobs by bitter ex-employees out for blood. Not this one. Beverly Gray's book is a wonderfully written, methodically researched, indepth look at a movie-making legend, written by an ex-employee who manages to portray her former boss with warmth, wit and surprising objectivity. Gray's background in academia really comes through, not in the dry, textbook writing usually associated with scholars, but in the intelligence and smoothness of her prose. This book is as educational as it is entertaining, marked by exceptional reporting and insightful anecdotes from her first-hand experience as Corman's right-hand woman. You'll learn far more about Roger Corman from her book than the one he wrote about himself. Highly recommended for anyone interested in movie-making...and the business behind the business.

This fascinating "biography" is really a savvy "how to" book that belongs on the shelf of every screenwriter, aspiring producer, director, and development executive -- and everyone else who loves films and craves to know the secrets of Hollywood's most colorful mogul.

I found it fun to read as a realistic "behind the scenes" glimpse of what it takes to be a profitable mogul, such as the way Corman hired young cheap "promising" talent instead of going for experience. Directors fresh out of film school reading this book, for example, can get a good feel for the mindset and financial situation of producers they interview with. Screenwriters will learn how Corman and team (Gray had been his development executive) managed to write and produce so many successful films quickly.

Few books reveal the inner machinations of a successful producer so intimately. Gray, a screenwriting teacher at UCLA, has done a spectacular job of showcasing the life story of an intruiging man through more than eighty interviews and via her own experience.

I have to agree with the other five-star reviews. "Roger Corman: Blood-Sucking Vampires, Flesh-Eating Cockroaches, and Driller Killers" is the best book on the subject, the subject being the most unique American studio head in film history.

Beverly Gray really paints a nuanced picture of Corman and never panders to the fans, the haters, or her old boss Corman himself. Though it's impossible to pull back the curtains entirely and see into a man's soul, Gray seems to have at least pulled back one side, giving us as much a glimpse as is possible without telepathy.

Storywise, Corman is, as always, fascinating, and Gray's perfectly detailed retelling of his story is the best yet written.

I really enjoyed Beverly Gray's new book, Roger Corman, An Unauthorized Biography of the Godfather of Indie Filmmaking. The story is exhaustively documented and chockfull of interesting tidbits. It is written in an easygoing, readable style and offers a fascinating look at the world of moviemaking.

On a recent vacation (after much searching for a good book to bring) I read Beverly Gray's excellent book about Roger Corman, the best known, and (as I learned) least understood Producer in Hollywood. I brought a unique perspective as a reader, as I have worked for Roger many times as a visual effects artist and have met with him in person quite often in the mid 90's. Ms. Gray's book is the best collection of knowledge about the inner workings of all of Roger's companies, and his private life I have ever seen. I found myself yelling out loud during parts that talked about the films I worked on saying "My God, THAT's why that happened!" or "I should've known...".

I can hear Roger speaking the quotes that Ms. Gray attributes to him (as do the interviewees), and she is dead-on if memory serves. Roger IS an amazing man, but very few people seem to really know him. He is as frustrating as he is kind, as generous as he is cheap. Ms. Gray has laid out for the reader an image of the complex web that makes up the life and businesses of this screen legend, and has done so in a way that made me want to turn the page, even with clear blue oceans just feet from my chair waiting for me to jump in.

She starts on his early years, giving you insight into his family life, then methodically lays out the path that led him from company to company. She has sectioned the book into his early life, his AIP (American International Pictures) years,

his New World years, and his (present) company: Concorde-New Horizons. It was well written, VERY well researched, entertaining, precisely footnoted and should not be overlooked by any serious Corman student.

Finally, as an author myself, I have to say that Ms. Gray has a great style of writing, and a wonderful way of making (what could be) a boring biography, into a can't-put-it-down page turner.

Wow! Talk about switching personalities! This amazing biographer can emit the style of the person she is writing about to really give you a flavor of the personality. And of course, she spent time working for him, so you are privy to more of a view. Written somewhat bruskly like Roger's personality, you really gain insight into his life and what made him the person he is. Contrast this book with Beverly's biography of Ron Howard and you see some of the exceptional talent of this lady. A great read!

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Gray's biography--fun as it is-- is more than a story about a man who is arguably one of Hollywood's most idiosyncratic moguls. It is a chronicle that parallels that of The Great Depression, World War II, the growth of the film industry and Los Angeles itself. We meet again celebrities we haven't thought about in years like the adorable dimpled Jon Davison, the memorable Vincent Price and even run across pop culture icons like Frank Gorshin.

Occasionally this book is burdened with glitz-town detail that only a dedicated film buff might adore but these moments are rare. Like a super hero, Corman--now 75 and still going--is resilient because he is multi-faceted. The same can be said for screenwriter cum UCLA instructor and journalist Beverly Gray. The two seem admirably paired in that way. Gray uses her many experiences and talents to tell the story of a man of many parts.
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Beverly Gray's superbly written, readable, and extensively documented biography of Roger Corman maintained my interest and gave me an understanding of his complex personality and career. The book also gives an insider's view into many Hollywood personalities, including a number of his disciples, cohorts, and acquaintances. The insightful prevailing theme of the book is Corman's internal struggle between his artistry and his bottom-line business concern, resulting in settling for small but memorable low-budget achievement rather than for potential professional greatness as a filmmaker. Ms. Gray draws on the personal insights she has gained on Corman from her almost ten years as his development executive. She also does a remarkable job in presenting the enormous multiplicity of his sources and story lines, including the anti-establishment themes of the 1960's and 1970's.

I have to say, I LOVE, "Roger Corman: Blood-Sucking Vampires, Flesh-Eating Cockroaches, and Driller Killers" the book is always near by, within reach, just in case I need to pick up my spirits.

It came as a shock when I first discovered that I had loaned the book out to a friend who never returned it, so I had to buy another one but found this book was an updated and expanded version of, "Roger Corman: An Unauthorized Biography of the Godfather of Indie Filmmaking" I read that book, enjoyed it greatly!

Beverly Gray's "Ron Howard: From Mayberry to the Moon...and Beyond" is as far as I know, the first real honest to goodness study of the life and work of Ron Howard, the child star, teen actor who then grew up to be one of Hollywood's most important filmmakers. I can see how one book lead to the other and there are so many books she could write from the wealth of experience she's had from her days with Roger Corman. She has the inside scoop! She was in the trenches! No real hearsay from outsiders, she heard it first hand!

Seriously, this book changed my live, if you want to be a creator of content, web, radio, film, games, there's no better inspiration than this book! You will be better off in the world with it in your backpack, on your nightstand, in your hands when you are creating your next work.

I talk to filmmakers everyday who have not just read this book, but who have used it, highlighted whole passages, treated it as their bible. Recently, I hear Gray is working on a new book about how the movies of the Sixties divided America, Studio films and the Independents, the establishment and the Rebels, I for one can't wait to see what she uncovers, remembers, lived through and all the new things that will resonate with us in these dangerous times.