Wednesday, April 10, 2013

I is for Isabel and Clark Henderson, Who Saw Roger Corman at His Best (and His Worst)


I must admit that I is not an easy letter when you’re in the throes of an A to Z Challenge. It’s not simple to think of  Roger Corman people whose names begin with the ninth letter of the alphabet. One exception is Ib Melchior, whose short story, “The Racer,” was the basis for the New World cult classic, Death Race 2000. To hear Roger tell it these days, he himself came up with the wild idea of the futuristic cross-country road race in which drivers score points by running down pedestrians. Sorry, Roger – that detail was at the heart of Melchior’s story. True, “The Racer” is stilted and ultimately sentimental. It is not nearly so memorable as the darkly funny film scripted by Chuck Griffith and brilliantly directed by Paul Bartel. But to give credit where credit’s due, Melchior’s outrageous idea started the whole thing.

Here’s what I really want to talk about: two behind-the-scenes people who owe much to Roger Corman. In 1980 Clark Henderson, a UCLA film student with some short films to his credit, was approached by a Corman minion who offered a job interview. Two days later, Clark was a production assistant in charge of craft service, which means he provided the bagels and other tasty treats arrayed on the snack table during the filming of Battle Beyond the Stars. Because he was around during the rare off-days at Corman's Venice, California studio, he saw something out of the ordinary: Roger walking the film’s fledgling director through his paces, blocking out the shots for the next day of shooting. Normally, Roger didn’t interfere with the work of his young directors. He was generally adept at figuring out who was ready to shoot a film that would come in on time and on budget. But in the case of Battle Beyond the Stars, which because of its special effects requirements posed huge logistical challenges, Roger miscalculated. Which is why he was gently, graciously, coming to the rescue of a young man who was in ‘way over his head.

Clark, with his solid grasp of technical filmmaking, soon rose through the ranks at New World. Ultimately Roger sent him to oversee a raft of action films being shot in the Philippines, many of them directed by the irrepressible Cirio Santiago. Cirio’s associate producer was a smart cookie named Isabel. Soon she and Clark were an item. After Clark returned to the U.S., Roger played cupid by signing the documents that helped Isabel enter the country. He found her a job in his accounting department, but eventually the two were told that they’d better get married, or else Roger’s company might be in trouble with immigration authorities. (Clark notes that Roger quickly adored Isabel: “She was like the accounting maven.  She’d always catch people in fraudulent shit, and he loved her for that.”)

The Hendersons don’t sugarcoat their memories of working for Roger. Both recall that when things got tough on the set he could be paranoid (“What kind of stupid idea is this?  This is sabotage! They’re trying to get me!”), and subject to temper tantrums. They’ve seen him throw things – even throw punches – and have shaken their heads at his bursts of rampant homophobia. But all that was a long time ago. Both Isabel and Clark, now a vice-president of Technicolor Creative Services in New York City, agree that Roger Corman has changed their lives for the better. 

12 comments:

  1. Ah, love blossoming in the Phillipines under the auspices of Roger Corman, and with Cirio Santiago present and accounted for...I can only hope Vic Diaz was there somewhere! I'm always happy to hear the happy stories where Mr. Corman does something nice which doesn't line his wallet - balanced with his feet of clay. I'm happy for the Hendersons - many cheers to them!

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  2. The incorrigible Cirio Santiago was indeed present for at least some of the romance. And my stories about Ciro's filmmaking audacity are worth sharing, but not today!

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  3. I stumbled here.. and I am never leaving... you are awesome. This is the kind of site I love... love... just like Craig's... I am behind the scenes of the A to Z thing.... Happy I am!

    Jeremy [Retro]
    AtoZ Challenge Co-Host
    Oh No, Let's Go... Crazy

    ps. you have to turn off the "captcha", and turn off the anonymous readers... you won't get spammed. People will not stop over, cause the captcha is murder... on the eyes.

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    1. Thanks for the love, Jeremy. It was Craig who started me on this -- he's my number one fan! I checked out your site: lots of fun. Do come around often. I don't always write about Roger Corman, but I always have lots to say.

      PS Don't know exactly what you mean about turning off the "captcha." Do explain, pretty please!

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    2. Beverly,

      AWESOME... I can going to be second! thank you for looking at my site I have a couple more I will share with you down the road...

      Here is a link from a another great friend and she explains the whole "CAPTCA" thing better... http://pearsonreport.blogspot.com/2013/04/h-is-for-helping-hand.html

      Jeremy [Retro]

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    3. Again, thanks, Jeremy. Jenny's explanation was clear and helpful. I'll never inflict "Captcha" on anyone again (I hope!)

      It's lovely to have a new #2 fan. I hope to hear from you often. (I got a chuckle out of your post concerning Richie Cunningham's missing brother. Did you know my second book was a Ron Howard biography?)

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    4. @ Jeremy - thanks for the shout out - glad to be a "helping hand"! :)

      @Beverly - dropping by to check you out! Fantastic site!

      Jenny @ PEARSON REPORT

      PS - I've got a post on how to do these link back too - check it out HERE

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    5. Jenny, your site looks wonderful, and I definitely thank you for the clear and detailed instructions you offer, but when I clicked "HERE" I didn't get ANYTHING!

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  4. I really like the way you are meeting this challenge. I'm so glad I found your blog! New follower here. I'm stopping by from the "A to Z" and I look forward to visiting again.

    Sylvia
    http://www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/

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    1. So nice to meet you, Sylvia. Sounds like our blog titles make us two of a kind, but we're pretty different, aren't we! Anyway, I did enjoy what I saw. Enjoy YOUR wonderland and come back and visit mine soon.

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  5. Just stopping by from the A-Z Challenge list to say "Hi"

    Really enjoyed your post honey, great theme!

    Good luck with the rest of the challenge :)

    xx

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  6. Hi Vikki, I checked you out, and really appreciated your focus, which certainly appeals to the English major in me!

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