I'm a graduate of the Roger Corman Film School. I wrote a movie Roger pitched to me as "I have this house set, and we can turn it into an underground lab. We'll call it The Terror Within. I want it post-apocalypse and I'm tired of nuclear war. Do you have any ideas?" And that little "programmer," written between drafts of the script Roge…
I'm a graduate of the Roger Corman Film School. I wrote a movie Roger pitched to me as "I have this house set, and we can turn it into an underground lab. We'll call it The Terror Within. I want it post-apocalypse and I'm tired of nuclear war. Do you have any ideas?" And that little "programmer," written between drafts of the script Roger and I and everyone else who read it just knew would be a "hit", became Roger's biggest hit of the late period - even getting solid reviews for the "underlying pro-choice message of the film" - and still stands up 36 years later (while the "hit" became the biggest flop of that period, proving that William Goldman definitely knew what he was talking about when he described the three rules of Hollywood). I am glad to see people finally recognizing Roger for the genius he was. Knowing him and working for him was the best part of my time in Hollywood.
Back when makin' mo'om pitchas was fun. Fun fact about Tough Guy George Kennedy: he was the most shy person I ever met. I was down at the set (the Lumberyard, shot during the 18 hottest days of the year with no A/C) and Thierry Notz introduced me to George. I put out my hand and wanted to say I'd been a fan since "Lonely Are The Brave" but he kept backing away, down the hallway till he got to the men's room and disappeared inside. Emerged 10 minutes later, fully "in character" as Tough Guy George Kennedy. Accepted my fandom, laughed and joked about the script (he was doing 5 days on the set for $50K) and overall the guy you'd like to meet.
I'm a graduate of the Roger Corman Film School. I wrote a movie Roger pitched to me as "I have this house set, and we can turn it into an underground lab. We'll call it The Terror Within. I want it post-apocalypse and I'm tired of nuclear war. Do you have any ideas?" And that little "programmer," written between drafts of the script Roger and I and everyone else who read it just knew would be a "hit", became Roger's biggest hit of the late period - even getting solid reviews for the "underlying pro-choice message of the film" - and still stands up 36 years later (while the "hit" became the biggest flop of that period, proving that William Goldman definitely knew what he was talking about when he described the three rules of Hollywood). I am glad to see people finally recognizing Roger for the genius he was. Knowing him and working for him was the best part of my time in Hollywood.
Wow, fantastic! A pro-choice post-apocalyptic movie starring George Kennedy sounds absolutely fascinating. So glad you got to have that experience.
Back when makin' mo'om pitchas was fun. Fun fact about Tough Guy George Kennedy: he was the most shy person I ever met. I was down at the set (the Lumberyard, shot during the 18 hottest days of the year with no A/C) and Thierry Notz introduced me to George. I put out my hand and wanted to say I'd been a fan since "Lonely Are The Brave" but he kept backing away, down the hallway till he got to the men's room and disappeared inside. Emerged 10 minutes later, fully "in character" as Tough Guy George Kennedy. Accepted my fandom, laughed and joked about the script (he was doing 5 days on the set for $50K) and overall the guy you'd like to meet.