May 22, 2024 / Modified may 22, 2024 5:07 p.m.

Remembering Movie Legend Roger Corman.

Also on Arizona Spotlight: Macro photographer Jillian Cowles peers into the private life of spiders; and Chris Dashiell visits "The Tomb of Ligeia".

not of this earth poster spotlight A theatrical poster for the low-budget Roger Corman science fiction thriller "Not Of This Earth" ( 1957)

Arizona Spotlight

May 23, 2024

NPR
(Download MP3)

Featured on the May 23rd, 2024 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:



Photos from "Amazing Arachnids" by Jillian Cowles

  • For more than 20 years, clinical microbiologist and naturalist Jillian Cowles has been exploring a secret world that few dare to enter. Using macro-photography - and some extreme patience - Cowles has been capturing startling images from the private lives of spiders & scorpions. She will share the story behind a groundbreaking discoveries she recently made on the front porch of her Sonoran desert home. Her 2018 book, Amazing Arachnids, was published by Princeton University Press.

Jillian Cowles with book hero Jillian Cowles, author of Amazing Arachnids, from Princeton University Press.
Sabrina Colonna, AZPM

jillian cowles Mecaphesa dubia female hero Mecaphesa dubia female, photographed by Jillian Cowles.
courtesy Jillian Cowles

jillian cowles macro spider unsized VIEW LARGER Argyrodes pluto female, defending own egg sac from wasp,. Some of the groundbreaking arachnid behavior captured by researcher and photographer Jillian Cowles.
courtesy Jillian Cowles
  • Producer, director, and all-around movie legend Roger Corman, the “King of the B-Movies”, passed away earlier this month at age 98. In an interview recorded in 2012, super-fan Mark McLemore talked with Roger Corman about some of the hundreds of films that he was a part of making, from attacking crab monsters and teenage cavemen to regular attempts by aliens to conquer the world.

In November of 2012, Corman followed German actor Udo Kier in becoming the second-ever recipient of a "Lofty" Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Tucson's Loft Cinema. That occasion gave Mark McLemore a chance to talk with the legendary filmmaker, starting with some perspective on what Corman considers to be the audience's contribution to making a truly successful film.

roger corman vincent price spotlight Director Roger Corman spending time on the set with his friend and frequent star, Vincent Price
  • Plus, film essayist Chris Dashiell re-visits The Tomb of Ligeia , one of Roger Corman's most successful Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, featuring the talents of his friend Vincent Price.
Film Essays with Chris Dashiell spot Chris Dashiell is a regular contributor to Arizona Spotlight.
tomb of ligeia black cat poster spotlight A theatrical poster for Roger Corman's "Tomb of Ligeia" (1964)

Web page by Alecia Vasquez.

Arizona Spotlight
Arizona Spotlight airs every Thursday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm and every Saturday at 3:00 pm on NPR 89.1 FM / 1550 AM. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Spotlight.
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