ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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Curiosity may compel you to see this made-for-TV turkey.

Tommy Kirk plays a Martian who comes to Earth to kidnap lady scientist Yvonne Craig (Batgirl). As a scientist, Yvonne is no stuffed shirt; she's a go-go dancer during her off-duty time.

This classic is brought to you by Larry Buchanan (as writer, producer, and director), the same man responsible for "Zontar, the Thing from Venus", another made-for-TV gobbler.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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In keeping with All Sci-Fi's dedication to bringing culture and fine art to its members, I've done extensive research on the internet and found a source for Mars Needs Women on an obscure site called MeTube or UsTude . . . something like that.

We hope you'll enjoy this cinematic gem. As an added bonus, the movie is in English with French subtitles. So, you can lust after Yvonne Craig AND become multilingual at the same time.

What a deal, eh?
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_______________ Mars Needs Women (1967)


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[orzel-w]

That video jacket is almost obscene. Or is that all in my mind?
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...or not...

WayneO
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[Bud Brewster]

[Custer]

Some production details I dug up from Alchetron:

John Ashley, who had just made The Eye Creatures (1965) for Buchanan, says he was meant to play the lead role but got busy on another project and Tommy Kirk then stepped in.

Kirk called the film "undoubtedly one of the stupidest motion pictures ever made. How I got talked into it, I dont know."

Kirk had previously played a Martian seeking Earth women in AIPs Pajama Party (1964). He had made his mark as a Disney child star, but after being fired, was hoping to revive his career with Mars Needs Women treating it as a serious project, to the extent of rewriting some of his dialogue. Reportedly, Buchanan allowed Kirk to create his own soliloquy for his scene in a planetarium (at Dallas Fair Park) as he explains that his world is dying.

The other notable lead, Yvonne Craig, had starred in several films, and numerous television roles, including her portrayal of Batgirl in the CBS cult comedy superhero TV series Batman.

Over a short, two-week shooting schedule, Buchanan shot Mars Needs Women in his hometown of Dallas, pretending it to be Houston. Faced with his usual meagre budget, he resorted to using available spaces, including office buildings, to serve as NASA headquarters. Typical shoddy "B" movie production values are evident throughout the film. Southland Life Insurance Building is clearly visible as the Martians drive among the humans. Other prominent Dallas landmarks, including Southern Methodist University, are also featured. Footage from a SMU Homecoming game is used, and the Homecoming Queen is one of the Martians "recruits". Footage was also shot at Dallas Fair Park (Planetarium, Lagoon, and Science Building). Additional footage was shot at Dallas Love Field, where a man is shown reading the Houston Chronicle, and at the Gypsy Room on Harry Hines Blvd. One scene with Bubbles Cash was shot at an actual Dallas Striptease bar, "The Athens Strip" that was located on what is now called Lower Greenville Ave. Also some scenes were shot in the old White Rock Lake Pumphouse that had been used when the lake was a city water source. The building was empty at the time, since then the City of Dallas Water Department has converted the building to offices on the South West end of White Rock Lake by the spillway. The scene at the NASA "Space Center" was filmed in Richardson, TX, north of Dallas, in the Antenna Building, which belonged to Collins Radio, a NASA contractor reason there are large Radio Satellite Dish Antennas in some background shots.

Mars Needs Women is padded with long sequences taken from stock aviation footage (the North American X-15 spacecraft being launched from its Boeing NB-52B Stratofortress mother ship and General Dynamics F-111 fighter-bomber in particular). Due to poor lighting, parts of the film were made by undercranking the camera and having the actors move more slowly, sometimes shooting at 18 or 12 frames per second instead of the usual 24. Actors also stretched out scenes with long sequences with no dialogue, either walking or doing menial tasks. One lengthy scene involves the camera focused on a loudspeaker.

In the early 1990s Buchanan announced a sequel was in development at Universal Pictures, with John Avnet and Jordan Kerner. It was intended to be "a sophisticated romantic comedy based on the ideas first set forth in the original." The film was never made.

[scotpens]

[Gord Green]

The basic idea could have been a decent sitcom. Imagine a mashup between MY FAVORITE MARTIAN and I DREAM OF JEANNIE.

Tommy Kirk and Yvonne Craig trying to stop the abduction of California Valley girls from lecherous Martians.

[ralfy]

Feature in 720p resolution:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCZazaWHh3g

[Maurice]

When you look at the film it doesn't appear to be shot for TV, and indeed, it seems it was originally intended for theatrical release. They possibly had trouble getting bookings for it so sold broadcast rights directly to individual stations.
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"The absence of limitations is the enemy of art."
― Orson Welles

[Bud Brewster]

[scotpens]