The Wasp Woman (1959)

Director:

Roger Corman
(more)

Writers:

Leo Gordon (screenplay)
Kinta Zertuche (story)

Release Date:

2 November 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Horror Of The Winged Menace !

Plot:

A cosmetics queen develops a youth formula from jelly taken from queen wasps. She fails to anticipate the typical hoary side- effects.

Plot Keywords:

Wasp | Enzyme | Cosmetics | Serum | Injection

Cast

Susan Cabot	...	Janice Starlin
Anthony Eisley	...	Bill Lane (as Fred Eisley)
Barboura Morris	...	Mary Dennison
William Roerick	...	Arthur Cooper
Michael Mark	...	Eric Zinthrop
Frank Gerstle	...	Les Hellman
Bruno VeSota	...	Night Watchman (as Bruno Ve Sota)
Roy Gordon	...	Paul Thompson
Carolyn Hughes	...	Jean Carson
Lynn Cartwright	...	Maureen Reardon
Frank Wolff	...	Man
Lani Mars	...	Secretary
Phillip Barry	...	Man
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roger Corman	...	Doctor in the Hospital (uncredited)
Aron Kincaid	...	Beekeeper (uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Corman
Jack Hill		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Leo Gordon		(screenplay)
Kinta Zertuche		(story)

Produced by
Roger Corman	....	producer

Original Music by
Fred Katz

Cinematography by
Harry Neumann		(director of photography) (as Harry C. Newman)

Film Editing by
Carlo Lodato

Art Direction by
Daniel Haller		(as Dan Haller)

Makeup Department
Grant Keate	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jack Bohrer	....	production manager
Paul Rapp	....	production manager (uncredited)

Art Department
Karl Brainard	....	property master (as Carl Brainard)

Sound Department
Philip Mitchell	....	sound (as Philip N. Mitchell)

Production Companies

• Film Group Feature
• Santa Cruz Productions Inc.

Distributors

• Filmgroup, The (1959) (USA) (theatrical)
• Grand National Pictures (1960) (UK) (theatrical)
• Allied Artists Television (1962) (USA) (TV)
• Rhino Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• SlingShot Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• E-Realbiz.com (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Elite Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Gotham Distribution (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Elite Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (2003) (USA) (VHS) (theatrical version)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Rainbow Products Limited (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Digiview Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (2007) (USA) (VHS)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media) (non-theatrical)

Other Companies

• Ryder Sound Services  recorded by (as Ryder Sound Service)
• Screen Time Images  film restoration

Also Known As:

Insect Woman
The Bee Girl
A Mulher Vespa (Brazil) [pt]
Die Wespenfrau (West Germany) [de]
La donna vespa (Italy) [it]
La mujer avispa (Spain) [es]
La mujer insecto (Venezuela) [es]

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2004) | UK:X (original rating)

Company:

Film Group Feature

Trivia:

The role of the Beekeeper played by Aron Kincaid was added after the film's initial release.

Goofs:

Continuity: Glass of lab door is broken and covered with plastic in several scenes before the shot when it was actually broken.

Quotes:

Bill Lane: You're as bad as she is! Oh, women!
Mary Dennison: Men! Every time you search for an answer, you always come up with women. You're not getting out of this one so easily. I'd like to know why you think Zinthrop really hasn't got something.
Bill Lane: Well, you can call it male intuition if you like... except there's something about this whole business that doesn't smell right... a private laboratory! A secret experiment! Zinthrop himself! The only thing missing is a genie with a lamp!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: The Wasp Woman" (2000)

Classic R. Corman with unique Ms. Cabot!

One of Roger Corman's better directorial efforts about reversing the aging process to sell cosmetics in the early 60's! Susan Cabot, the lead, finished her film career with this one before returning to the theatre in New York after many films in the 50's. Unfortunately, she was bludgeoned to death by her dwarf son sometime in the 80's which ended her promising career. She was a serious actress with a terrible final act.

A definite 6 out of 10. Best performance = Susan Cabot. Worst performance = Anthony (Fred) Eisley - the "actor" who always managed to reach the pinnacle of Blandness in every film he made in the 60's. Dr. Zin in his spotted pajamas reminds me of someone's Uncle Luigi. An under-rated low budget flick which hits a nerve (cosmetics, pshaw). This is on DVD. Seek it out!