Mars Needs Women is an American International Pictures

American International Pictures

American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...

 made for TV science fiction film

Science fiction film

Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...

 filmed in 1966 and released in 1967 which features Tommy Kirk

Tommy Kirk

Thomas Lee "Tommy" Kirk is a former American actor, and later a businessman.-Disney years:Kirk was discovered by talent agents at the age of thirteen in a production of Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California...

, Yvonne Craig

Yvonne Craig

Yvonne Joyce Craig is an American actress best known for her role as Batgirl from the 1960s TV series Batman, and as the Orion Marta in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.-Early life and career:...

, and Byron Lord. it was shot during a two week period in Houston and Dallas, Texas. The film was directed by Larry Buchanan

Larry Buchanan

Larry Buchanan was a film director, producer and writer, who proclaimed himself a "schlockmeister". Many of his titles have landed on "worst movie" lists, but all at least broke even and many made a profit.Buchanan was born in Mexia, Texas. He was orphaned as a baby, and was raised in Dallas in...

 and produced by his company, Azalea Pictures.

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. Tommy Kirk had previously played a Martian seeking Earthwomen in AIP's Pajama Party

Pajama Party (film)

Pajama Party is a 1964 beach party film starring Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello. This is the fourth in a series of seven beach films produced by American International Pictures...

(1964).

Plot

The premise is that a military decoding station has intercepted a message, only three words, "Mars Needs Women". As the plot unfolds it's revealed that Martians have a genetic deficiency that produces only male babies. They launch a mission to Earth consisting of five Martians who recruit volunteer women to come to Mars. They meet strong resistance on the part of the Earth authorities.

Cast

• Tommy Kirk
  Tommy Kirk
  Thomas Lee "Tommy" Kirk is a former American actor, and later a businessman.-Disney years:Kirk was discovered by talent agents at the age of thirteen in a production of Eugene O'Neill's Ah, Wilderness! at the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California...
  
   as Dop – Martian Fellow #1 / Mr. Fast – Seattle Sun Reporter
• Yvonne Craig
  Yvonne Craig
  Yvonne Joyce Craig is an American actress best known for her role as Batgirl from the 1960s TV series Batman, and as the Orion Marta in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Whom Gods Destroy”.-Early life and career:...
  
   as Dr. Bolen
• Warren Hammack as Martian Doctor / Fellow #2
• Tony Huston as Martian Fellow #3 (as Anthony Huston)
• Larry Tanner as Martian Fellow #4
• Cal Duggan as Martian Fellow #5
• Pat Delaney as Artist Abducted by Martians (as Pat Delany)
• Sherry Roberts as Brenda Knowlan, Abductee
• Donna Lindberg as Stewardess Abducted by Martians
• Bubbles Cash as Stripper Abducted by Martians
• Byron Lord as Col. Bob Page, U.S.D.S.
• Roger Ready as Stimmons
• Barnett Shaw as Man at Military Conference
• Neil Fletcher as Secretary of Defense
• Chet Davis as Network News Man