I worked for Roger Corman too

This was also real Jeopardy category a few years ago. I worked for Roger Corman. He hired me as a Production Assistant for a feature being made at his studio, Concorde – New Horizons, located near the beach in Venice, CA. A family friend Susan Charles knew his filmmaker wife Julie as they had gone to school together in Kansas. That introduction helped me get in the door. A personal referral back then was like gold. It was 1988. I had only graduated from college two years earlier, inspiring to be a film director with my first film under my belt.

Climbing the Ladder

I was to earn $50 a day, working 10 hours or more. It was half the rate in Colorado that I had been getting on commercials and features. The cost of living in LA was more than what Denver was at that time. I had also been working as a paid intern for the State Office of the Colorado Film Commission. But now I was working in Hollywood as a production assistant*!

Being a PA is the lowest step on the film industry ladder, but you had to start somewhere in order to go up. It was to be a baptism by fire! The Roger Corman school of hard knocks started with an crew call-time of 8 AM with a lesson in filmmaking 101 until 6 PM or later. There was no going back. I would stay until the production wrapped after about three months, and then I found another industry job that paid more, working as an office assistant to a talent agent, but that is another story.

Working for Roger Corman

More famous people had worked for Roger Corman: Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, Peter Fonda, Joe Dante, Bruce Dern, Vincent Price (House of Usher, 1960), etc. Years later, I had the honor to met both Peter Fonda and Bruce Dern when they came to Boulder as guests of the Boulder International Film Festival. I filmed each as part of a backstage interview.

A Badge of Honor

I worked a Roger Corman film called “Time Trackers”. It was a time travel movie with Wil Shriner, Ned Beatty, Kathleen Beller (Thomas Dolby’s wife). Because it was a non-union shop, I could be cheaply thrown in as a background actor for three different time periods: medieval, present and future. Each day I was also the post production driver taking the freshly shot 35 mm film cans to the Deluxe Lab in North Hollywood and returning with the dailies. I quickly became very familiar with getting from Venice to Burbank without going on the highways. A trip that could easily take over an hour one direction during rush hour. A driving skill that has continued to serve me well when visiting LA. I was on the set too, but it was the most boring part of the day. There was a lot of standing around, waiting for something to happen. I quickly realized that where the action was. It was between the director, cinemagrapher and actors.

I almost lost my job the first week when I picked up the director’s lunch order and didn’t double check that the his hamburger didn’t have onions on it. I got a stern warning from the Unit Production Manager to not assume anything and always double check the lunch orders by opening the container.

All of which taught me, anticipate problems, never assume anything, and to do whatever task is needed without complaint. I’ve made two theatrical films and consider myself a hyphenate, having worked as a director, producer, editor, and cinematographer. I wear a lot of hats! Never as an actor!

With Roger Corman’s passing (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024), a true American self made treasure is gone. The last of the gentleman giants who knew how to make films cheap and good. A Stanford graduate who became the King of the B movies. Corman had an active IG account until most recently. Roger Corman still loved films and encouraging filmmakers to make films. I am one of them.

Thank you Roger!

“He was generous, open-hearted and kind to all those who knew him,” they said in a statement. “When asked how he would like to be remembered, he said, ‘I was a filmmaker, just that.’”

His Family

*Qualities of a good PA:

• Organized: Able to keep track of multiple tasks and prioritize effectively.
• Reliable: Punctual, responsible, and able to follow through on tasks.
• Resourceful: Able to solve problems and find solutions quickly.
• Adaptable: Able to adjust to changing circumstances and unexpected challenges.
• Good communication skills: Able to communicate effectively with crew members and others.