The Wizard of Mars
Encyclopedia
The Wizard of Mars is a 1965 low budget science fiction
film
takeoff of L. Frank Baum
's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
co-written and directed by stage magician David L. Hewitt. The title character is portrayed by John Carradine
, who gives a lengthy monologue as a projection near the end of the film. The film centers on four astronauts—Steve (Roger Gentry), "Doc" (Vic McGee), Charlie (Jerry Rannow), and of course, Dorothy (Eve Bernhardt), shown aboard ship wearing Silver Shoes—who dream they are struck by a storm and encounter the Horrors of the Red Planet (one of the film's video retitlings), and eventually follow a "Golden Road" to the Ancient City where they encounter the title character, who is the collective consciousness
of all Martians.
Thematically, the film is very similar to John Boorman
's Zardoz
(1974), in that it deals with an immortal
community longing for death
.
and had turned a 33-minute-long Monsters Crash the Pajama Party
into part of an interactive stage show. Hewitt met a group of vending machine operators who wanted to produce films with Hewitt convincing them that science fiction had potential. Their company American General Pictures' first full-length film The Wizard of Mars was made using an optical printer for special effects and was filmed for $33,000 in Great Basin National Park
and Fallon, Nevada
. The mask of the title character was made by Don Post
and reused in Space Probe Taurus. Jerry Rannow claims the producer of the film still owes him $500.
The film was first acquired for television viewing with the film cut to 78 minutes. Hewitt reacquired the work for a stage show presentation with a variety of special effects used on the audience.
of Republic Pictures
). It was released as Horrors of the Red Planet in 1988 by Genesis Home Video and later by Burbank Video and Star Classics Home Video. The latter two editions topped the cast list (as given on the cover) with Lon Chaney
, who did not appear in this film but did appear in Hewitt's Doctor Terror's Gallery of Horrors
with Carradine, Gentry, and McGee. Also in the early 1980s, Regal Video Inc. released both of these films in identical packaging under the title Alien Massacre
. Both films were retitled on-screen, which left Carradine's screen credit "John Carradine as" just before the title, incomplete.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
takeoff of L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
co-written and directed by stage magician David L. Hewitt. The title character is portrayed by John Carradine
John Carradine
John Carradine was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns as well as Shakespearean theater. A member of Cecil B DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, he was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history...
, who gives a lengthy monologue as a projection near the end of the film. The film centers on four astronauts—Steve (Roger Gentry), "Doc" (Vic McGee), Charlie (Jerry Rannow), and of course, Dorothy (Eve Bernhardt), shown aboard ship wearing Silver Shoes—who dream they are struck by a storm and encounter the Horrors of the Red Planet (one of the film's video retitlings), and eventually follow a "Golden Road" to the Ancient City where they encounter the title character, who is the collective consciousness
Collective consciousness
Collective consciousness was a term coined by the French sociologist Émile Durkheim to refer to the shared beliefs and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society...
of all Martians.
Thematically, the film is very similar to John Boorman
John Boorman
John Boorman is a British filmmaker who is a long time resident of Ireland and is best known for his feature films such as Point Blank, Deliverance, Zardoz, Excalibur, The Emerald Forest, Hope and Glory, The General and The Tailor of Panama.-Early life:Boorman was born in Shepperton, Surrey,...
's Zardoz
Zardoz
Zardoz is a 1974 science fiction/fantasy film written, produced, and directed by John Boorman. It stars Sean Connery, Charlotte Rampling, and Sara Kestelman. Zardoz was Connery's second post-James Bond role...
(1974), in that it deals with an immortal
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
community longing for death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
.
Production
David L. Hewitt had previously co-written the screenplay of The Time TravelersThe Time Travelers (1964 film)
The Time Travelers is a science fiction film directed by B-movie director Ib Melchior that inspired the 1966 TV series The Time Tunnel as well as the 1967 remake Journey to the Center of Time...
and had turned a 33-minute-long Monsters Crash the Pajama Party
Monsters Crash the Pajama Party
Monsters Crash the Pajama Party is an American horror film from 1965.-Synopsis:A group of teenage girls spends the night in an old dark mansion as an initiation into a college sorority...
into part of an interactive stage show. Hewitt met a group of vending machine operators who wanted to produce films with Hewitt convincing them that science fiction had potential. Their company American General Pictures' first full-length film The Wizard of Mars was made using an optical printer for special effects and was filmed for $33,000 in Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park
Great Basin National Park is a United States National Park established in 1986, located in east-central Nevada near the Utah border. The park derives its name from the Great Basin, the dry and mountainous region between the Sierra Nevada and the Wasatch Mountains. Topographically, this area is...
and Fallon, Nevada
Fallon, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,536 people, 3,004 households, and 1,877 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,474.1 people per square mile . There were 3,336 housing units at an average density of 1,095.2 per square mile...
. The mask of the title character was made by Don Post
Don Post
Donald Post is dubbed by many as The Godfather of Halloween for creating and selling some of the first latex masks, which are still commonly used in the entertainment industry today...
and reused in Space Probe Taurus. Jerry Rannow claims the producer of the film still owes him $500.
The film was first acquired for television viewing with the film cut to 78 minutes. Hewitt reacquired the work for a stage show presentation with a variety of special effects used on the audience.
Retitlings
In the early 1980s, the film was released on videotape under its original title, by NTA Home Video (an imprintImprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
). It was released as Horrors of the Red Planet in 1988 by Genesis Home Video and later by Burbank Video and Star Classics Home Video. The latter two editions topped the cast list (as given on the cover) with Lon Chaney
Lon Chaney, Jr.
Lon Chaney, Jr. , born Creighton Tull Chaney, was an American character actor. He was best known for his roles in monster movies and as the son of famous silent film actor, Lon Chaney...
, who did not appear in this film but did appear in Hewitt's Doctor Terror's Gallery of Horrors
Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors
Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors is an extremely low-budget 1967 anthology film by David L. Hewitt from stories by Russ Jones. The similarity of its title to Amicus Productions' hit Dr...
with Carradine, Gentry, and McGee. Also in the early 1980s, Regal Video Inc. released both of these films in identical packaging under the title Alien Massacre
Alien Massacre
Alien Massacre is a retitling of two low budget films by stage magician David L. Hewitt. The retitling appears to have been the unauthorized work of Regal Video, Inc. of New York, New York...
. Both films were retitled on-screen, which left Carradine's screen credit "John Carradine as" just before the title, incomplete.