This came to me after watching Greydon Clark’s interview for the “Final Justice” DVD. I still can’t believe he suggested that MST3K riff on ALL the films he produced. However, since he did…
Which producer from the following list would you say made the worst films? Also If Cinematic Titanic and/or Rifftrax were going to riff on all of the films of one producer, which would you pick?
[Chris has thoughtfully provided IMDB links for each choice.]• Charles Band.
• Greydon Clark.
• Roger Corman.
• Coleman Francis.
• Charles B. Pierce.
• Menahem Golan & Yoram Globus.
• Robert L. Lippert.
• Max Rosenberg.
• Jam Handy Organization.
• Bert I. Gordon.
• Samuel M. “The Oozing Skull” and “East Meets Watts” Sherman.FWIW I know MST3K riffed on all the films Coleman Francis produced but I thought I’d add him more for the first question than the second.
One last thing: I know I could’ve put Ed Wood and Ray Dennis Steckler on the list but I decided to leave them out and give the others a chance.
It was a tough decision for the final four, but I decided to go with a lesser known producer like Max Rosenberg (who was involved in the productions of “The Deadly Bees” and “The Incredible Melting Man”) over somebody worse like Rick Sloane or somebody more talented and famous like Dino De Laurentiis (of “Diabolik.”)
For question 1, I think Charles Band wins, or, rather, loses hands down.
For question 2, I think I’ll pick Samuel Sherman.
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Hmm …
I’d pick Charles Band for BOTH questions.
I can’t say honestly who made the worst films, but if we’re talking about riffing on an entire body of work, I’d definitely go with Roger Corman, as he’s the only one of the above whose movies I can watch without the riffing and not want to drown myself in a vat of wine.
And I would dearly love for Rifftrax to take on “The Masque of Red Death. All that Vincent Price… all that screaming Technicolor… all those painfully visible panty lines… It would be heaven!
Wow. That’s a tough one. It’s like having to watch the Washington Nationals, followed by the St. Louis Rams followed by the New Jersey Nets.
1. I’m inclined to say Coleman Francis. Those were some dreary, dreary films. Band would certainly be up there (I would love to see the riffing for Evil Bong.)
2. I would take BIG for the library of riffing. His movies were custom built for MST3K style riffing and his movies were probably the ones I enjoyed the most on a consistent level. (Dis)honroable mentions should go to G&G and Clark (for the 70’s and 80’s feel of it.)
wow. Charles Band produced 5 movies I’ve seen. Crash and Burn (which was one of many movies I remember seeing when I was a teen and had trouble finding the name of), Ghoulies (which kept me afraid of toilets for a few years) Demonic Toys, Doll Man And the combo sequel Dollman Vs Demonic Toys (also a sequel to Bad Channels as Dollman’s girlfriend is from that movie).
Charles Band for both. He’s a totally cool guy, funny as hell, but man, his movies are just screaming for a riff-down!
Sort of an awkward thread for me. Worst by way of little to no interest in (with or without riffing) has to be Coleman Francis. I have a lot of respect for him for the sheer guts he had in chasing a dream. That said, I find that his movies in particular are soooooo slow and dreary that it bogs down the riffing. Lippert does this to some degree (padding scenes), nothing like Coleman though.
Roger Corman is my pick for two. No matter how silly his brand of terror may turn out, his movies are always interesting in one way or another, probably because of his use of young talent and his polished knowledge of his craft as a producer. Generally speaking, his body of work that makes it ripe for riffing is the lack of budget more than anything. Corman also is wise enough to know that if he puts pretty women on the screen, he will make money.
If I had to pick one, I’d say Coleman Francis. The others at least tried to make entertaining films. Coleman’s stupefying dark and dreary films were filled with nothing but pain, death, misery, death, planes, death, coffee, death, death, death, death, and death. Watching one of his films without Mike and the bots is enough to make you want to hang yourself with your shoelaces from the nearest curtain rod.
1)Coleman Francis,hands down.Painful to watch.2)Roger Corman..so many movies they could do of his.
I must be alone in thinking that Corman’s body of work is far from interesting in any way. He combines modest technical competence with an suffocating indifference to anything but shooting (or reusing) the required length of film. “Ambitious but rubbish,” is what you want, not just endless hours of colorless adequacy.
I can’t answer the first question, but I vote for Golan and Globus in the second case. Their productions span a wide range and variety of garbage and even, heaven help us, the occasional good film (e.g. Runaway Train.) I’d look forward to the next Rifftrax of a Golan and Globus production. Other fellows, like Charles Band, would give me nothing to look forward to. “Oh, another gross, cheapjack horror movie, what a surprise.”
This is like asking which eye you want poked with a sharp stick. ;-)
This is like a guided tour of hell for MSTies.
No question! Coleman Francis, hands down! Not only because of the cheesy amateurishness of his movies, but for the dreariness and nastiness of spirit that exude form them.
As for whose films I’d like to see riffed en masse, Golan & Globus is tempting, but I’d have to go with Ed Wood. As cheesy (and sometimes sleazy) as his movies can be, there is an enthusiasm about them that I like.
“Pull the Strings!!!”
Actually, Michael Bay would have been a good pick as well.
I don’t know bout Charles Band, sure alot of his movies are crap, but I like some of the stuff he put out for New World Pictures (Prison & Ghost Town), rip on Evil Bong..crap. I’d chose John Fasano the guy who did Zombie Nightmare. For number 2..huhuhu I’d say, what the heck Charles Band just cause I’ve seen alot of his movies..
and to comment on Speedy, comment number 4 up above, glad to see someone else was scared of toilets after they saw goulies.
Well, he’s not on your list, but my personal vote for #1 goes to Herschel Gordon Lewis. Monster a Go-Go is the worst of a bad lot. Most of his subject matter is a little too graphic for the Brains, though (same goes for a few more of my favorite B producers: Harry Novak, David F. Friedman, and Bob Cresse).
For #2 (and sticking to your list), I think I have to go with Charles B. Pierce. His films seem to take themselves too seriously, which generally makes for the best riffing.
Ok, for the first part I’d say Coleman Francis definitely has the most inept body of work. Really, his movies have almost NO redeeming qualities. When the best thing you have going for you is Tor Johnson, you are in deep.
For the 2nd part, I’d love to see the crews tag-team on the Jam Handy Productions. (Shorts are always such good fodder for riffing). but Bert I Gordon films would come in a close 2nd…
Uwe Boll hands down. ALL of his movies suck to high heaven.
Coleman Francis, hands down. He made the worst.
Burt I. Gordon would be the runner up.
When I see the title “Invasion USA”, I’m thinking Chuck Norris, not Cold War dud.
The Cannon-Golan/Globus movies were what me and my friends would rent (VHS and beta). When one of our parents poke their head it when the opening credits rolled, “Oh, another Golan/Globus oscar-winner.” The movie poster themselves lend to “Please riff me.”
Movies like the American Ninja series, a space vampire movie called “Lifeforce”, a break dancing movie “Breakin'”, Missing in Action series, and even the risque movies of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” (I still remember my best friend’s riff from that one) and “Last American Virgin”.
Great actors like Sean Connery, Norris, Michael Dudikoff, Sho Kosugi, and Charles Bronson. G/G were the Burt I., Corman and Band of the 80’s.
Golan-Globus for both answers. Ick.
They all look so good, which one do I start with? Ah screw it, EVERYBODY!!!
(I actually do like the Puppet Master series by Charles Band, but I would love to see them riffed.) :mrgreen:
These are some tough questions.
I think Coleman Francis is the worst producer of the list. But to be fair, he only did 3 films. But why be fair? It’s Coleman Freakin’ Francis! He suuuuuuuuuuuucks!
I am torn about which producer should have [i]all[/i] his films riffed by CT/Rifftrax. On the one hand, I love them both, and would like to keep them in business, so I’m tempted to pick Band or Corman because they’d never run out of material. But some of Greydon Clark’s movies are just too awesome to pass up. Check out “The Return”: Jan-Michael Vincent, Cybil Shephard, Martin Landau, Vincent Schiavelli, and lightsabers! I want to see that! And “Wacko” stars Joe Don Baker and features Andrew Dice Clay. MST3K got great episodes out of “Angel’s Revenge” and “Final Justice,” so I’ve got to go with Clark.
The list of crap from Golan-Globus is truly daunting. However, I’ve know since a tender young age renting crap like Ghoulies and Terrorvision that the name Charles Band on a video box is like a seal of approval guaranteeing a HORRIBLE movie-watching experience…
I don’t know the answer to #1, but for #2 I’d actually suggest the Jam Handy Organization. No matter the era, MST3K was always terrific with shorts.
I’d have to go with Corman or Golan-Globus. While Charles Band is impressively hard working, his corpus is all stuff like Clown Puppets or Leprachaun with the occasional Famous T & As thrown in. Corman has over 50 years of movies and G & G ran a movie studio with a wide variety of 80s schlock. Chuck Norris, Superman IV, Hercules, 52 Pick-up, and lots of Rebecca De Mornay. Great stuff.
I’m surprised Ted V. Mikels (of Girl in Gold Boots fame http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0586399/) didnt have more of his movies riffed. Astro-Zombies could definitely use a good riffing.
Charles Band because I always thought that “Tourist Trap” would be PERFECT for MST3K. I hope CT or Rifftrax decides to do it…
In 2002 SciFi Channel ran a series called “William Shatner’s Full Moon Fright Night” which was all Charles Band productions hosted by the Shat. I watched a few before coming to my senses (Castle Freak, Shrunken Heads). Intentionally campy and mostly unfunny, I don’t know that I’d want to see them riffed because they’re so close to parodies already.
Rifftrax should do some Golan & Globus (ripe 80’s cheese), while the Titans should stick with Samuel Sherman (maybe not the stewardess pictures) or maybe try some Greydon Clark (heck, if he’s up for it, at least he won’t be stingy with the rights).
Max Rosenberg: Surprised how many of his Amicus Productions I’ve seen and liked (The Skull, House That Dripped Blood, The Beast Must Die, etc.). They tend to be slow and a little cheaper than their Hammer brethren, but are neither weird nor inept enough to make them ideal for riffing.
Put me down for Coleman Francis. His dreary , amateurish work makes any Roger Corman movie look like Gone With The Wind.
How could you not list Ted V. Mikels????? Between Girl in Gold Boots, Corpse Grinders I & II, the two Astro Zombies movies and his weird facial hairs, he is hands down the number 1 pick to have movies riffed. And that is not even knowing his other work.
But the worst producer, also not on your list, is Jerry Warren. When the Wild World of Batwoman is his best movie, that’s got to say something about the rest. Check out both “Teenage Zombies” and “Attack of the Animal People.” He stinks!
I’m the guy who e-mailed Sampo this WDT suggestion and I’d just like to thank him again for posting it. Thanks a lot Chris :smile:
Now to actually answer my 2 questions:
1. They’re ALL pretty bad which is pretty easy to admit. The CLASSIC choices here are Roger Corman & Bert I. Gordon. But when I think of films that actaully DESERVE words like “soul killing” I’ll probably go with Coleman Francis.
2. The EASY choice here is Golan & Globus. I *still* can’t believe that MST3K got an okay from someone close to G&G just to riff on Kathy Ireland’s magnum opus masterpiece “Alien From L.A.” and the rest of G&G’s catalog looks uh, well equally interesting? ;-) The CLASSIC choices again are Corman & B.I.G. but for the SHEER heck of it I’m going with Max Rosenberg. Just to see & hear either CT or RT riff on something like the 1982 version of “Cat People” just might be worth it. Either Max or Greydon Clark (since he actually kinda of ASKED for it during his “Final Justice” interview :lol: )
FWIW I almost put “Monster A Go Go” Herschell Gordon Lewis on the list but like “Plan 9 From…” Ed Wood and “The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living & Became…” Ray Dennis Steckler I thought they were TOO popular in this area and really wanted to give the others a chance.
Oh and thanks to all who comment on this thread too.
I was under the impression Coleman Francis did four movies, one yet unriffed.
No matter. Nothing he produced had merit of any sort.
Hm . . . I’d say Burt I. Gordon and Roger Corman are the most reliable producers of good, riffable, 1950’s-style hack work. That’s just personal preference, though.
I’d like to go off the list and nominate Tony Cardoza. Remember, he was a producer not only for the Coleman Francis films but also “Hellcats” and for several other films, which I haven’t seen but sound just horrible, like “Smokey and the Hotwire Gang” and “Heated Vengeance”, and a co-producer on two Ed Wood movies. Now, that’s a career, even without his “acting”.
“Also If Cinematic Titanic and/or Rifftrax were going to riff on all of the films of one producer, which would you pick?”
That would be Menahem Golan & Yoram Globus. To name a few films that would be good, the Charles Bronson movies during the ’80s (Death Wish III & IV, “Murphy’s Law”, “Messenger of Death”) as well as “Bloodsport” (Jean-Claude Van Damme) and the Chuck Norris film “The Delta Force”, would be quite funny to hear the riffs on those.
I owe many thanks to the Cannon Films motion picture studio.
I’m sure any Godfrey Ho film would be good as well, especially “Undefeatable”.
It would be difficult to do the entire library of any B-movie producer. Mostly because at some point they usually end up doing quite a few exploitation flicks that none of the MST3K alumni would be likely to want to work on.
Worst Body of Work: Coleman Francis.
Work I’d Like to See Riffed by Rifftrax/Cinematic Titanic: Golan-Globus. (Although I’d stay away from the more serious action movies. I don’t know how you riff on emaciated Vietnam P.O.W.s.)
Maybe Robert L. Lippert for worst. I’m a fan of Charles Band, and LASERBLAST has it’s moments, but ROBOT HOLOCAUST was pretty bad. I’d love to see more of his films riffed though, mainly because I’d like to see them. PUPPET MASTER: AXIS OF EVIL comes to DVD this summer. :grin:
I would say Roger Corman for both questions. I would also add, like others did, that Michael Bay would also be a good choice for both
Since I consider The Creeping Terror to be the worst film riffed by MSt3k, Ive got to with A.J. Nelson aka Vic Savage. Sure, Manos had inept editing, bad dialogue and lousy acting, it doesnt compare to the dialogue dubbing that in no way matches up in TCT, or the worst “monster”…
#26 – I think Astro Zombies might have been a bit too bloody for MST3k, but I think it would be PERFECT for the kind of stuff Cinematic Titanic is doing. I love that film. AND Tura Satana. ME. OW.
He’s not the worst but if there’s a category for movies I hate the most it’s Greydon Clark’s. It’s such sleaze. I would have loved for them to do Uninvited, which is about a killer orange domestic cat that has a smaller cat in its mouth that attacks George Kennedy. As much as I hate his movies I have to admit that that idea is inspired.
I don’t think Bert I. Gordon has ever made a movie that wouldn’t make a great MST3K episode. They’re all bad in the perfect places but good enough that you can follow the story. I love all the episodes with his movies and I really wish they’d done all of them.
I’m going to go along with others who’ve responded and vote for Coleman Francis for the first question. For the second question, I’m splitting my vote between Corman and Jam Handy. Each would provide prime riffing material, but the movies/shorts wouldn’t be so bad that I’d get nauseous.
Coleman Francis, hands down. But I really don’t understand why Bert i Gordon takes such a hit with many people. He had tiny budgets, made some fun movies, and never really tried to do more than he was capable of. I kinda like Earth vs The Spider and especially the Colossal Man movies.
I agree with #43
Aww, that’s really a tough pick here. How about… ALL OF THEM?
Golan Globus productions are hands down the worst. Extremely awkard scenes in “over the top” and the “breakin” duo, and “Alien from LA” of course. They do weird things in their productions, like have paper plates crash to the floor with the sound of porcelain, and present really delusion pictures of reality, like the glamourous world of arm wrestling. They are contemporary and should have learned from past filmakers’ mistakes.
They say nobody bats 1.000, but Coleman Francis definitely batted 0.000. His oeuvre was small, but that just concentrates the awfulness into a small, compressed, incredibly loathsome package. His films are, to a one, ugly, unpleasant, and filthy.
Gotta Go with Charles Band. Face it, a riff of Dollman Vs the Demonic Toys…hilarious!
Coleman Francis had the worst body of work (albeit short) in my opinion because, as someone already noted, his films are just so bleak and unentertaining and heavy-handed. Without the riffing of Mike and the Bots it’s a struggle just to get through them. No fun to them at all.
Now Roger Corman’s work, on the other hand, consistently riffs well because there’s a goofy charm to them. Yes, the bulk of his work was cheesy and formulaic but you could sense that Corman was having fun when he was directing/producing his films, and that for me shines through, which is why I believe his work is the best to riff.
Bert I. Gordon would be a close second for the same reasons. Cheesy movies, yes, but I got the sense he really, really loved what he was doing and had fun making those films, which is why they consistently riff well.
Lippert’s work has an endearing “B” movie earnestness about them which I find charming on their own and which also work well for riffing.
Band specializes in schlocky horror flicks but again he appears to love what he does and many of those movies have a sense of fun to them for me, as bad as they are. Clark’s stuff was formulaic but not depressing. Ditto Rosenberg.
I’d love to see more of Golan-Globus riffed as they made an awful lot of crappy “B” movies which also had a goofy charm about them. I’d seen several of them during my Navy days (we had a lot of movies when we’d deploy for months, including some real crappy ones) and got a good chuckle out of them – and I’m referring of course to their many action-adventure flicks.
The Jam Handy shorts are fun because of the earnestness that went into them. These folks really wanted to be helpful to folks which of course is what makes them funny.
Sam Sherman, didn’t care much for Oozing Skull but thought East Meets Watts was hilarious so I guess I’m still undecided if his work is worth further riffing. As for his body of work, anything involving titles like “The Naughty Stewardesses” and “Blazing Stewardesses” is going to be unintentionally funny.
Forgot Charles B. Pearce. Have to say I loved the Boggy Creek 2 work by Mike and ‘Bots, and some of his other low-budget stuff would be riff-worthy, but of this group I’d have to say he has the best body of work. The original Boggy Creek is considered a cult classic, as was ‘The Town that dreaded Sundown”. He was one of the story writers for the Dirty Harry flick “Sudden Impact” (I believe the catch line, “Go ahead, make my day” was credited to Pearce), he was set director on “The Outlaw Josey Wales” and “Carny”, as well as several MacGyver episodes. Not too shabby.