Mélange
This article is about Jim Wynorski. One of his films, Little Miss Millions (1993), starred Jennifer Love Hewitt. She had a small role in another of his films - Munchie (1992). Here is a compendium of interviews by and about him from the following magazines: Impact, Mad Movies and Femme Fatales.
In the October 2000 issue (#88) of Impact, Nikki Fritz said: “It's easier to become a star by making low-budget films than by working in Hollywood. Between us, there is no competition, just camaraderie. In any case, I like their free and improvised side. We are asked to do such bizarre things sometimes. For The Bare Wench Project, a Blair Witch parody by Jim Wynorski, I had to run, naked and terrified, in the middle of the night, in the middle of a public garden in Los Angeles without permission.”
In the April 1998 issue (#73), Melissa Moore talked about a screen test that she did for Jim Wynorski and Roger Corman’s wife, Julie: “After my audition, they asked me to wait. Thirty minutes later, I learned that I had landed the lead role in Sorority House Massacre II. We shot it in 7 days in a very good atmosphere. Jim Wynorski is an exceptional person. And when it comes to directing, he has a unique, very particular style.”
In the April 1995 issue (#56), Jim explained that it was quicker for him to work for Roger Corman: “When I arrived in California, I started writing screenplays, including Forbidden World, which I sold to Roger Corman who entrusted the direction to Allan Holzman. By buying my script, Roger Corman also bought my services. Fifteen minutes after entering his office, I was his new advertising director! In addition to writing press kits and designing posters, I had to shoot additional sequences for the trailers of films that were sorely lacking in strong sequences.”
Sorority House Massacre II (1990): “One fine morning, I suggested the idea of the film to Julie Corman, Roger's wife. She told me that her husband was going away for a few days, that she agreed to give me a small envelope on the condition that I say nothing about our deal. So we made Sorority House Massacre II in a week with a budget of $50,000. Back home, Roger couldn't get over the fact that I had managed to finish a film so quickly, on the sly. After watching the rushes, he said to me: "Now you shoot one for me!" That's how I made Hard to Die, a remake of Sorority House Massacre II set in an office. Why an office? Simply because Roger had an office set used on another film!”
Casting couch confession: “Since I arrived in Hollywood, all thoughts of marriage have definitely left me; there are so many super hotties that it would be stupid to put a noose around your neck. If I had been married, I would have had qualms about screwing one of the actresses from Chopping Mall every day at lunchtime. Whereas here, we did it in impossible places in the shopping center where we were filming. What can you do, I love it! I recruit my actresses everywhere! During auditions of course, but also in nightclubs, while shopping, at restaurants... I watch non-stop! I am constantly looking for new talent, girls with big breasts. No one under a size 95 B! Who doesn't like big-breasted girls? If you don't like the storyline, direction or humor of my movies, you can always feast your eyes.”
DIY film-making: “In Body Chemistry IV, I play the judge who is hanged because the hired actor did not show up. In Chopping Mall, I jumped from the third floor and landed on a huge airbag. I hurt my arm.”
In his private collection, he has some rushes from Not of this Earth (1988): “At the end of the film, Traci Lords runs to escape the alien. It was freezing that night and clouds of strange mist were coming out from under her short, tight dress. I like Traci Lords. She's a great girl and a pleasure to work with. Not so with Tanya Roberts in Sins of Desire, a real pain in the ass.”
Social commentary: “I don't just shoot bullshit. In Body Chemistry III, I openly parody the Hollywood world. One character looks like Roger Corman, another looks like me... And the dialogues give an idea of the typical chatter of this universe, the gossip. Similarly, in Body Chemistry IV, because I wanted to touch on the trial film, I give my version of the O.J. Simpson case, which I only replaced with Shannon Tweed. There, I wanted to demonstrate that money, before the American courts, absolves all crimes committed.”
In the September 1993 issue (#85) of Mad Movies, special effects artist John Buechler talked about Dinosaur Island (1994): “The shooting lasted only two weeks. The two directors, Fred Olen Ray and Jim Wynorski, the most prolific in the United States, know all the tricks of the B movies and knew what they were doing. Their sole intention was to make a comedy, to approach the world of dinosaurs in a burlesque and sexy way. The very relaxed atmosphere on the set reflected this.”
In the May 1995 issue (#95), director Fred Olen Ray said: “He films a lot, from all angles, arms himself with as much equipment as possible during editing. I work more economically; I never shoot a shot that I don't intend to use. As a result, I work faster than him. Jim and I share the same tastes in cinema. We share the same sense of humor. I admit that our films are very similar, especially since we work together, we get along like thieves and we work in the same niche. To direct the new version of The Wasp Woman, Roger Corman had the choice between Jim Wynorski and me. He opted for Jim. It must be recognized that he is the most capable of doing it. After me!”
In the Spring 1993 issue (Vol. 1, No. 4) of Femme Fatales, Suzanne Slater was described as cautiously choosing her words about why she was cast in Fred’s Mind Twister (1993): “As I understand it, they had planned the film for Tanya Roberts, who had dropped out abruptly. Jim Wynorski suggested me, so I dressed pretty informally and went in to read for Fred Olen Ray and Luigi Cingolani, the director and producer. They asked me to return for a second reading, to see what I looked like in a clingy dress. I read again, and that was it.”
In the Summer 1993 issue (Vol. 2, No. 1), Becky LeBeau talked about Not of this Earth (a remake of Roger Corman’s 1957 movie): “Jim didn't tell anyone who would be playing the female lead because he thought they would back out of the film. When I first got to the set, and found out that it was a Traci Lords movie, I got a knot in my stomach. I though ‘Oh no, don't tell me this is a p*rno film.’ But Jim and Roger Corman took a huge chance with Traci, hoping she could act. Every tabloid paper and news show sent crews to the set. All the free publicity guaranteed a big hit. And Traci was great, she can really act.”
Sins of Desire (1993): “The guy they used as my patient was the transportation foreman for the film. All he did was lie around in a towel, while another actress and I stripped in front of him all day long.”
In the January 1997 (Vol. 5, No. 7), Vanessa Taylor said: “Jim Wynorski wanted me for a science fiction film, and I'd really like to work with him; but, again, long stretches of nudity were mandatory, so I reluctantly said no thank you.”
The person in the above photo is Roger Daltrey in Vampirella (1996). In the November 1996 issue (Vol. 5, No. 5), Jim said: “Roger Daltrey really wanted to do the film to honor Keith Moon's memory. Roger knew about the character because Moon, the drummer of The Who, used to be a big fan of Vampirella. We really lucked out in getting Roger Daltrey. In the story, Dracula has been around forever in various incarnations. And now, he's incarnated as a rock star named Jamie Blood. Daltrey also composed a song for us, Bleed for Me. He hated all the other songs that were presented to him. After hearing them mnyself, I hated them too.”
In the Winter 1992/1993 issue (Vol. 1, No. 3), Jim talked about casting Traci Lords in 1987: “It just popped into my head, ‘How about Traci Lords?’ - and everybody laughed. All of Traci's tapes had been taken off the market in spring of 1987, and she was nowhere to be found. So I started looking for her. I called all the p*rn film companies, but no one wanted to get involved. They were going through all kinds of legal entanglements. Finally, I contacted one of her ex-boyfriends, who relayed my interest and she eventually called me back. She was very personable, but very reserved because she'd been put through a lot of trouble with police and court hassles.”
During the first couple of days, Traci was understandably nervous. When she later relaxed, Jim reshot some of her scenes. He said: “I felt her performance improved. A lot of people told me that I would ruin my career, and never work again, because I was working with a former p*rno star. I put up a lot of my own money for that picture. I went to a lot of people and told them that I was making this science fiction film with Traci Lords, and that they should invest. They just said no way. We did the picture for a half million bucks and it was sold to MGM/UA for a lot. I made a lot of money.”
Reminding you of what he said earlier on about his private collection of rushes, Jim said: “Traci was easy-going, and good to work with, although we had some problem with one scene. Traci had a low-cut dress that she had to run in. No matter how slow she ran, her breasts kept falling out. We had to have several retakes until they stayed in.”
Demystifying a misconception: “Believe it or not, when I interview former Playboy playmates, many won't do nudity on film. The girls just coming through the ranks have no problem with it. So, I hardly ever interview centerfolds because, nine times out of ten, they won't give me what I need.”
The cracks being to show regarding the making of Chopping Mall (1986): “One of the four bathing beauties I needed for a scene didn't show up. It was time to shoot and I needed another bikini girl, so I walked through the mall until I found a young lady with a great body. I asked her ‘Do you want to be in this movie?’ She asked what she had to do and I told her ‘Just put on this bikini, walk down this escalator and smile at this guy.’ She said ‘Where do I sign up?’ I cast from the Hollywood agents and people I meet at the beach, waitressing, or in the bars or in malls. I find them all over the place.”
In the September 1998 issue (Vol 7, No. 4), Jim Wynorski talked about his directorial debut: “A lot of folks still ask me about The Lost Empire, my maiden effort as a director. Early on, I discovered the investors were there to lose money – not make it. And it's a serious downer to learn your film is not acknowledged as entertainment but as a tax shelter.”
He also talked about a film featuring Linda Blair - Sorceress (1995). Titled Temptress in France, Jim sets the stage: “Then came the three-way lesbian love scene between Julia Strain, Toni Naples and Rochelle Swanson. Crew members converged into a tiny set. If you've seen the stateroom scene from Night at the Opera, you'll get my drift. I mean, the male actors I let go for the day stuck around to moonlight as assistants or carpenters or whatever. I hardly ever get horny filming an erotic segment, but in this case, I couldn't help but yield to the old muse. You could have heard a pin drop in that room when the scene got into full swing.”
Fred Olen Ray was right when he said that Jim shoots more than necessary because: “I only used about a third of what I shot. The rest was just too damn scorching, and probably in direct violation of an R-rating. Cinemax/HBO shows the hot edition, but the cowards at the other prominent cable service – you know who you are – chose to cut the threeway. Such a pity.”
Speaking of TV, let's get back to that Winter issue of Femme Fatales. Talking about Pamela Runo (who was in Sins of Desire), Jim spoke of rubbing shoulders with the Hollywood elite: “I was at one of those Hollywood-type parties where everyone goes to see and be seen. Pamela was off to the side sunning herself, oblivious to the stares from all the guys. She seemed inapproachable. The head of CBS programming asked me who she was and I decided to find out. We talked a bit, I got her phone number and we went out for dinner.”