“You didn't mean it. You never mean it. You didn't mean it the time when you put up the bouquet with the 'get well' card in the funeral parlor, and sent the black lilies to the old lady in the hospital, you didn't mean it.”
Roger Corman's 38th Film in 5 Years
The year was 1960. The American movie landscape was dominated by Westerns, sword-and-sandal epics, and Rock and Roll musicals. But in the underbelly of Hollywood, a different kind of movie was brewing. This was the era of exploitation cinema, and Roger Corman was its undisputed king. With a knack for spotting talent and squeezing every penny out of a budget, Corman churned out low-budget genre films at an astonishing rate. The Little Shop of Horrors was one of them. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off our Member Bonus Roger Corman series with a conversation about his 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors.
Don't Feed the Jokes
In this episode, we dig into the fascinating backstory of how The Little Shop of Horrors came to be, a film shot in just two days on a set borrowed from another Corman production, A Bucket of Blood. We marvel at Corman's legendary efficiency and his ability to create entertaining films on a shoestring budget. We also discuss the film's unique blend of horror and comedy, noting how the comedic elements ultimately overshadow the horror, making for a surprisingly funny viewing experience. We analyze the film's sharp, witty dialogue, packed with puns, wordplay, and topical references that would have resonated with audiences in 1960.
Other Buds to Snip From This Conversation
- Jack Nicholson's small but memorable role
- The film's connection to the later stage musical and film adaptation
- The somewhat effective practical effects used to bring Audrey Jr. to life
- The film's lasting legacy as a cult classic
- The differences between the original ending and the ending of the musical
The Little Shop of Horrors is a fascinating time capsule of early 1960s filmmaking and a testament to Roger Corman's ingenuity and talent. It's a fun, fast-paced, and surprisingly funny film that holds up remarkably well today. We have a great time talking about it, so check it out then tune in. The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!
Film Sundries
This is a member bonus episode. We'd love it if you became a member to support our show, but you’d love it because of everything you get. We have monthly member bonus episodes that only members can access. You also get other monthly member bonus episodes, access to members-only Discord channels, and early releases for every episode. Plus, no ads! And you get to vote on the movies we discuss in our members only episodes! What can we say? It pays to be a member. Learn more about supporting The Next Reel Film Podcast through your own membership — visit TruStory FM.
(upbeat music) I'm Pete Wright. - And I'm Andy Nelson. - Welcome to the next row when the movie ends. - Our conversation begins. - Little Shop of Horrors is over. Now, no no McCain. It does the senses. (dramatic music) - Eat me. Ooh. - Oh, I take it easy Dracula. What do you think I'm carrying here, my dirty laundry? (dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music) - Where a man eating talking plant gives homicide something to think about. - And I didn't do it. - Do what? - Whatever. - Ever see this man? - Man. - See picture. - Why are you so nervous? (dramatic music) - Oh boy, you kiss good Audrey. - Oh, I guess I just have a good kiss, sir. - Now you will do as I say. - Yes, master. - You will go out and find me some food. - Yes, master. (dramatic music) - What's the matter, don't you like me? - Too bony. - Too bony. Nobody ever told me that before. Beef is better than veal. - You're such a dodo. - What do you call this? - Chopped liver. (dramatic music) - What's going on with this movie, Andy? - I did not know this movie existed. - What? - Yeah. - Really? - What do you think about that? - I find that strange. - Like in all of the times that you had heard about the stage musical, the film adaptation, you never realized that it had been based on another property before that? - Right, that's right. - Wow. - Never, I mean blind spot. Like I didn't, nobody told me. Nobody ever told me. And I wasn't that interested. - You know it's probably in the credits of the movie. - I know, you're a real credit ed. I think that I just never questioned that the musical was a thing. Like I just never questioned it. It felt so natural to me, so weird and musically that I never questioned the source material. I thought this clearly was direct to stage. - Yeah, interesting, interesting. I think I heard about it in, let's see, the movie adaptation of the musical came out in high school. And I think it was right around then that there was conversation probably amongst all the theater kids that, oh, hey, we should watch the original, Jack Nicholson's in it. And that was kind of the selling point for all of us. The fact that this was based on an old movie with Jack Nicholson, 'cause I watched it around that time, probably in just, I don't know, within a few years after the movie came out. And I didn't really like it. I was like, well, that was cheap and kind of terrible and Jack Nicholson's barely in it. And what was the point? So I wasn't a fan. And so I was curious to revisit it, and I actually found that I liked it quite a bit. I had a lot of fun with it because it's very, very funny. - Yeah, it is very funny. And it feels to me more like a sketch you might see on Ed Sullivan, you know. Like it's just nonstop kind of plays on words and jokes that I found really appealing. It was quaint. It was a quaint watch. I'm even more offended at myself because Jack Nicholson is in it. And how many times have I looked at Jack Nicholson's entire credits run and never made a connection that this was on there? - Yeah. - I feel silly about that just right now. Anyway, I really enjoyed my time with this movie. I thought it was very funny, tightly written, short. And frankly, I didn't mind the plant. - Yeah, no, the plant plays fine. It's a little, it looks like, you know, painted styrofoam when it's tiny, when it's just the little one and it looks like somebody's hand is in it. Like it's not very fancy. - And it looks like giant painted styrofoam when it's huge. (both laughing) - Maybe a little more robust, but yeah, not much more than that, really. No, it's, I mean, it is super cheap. I mean, this is, you know, part of our member bonus series that we're doing for the entire year, celebrating Roger Korman, who we sadly lost earlier this year. And this was the first one that members voted on, the little shop of horrors. This is early in Korman's career, but you say that and it doesn't necessarily mean like it's his first or second film. Like this is, I think already his 11th film. And, you know, he was just somebody who was very busy in the few years that he was working. And that's the thing about him. And I think people know, like he works fast, he works cheap and he gets stuff done lickety split. So, yeah, I'm just trying to look. I think I'm wrong when I said it's his 11th. This is... - Already self-fact check. - Five guns west, the beast with a million eyes uncredited and only directed some scenes. Apache woman, day the world ended, swamp women, gunslinger, the Oklahoma woman, it conquered the world, naked paradise, attack of the crab monsters, not of this earth, the undead rock all night, teenage doll, carnival rock, sorority girl, the saga of the Viking women and their voyage, the waters of the great sea serpent. Wow, there's a title for you. - Is that it? - War of the satellites, Machine Gun Kelly, - Oh, Jesus. - We were only gone from 1955. We're only in 1958 right now. - We're at 19. - Yeah, Machine Gun Kelly, teenage caveman, she gods of shark reef, I mobster, the wasp woman, a bucket of blood, ski troop attack. Now we've just hit 1960. House of Usher, Last Woman on Earth, the Little Shop of Horrors. - Wow. - The Little Shop of Horrors is one of four films that Korman directed in 1960. - He had done 37 other movies before then. - Yeah, from 1955 to 1960. - So this is only his 38th film. (laughing) - Okay, let's take it again. Let's take it again. - He's 38th film is amazing. - But like within five years of starting, like that's the thing that boggles the mind is that this is a filmmaker who just worked incredibly fast. And like the production story of this is that, well, the story goes a couple of things. One, he found a set from a different production and thought it would be perfect. And he said, hey, instead of just tearing this down, I know you're gonna be tearing it down in a few days. Why don't you let me use it for a few days and film a movie here? And so he used this set that he thought was great and came up like with his partner, came up with a whole script based on this location which they used as the flower shop. And then there's a couple of stories. One is he bet somebody that he would be able to direct a movie in two days and shoot the whole thing in just two days. Some people have said, yeah, some people have said no. The other reason is that they said that he notoriously cheap, he knew that SAG was changing their rules as far as like how you had to pay actors as far as a percentage and stuff on the back end of your project. And so on January 1st, 1960, this new rule was gonna go into effect which would actually require producers to actually pay residuals on future releases of an actor's work. Apparently, he wanted to get this done beforehand. So he had this set for five days. He paid the actors for those five days. He had three days of rehearsal and he shot it in two days all between Christmas and New Year's so that he could get it done before that change in the model of paying actors. - That's outstanding. You know what's funny about all of that is like that whole story checks out but I think because of the era that he was making films and they all sort of share the same kind of black and white, stagey look, very sort of proscenium play kind of look, I expected it to look dumber than it did for a Roger Corn film. I expected to have to suspend more disbelief to get through this movie and I did not, I did not. All of that checks out and I was still in it. This was a two day, one night shoot that actually felt great. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) - All right, film fiends. Andy here to interrupt your regularly scheduled programming with a tantalizing offer. You see, this episode you're listening to right now, it's merely a taste, a morsel, a tiny seedling of the full cinematic experience that awaits you. Picture this, a vast untamed jungle of bonus content waiting to be explored and the key to unlocking this verdon wonderland? Well, have membership, of course. It's like having your very own all access paths to a top secret greenhouse, filled with the most exotic and fascinating film discussions around. For less than the price of a ticket to a drive-in double feature, you can unlock monthly member bonus episodes like our deep dive into Roger Cornman's The Little Shop of Horrors, the very one you've just sampled. You'll also get early ad-free access to all our regular episodes, delivered faster than a screaming mandrake route to your podcast app of choice. And just for our members, we spilled the tea and exclusive pre-show and post-show chats where you'll feel like you're practically sitting in on our recording sessions. 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