Post by nigel on May 17, 2005 17:38:14 GMT -5
Stanley Lloyd Kaufman never really wanted to make movies, but wanted to work on Broadway Musicals.
But during his years in Yale, Lloyd got introduced to B-Movies and the work of Roger Cormasn. Lloyd later got the opportunity to executive produce a short movie made by a fellow student.
The movie was called Rappacini and made Lloyd even more interested in movies. He bought his own camera and took it with him to Chad, Africa were he spent his summer. There he shot a 15 minute movie of a Pig getting slaughtered. That was his first movie and known as the birth of Troma.
He showed the footage of the squealing pig being killed to his family, and how shocked they were made him wonder if shocking the audience would keep them wanting to see what would happen next. He wanted to be a director right there and then. He got a couple of friends in Yale and made his second movie, The Girl Who Returned. People loved it, and Lloyd went straight to work on other movies, helping out on projects like Joe, Rocky and Saturday Night Fever. Working hard hours, just to be in the credits and to get money for his next project, a full-lengtj movie. It was a tribute to Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and the Silent Era.
Even though Lloyd hated the movie, people seemed to love it. He formed a studio called 15th Street Films with friends and producers Frank Vitale and Oliver Stone. Together they made Sugar Cookies and the movie Cry Uncle from John G. Alvidsen. A Yale friend Michael Herz saw Lloyd in a small scene in Cry Uncle and contacted his old friend to maybe try to become a part of the movie business.
Michael got to work with them as they needed some help after Oliver quit to make his own movies. Michael helped invest in a movie they thought would be their greatest movie yet. The movie was Big Guss What's The Fuss. The Movie was a flop and 5th Street Films was ruined. Lloyd and Michael owed thousands of dollars to producers and friends and family members who had invested in the movie. Lloyd trying to find a quick way to pay of the bills made the movie "The Divine Obsession" and with Michael they formed Troma Studios hoping to get some decent movies since they only owned the rights to movies they thought were crap.
They got introduced to Joel M. Reed who came with an unfinished movie called Master Sardu and the Horror Trio. The movie was edited and finished at Troma studios which was only one room during 1975. The movie was called Bloodsucking Freaks and was screened at a couple of places. Troma got enough money to pay the rent so they wouldin't loose their company. Lloyd later got a call that a Theater wanted a sexy movie like Divine Obsession but with Softball. Lloyd did the movie "Squeeze Play" using all the money they had earned. No one wanted it, not even the theater that told him to make it as they wanted a porno movie. Later, a movie got canceled at a theater and they got Squeeze Play at the last minute.
The movie was a big hit. Lloyd, Michael and Troma got millions and they even had enough money to buy their own building (Wich still remains the Troma Headquearters). Troma kept on making Sexy Comedy movies (First Turn-On, Stuck On You and Waitress), but a lot of other movies had similar taste. More and more sex comedies were being made. Michael and Lloyd decided to make something different. After reading an article saying that Horror Movies Were Dead, it was decided to make a horror movie. The movie was called Health Club Horror, but soon became known as the Toxic Avenger and Troma was fully grown.
Lloyd and Troma have both become great icons to the movie world and horror and they have distributed over 1000 movies. Lloyd kept on directing horror/comedy movies filled with stuff to shock the audience like Monster in The Closet, Class of Nuke 'Em High, Combat Shock, War and Fortess of Amerikkka. Lloyd is still directing, writing, producing and starring in B-Movies and is currently working on the movie Poultrygeist which follows an army of undead chickens seeking revenge to a fast food palace.
But during his years in Yale, Lloyd got introduced to B-Movies and the work of Roger Cormasn. Lloyd later got the opportunity to executive produce a short movie made by a fellow student.
The movie was called Rappacini and made Lloyd even more interested in movies. He bought his own camera and took it with him to Chad, Africa were he spent his summer. There he shot a 15 minute movie of a Pig getting slaughtered. That was his first movie and known as the birth of Troma.
He showed the footage of the squealing pig being killed to his family, and how shocked they were made him wonder if shocking the audience would keep them wanting to see what would happen next. He wanted to be a director right there and then. He got a couple of friends in Yale and made his second movie, The Girl Who Returned. People loved it, and Lloyd went straight to work on other movies, helping out on projects like Joe, Rocky and Saturday Night Fever. Working hard hours, just to be in the credits and to get money for his next project, a full-lengtj movie. It was a tribute to Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd and the Silent Era.
Even though Lloyd hated the movie, people seemed to love it. He formed a studio called 15th Street Films with friends and producers Frank Vitale and Oliver Stone. Together they made Sugar Cookies and the movie Cry Uncle from John G. Alvidsen. A Yale friend Michael Herz saw Lloyd in a small scene in Cry Uncle and contacted his old friend to maybe try to become a part of the movie business.
Michael got to work with them as they needed some help after Oliver quit to make his own movies. Michael helped invest in a movie they thought would be their greatest movie yet. The movie was Big Guss What's The Fuss. The Movie was a flop and 5th Street Films was ruined. Lloyd and Michael owed thousands of dollars to producers and friends and family members who had invested in the movie. Lloyd trying to find a quick way to pay of the bills made the movie "The Divine Obsession" and with Michael they formed Troma Studios hoping to get some decent movies since they only owned the rights to movies they thought were crap.
They got introduced to Joel M. Reed who came with an unfinished movie called Master Sardu and the Horror Trio. The movie was edited and finished at Troma studios which was only one room during 1975. The movie was called Bloodsucking Freaks and was screened at a couple of places. Troma got enough money to pay the rent so they wouldin't loose their company. Lloyd later got a call that a Theater wanted a sexy movie like Divine Obsession but with Softball. Lloyd did the movie "Squeeze Play" using all the money they had earned. No one wanted it, not even the theater that told him to make it as they wanted a porno movie. Later, a movie got canceled at a theater and they got Squeeze Play at the last minute.
The movie was a big hit. Lloyd, Michael and Troma got millions and they even had enough money to buy their own building (Wich still remains the Troma Headquearters). Troma kept on making Sexy Comedy movies (First Turn-On, Stuck On You and Waitress), but a lot of other movies had similar taste. More and more sex comedies were being made. Michael and Lloyd decided to make something different. After reading an article saying that Horror Movies Were Dead, it was decided to make a horror movie. The movie was called Health Club Horror, but soon became known as the Toxic Avenger and Troma was fully grown.
Lloyd and Troma have both become great icons to the movie world and horror and they have distributed over 1000 movies. Lloyd kept on directing horror/comedy movies filled with stuff to shock the audience like Monster in The Closet, Class of Nuke 'Em High, Combat Shock, War and Fortess of Amerikkka. Lloyd is still directing, writing, producing and starring in B-Movies and is currently working on the movie Poultrygeist which follows an army of undead chickens seeking revenge to a fast food palace.