Roger Corman’s name is synonymous with “schlock”. Also, “low-budget”, “B-Movie”, and a lot of the time, “BAD movie”. But for many, he should be considered a great eye for talent, and a generous provider of chances. After all, he gave people like Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdonovich, and Jonathan Demme their big breaks. (More recently – in 2001 – he produced a film called THE ARENA with a young director named Timur Bekmambetov at the helm…) Well, now he can be called something else, something a little more gratifying: Oscar Winner.
That’s right, Mr. Corman will be given an Honorary Oscar next year, which is sort of a career award usually given to people who have never won before. (Lauren Bacall is also getting one; somehow she’s never won one.) I guess this is to make up for TEENAGE CAVEMAN and ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS not getting Best Picture nominations.
In any event, this is a great thing, because obviously some very famous and talented people owe their careers – in part – to Roger Corman.