The common misperception is that Roger Corman owned American International Pictures. His name is synonymous with the studio since they released dozens of his films. But Sam Arkoff and James Nicholson never made him a partner. From all accounts, he didn’t want such a gig. He didn’t have time to sit behind a desk cause he was way too busy cranking out his own movie. Stories of Corman’s speed and output are legendary. During the ‘50s he only needed a week of production to make a feature film. He didn’t believe in third takes. It helped that his films were barely over an hour in running time. This allowed him the luxury of directing both ends of a double feature. Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Triple Feature: Sci-Fi Classics contains three films he made during the whirlwind times. The films were released by Allied Artists Pictures which was a rival to AIP for the movie screens that dealt with independent studios.
Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957 – 63:01) blasts the screen with a nuclear mutant monster. The navy returns to a desolate island in the Pacific after a scientific team vanishes from the laboratory. Things start off on a bad note when a sailor falls off the landing raft and gets chopped up. Shortly after that they get stranded when their way home explodes. Things get creepy when they hear voices of the previous scientists, but can’t find them. The best hope of escaping the island involves Russell Johnson fixing the radio. That’s right, the actor that played the Professor on Gilligan’s Island must fix a radio to rescue castaway on a remote Pacific island. Strange to think that Johnson was supposedly typecasted after Gilliagan, yet this movie had him practice for his iconic role. Not to spoil the film, but turns out the trouble is being caused by giant radioactive crabs. The special effects aren’t nearly as cheesy as you’d imagine. The crabs do look terrifying.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0emuNT8F0-g
Not of this Earth (1957 – 67:03) exposes an alien invasion. The mysterious Paul Birch (Paul Johnson) arrives at a doctor’s office in need of blood. Turns out the guy’s own blood has gone bad. He needs human blood fast and constantly. Birch uses his mind control powers to get Nurse Nadine Storey (Beverly Garland) assigned to his house for more transfusions. What’s Birch doing on Earth? He needs to get blood for his planet Davanna since they’re all dying from a nuclear war. The alien doesn’t just get it from the Red Cross. He finds quite a few involuntary donors including Dick Miller’s vacuum cleaner salesman. Ultimately it’s up to Nadine to stop his diabolical plan. This isn’t nearly as spicy as the Traci Lords’ remake. Garland is extremely cute in her nurse’s uniform and her one piece swimsuit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOcHG03pBMQ
War of Satellites (1958 – 65:40) is sort of misnamed. These aren’t mere machines launched. They’re more like roomy Space Stations. But Corman made it around the time of Sputnik so satellites were the buzz word rage. Aliens warn the United Nations to cease sending up manned space stations into orbit. They’ve been blowing them up using a strange barrier around the world, but the Earthlings refuse to admit defeat. An alien replaces a United Nations official to sabotage the latest launch. Dick Miller is humanity’s only hope. It’s a fun mess of a low budget sci-fi production. Luckily the short running time makes the confusion forgivable. The effects are completely low budget without too much scientific research. The chairs inside the rocket include living room recliners with seat belts. Things are a bit more sophisticated than Ed Wood special effects. The formation of the satellite station is a miracle of technology. It goes beyond a NASA dream. Corman makes a cameo in his film in a bit role.
Roger Corman’s nickname as “King of the B Movies” isn’t right. Attack of the Crab Monsters and Not of this Earth ran as a double feature. His films weren’t cheap filler for a Hollywood blockbuster. They were their own universe of low budget joy. If anything Corman was King of the Quality Quickie. There is an economy of style that doesn’t ruin the entertainment value of these films. Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Triple Feature: Sci-Fi Classics packages together three films that dare to stare into the future. The films will either take you back to the joy of ‘50s matinees or half a century of Creature Features on TV.
The video for Attack of the Crab Monsters and Not of this Earth is 1.78:1 anamorphic. War of Satellites is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers look exceptional for their age. There’s a little schmutz on the frame. The black and white image is forgiving to such imperfections. The audio is mono. The levels are fine enough to hear the goofy sci-fi sound effects.
Audio Commentaries with Tom Weaver, John Brunas and Mike Brunas are on Crab Monsters and Not of this Earth. The trio wrote Universal Horrors. They reference the actual script and give other interesting production tidbits during the films. They sound like a talkradio show trio.
TV Syndication Prologues fattened out the running time for a 90 minute schedule slot. They don’t add much to Attack of the Crab Monsters (3:19) and Not of this Earth (7:37).
Roger Corman Interview (11:47) has him reflect on how the trio of films came about. He points out how with Sci-Fi and Horror, he didn’t have to worry about getting big named stars. The monsters and aliens were what drew people to the theaters. He speaks of the various cast and crew members. His cinematographer on two of the films Floyd Crosby. Not only did Crosby win an Oscar for his work on Tabu, he also shot High Noon. Crosby’s son is David Crosby of Crosby Stills and Nash. Dick Miller pops up at the end to talk about what
A Salute to Roger Corman (25:59) has numerous people who have worked for the filmmaker discuss their experiences. Included in the tribute is Peter Fonda, Joe Dante (The Howling), Jack Hill, Peter Bogdanovich, Harry Dean Stanton. It’s kinda sad to see the late George Hickenlooper (Hearts of Darkness) tell of his tales of Corman, He passed away a few months ago. The ultimate take away from their testimonials is that Roger Corman ran the greatest film school ever. Instead of a crummy 10 minute 16mm film, these people graduated with a released feature film on their resume. Sure Roger didn’t pay that well, but it’s cheaper than owing more than $100,000 in college tuition.
The Roger Corman Trailer Collection has 26 trailers that cover Corman’s cinematic output from Attack of the Crab Monsters to Frankenstein Unbound. Most of these titles are out on DVD. This isn’t close to half of Roger’s output from the director’s chair.
Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Triple Feature: Sci-Fi Classics is a blast to the past. Attack of the Crab Monsters will scare anyone with a fear of Red Lobster. Not of This Earth will give you the shakes the next time you donate plasma. War of the Satellites shall startle you when NASA launches a rocket. It’s a chilling look into the future that’s only an hour long for each view. The addition of Roger Corman’s trailers will give you a sense that he was a great filmmaker and not merely a producer who gave future directors their big break.
Shout! Factory presents Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Triple Feature: Sci-Fi Classics. Starring: Beverly Garland, Russell Johnson, Dick Miller and Roger Corman. Boxset Contents: 3 Movies on 2 DVDs. Released on DVD: January 18, 2011.
