Larry Cohen

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other people named Larry Cohen, see Larry Cohen (disambiguation).

Larry Cohen
Cohen in October 2010
Born
Lawrence George Cohen

(1936-07-15)July 15, 1936[a]
New York City, U.S.
DiedMarch 23, 2019(2019-03-23) (aged 82)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Alma materCity College of New York
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • film director
  • producer
Spouses
Janelle Webb
​
(div. 1980)​
Cynthia Costas
​
(m. 1994)​
Children2
RelativesRonni Chasen (sister)

Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936

satirical elements — during the 1970s and 1980s. His directorial works include It's Alive (1974) and its sequels, God Told Me To (1976), The Stuff (1985) and A Return to Salem's Lot
(1987).

Early in his career, Cohen was a prolific television writer, creating series such as Branded, Blue Light, Coronet Blue, and The Invaders. Later on he concentrated mainly on screenwriting, including Maniac Cop and its two sequels, Phone Booth (2002), Cellular (2004) and Captivity (2007). In 2006, he returned to the directing chair for Mick Garris's anthology series Masters of Horror, directing the episode "Pick Me Up".

In 2017, Cohen was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fantasia International Film Festival.

Early life

Lawrence George Cohen was born in

Jewish ancestry.[4] His sister, Ronni Chasen, was a publicist who worked with him beginning early in his film career. He moved to the Riverdale section of the Bronx
in New York City at an early age.

Cohen exhibited a voracious appetite for films as a child, visiting the movie theaters at least twice a week, and most of them being

Dodge City
.

He majored in film studies at the City College of New York.

Career

Early work

During the 1950s Cohen worked for the NBC television network, where he learned how to produce teleplays, and shortly afterward began writing his own television scripts. He created the TV series The Invaders and also scripted episodes of The Defenders and The Fugitive.[5]

Cohen began his career as a writer for well-known television series, concentrating his efforts on the crime and detective genres. He penned several episodes of

anthologies Kraft Television Theatre (1958) and Kraft Suspense Theatre (1965), the espionage TV series Blue Light (1966) starring Robert Goulet and Coronet Blue (1967) starring Frank Converse
, and the science-fiction TV series, The Invaders (1967–1968).

In 1966, he wrote the screenplay to the

gunslinger
Chris Adams.

Four episodes he wrote for Blue Light were edited together to create the theatrical film I Deal in Danger, released in December 1966. He also created the Western TV series Branded (1965–1966) and was the co-creator with Walter Grauman of Blue Light.

1970s

Although Cohen continued to write TV and film scripts during the 1970s – such as

Bone (aka Beverly Hills Nightmare) starring Yaphet Kotto. Cohen directed Dial Rat for Terror (1973) and Housewife (1973) before creating the It's Alive series in 1974. He wrote, produced and directed the horror film It's Alive, about a mutant monster baby that embarks on a killing spree. The film – an initial commercial failure – was re-released with a new and sharper advertisement campaign; it went on to become a moderate success, earning over $7 million for Warner Bros. and spawning two sequels, It Lives Again (1978) and It's Alive III: Island of the Alive (1987).[6]

Cohen followed-up It's Alive with the science-fiction serial killer film God Told Me To (1976), in which a New York detective investigates a spate of killings by apparently random people who say that God told them to commit the crimes. He concentrated his work predominantly within the horror genre throughout the 1970s and 1980s, often incorporating elements of crime, police procedural, and science fiction with scathing social commentary.

Cohen's It's Alive tells of a couple, Frank and Lenore Davis, who give birth to a mutated baby. The doctors and nurses at the hospital attempt to end the life of the deformed child, but it instead kills them and escapes. A police manhunt ensues as the fleeing mutation leaves dead bodies in its wake. Frank sees the child just as

Dr. Frankenstein saw his monster and assists the police.[7]

The emphasis in It's Alive is on the potential effects of chemicals to the ecosystem, and experimental prescription drugs that can be harmful to unborn babies. The score for It's Alive was composed by Bernard Herrmann, known for his contributions to many Alfred Hitchcock films, including Psycho, North by Northwest, and Vertigo. The welling strings, horn arrangements and harp glissandos throughout the film prefigure the soundtrack to Herrmann's final film score two years later for Taxi Driver. The cast includes John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell, James Dixon, and Andrew Duggan.

It Lives Again (1978) picks up where the first one ended. More mutated babies are appearing around the country. Frank has now joined a renegade mob who are attempting to stop the government from killing these strange mutations. The emphasis in It Lives Again is on accepting one's child, even if it is born with deformities or disabilities. The score is again provided by Bernard Herrmann. The cast includes John P. Ryan, James Dixon, Andrew Duggan, and Frederic Forrest.

1980s

During the 1980s, Cohen directed, produced, and scripted a number of low-budget horror films, many of which featured actor

Aztec god known as Quetzalcoatl (the Winged Serpent) resurrected and nesting atop the Chrysler Building. The film is set in New York City, as was typical for Cohen, and sees two police detectives investigating a spate of killings in the city. The cast is headed by Moriarty and co-stars David Carradine, Candy Clark, Richard Roundtree
, and James Dixon (another Cohen regular). The Chrysler Building scenes were actually shot on location in and around the building, including the inside and outside of the cone atop the edifice.

Cohen's next project with Moriarty was

Salem's Lot. Cohen finished the 1980s with Wicked Stepmother (1989), in which the late Bette Davis
made her last appearance.

1990s

Cohen began the 1990s with his film

Ed McBain
-inspired 87th Precinct: Heatwave.

2000s

Cohen's output after the 1990s was less prolific and concentrated solely on scriptwriting, except for a brief return to directing with the

David Zucker
.

His next film, another action-crime

David Schow, and starred Cohen regular Michael Moriarty
.

See also:
Cast of Characters vs. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen lawsuit

In 2003, Cohen, together with production partner

20th Century Fox, claiming the company had intentionally plagiarized a script of theirs titled Cast of Characters in order to create the Sean Connery-starring League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003. According to the BBC, the lawsuit alleged 'that Mr. Cohen and Mr. Poll pitched the idea to Fox several times between 1993 and 1996, under the name Cast of Characters.'[9][10][11] The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was an adaptation of the 1999 published comic book series by Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill.[12]

In 2006, Cohen was included in the

hitchhiker who accepts lifts in order to find his victims. The two killers pair up and inventively murder all the passengers on the bus, save for Stacia (Balk), who has since gone her own way. Stacia eventually winds up in the middle of a serial killer turf war, a war over which killer will get her first.[13]
Pick Me Up signaled a brief return to the director's chair for Cohen.

Josef Rusnak remade Cohen's It's Alive in 2009. Still awaiting a score on Rotten Tomatoes, the existing reviews are also very poor.[14] Even Cohen admitted that the remake was dreadful[15] and states: 'It's a terrible picture. It's just beyond awful'.[16] Cohen offered his 1974 script but remarks that it was completely ignored: "I would advise anybody who likes my film to cross the street and avoid seeing the new enchilada."[16]

Personal life

Cohen was married twice: to Janelle Webb, until their divorce in 1980; and then to Cynthia Costas, from 1994 until his death. He had two daughters.[3] His sister Ronni Chasen was murdered on November 16, 2010 in a drive-by shooting in Beverly Hills.[17]

Death

On March 23, 2019, Cohen died from cancer at his home in Beverly Hills, California, at age 82.[3][18]

Critical response

Critical response to Cohen's work has been extremely varied, with reviews ranging from good to poor.

The Stuff

Cohen's

satirical social commentary The Stuff (1985) garnered mixed reviews, often being compared to Jack Finney's The Body Snatchers novel and the 1958 film The Blob. It has a moderate fresh rating of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes.[19] The Apollo Movie Guide remarks that The Stuff works on a purely visceral level, and that it further achieves a tongue-in-cheek social parody of a society that cannot help buying into the latest craze. Although Apollo praised the juxtaposition of Cohen's clever screenplay and Michael Moriarty's performance, it states that the film is not a classic. It does, however, award the film a modest Apollo Rating of 77/100.[20] The Chicago Sun-Times, on the other hand, sees The Stuff as a widely ambitious movie that fails mainly due to distracting glitches and a lack of plausibility, specifically, "What we have here are a lot of nice touches in search of a movie." Chicago Sun-Times rating: 1 1/2 stars out of 5.[21] Bloody Disgusting nevertheless awarded The Stuff 3 stars out of 5, pointing out both the good and the bad, "[I]t's smart, it's relevant and it has some bad acting. [It should be] enjoyed for all the wrong and some of the right reasons that it is not just a horror movie, but a very honest and important movie as well."[22]

Q: The Winged Serpent

His fantasy horror Q a.k.a. Q: The Winged Serpent (1982) has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 61%.[23] TV Guide praise Cohen for his intelligence, creativity and originality and further comment that '[Cohen] successfully combines a film noir crime story with a good old-fashioned giant monster movie' and that 'Michael Moriarty turns in a brilliant performance as Jimmy Quinn [...]'.[24] Horror author and movie critic, Kim Newman, praises Cohen's plot originality and canny use of characters in Empire, pointing out the director's use of an oddball as lead – Jimmy Quinn – who would ordinarily be a secondary character or warrant solely a cameo appearance; Newman also explains how Cohen has relegated all the usual plot devices – in movies such as King Kong – to the background.[25] Alternatively, the Chicago Reader, although viewing Cohen's monster movie as 'cheesy' and 'fun', ultimately condemns the movie as being 'curiously disengaged and sloppy'.[26] The New York Times, following the film's opening day at the Rivoli Theater, had just 'a few words – only a very few – about Q, offering a brief neutral synopsis and a couple of quotes.[27] Variety are more favourable, focusing on Cohen's 'wild' and 'bizarre' – albeit realistic – efforts: Q has great fun mixing realistic settings with political satire and a wild yarn'. They go on to say that the film belongs to both Moriarty and the Monster.[28]

It's Alive

A-List actors and special effects, It's Alive still manages to maintain the viewer's interest due to Cohen's "unique horror concept and a script rich in ideas." Black Hole nevertheless points out that "[w]hile the drama is consistent, it's less successful as a seventies monster movie, and especially lacking now." Whereas Jaws (1975) revealed the shark slowly, Cohen's film "barely ever shows us the goods." The magazine does agree, however, that It's Alive was "a sufficiently powerful monster movie and [that] audiences wanted more."[30] Filmcritic draws attention to the humour element, especially the scenes where the Baby-Monster is rustling in the bushes, unseen, comparing it to the scene in Basket Case (1982) when that film's Baby-Monster is stuffed into a garbage sack after being cut away from its human twin. Basket Case is indeed a part of another – later – Baby-Monster horror trilogy. In short, Filmcritic says that Cohen's film should not be confused with art; and yet, it is "pretty scary stuff" that "manages a few neat tricks."[31]

God Told Me To

52 Pickup: "the movie does achieve greatness in another way: this is the most confused feature-length film [...] ever seen."[34] But Time Out applauded Cohen for offering "the perfect existential anti-hero" in New York cop, Lo Bianco, in a film that "overflows with such perverse and subversive notions that no amount of shoddy editing and substandard camerawork can conceal [its] unusual qualities" and that by "[d]igging deep into the psyche of American manhood, it lays bare the guilt-ridden oppressions of a soulless society."[35]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1972
Bone
 		Yes Yes Yes
1973 Black Caesar Yes Yes Yes
Hell Up in Harlem Yes Yes Yes
1974 It's Alive Yes Yes Yes Avoriaz Special Jury Award
1976 God Told Me To Yes Yes Yes Avoriaz Special Jury Award
1977 The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover Yes Yes Yes
1978 It Lives Again Yes Yes Yes
1981 Full Moon High Yes Yes Yes
1982 Q Yes Yes Yes
1984 Perfect Strangers Yes Yes No
Special Effects Yes Yes No
1985 The Stuff Yes Yes Yes
1987 It's Alive III: Island of the Alive Yes Yes Executive
A Return to Salem's Lot Yes Yes Executive
Deadly Illusion Yes Yes No
1988 Maniac Cop No Yes Yes
1989 Wicked Stepmother Yes Yes Executive
1990 The Ambulance Yes Yes Yes
Maniac Cop 2 No Yes Yes Nominated- Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Screenplay
1993 Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence No Yes Co-producer
1996 Original Gangstas Yes No No

Writer only

Year Title Director Notes
1966 Return of the Seven Burt Kennedy
I Deal in Danger Walter Grauman Feature-length re-edit of four Blue Light episodes
1969 Scream, Baby, Scream Joseph Adler
Daddy's Gone A-Hunting Mark Robson Co-writer with Lorenzo Semple Jr.
El Condor John Guillermin Co-writer with Steven W. Carabatsos
1980 The American Success Company William Richert
1981 I, the Jury Richard T. Heffron
1984 Scandalous Rob Cohen Co-wrote story with Rob Cohen and John Byrum
1987 Best Seller John Flynn Nominated-
Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture
1993 Body Snatchers Abel Ferrara Co-wrote story with Raymond Cistheri
Guilty as Sin Sidney Lumet
1996 Uncle Sam William Lustig
1997 The Ex Mark L. Lester
Misbegotten
2002 Phone Booth Joel Schumacher
2004 Cellular David R. Ellis
2007 Captivity Roland Joffé Co-writer with Joseph Tura
2008 Connected Benny Chan Remake of 2004's Cellular
2009 It's Alive Josef Rusnak Remake of 1974 film
2010 Messages Deleted Rob Cowan

Acting roles

Year Title Role Notes
1984 Perfect Strangers Man on Street
1984 Special Effects Journalist
1985 Spies Like Us Ace Tomato Agent
1987 A Return to Salem's Lot Female Zombie
2002 BaadAsssss Cinema Himself Television documentary film
2005 Make Your Own Damn Movie! Documentary film
2009 Nightmares in Red, White and Blue
2019 In Search of Darkness
2020 In Search of Darkness: Part II

Television

TV movies

Year Title Director Writer Producer
1969 In Broad Daylight No Yes No
1974 Shootout in a One-Dog Town No Story No
1981 See China and Die Yes Yes Yes
1983 Women of San Quentin No Story No
1988
Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge
 		No Yes No
1995 As Good as Dead Yes Yes Yes
2009 The Gambler, the Girl and the Gunslinger No Yes No

TV series

Year Title Director Writer Creator Producer Notes
1958–1965 Kraft Television Theatre No Yes No No Episodes: "The Eighty Seventh Precinct",
"Night Cry" & "Kill No More"
1960 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater No Yes No No Episode: "Killer Instinct"
1961
Way Out
 		No Yes No No Episode: "False Face"
The United States Steel Hour No Yes No No Episode: "The Golden Thirty"
Checkmate No Yes No No Episode: "Nice Guys Finish Last"
1963 Sam Benedict No Yes No No Episode: "Accomplice"
Arrest and Trial No Yes No No Episode: "My Name is Martin Burham"
1963–1965 The Defenders No Yes No No 9 episodes
1964 Espionage No Yes No No Episode: "Medal for a Turned Coat"
1964–1965 The Fugitive No Yes No No 2 episodes: "Escape into Black" and "Scapegoat"
1965–1966 Branded No Yes Yes Yes 48 episodes
Never Too Young No No No Executive 5 episodes
1966 Blue Light No Yes Yes No 17 episodes
The Rat Patrol No Yes No No Episode: "The Blind Man's Bluff Raid"
Coronet Blue No Yes Yes No 11 episodes
1967–1968 The Invaders No Yes Yes No 43 episodes
1972 Cool Million No Yes Yes No Episode: "Mask of Marcella"
1973–1974 Griff No Yes Yes No 13 episodes
1973–1974
Columbo
 		No Yes No No Episodes: "Any Old Port in a Storm",
"Candidate for Crime"
and "An Exercise in Fatality"
1995 NYPD Blue No Yes No No Episode: "Dirty Socks"
2006 Masters of Horror Yes No No No Episode: "Pick Me Up"

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Some sources during Cohen's life reported that he was born in 1941,[1][2] though his obituary in The New York Times, citing his family and relevant census data, gives a birth year of 1936.[3]

References

  1. ^ Singer 1989, p. 75.
  2. ^ Fischer 1991, p. 189.
  3. ^ a b c Genzlinger, Neil (March 27, 2019). "Larry Cohen, Director of Garish Horror Classics, Dies at 82". The New York Times. p. B14. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  4. ^ Weiner, Rex (November 24, 2010). "Jewish Daily Forward: 'Chasen Was a Hollywood Story, in Life and Death'". Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  5. ^ Cohen, Larry (December 21, 2009). "Larry Cohen Interview". Films in Review (Interview). Interviewed by Brian Layne. p. 1.
  6. ISBN 0-688-04889-7
    .
  7. ^ Vellum, Manor (November 18, 2023). "'It's Alive': Parenthood and the Unexpected Horrors of Vulnerability". Medium. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  8. ^ Aames, Ethan, Interview with Joel Schumacher: Phone Booth in Cinema Confidential online magazine, p.1, March 4, 2003.
  9. ^ "Gentlemen lands Fox in $100 million lawsuit," September 27, 2003. Calcutta Telegraph.
  10. ^ "Producer and Writer File $100 Million Lawsuit Against 20th Century-Fox," September 25, 2003. Business Wire.
  11. ^ "Studio sued over superhero movie". BBC. September 26, 2003. Archived from the original on March 31, 2008. Retrieved May 16, 2008. on 2008-05-16.
  12. Wildstorm / DC Comics
    , copyright 1999.
  13. ^ Cohen, Larry & Garris, Mick, Pick Me Up, from Masters of Horror, Anchor Bay Entertainment, 2006.
  14. ^ It's Alive (2009), Rotten Tomatoes, [accessed] April 6, 2011.
  15. ^ Berrett, Simon, An Interview with Larry Cohen, Creator of The Invaders and So Much More in Celebrity News, May 20, 2008.
  16. ^ a b "LARRY COHEN INTERVIEW - Films In Review". Films In Review.
  17. ^ "Publicist's murder no conspiracy: police | Reuters". Reuters. February 1, 2012. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  18. ^ Koseluk, Chris (March 24, 2019). "Larry Cohen, Writer-Director of 'It's Alive' and 'Hell Up in Harlem,' Dies at 82". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  19. ^ Cohen Larry, The Stuff rating at Rotten Tomatoes Web site, [accessed] January 23, 2024.
  20. ^ Weinberg, Scott, Stuff, The, Intelligent Reviews Online in Apollo Movie Guide, accessed April 5, 2011.
  21. ^ Ebert, Roger, The Stuff in Chicago Sun-Times, August 26, 1985.
  22. ^ Stuff, The, Blood-Disgusting online zine, [accessed] April 5, 2011.
  23. ^ Q rating at Rotten Tomatoes website, [accessed] April 5, 2011.
  24. ^ Q, TV Guide, March 28, 2007.
  25. ^ Newman, Kim, Q, in Empire Magazine, June 22, 2005.
  26. ^ Graham, Pat, Q review in Chicago Reader, [accessed] April 5, 2011.
  27. ^ Maslin, Janet, Q Mayhem and Horror in The New York Times, October 8, 1982.
  28. ^ Q: The Winged Serpert, Variety magazine, posted: Thu., Dec 31, 1981, 11:00pm PT, [accessed] April 5, 2011.
  29. ^ Graham, Aaron W., It's Alive!/It Lives Again/Island of the Alive in The Film Journal, [accessed] April 5, 2009.
  30. ^ Kill, baby, kill, kill!' in Black Hole magazine (online), March 6, 2011.
  31. ^ Euker, Jake, It's Alive on Filmcritic online zine, October 27, 2004.
  32. ^ Kendrick, James, God Told Me To a.k.a. Demon in QNetwork Entertainment online magazine, [accessed] April 5, 2011.
  33. ^ Croce, Fernando F., God Told Me To, [accessed] April 5, 2011.
  34. ^ Ebert, Roger, God Told Me To in Chicago Sun-Times, December 1, 1976.
  35. ^ SW, God Told Me To in Time Out magazine, London, [accessed] April 5, 2011.

Bibliography

External links

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