Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

User Rating:

2.2/10   

Director:

Nicholas Webster

Writers:

Paul L. Jacobson (story)
Glenville Mareth (writer)

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:

Children | Martian | 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 (in alphabetical order)
Paul L. Jacobson		story
Glenville Mareth		writer

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

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

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

Editorial Department
Anthony Termini	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Nick Tagg	....	music coordinator

Other crew
Fritz Hansen	....	martian furniture
Marguerite James	....	script supervisor
Robert Rosenthal	....	production controller
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

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 (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (2002) | 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:

One of the films included in "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (and how they got that way)" by Harry Medved and Randy Lowell.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): One of the newspaper headlines after the abduction sequence says that Santa has been "Kidnaped".

Quotes:

Betty: What are those funny things sticking out of your head?
Rigna: Those are our antennae.
Betty: Are you a television set?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" (1996)

Soundtrack:

Horray For Santa Claus

Do not open 'til Christmas...or any other time.

I remember seeing this movie a long time ago, way back before they installed the cup holders on the theater seat arm rests. You know, the good old days. All I could remember was the bright lights and colors, the green Martians, Santa was in it, and that "song" (S-A-N-T-A, C-L-A-U-S....)

The next time I saw it, I was a freshman in college and it was playing at the local pub's Bad Flick Night.

Time was not kind.

It's a kid's movie, provided the kid is mentally deficient, a hostile brat and/or has short-term attention disorder. Either way, this one will appeal to them.

For the rest of us, there's the issues of Santa-kidnapping Martians in BRIGHT green makeup and helmets that resemble Yul Brynner's headgear in "The Ten Commandments"; other Martians that you either want to punch out (Dropo) or try and talk out of future acting opportunities (a young Pia Zadora-???); Santas that walk around saying "Merry Christmas", despite the fact that Christmas is not even close; pop guns that immobilize people; polar bears that have extremely long hind legs; and blah, and blah, and blah...

But DOES Santa Claus actually conquer the Martians of the title, like it says? Yep, but he doesn't hit, punch, kick, bite, scratch, claw or anything. Sorry kids, green blood does not flow here. You see, Santa puts in a Martian North Pole workshop and wins over the Martians with peace and good will towards men...and Martians too, I guess. He even makes lazy good-for-nothing Dropo a Martian Santa. GOOD; anything that will keep that nutcase on his own planet....

Two stars for SCCTM; one star for the Christmas spirit and another for the fact that it was half-price beer night when I went in that pub to see it again.

Maybe they should do that for "The Horse Whisperer"....