Little Shop of Horrors Sing-A-Long

Front Row at the Movies by Shirrel Rhoades

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Roger Corman cranked out cheap films. His autobiography was titled “How I Made a Hundred Movies in Hollywood and Never Lost a Dime.” He helped launch the career of such respected directors as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and James Cameron. And he gave actors like Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Peter Fonda, and William Shatner their start.

Corman produced B-movies ranging from “The Monster From the Ocean Floor” to “Machine-Gun Kelly,” “House of Usher” to “The Wild Angels,” “Death Race 2000” to “The Trip.”

In 1960 he made a silly film called “The Little Shop of Horrors,” a horror story about a florist’s assistant who grows a man-eating plant that he names Audrey II (after his girlfriend). There’s a brief dentist scene with Jack Nicholson that’s very funny.

Roger Corman produced the film for a mere $28,000. He shot it in two days.

In 1982, an off-Broadway musical was made based on the movie. Music was by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Howard Ashman.

Then in 1986, the musical was turned into a rock comedy horror film directed by Frank Oz. It starred Canadian comedian Rick Moranis as Seymour, the nerdy florist with the hungry plant. Turns out Audrey II is a mean, green mother from outer space who begs “Feed me, I’m hungry” (in the deep baritone voice of Levi Stubbs).

The film’s supporting cast includes such luminaries as Steve Martin, Jim Belushi, John Candy, Christopher Guest, and Bill Murray.

Now it’s being re-released as a sing-along. You can join in with this audience participation tonight at Tropic Cinema. The singing begins at 8 p.m. Costumes are encouraged.

“The Beast With a Million Eyes” … “Not of This Earth” … “She Gods of Shark Reef” … “Attack of the Crab Monsters” … “The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent” … “It’s a Bikini World” … “Sharktopus” … and “X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes” – all catchy Roger Corman titles.

But Corman says “The Little Shop of Horrors” was his favorite movie title. “It implied a horror film, but it also implied that there was going to be humor in it — it was going to be something different. I was sort of aiming at two disparate audiences and brought them together with that title.”

Now add music. And you get an even bigger audience that sings along.

Email Shirrel: srhoades@aol.com