The Wasp Woman: Roger Corman’s Corporate Queen

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

46:38 Recommendations for the listener 

Synopsis of The Wasp Woman

Dr Eric Zinthrop has been research the royal jelly of queen wasps and has discovered an elixir of youth that changes grown animals into baby ones. He is exactly what Janice Starlin, the ageing CEO of the hugely successful but failing cosmetics brand Janic Starlin Enterprises needs to change her and her companies fortune around. 

A couple of the men who work for Janice do not trust Zinthrop. They enlist Janice’s secretary Mary to spy on her boss. Although Janice can see the effects of the new drug she impatient with the slow results and Zinthrop’s cautious attitude. She goes to the laboratory and injects herself to speed up results.  

Meanwhile Zinthrop realises his formula makes his test animals crazy but before he is able to warn Janice he gets into a car accident. Janice cannot find him and so decides to continue to self-administer doses of the serum and begins to look increasingly younger.

When Zinthrop is finally found by Janice she pays for and takes over his care sleeping at the office. She also discovers the serum has an unfortunate side effects of turning her head into that of a huge wasp and causing her to kill! This all leads to a big fight at the end in which Janice Starling’s wasp form is attacked and thrown off a high floor balcony.

 

NEXT EPISODE!

We will be shimmying into 1960 with the classic HG Wells adaptation The Time Machine. The film is available to buy or rent online from major outlets including Apple. You can check the Just Watch website to see where the film is available in your region. 

 

 

*I would like a gold star for alliteration please.