The Wizard of Mars: Difference between revisions

The Wizard of Mars
The Wizard of Mars
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	David L. Hewitt
Screenplay by	David L. Hewitt
Story by	David L. Hewitt; Armando Busick;
Produced by	David L. Hewitt; Joe Karston; Gary R. Heacock;
Starring	John Carradine; Roger Gentry; Vic McGee; Jerry Rannow; Eve Bernhardt;
Cinematography	Austin McKinney
Edited by	Tom Graeff
Music by	Frank A. Coe
Distributed by	American General Pictures Inc.
Release date	1965;
Running time	85 minutes
Land	Vereinigte Staaten
Sprache	Englisch
Budget	$33,000 (estimated)

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The Wizard of Mars is a 1965 American science fiction film directed and co-written by David L. Hewitt. It is loosely based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.^[1] The title character is portrayed by John Carradine, who gives a lengthy monologue as a projection near the end of the film. The film contrasts with Baum's novel by depicting the constraints of human aspirations.^[2]

Plot

In 1975, Steve, "Doc", Charlie, and Dorothy are astronauts on a spacecraft approaching Mars. Following a scheduled cutoff of communications, they collide with something in orbit around the Red Planet. They are forced to jettison the main stage and land in their vehicle's control section. They disembark from the ship, wearing pressure suits and taking with them inflatable boats, oars, and a rifle. As they paddle down a canal, they are attacked by water creatures and escape into a cave system. The cave comes to an end near a lava flow, and they are forced to leave their boats and edge around a lava lake, eventually finding a passage to the surface just before the volcano erupts in a lava fountain. Believing they hear the signal of their ship's main stage, they instead discover an automated biolab that had been sent beforehand to determine the habitability of Mars. Charlie becomes hysterical and fires the rifle at the lab, inadvertently revealing that it contains enough oxygen to replenish their dwindling air supply. A sandstorm then blows in, and they take shelter in the lee of the lab.

The sandstorm uncovers a golden stone road, which they follow to an abandoned stone city with breathable atmosphere. This enables them to remove their suits and explore two charred outlines beside a cutting torch near a wall with a partially cut hole and a column with a hole in it. This column proves to be hollow, but a second one nearby turns out to conceal a desiccated Martian, with a transparent braincase. Mental communication between it and Steve guides them to a hall which contains a projection of a head. It reveals that it represents the collective consciousness of all Martians. They were an old race who once ruled a good part of the galaxy, but who retreated to Mars to ponder. To give themselves time to think, they took their city out of time, in an eternal present. Eventually they discovered that they had a further destiny, but could not reverse the process, being then incapable of physical effort. The city had been previously entered by other sentient aliens, who thought to plunder, instead of help. It directs them to a sphere, which must be replaced in the mechanism, in order for time to begin moving forward once again. Steve drops the sphere, revealing a model of the city. They return to where the others have been cutting a hole in the wall and complete the task. Behind the wall is a giant metal pendulum. Charlie, with help from Steve, manages to replace the sphere in the clockwork above the pendulum. The pendulum begins to swing once again. They escape as the city begins to crumble, eventually fading away. They eventually collapse by the stone road and vanish. They then reappear in their orbiting spacecraft, dirty and exhausted, where they discover to their surprise that only two minutes have ticked by.

Cast

John Carradine – The Wizard of Mars
Roger Gentry – Steve
Vic McGee – Doc
Jerry Rannow – Charlie
Eve Bernhardt – Dorothy

Production

David L. Hewitt had previously co-written the screenplay of The Time Travelers 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 parts were filmed for $33,000^[3] in Great Basin National Park and Fallon, Nevada.^[4] 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.^[5]

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.^[6]

Eve Bernhardt, the sole actress in the film, once said that her co-star Gentry wanted an intimate relationship with her during the filming.^[7]

Retitlings

In the early 1980s, the film was released on videotape under its original title, by NTA Home Video (an imprint 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 Jr., 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.

References

^ The Big Book of Mars (TXT). Quirk Books. July 7, 2020. ISBN 978-1683692096.^{[page needed]}
^ Westfahl, Gary (March 28, 2012). The Spacesuit Film: A History, 1918-1969 (TXT). McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786489992.^{[page needed]}
^ Ray, Fred Olen (1991). The New Poverty Row: Independent Film Makers as Distributors. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 90. ISBN 9780899506289.
^ Baker, Gretchen M. (2012). Great Basin National Park: A Guide to the Park and Surrounding Area. University Press of Colorado and Utah State University Press.
^ Rannow, Jerry (2002). Surviving Hollywood: Your Ticket to Success. New York: Allworth Press. pp. 65–66. ISBN 9781581152555.
^ Ray 1991, p. 91
^ Claesson, Samuel. "The Wizard of Mars: The Story of Eve Bernhardt", Classic Images (June 2024)

External links

[1] The Big Book of Mars (TXT). Quirk Books. July 7, 2020. ISBN 978-1683692096.^{[page needed]}

[2] Westfahl, Gary (March 28, 2012). The Spacesuit Film: A History, 1918-1969 (TXT). McFarland & Company. ISBN 9780786489992.^{[page needed]}

[3] Ray, Fred Olen (1991). The New Poverty Row: Independent Film Makers as Distributors. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. p. 90. ISBN 9780899506289.

[4] Baker, Gretchen M. (2012). Great Basin National Park: A Guide to the Park and Surrounding Area. University Press of Colorado and Utah State University Press.

[5] Rannow, Jerry (2002). Surviving Hollywood: Your Ticket to Success. New York: Allworth Press. pp. 65–66. ISBN 9781581152555.

[6] Ray 1991, p. 91

[7] Claesson, Samuel. "The Wizard of Mars: The Story of Eve Bernhardt", Classic Images (June 2024)

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Infobox film
-| name = The Wizard of Mars
+| name           = The Wizard of Mars
-| image = Wizardofmarsposter.jpg
+| image          = Wizardofmarsposter.jpg
+| caption        = Theatrical release poster
-| image_size =
+| director       = [[David L. Hewitt]]
-| caption =
+| producer       = {{Plainlist|
-| director = [[David L. Hewitt]]
-| producer = David L. Hewitt<br/>[[Joe Karston]]<br/>[[Gary R. Heacock]]
+* David L. Hewitt
+* [[Joe Karston]]
+* [[Gary R. Heacock]]
+}}
-| writer = [[Armando Busick]] (story)<br/>David L. Hewitt
+| screenplay     = David L. Hewitt
-| starring = [[John Carradine]]<br/>[[Roger Gentry]]<br/>[[Vic McGee]]<br/>[[Jerry Rannow]]<br/>[[Eve Bernhardt]]
+| story          = {{Plainlist|
-| music = [[Frank A. Coe]]
+* David L. Hewitt
+* [[Armando Busick]]
+}}
+| starring       = {{Plainlist|
+* [[John Carradine]]
+* [[Roger Gentry]]
+* [[Vic McGee]]
+* [[Jerry Rannow]]
+* [[Eve Bernhardt]]
+}}
+| music          = [[Frank A. Coe]]
 | cinematography = [[Austin McKinney]]
-| editing = [[Tom Graeff]]
+| editing        = [[Tom Graeff]]
-| distributor = [[American General Pictures Inc.]]
+| distributor    = [[American General Pictures Inc.]]
-| released = {{Film date|1965}}
+| released       = {{Film date|1965}}
-| runtime = 85 minutes
+| runtime        = 85 minutes
-| country = United States
+| country        = United States
-| language = English
+| language       = English
-| budget = $33,000 (estimated)
+| budget         = $33,000 (estimated)
-| gross =
+| gross          =
 }}
+'''''The Wizard of Mars''''' is a 1965 American [[science fiction film]] directed and co-written by [[David L. Hewitt]]. It is loosely based on [[L. Frank Baum]]'s 1900 novel ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Big Book of Mars |date=July 7, 2020 |publisher=[[Quirk Books]] |isbn=978-1683692096 |type=TXT}}{{page needed|date=June 2024}}</ref> The title character is portrayed by [[John Carradine]], who gives a lengthy monologue as a projection near the end of the film. The film contrasts with Baum's novel by depicting the constraints of human aspirations.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Westfahl |first=Gary |title=The Spacesuit Film: A History, 1918-1969 |date=March 28, 2012 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=9780786489992 |type=TXT}}{{page needed|date=June 2024}}</ref>
-'''''The Wizard of Mars''''' is a 1965 [[Low-budget film|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 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 [[Group mind (science fiction)| group mind]] of all Martians.
 ==Plot==
-Steve, "Doc", Charlie, and Dorothy are astronauts on a ship approaching Mars. Following a scheduled cutoff of communications, they encounter and collide with something in orbit around Mars. They are forced to jettison the main stage and land in the control section. They leave in suits, taking with them some essentials, such as inflatable boats and paddles, with a rifle. They paddle down a [[Canals on Mars|canal]], being attacked by water creatures, and eventually enter a cave system. The cave comes to an end near a lava flow, and they are forced to leave the boats and edge around a [[lava lake]], eventually finding a passage to the surface, just before the volcano erupts in a [[Lava fountain]]. They think they hear the signal of the main stage, but it turns out to be from an automated [[biolab]], sent to determine the habitability of Mars. Charlie becomes hysterical and shoots the lab, inadvertently revealing that it has enough oxygen left to replenish their dwindling oxygen supplies. A sandstorm blows in and they take shelter in the lee of the lab. The sandstorm uncovers a stone road, which they follow to an abandoned stone city. The city proves to have a breathable atmosphere, which enables them to remove their suits. Exploring, they discover two charred outlines beside a cutting torch near a wall with a partially cut hole and later a column with a hole in it. The column proves to be hollow and a nearby one turns out to conceal a desiccated Martian, with a transparent braincase. Mental communication between it and Steve guides him to a hall, which contains a projection of a head. It reveals that it represents the collective consciousness of all Martians. They were an old race, who once ruled a good part of the galaxy, but who retreated to Mars to ponder. To give themselves time to think, they took their city out of time, in an eternal present. Eventually they discovered that they had a further destiny, but could not reverse the process, being then incapable of physical effort. The city had been previously entered by other beings, who thought to plunder, instead of help. It directs them to a sphere, which must be replaced in the mechanism, in order for time to begin moving forward once again. X drops the sphere, revealing a model of the city. They return to where the others have been cutting a hole in the wall and complete the task. Behind the wall is a giant metal pendulum. Charlie, with help from Steve manages to replace the sphere in the [[clockwork]] above the pendulum. The pendulum begins to swing once again. They escape as the city begins to crumble, eventually fading away. They eventually collapse by the stone road and vanish. They reappear in their [[spacecraft]] in orbit, dirty and exhausted, where only two minutes have passed.
+In 1975, Steve, "Doc", Charlie, and Dorothy are astronauts on a [[spacecraft]] approaching Mars. Following a scheduled cutoff of communications, they collide with something in orbit around the Red Planet. They are forced to jettison the main stage and land in their vehicle's control section. They disembark from the ship, wearing [[pressure suit]]s and taking with them inflatable boats, oars, and a rifle. As they paddle down a [[Canals on Mars|canal]], they are attacked by water creatures and escape into a cave system. The cave comes to an end near a lava flow, and they are forced to leave their boats and edge around a [[lava lake]], eventually finding a passage to the surface just before the volcano erupts in a [[lava fountain]]. Believing they hear the signal of their ship's main stage, they instead discover an automated [[biolab]] that had been sent beforehand to determine the habitability of Mars. Charlie becomes hysterical and fires the rifle at the lab, inadvertently revealing that it contains enough oxygen to replenish their dwindling air supply. A sandstorm then blows in, and they take shelter in the lee of the lab.
+The sandstorm uncovers a golden stone road, which they follow to an abandoned stone city with breathable atmosphere. This enables them to remove their suits and explore two charred outlines beside a cutting torch near a wall with a partially cut hole and a column with a hole in it. This column proves to be hollow, but a second one nearby turns out to conceal a desiccated Martian, with a transparent braincase. Mental communication between it and Steve guides them to a hall which contains a projection of a head. It reveals that it represents the collective consciousness of all Martians. They were an old race who once ruled a good part of the galaxy, but who retreated to Mars to ponder. To give themselves time to think, they took their city out of time, in an eternal present. Eventually they discovered that they had a further destiny, but could not reverse the process, being then incapable of physical effort. The city had been previously entered by other [[Sentience|sentient]] aliens, who thought to plunder, instead of help. It directs them to a sphere, which must be replaced in the mechanism, in order for time to begin moving forward once again. Steve drops the sphere, revealing a model of the city. They return to where the others have been cutting a hole in the wall and complete the task. Behind the wall is a giant metal pendulum. Charlie, with help from Steve, manages to replace the sphere in the [[clockwork]] above the pendulum. The pendulum begins to swing once again. They escape as the city begins to crumble, eventually fading away. They eventually collapse by the stone road and vanish. They then reappear in their orbiting spacecraft, dirty and exhausted, where they discover to their surprise that only two minutes have ticked by.
+==Cast==
+* [[John Carradine]] – The Wizard of Mars
+* [[Roger Gentry]] – Steve
+* [[Vic McGee]] – Doc
+* [[Jerry Rannow]] – Charlie
+* [[Eve Bernhardt]] – Dorothy
 ==Production==
-David L. Hewitt had previously co-written the screenplay of ''[[The Time Travelers (1964 film)|The Time Travelers]]'' 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<ref>p. 90 Ray, Fred Olen ''The New Poverty Row: Independent Film Makers as Distributors'' 1991 McFarland</ref> 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.<ref>Rannow, Jerry ''Surviving Hollywood: Your Ticket to Success'' 2002 Allworth Press, pp. 65–66</ref>
+David L. Hewitt had previously co-written the screenplay of ''[[The Time Travelers (1964 film)|The Time Travelers]]'' 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 parts were filmed for $33,000<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ray|first1=Fred Olen|title=The New Poverty Row: Independent Film Makers as Distributors|date=1991|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=9780899506289|page=90}}</ref> in [[Great Basin National Park]] and [[Fallon, Nevada]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baker |first=Gretchen M. |title=Great Basin National Park: A Guide to the Park and Surrounding Area |date=2012 |publisher=[[University Press of Colorado]] and [[Utah State University Press]]}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rannow|first1=Jerry|title=Surviving Hollywood: Your Ticket to Success|date=2002|publisher=Allworth Press|location=New York|isbn=9781581152555|pages=[https://archive.org/details/survivinghollywo0000rann/page/65 65–66]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/survivinghollywo0000rann/page/65}}</ref>
+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.<ref>{{harvnb|Ray|1991|p=91}}</ref>
+Eve Bernhardt, the sole actress in the film, once said that her co-star Gentry wanted an intimate relationship with her during the filming.<ref>Claesson, Samuel. "The Wizard of Mars: The Story of Eve Bernhardt", ''[[Classic Images]]'' (June 2024)</ref>
-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.<ref>p.91 Ray</ref>
 ==Retitlings==
-In the early 1980s, the film was released on videotape under its original title, by NTA Home Video (an [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]] 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, Jr.]], who did not appear in this film but did appear in Hewitt's ''[[Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors|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.
+In the early 1980s, the film was released on videotape under its original title, by NTA Home Video (an [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]] 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 Jr.]], who did not appear in this film but did appear in Hewitt's ''[[Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors|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.
 ==See also==
 *[[List of American films of 1965]]
 *[[List of films set on Mars]]
+*[[List of films featuring extraterrestrials]]
+*[[Mars in fiction]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 43: / Line 67: @@
 * {{IMDb title|0059920}}
 * {{Amg movie|23163}}
+* {{Rotten Tomatoes|m/wizard_of_mars|The Wizard of Mars}}
+{{David L. Hewitt}}
 {{Oz}}
@@ Line 50: / Line 76: @@
 [[Category:1960s fantasy films]]
 [[Category:1960s science fiction films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
+[[Category:1960s English-language films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
 [[Category:Films about astronauts]]
 [[Category:Films about extraterrestrial life]]
 [[Category:Films based on American novels]]
 [[Category:Films based on fantasy novels]]
-[[Category:Films based on The Wizard of Oz]]
+[[Category:Films based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]
-[[Category:Independent films]]
+[[Category:American independent films]]
 [[Category:Mars in film]]
+[[Category:Films set in 1975]]
+[[Category:1965 independent films]]
+[[Category:Films directed by David L. Hewitt]]
+[[Category:1960s American films]]