As always there are spoilers ahead!
Scroll down to read a brief synopsis of the film. The idea is to watch the film in advance before tuning in but apparently many of you listen without prep which is lovely albeit confusing! Next episode’s film is also listed below.
Roger Corman began his career in film in 1950 and would go on to leave a huge mark on the industry by mentoring many filmmakers in the 1970s (Peter Biskind’s book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls is a great read if you’re interested!).
The Wasp Woman from 1959 was produces and directed by Corman and rounds of the podcast’s fantastic foray into the 50s.*
A film that focuses on the CEO of Janice Starlin Enterprises: Janice Starlin herself! The company is suffering and Janice is ageing but scientist Dr Eric Zinthrop had discovered the secret to youth in extracts of royal jelly taken from queen wasps.
My two amazing guests are here to enlighten us on wasps, women and workplace* etiquette.
Roger Luckhurst is a Professor at Birkbeck, University of London. He specialises in literature, film, and cultural history from the 19th century to the present.
Sherryl Vint is Professor of Science Fiction Media Studies at the University of California, Riverside. She has written/edited many books about science fiction.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:00 Roger Corman
07:06 Women in 1959, the Mad Men era and real life women CEOs
09:38 The Fly: death, face reveals and campiness
15:52 The 1995 remake
18:13 The parasitic wasp
20:59 Royal jelly, royalty and matriarchs
22:50 Office politics: youth, beauty and 50s expectations
32:48 Teen market & production constraints.
35:14 Death of the Wasp Woman
36:42 Susan Cabot’s tragic death
40:00 Legacy of the film
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