My Favorite Martian 

Exigius Twelve and a Half, an exoanthropologist from the planet Mars, becomes stranded on Earth after his one-man spaceship narrowly misses a NASA rocket plane and crashes near Los Angeles.... See full summary »

Creator:

John L. Greene

Stars:

Ray Walston, Bill Bixby, Pamela Britton

6 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Ray Walston	...	Uncle Martin 107 episodes, 1963-1966
Bill Bixby	...	Tim O'Hara 107 episodes, 1963-1966
Pamela Britton	...	Mrs. Lorelei Brown 62 episodes, 1963-1966

Storyline

Exigius Twelve and a Half, an exoanthropologist from the planet Mars, becomes stranded on Earth after his one-man spaceship narrowly misses a NASA rocket plane and crashes near Los Angeles. The alien is rescued by Tim O'Hara, a newspaper reporter who explains the Martian to friends and authorities by introducing him as his Uncle Martin. "Uncle Martin" looks human, except when he extends his retractable antennae with which he can become invisible. His special powers and unusual illnesses present a constant challenge to Tim in his efforts to preserve his friend's cover.

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Plot Keywords:

fish out of water | spaceflight | psychotronic series | 1960s | alien on earth | 

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Taglines:

His antennae are pointed toward fun so be waiting for Ray Walston, earth's first visiting star from outer space. (season 2)

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-Y7

Did You Know?

Trivia

This show was the first science fiction "sit-com", and it was soon copied by Bewitched (1964) and I Dream of Jeannie (1965). However, the central character was a man who relied on science and advanced technology, not magic.

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Goofs

Martin is always boasting about his superpowers, but compared to the witches of the latter more popular TV show, he rather comes across as a drunken martian: unlike in Bewitched, the objects Martin levitates are always wobbling mid-air, painfully revealing that nylon fishing line was used to hold them up by a stagehand way up above the actors, too high up for the crew to have full control. But when Samantha Stephens levitates and moves objects, hers are always steady, no matter how long they stand still mid-air, and they do not wobble as they move to their destination. Writing in a reason why Martin didn't have a steady hand (perhaps due to old age or entering the Earth's atmosphere reducing his abilities) would have gone a long way towards helping suspend disbelief.

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Quotes

Uncle Martin: After all as a very wise man once told me, the chicken is not infrequently the true dove of peace.

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Connections

Referenced in Dexter's Laboratory: Old Flame/Don't Be a Hero/My Favorite Martian (1998)

User Reviews

1963 - A Space Modesty

This was as rather cute little 1960s morality play about a friendly Martian who crashes his flying saucer on earth and is discovered by Tim O'Hara, a newspaper reporter. Tim takes him in as his "Uncle" Martin and promises he will harbor him until he can repair his craft and go back to Mars.

Uncle Martin gets his way by his extraordinary telepathic and telekinetic powers. He also is a philosopher, scientist and mind control expert. He never does anything wrong intentionally, but always seems to betray himself by his misunderstanding of the ways of our world. Still, he and Tim are a formidable team and each show always had me chuckling.

The recent movie version isn't even worth commenting on. It was thoroughly putrid and was just a way for the studios to relieve you of your hard-earned dough. Watch ANY remakes of 1960s TV shows at your own peril. You read it here first!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

My Favorite Martian

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jack Chertok Television Productions, CBS Television Network

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (107 episodes)

Color:

Black and White (1963-1965) Color (1965-1966)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1