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Roger Corman, Movie Maker and Mentor, Dies at 98
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FILE - Roger Corman addresses the audience during the awards ceremony of the 76th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Saturday, May 27, 2023. Corman, the Oscar-winning “King of the Bs” who helped turn out such low-budget classics as “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Attack of the Crab Monsters” and gave many of Hollywood's most famous actors and directors an early break, died Thursday, May 9, 2024. He was 98. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File)

Roger Corman, Movie Maker and Mentor, Dies at 98

May 12th, 2024

Roger Corman was a special movie maker. He was called the "King of the Bs" because he made movies that did not cost too much money. He made films like "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Attack of the Crab Monsters." He helped many actors and people who make movies become famous. Roger Corman was 98 years old when he died at home. Roger Corman made many movies. He found new people like Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, James Cameron, and Martin Scorsese and helped them start making movies. In 2009, he got a special prize called an Academy Award. He liked to make movies with little money and try new things. Many actors started with Roger Corman's movies. Jack Nicholson was in his first movie with Roger Corman. Robert De Niro, Bruce Dern, and Ellen Burstyn all started with him too. His movies did not have a lot of money, so they had to be made fast. Roger Corman also showed movies from other countries in America. Some of these movies won prizes. He made movies for many years and many people liked him. He played small parts in some big movies later. His wife Julie and his kids will remember him. Roger Corman liked making movies and he was a good friend to many people.
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💭 Discussion Questions


1
. What was Roger Corman called?
2
. Can you name one movie Roger Corman made?
3
. Who are some famous actors that started with Roger Corman?

📖 Vocabulary


🌐 Cultural context


Roger Corman was an American filmmaker known for low-budget movies. He helped start the careers of famous directors and actors. He received an award for his contributions to film.

🧠 Further reading


Low-budget film
Some movies do not cost a lot of money to make. These movies are called "low-budget films." They do not get money from big movie places or rich people. There are many movies like this made by people who are new or who do not have much experience. These new movie makers want to show they are good so they can make bigger movies later. Often, these low-budget movies do not go to big movie theaters. People might not know about these movies because they do not look like big movies, they have different stories, or they are not easy to sell. The cost of a low-budget movie can be different in each country. What is low-cost in one place might be expensive in another place. Young movie makers like to show their movies at movie festivals. This helps more people to learn about their movies. Sometimes, if a lot of people like the movie, it can go to the movie theaters. Horror movies are good for people who do not have a lot of money to make a movie. Jeremy Gardner, who made a movie called "The Battery," says that people who like horror movies care more about how the movie makes them feel than who is acting in it. This is why horror movies do not need famous actors. Thriller movies are also good for low-budget movies because they have exciting stories. Science fiction movies used to need a lot of money for special effects. But now, with computers, these movies can be less expensive, especially if they have a good story. Some movies are made to look like they are real footage found somewhere. This makes making the movie cheaper too.

Howard Stern
Howard Stern is a man who talks on the radio. He is very famous. People started to listen to him a lot from 1986 to 2005. Now, he talks on the radio at Sirius XM Radio. He started his radio work in 1976 in New York. Then he moved to many places like Connecticut, Michigan, and Washington, D.C. In New York, he did a morning show that was very popular. A lot of people listened to it. He has also taken pictures for magazines and was a judge on a TV show called America's Got Talent. Howard Stern has won many prizes because he is so good at his job. He was said to be the best for eight years. He also made the most money in radio. Sometimes he talked about things that made some people upset, and he had to pay money for this. Howard calls himself the "King of All Media" because he does more than just radio. He has made TV shows, books, and even a movie about his life. His books were very liked by many people. Howard Stern has done a lot of things and many people know who he is.

Film director
A movie director is a very important person in making a movie. They help everyone understand the story and tell them what to do. The director picks the actors, decides what the movie will look like, and has many creative ideas. They make sure everyone works well together and that the movie doesn't cost too much money. Some movie directors used to write stories, take pictures, help make movies, cut the movie, or act before they became directors. Some went to movie school. Directors have different ways of making movies. Some let actors choose what to say, and some are very strict and tell everyone exactly what to do. Some directors also write stories, help cut the movie, act, or make music for the movie. The director's job is to take a movie story and make it into a real movie. They tell the movie workers what to do and talk to the actors. The director needs to be good at leading people and talking to them. They also need to be good at seeing what looks nice on camera. Making movies can be hard, so the director must be good at many things.