Roger Corman: podcast appearances and interviews

Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director and producer recognized as a trailblazer in independent cinema. He earned various monikers including The Pope of Pop Cinema, King of the Beatnik Movies, The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood, and The King of Cult, reflecting his influence and reputation in the film industry. Over his career, Corman directed or produced more than 500 feature films, many of which were low-budget productions that gained cult following. Notable films include A Bucket of Blood, The Little Shop of Horrors, The Intruder, X The Man with the X-ray Eyes, and counterculture films like The Wild Angels and The Trip. He also directed eight films adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, known collectively as the Poe Cycle, starting with House of Usher in 1960. In 1964, he became the youngest filmmaker to have a retrospective at the Cinémathèque française, as well as at the British Film Institute and the Museum of Modern Art. Corman co-founded New World Pictures, founded New Concorde, and served as a longtime member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was known for distributing foreign films by directors such as Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, François Truffaut, and Akira Kurosawa. Corman mentored many prominent filmmakers including Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, and James Cameron, significantly influencing the New Hollywood movement of the 1960s and 1970s. In addition, he helped launch acting careers for actors like Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda. Corman also appeared in several films directed by filmmakers who began with him, and a documentary about his life titled Corman's World highlights his extensive career and influence.