Nicholas Webster deserves a look beyond Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, a poor comedy with a little warmth. His documentaries suggest an interest in letting people speak naturally that the stiff performances in his best-known feature scarcely convey.
Fi1m perspective
The adults in Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) decide that kidnapping Santa will cheer up their children. It is a workable premise for a children's comedy, but Nicholas Webster makes poor use of it. His staging is stiff, and the performers struggle to make the nonsense amusing. We were bored by the laboured delivery, particularly from Leonard Hicks as Kimar and Vincent Beck as Voldar. The film gives its cast too little help.
His earlier documentary work points to interests that are difficult to detect here. The Violent World of Sam Huff (1960) used a wireless microphone, while Walk in My Shoes (1961) presented African American experiences in its subjects' own words. Those are practical ways of getting closer to people, and they make us curious about Webster beyond the Christmas film. His move into features included Purlie Victorious (1963), an adaptation of Ossie Davis's play with Davis, Ruby Dee and Alan Alda.
On Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, the useful contributions are easy to identify. David L. Quaid's cinematography lets the sets' colour register, while Ramsey Mostoller's costumes add to the cheerful artificiality. We do not need convincing scenery to enjoy a children's fantasy, but we do need someone to play with it. John Call brings warmth, and the children, including Pia Zadora as Girmar, are easier company than the adults. Glenville Mareth's screenplay expects the kidnapping idea to supply too much amusement; Webster compounds that weakness by leaving the performances stiff.
He returned to science fiction with Mission Mars (1968), and his television directing included Get Smart, The Big Valley, Mannix and The Waltons. That spread of work makes it unwise to treat one children's film as a complete account of his abilities. It does not make the jokes land any better. We would try Walk in My Shoes before giving the Martians another evening.
Biography
Nicholas Webster (24 July 1912 – 12 August 2006) was an American film and television director. Born in Spokane, Washington, he is best known for directing the feature film Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964).
His television credits include the CBS documentary The Violent World of Sam Huff (1960), the ABC documentary Walk in My Shoes (1961), the film adaptation Purlie Victorious (also known as Gone Are the Days!, 1963), and episodes of series such as Get Smart (1965), The Big Valley (1965), Mannix (1967) and The Waltons (1972). He also directed the ABC special Ridin' the Rails: The Great American Train Story (1974).
