After graduating from Stanford in 1947, Corman broke into the film business, first as a messenger boy and later as a story analyst and screenwriter. After his first script ("Highway Dragnet" 1954) was altered by a studio, he decided to make his own movies, beginning with "Monster from the Ocean Floor" in 1954. American Releasing Corporation, which later became known as American International Pictures, distributed Corman's second film, "The Fast and the Furious" (1954), as part of an unusual deal: ARP advanced the filmmaker cash to make additional movies. Corman later employed this arrangement with other distributors such as Allied Artists.
By 1955, when he made his directorial debut, the Corman formula was in place: quirky characters; offbeat plots laced with social commentary; clever use of special effects, sets and cinematography; employment of fresh talent; and above all, miniscule budgets (under $100,000) and breakneck shooting schedules (5-10 days). Corman titles from the 1950s and 60s include such genre films as "Swamp Women" (1956), "Machine Gun Kelly" (1958), "Little Shop of Horrors" (1961), "The Wild Angels" (1966) and "The Trip" (1967). His films based on the stories and poems of Edgar Allan Poe ("The Pit and the Pendulum" 1961, "Tales of Terror" 1962, "The Raven" 1963, "Masque of the Red Death" 1964) were typically shot in three weeks on only slighly higher budgets, yet have become classics of the horror genre.
Dissatisfied with increasing studio and AIP interference in both the content and budgets of his films, Corman decided to start his own company in order to exert total control over his product. In 1970 he formed New World Pictures, which produced and distributed, not only exploitation movies such as "Death Race 2000" (1975), but also sophisticated European art films by celebrated directors such as Truffaut, Bergman and Fellini. Corman once again demonstrated his Midas touch; New World became the largest independent production and distribution company in the US and in January 1983 he sold it for $16.5 million.
In 1983 Corman founded Concorde/New Horizons, a production company which continues to be both prolific (over 20 films annually) and commercially prodigious (1987 gross earnings: $94 million). Taking full advantage of "ancillary" markets (videocassete, pay TV and foreign sales), Corman continues his lucrative practice of releasing successful, cut-rate exploitation films such as "Not of this Earth" (1988), "Nightfall" (1988) and "The Lawless Land" (1989).
Corman's legendary success is attributed to the fact that he operates outside the usual Hollywood constraints. He does not shrink from hiring unconventional actors such as pornography film stars like Traci Lords; he was one of the first producers to recognize the financial advantages of shooting in Europe; and he has even used sets discarded from other lavish, expensive movies for his own films.
In addition to his successful business innovations, Corman is recognized for his sponsorship of new talent. His ability to locate, and then provide a training ground for young filmmakers has produced an impressive roster of directors and performers. Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Scorsese, John Sayles, Robert Towne, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Dennis Hopper and Charles Bronson are but a few of the names associated with Corman films early in their careers.