Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

Director:

Nicholas Webster

Writers:

Glenville Mareth (screenplay)
Paul L. Jacobson (based on a story by)

Release Date:

14 November 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Blast off for Mars... with Santa and a pair of Earth kids! Blast off for Mars... with Santa and a pair of Earth kids! Science-Fun-Fiction at its height!

Plot:

The Martians kidnap Santa because there is nobody on Mars to give their children presents.

Plot Keywords:

Martian | Children | Mars | Christmas | Santa Claus

Cast

John Call	...	Santa Claus
Leonard Hicks	...	Kimar
Vincent Beck	...	Voldar
Bill McCutcheon	...	Dropo
Victor Stiles	...	Billy
Donna Conforti	...	Betty
Chris Month	...	Bomar
Pia Zadora	...	Girmar
Leila Martin	...	Momar
Charles Renn	...	Hargo
James Cahill	...	Rigna
Ned Wertimer	...	Andy Henderson
Doris Rich	...	Mrs. Claus
Carl Don	...	Chochem / Von Green
Ivor Bodin	...	Winky
Al Nesor	...	Stobo
Josip Elic	...	Shim (as Joe Elic)
Jim Bishop	...	Lomas
Lin Thurmond	...	Children TV Announcer
Don Blair	...	TV News Announcer
Tony Ross	...	Santa's Helper
Scott Aronesty	...	Santa's Helper
Ronnie Rotholz	...	Santa's Helper
Glenn Schaffer	...	Santa's Helper
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gene Lindsey	...	Polar Bear (uncredited)

Directed by
Nicholas Webster

Writing credits
Glenville Mareth		(screenplay)
Paul L. Jacobson		(based on a story by)

Produced by
Paul L. Jacobson	....	producer
Arnold Leeds	....	associate producer
Joseph E. Levine	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Milton Delugg

Cinematography by
David L. Quaid		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William Henry		(as Bill Henry)

Art Direction by
Maurice Gordon

Set Decoration by
John K. Wright III		(as John K. Wright 3rd)

Costume Design by
Ramsey Mostoller

Makeup Department
George Fiala	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Arnold Leeds	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gerry Rich	....	assistant director

Art Department
Frank Hoch	....	scenic artist
Edward Swanson	....	head carpenter
John Wright Jr.	....	property master (as John K. Wright Jr.)

Sound Department
Dennis Maitland	....	sound mixer (as Dennis L. Maitland)

Camera and Electrical Department
Duke Brady	....	special lighting effects
Richard Falk	....	gaffer
Martin Nallan	....	key grip
Michael Zingale	....	camera operator (as Michael C. Zingale)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Virginia Schreiber	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
Anthony Termini	....	edit supervisor

Music Department
Milton Delugg	....	conductor
Nick Tagg	....	musical coordinator

Other crew
Fritz Hansen	....	martian furniture
Marguerite James	....	script supervisor (as Margurite James)
Robert J. Rosenthal	....	production comptroller (as Robert Rosenthal)
Brett Webster	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Jalor Productions

Distributors

• Embassy Pictures Corporation (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• Delta Expedition (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• EastWest Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD) (as "Santa Claus Defeats the Aliens")
• Firebox (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Valley Star Video (????) (USA) (VHS) (as "Santa Claus Defeats the Aliens")
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Haberstroh Studios (special photographic effects)

Other Companies

• Alan Shane Associates  casting
• Dawson of N.Y.C.  tower of crystal fountain
• L & L Animation  titles
• Louis Marx & Co.  special toys
• Michael Myerburg Studios  studio
• Vogue Dolls Inc.  dolls

Also Known As:

Santa Claus Defeats the Aliens (video title)

Runtime:

81 min | USA:86 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (2002) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | UK:U (video rating) | USA:Unrated (2005 DVD release) | Australia:PG | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Roosevelt Field, Garden City, Long Island, New York, USA

Company:

Jalor Productions

Trivia:

The Air Force stock footage seen as the military "pursues" the Martians is the same footage used in the opening credit sequence of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Stobo looks in on the toy fight, the popping sounds and flying projectiles suddenly cease (film was stopped to put the ball in his mouth).

Quotes:

Rigna: Chochem is eight hundred years old, you can't dismiss the wisdom of centuries.
Voldar: I can.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Screwed (2000)

Soundtrack:

Horray For Santa Claus

Can something this dumb really be harmless?

Maybe I have a soft spot somewhere in my heart for poorly written, badly conceived, silly 1960s children's movies - but I really can't understand why Santa Claus versus the Martians is in the worst 100 movies of all time here on IMDb. Sure, most viewers will breathe a sigh of relief when it ends, but this film really seems downright harmless compared to the six month old Kennel Ration Hollywood has been feeding us as commercial film for the last ten or so years. Hey, at least it's not a remake, a sequel, or a 2 hour long CGI cartoon with a few human faces tossed in for effect.

Santa Claus gets kidnapped by distraught martians (white guys with bad green makeup and a few dishwasher parts glued to their heads, as well as inexplicable capes), who want to rescue their depressive, antisocial children from the doldrums by giving them all toys and a big red-suited guy with a beard to laugh at... err... with. Santa adapts to life on Mars very well and starts cranking out the toys with the help of Martian machines, but political controversies surrounding his activities soon threaten the fabric of Martian Society.

I'm not kidding.... really.... this is the plot.

Aside from the ludicrous plot and mediocre acting (Bill McCutcheon gives the only really enjoyable performance in this film, though Pia Zadora and Vincent Beck are not too bad), this is no worse than many of the kid films of its time. In the age of ADD and general impatience, however, this film is more than a little dated. The only modern kid I can imagine enjoying this film is one with an extraordinarily great attention span and a penchant for B-films. In terms of production, this film has the feel of a 2 hour, 1960s low budget TV show, and is almost as clever.

I would recommend avoiding this film unless you're compelled to watch films which go to extremes. I found it cute, funny, and more than a tad ridiculous. To most people, it's a film version of your great Aunt's wallpaper - it's just there on the TV, while far more interesting things are happening in the carpet below your feet.