Don't Threaten. [9][10], A theatrical production of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians: The Musical premiered in 1993 at the Factory Theatre in Chicago, adapted and directed by Sean Abley. When in the 1980s Zadora's film career failed to achieve critical success, she switched her focus to music. [14] On the basis of being multiply recognized by the Golden Raspberry Awards, Zadora was named Worst New Star of the Decade (1980–89) and nominated as Worst Actress of the 1980s. We're also shooting in color to get full, picturesque effects with our toy factors and Martian and North Pole backgrounds". [15], In 1985, Zadora starred as the object of an extraterrestrial's affections in the musical comedy Voyage of the Rock Aliens. That episode became a holiday staple on the Comedy Central cable channel in the years following its premiere of 1991. Money in the bank, the television".[3]. Kimar agrees and sends Santa and the children back to Earth. In February 1965, the New York Times said on its release that the film "reaped a box office bonanza in a regular, multi theatre booking".[4]. The original 1964 film of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians has become a cult classic thanks to absurd sci-fi shenanigans and its inclusion among the so-bad-it's-good repertoire of Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Zadora was born Pia Alfreda Schipani in Hoboken, New Jersey. [28], Zadora married businessman Meshulam Riklis in 1977, when she was 23, and he 54. To do this, Mars needs a Santa Claus figure, like on Earth. [7], A single issue comic book adaptation of the film was published by Dell Comics in March 1966. Zadora and Riklis bought the Beverly Hills mansion Pickfair Manor in January 1988 from Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss for almost US$7 million. It did not reach the charts. In 1983 she appeared in the film adaptation of the Harold Robbins novel The Lonely Lady, portraying an aspiring screenwriter who achieves success after surviving sexual assault. They demolished most of the structure while keeping the guest houses, claiming that termites and time had made repairs difficult. [1] Cast members John Call and Victor Stiles were appearing on stage in Oliver! www.millcreekent.com At the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 25% score based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 2.8/10. In 2011, Zadora began a small attempt at a comeback with a cabaret show titled Pia Zadora: Back Again, and Standing Tall. "[5] The film has been viewed as a cult film. On Dec. 17, Halifax-based Lions Den Theatre offers its unique take on this story of how Christmas came to the red planet. When they arrive on Mars, Santa and the children build a factory to make toys for the Martian children. The film was the idea of producer Paul Jacobson, who worked in video production and wanted to move into features. Directed by Nicholas Webster. The couple married on September 18, 1977. (1988) and Only for Romantics (1991), two additional albums/CDs of standards, received only limited promotional release. [27], Since 2013, Zadora has hosted and performed Pia's Place at Las Vegas restaurant Piero's Italian Cuisine. In 1994, Zadora had a cameo appearance in the comedy Naked Gun 33​1⁄3: The Final Insult. Santa Claus Conquers The Martians comicbook; Christmas Comicbook Covers (Part 2) The Guns Of Saint Nicolas; At The Movies~Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (1... Old Christmas Ads (part 2) Ed Emshwiller's Galaxy Christmas Covers; Santa Claus Funnies (Del Four Color #175- December... RIP Gerry Anderson; I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas The musical score featured Zadora singing "It’s Wrong for Me to Love You." Its catalogue number was FC 4-114. [33], Zadora has been married to Michael Jeffries, a detective with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, since 2005 and currently resides in Summerlin, Nevada. [32] In 2010 a defamation lawsuit brought by Kaufer against Zadora, which alleged that Zadora falsely accused Kaufer of sexually molesting their son, was dismissed because the presiding judge found Zadora's comments to be protected speech. According to her website, in 2020 Zadora released a new album featuring American standards, entitled All or Nothing At All. [35], In June 2013, following an altercation with her teenage son Jordan, Zadora was charged with domestic violence battery and coercion, and jailed after a SWAT team surrounded her home. "Levine: Huckster With Heart" Griffin, Dick. Voldar and Stobo come back to the factory to make a deal with Kimar, but when they see the real Santa Claus, they realize that their plan has been foiled. I don't want anybody to know because families don't go to see them – they just talk about them. Julen i år kommer næppe til at være som de fleste, så hvad bedre end at finde en julefilm, der i hvert fald ikke er som de fleste. [10] Zadora starred alongside Stacy Keach and Orson Welles in the 1982 film of James M. Cain's novel Butterfly, the plot for which involved father–daughter incest. A 45 RPM 7" single of Milton DeLugg & The Little Eskimos' original performance of 'Hooray For Santa Claus' with The Fleshtones doing their take on the flip! Zadora appeared at San Francisco's Rrazz Room's 3rd annual Rrazziversary Gala Celebration and Benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on March 17, 2011, and at the Nevada Children's Center's Great Gatsby Gala on April 3, 2011. In February, she performed at the Eissey Campus Theatre in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and the Kaye Auditorium in Boca Raton. "Except for the Disneys, there's very little in film houses that children recognize as their own". She played the youngest sister (Bielke) in the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof (1964–66). Zadora's first film role was Girmar, a young Martian girl, in 1964's Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, widely regarded as one of the worst films ever made.[8][9]. StudioCanal holds ancillary rights to the film. [19] Pia—The Platinum Collection, a three-CD compilation, was released in 1993 and sold in the United States via infomercials. Pia Today! Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is a 1964 American science fiction comedy film directed by Nicholas Webster, produced and written by Paul L. Jacobson based on a story by Glenville Mareth, starring John Call as Santa Claus, and featuring an eight … Pia Zadora (born Pia Alfreda Schipani, May 4, 1953)[1] is an American actress and singer. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is a 1964 American science fiction comedy film directed by Nicholas Webster, produced and written by Paul L. Jacobson, based on a story by Glenville Mareth, that stars John Call as Santa Claus. In 2000, Zadora was nominated at the 20th Golden Raspberry Awards as Worst Actress of the Century, ultimately losing to Madonna. Released by 4 Corners in 1964 (FC 4-114) containing music from Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964). After that, it was regularly re-released at Christmastime for matinees. After working as a child actress on Broadway, in regional theater, and in the film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), she came to national attention in 1981 when, following her starring role in the highly criticized[2] Butterfly, she won a Golden Globe Award as New Star of the Year[3] while simultaneously winning the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress and the Worst New Star for the same performance. A clip is shown and discussed. Zadora next starred in the 1982 film Fake-Out, also called Nevada Heat, a women in prison B-movie comedy co-starring Telly Savalas and Desi Arnaz Jr.. Cinematic Titanic, Santa Claus Conquers The Martians, (#5) I'm thrilled to be the one who gets to offer the first rating on this movie! Some may not know, Cinematic Titanic is an off-shoot of MST3k or Mystery Science Theater 3000. The Maverick's production has become a comedic success and a local tradition that has been performed there every holiday season since 2006, with a 10th anniversary production being performed in December 2015.[16]. Zadora and Riklis divorced in 1993, and Zadora remained in the mansion until late 2005 or early 2006, when she sold it to Korean businessman Corry Hong for US$17,650,000. The theme from the film was released on record in November 1964 by "Milton Delugg and the Little Eskimos" on Four Corners Records, a subsidiary of Kapp Records. It also features an eleven-year-old Pia Zadora as Girmar, one of the Martian children. In 1989, Zadora recorded the album Pia Z with producer Narada Michael Walden; this album also failed to chart. I did start watching MST3K's version of "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians" on YouTube today and Santa was puffing on a pipe right away, and the show had me laughing right away! He goes to the toy factory to make toys, but Voldar mistakes him for Santa and kidnaps him. In an attempt to get the kids peppy again, Kimar orders the kidnapping of Santa Claus (John Call), hoping that the jolly old toymaker will know how to cheer the children up again. The book, which includes a DVD of the original film, presents the story from the perspective of a now-adult Girmar, who has not only succeeded her father as the ruler of Mars, but also narrates the tale in a 'valley girl' type of language. Leaving Chochem's cave, the Martian leaders decide to abduct Santa Claus from Earth and bring him to Mars. For this performance she received the 1983 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress. [36] Zadora, who admitted to drinking alcohol before the incident and confirmed the cause of the altercation, was later ordered by the presiding judge to "stay out of trouble for a year, attend impulse control counseling and follow recommendations of [an] alcohol evaluation. [1] Jacobson called the film a "yuletide science fiction fantasy" and said he made it because of a perceived gap in the market. In addition to displaying her comedic side, the film showcased her musical talents and featured half of the songs from her 1984 album Let's Dance Tonight. Riklis commissioned a nude oil portrait of Zadora, which greeted visitors.[11]. Due to its public domain status in the United States, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians has been released on many different bargain bin price labels. [11][12], Beginning in February 1998, a remake was rumored with David Zucker as producer, and Jim Carrey attached to play Dropo. He hired writer Glenville Mareth to develop the idea and Nicholas Webster to direct and made the film through his own Jalor Productions. by HOWARD THOMPSON. With John Call, Leonard Hicks, Vincent Beck, Bill McCutcheon. Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (1964) CULT-CHRISTMAS Stars: John Call, Leonard Hicks, Pia Zadora Director: Nicholas Webster In this holiday cult classic, Martians kidnap Santa and two local kids, forcing them to make toys for the depressed children of Mars. My brothers and I started watching it, but they became bored (or worse) and wandered away from the TV. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians soundtrack from 1964, composed by Milton DeLugg. However, Voldar and his assistants, Stobo and Shim, sabotage the factory and change its programming so that it makes the toys incorrectly. The film also marks the first documented appearance of Mrs. Claus in a motion picture (Doris Rich plays the role), coming three weeks before the television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which also featured Mrs. Claus. Movies like “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” was the reason “MST3K” was invented, and The Brains lived up to their own high standards with this one. Santa notices that Dropo acts like him, and says that Dropo would make a good Martian Santa Claus. The album included repackaged versions of Pia & Phil, I Am What I Am, and Pia Today!.[20]. Very young children, undoubtedly the target audience of this film, may well enjoy it. Way back when I was a young 'un (some time in the mid-1970s or so), the timeless holiday classic (ahem) Santa Claus Conquers The Martians was broadcast on our local station for a Saturday afternoon movie. Meanwhile, Dropo, Kimar's assistant, who has taken a great liking to Santa Claus and Christmas, puts on one of Santa's spare suits and starts acting like Santa Claus. Viewed as-is, SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS takes a strong will (or some strong drink) to make it through in one setting. Zadora's cover of the Shirley Ellis hit "The Clapping Song," recorded for the film score of The Lonely Lady in 1983, reached the U.S. top 40, and in 1984 she had a hit duet with Jermaine Jackson titled "When the Rain Begins to Fall" from the movie Voyage of the Rock Aliens. Just don’t ask me to see it often because, unless I’m really in the mood for it (or sleep-deprived from too … It has since found new life again, as it has been the subject of new riffing by Cinematic Titanic and RiffTrax, both productions of former MST3K writers and performers. Chochem notes that he had seen this coming "for centuries", and says that the only way to help the children is to allow them their freedom and be allowed to have fun. Although as an actor Zadora's performances have generated critical hostility, she has attained greater critical success as a singer. Donna Conforti was appearing in Here's Love on Broadway. Zadora later claimed on a September 2012 episode of BIO's Celebrity Ghost Stories that Pickfair was razed owing to a troubling apparition that appeared to her and children when her husband was away on business. As a singer, Zadora has released several albums featuring popular standards, often backed by a symphonic orchestra. Anyone over the age of six or seven will likely be reaching for the remote or an air sick bag (or both). After he divested himself of his ownership, it changed its call letters to KBEH. The album was released only in Europe, and the single "Dance Out of My Head" did not chart despite the top producers and club remixes by Shep Pettibone and Ben Liebrand. The Martians kidnap Santa Claus because there is nobody on Mars to give their children presents. E1 Entertainment's version from the 2010-11 syndicated television series, This page was last edited on 19 January 2021, at 10:50. He believes that Santa is corrupting the children of Mars and turning them away from Mars' original glory. [30] Kady was named after Zadora's film character in Butterfly, which later inspired the call letters for station KADY-TV in Oxnard, California, after Riklis acquired it in 1988. [18], In 1988, Zadora worked with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on an album titled When the Lights Go Out. She won that year's Golden Globe Award as Best New Star of the Year amid charges that Riklis had purchased the award with a promotional campaign that included Zadora's image presented prominently on Sunset Boulevard billboards,[11] an appearance in Playboy magazine, and entertaining Golden Globe voters. [15], In 2006, a second theatrical production premiered at the Maverick Theater in Fullerton, California. Most bad movie fans prefer to watch Santa Claus Conquers the Martians on the 1991 episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988)," which shows a scratched and faded print.. [12][13] Most critics responded negatively to her performance, however, and she received the 1982 Razzies for both Worst New Star and Worst Actress. Also in 1985, Zadora released Pia & Phil, an album of standards with the London Philharmonic Orchestra,[17] and recorded a follow-up album in 1986 titled I Am What I Am. List of films in the public domain in the United States, "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians Slime Line DVD", "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (2021) on IMDb", Orange County Register review of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians at the Maverick Theater 2006, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Santa_Claus_Conquers_the_Martians&oldid=1001365420, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. You can begin your search here at Amazon.com. Keep it Clean. [1], Jacobson succeeded in selling the film's distribution rights to Joseph E. Levine. Anyone over the age of six or seven will likely be … The film regularly appears on lists of the worst films ever made, is regularly featured in the "bottom 100" list on the Internet Movie Database, and was featured in an episode of the syndicated series of the Canned Film Festival of 1986. Its critical consensus says “Ho ho, oh no. Viewed as-is, SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS takes a strong will (or some strong drink) to make it through in one setting. Filming took place over two weeks in July to August 1964, at the Michael Myerberg Studios on Long Island. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. [31], Zadora's second husband was writer–director Jonathan Kaufer. [2], Jacobson said "at this particular studio, with a group of wonderfully cooperative technicians, we've been able to get a lot of production value from our low budget. Kimar then arrests Voldar, Stobo, and Shim. Her father, Alphonse Schipani, was an Italian-American violinist, and her mother, Saturnina (Zadorowski) Schipani, was a Polish American theatrical wardrobe supervisor for Broadway productions, the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera.[4][5][6][7]. Very young children, undoubtedly the target audience of this film, may well enjoy it. But I make them anyway because I have the protection of the television. [34] Zadora and Jeffries met after Zadora contacted the Las Vegas Police to report a stalking incident. [13] As of December 2020, IMDb lists a remake with a projected 2021 release date, directed by Cynthia Webster, the daughter of the original film's director. "THREE FILM FRONTS: Gaisseau Focuses On Gotham - -'Santa' On Long Island -- Poitier's F.B.I." The film was also featured on Elvira's Movie Macabre. - File 'Santa Claus Conquers the Martians,' the so-bad-it's-good cult sci-fi comedy from 1964, is the first motion picture to ever depict Mrs. Claus. Place over two weeks in July to August 1964, at 10:50 a child actress with Tallulah Bankhead in Purvis... Someone has tampered with the machines and made the film has been viewed as a.... Sexually-Oriented language bored ( or worse ) and Kristofer Barzie ( born ). 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