We probably need to agree on what a "B" movie is. There are a number of box office successes that are pretty poor movies, and some flops that are pretty good.

2 actors that always seem exactly the same regardless of whatever movie they are in are Jack Webb, and Broderick Crawford. No matter what the movie, Jack is about as still as any man alive, and Crawford growls like in Highway Patrol.

I also enjoy seeing the original movies that were later parodied, or remade. " Affair to Remember" (chick flick) is nearly a word-for-word, and scene-for-scene copy of "The Affair". "You've got Mail" is a copy of "Little Shop Around the Corner" and one other.

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

By the way....

The term 'B Movie' was coined by the major studios. Since a lot of theaters showed three films a week the B films were needed to show Tuesday to Wednesday. Theaters then were mostly closed on Mondays.

'A' pictures were shown on Friday and Saturday and double features, and A and a B were shown on Sundays since it was tough to get folks to come Downtown on a Sunday just to see a movie.

Sometimes a B Director, Actor and Story all came together an an A film broke out. The 'Maltise Falcon' is the only one I can think of, though. Everyone was on the A list after that was released.

B films in the 50's and 60's tended to be more independent than major studio releases and were necessary as the second feature at run down theaters, grind-houses and drive-in's.

For a real B picture check out anything by Roger Corman. His films were shot on tight budgets and with no more than two takes. He once told Ronny Howard, "If this picture is a success then you will never have to work for me again."

There is a story about a film student at the U. of Texas in Austin who needed to make a student film quick but could not think of a story. He called Information in LA and asked for Roger Corman's number.

He got it and called Corman at home. After explaining his situation Corman just asked him what props he had. Such as, did he know anyone who owned a house that could be used, did the house have a pool, did anyone own a new or very old car.....?

After all the 'props' were gathered Corman tossed out a few story lines using the props and then said he wrote most of his films based on the props available. Corman also used a lot of stuff that had been cut from his other films since he did not like to waste anything, so with the Students other student films blended into the current production 50% of the film was already shot.

Dolly Parton once said it took a lot of money for her to look so cheap. It took a lot of brains and talent for Corman's films to look like real movies, but they did.

Isn't Roger Corman the King of the B Movies?

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Charles Bronson once said the best thing he ever did was to work in a Corman film because every casting agent in Hollywood knew that he was giving his performance in one take.

Corman never had the budget to do two takes.

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TC
Current stable:
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