The Wasp Woman

The Wasp Woman (1959)

Runtime: 73 minutes

Directed by: Roger Corman

Starring: Susan Cabot, Fred Eisley, Barboura Morris, William Roerick, Michael Mark

From: The Filmgroup

It seems appropriate to check out something from Roger Corman around this time of year. The Wasp Woman is a picture I’ve known of for many years; it also revolves around the top of women & aging… a plot device so powerful and relevant, the success of The Substance alone proves the conversation revolving around the topics of women, beauty & aging is as topical now as it was in the late 50’s.

I saw the 73-minute version that played in syndication starting in the early 60’s rather than the shorter theatrical cut. A mad scientist extracts royal jelly from wasps; it reverses aging in animals. What great timing for Susan Cabot then… she leads a major cosmetics company and is literally the face of the company, including in advertising. She (gasps) has become old & sales have dropped. They meet and despite his protests that she shouldn’t be the first human tested on, she demands it… of course it’s a success at first before going horribly awry.

I was amused by the film; some will & have found it “boring.” Me, the intra-office drama over her expenditures funding Dr. Zinthrop’s experimental research into the royal jelly, poor Janice Starling feeling desperate to the point of breaking in and injecting himself to increase the effects, the men at the company slack-jawed & filled w/ admiration that she appears so much younger… while not delving into the body horror of the premise or any deeper than a surface-level examination of the themes, entertainment was had by this silly little quickie, especially during the (few) times the title monster appears. This had a nice jazz score from Fred Katz… then I learned it was used in at least half a dozen Corman movies! He knew how to pinch pennies so hard, Abraham Lincoln would squeal.

Susan Cabot as Janice was the highlight of the film, sympathetic despite both her physical and mental transformation. Her life was arguably more interesting than The Wasp Woman… she battled mental illness, birthed a son who had dwarfism—and only a few years ago it was made public that the father was King Hussein of Jordan (!!!), and Cabot was murdered by her son, but due to alleged years-long abuse that likely was due to said mental illness. A shame she had those struggles; Cabot was a talented actress who acted both on stage & screen for years. At least The Wasp Woman is campy fun.