Granny Creech digs deep to uncover memorable radio spots for Roger Corman movies…
I was invited over to my daughter Drusilla’s house this past Sunday to celebrate Mother’s Day. Her husband, Winslow, was there, as was my son, Arthur, and his wife Letitia (Letty), along with a whole bunch of little monsterkids-in-training. My grandson, Big Abner –Arthur’s and Letty’s son – couldn’t make it because he had some out-of-town business to finish up. He hoped to be there later.
After a fine meal we all retired to the rocking chairs and swing on the front porch and lazily sipped our glasses of sassafras tea. The topic of conversation turned to scary movies and we each took turns naming our favorites. The titles were as varied as the personalities on the porch: the men liked the old Universal movies, the women liked the Universal classics of the ‘50s, and I liked them all, especially the lower budget movies of the 1950s.
It was at this point that Big Abner came running up the sidewalk, panting, and between gasps said, “Roger Corman has died!”
A silence fell over the group. We had lost a great one.
I broke the silence. “And I was just commenting on how I liked the old low budget movies of the “50s. Roger’s Day the World Ended and Attack of the Crab Monsters are, and always will be, my two favorites.”
“I have always liked The Undead, said Arthur. “And Teenage Caveman and The Wasp Woman. A lot of famous people got their start with his movies.”
We sat around talking about his movies and the impact they had had on us and on the motion picture industry in general, especially for American International Pictures. We recounted his start with early low budget horror and science fiction films, his teen angst films, the great Edgar Allan Poe series, and his later gangster/biker films. His movies helped theaters and drive-ins survive with fare aimed at younger audiences when TV became popular. His approach to quality filmmaking on a budget through careful planning followed by killer marketing campaigns proved successful at a time when others were failing. Not only did he direct, but he also produced films and served as executive producer on many others.
After I thanked everyone for the delicious lunch and fine company, I returned to my little cottage, still shocked by the news. One of my favorite articles I have done for my Crypt is for Pit and the Pendulum. It has always been one of my favorite movies. I decided to root through my stack of radio spots and pull out what I had on Roger’s movies. Sadly, it is not as complete as I had hoped. Spots to his early films – my two favorites included – have eluded me over the course of my collecting career. Perhaps someday they will emerge but they are very rare.
So, in remembrance of Roger Corman, here are radio spots to a few of his movies. May his memory live on through his fans and his great body of work.
Piranha and Piranha 3D
Gas-s-s-s
The Premature Burial
The She Creature and It Conquered the World Double Bill
The Terror
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Pit and the Pendulum
X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes
Do you have any radio spots you would like to share? Contact Granny (Gary Fox) at [email protected].