Lobster Man From Mars
Encyclopedia
Lobster Man From Mars is a 1989
comedy film
directed by Stanley Sheff
and starring Tony Curtis
. The film is a spoof of B-movie
s of the 1950s. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival
in 1989.
Young filmmaker Stevie Horowitz (Dean Jacobson) eagerly awaits a meeting with big shot Hollywood film producer J.P. Shelldrake (Tony Curtis
). Shelldrake has been desperately searching for a way to avoid problems with the IRS and unpaid millions owed them in back taxes. His brilliant yet overpaid accountant (Phil Proctor) devises a scheme to allow the producer to write off the expenses of his next movie release, but only if the film is a box office flop. Armed with his foolproof plan, Shelldrake agrees to meet with Stevie and screen his film "Lobster Man From Mars" (financed by Stevie's jailed con man Uncle Joey).
Inside Shelldrake's private screening room the "film within the film" begins. They watch the weird plot unfold: Mars suffers from a severe air leakage. The King of Mars (Bobby Pickett of "Monster Mash
" fame) commands the dreaded Lobster Man and his assistant Mombo (a gorilla wearing a space helmet) to pilot his flying saucer to Earth then steal its air. Once landed, the Lobster Man wastes no time transforming hapless victims into smoking skeletons.
On a lonely road, John and Mary, a young and innocent couple (Deborah Foreman
and Anthony Hickox
) discovers the hiding place of the flying saucer in a dark and mysterious cave. They attempt to warn the authorities but are ignored. Successfully contacting Professor Plocostoms (Patrick Macnee
), a plan is created to lure the Lobster Man to Mr. Throckmorton's (Billy Barty
) Haunted House that just happens to be surrounded by boiling hot springs.
Once lured, it's simply a matter of pushing the Lobster Man into the hot water where he will be boiled to death. The plan is interrupted by Colonel Ankrum (Fred Holliday
) and his troops. The house is shelled and destroyed, the Lobster Man flees to his cave, taking Mary with him.
She manages to escape, but the Lobster Man follows. A wild chase ensues, but Professor Plocostomos uses the hot engine coolant from his overheated vehicle to drench Mombo causing his foamy demise. The chase concludes in Yellowstone Park where the dreaded Lobster Man is tricked into walking into the Old Faithful Geyser
and a steamy end.
The screening is over. Shelldrake cannot believe his good fortune to witness such a bad movie with potential to lose every cent invested in its distribution and promotion. He buys the production on the spot, but once in release it becomes a big hit and makes a huge profit sending Shelldrake straight to tax prison, with Stevie taking his place as the studio's new boy wonder.
1989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
directed by Stanley Sheff
Stanley Sheff
Stanley Sheff is a Hollywood born director and writer. He has worked in television, stage and screen. His collaboration with Orson Welles eventually led Sheff to direct the cult science fiction feature Lobster Man From Mars starring Tony Curtis, based on a title suggested by Welles. Feature films...
and starring Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
. The film is a spoof of B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s of the 1950s. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in 1989.
Plot
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
). Shelldrake has been desperately searching for a way to avoid problems with the IRS and unpaid millions owed them in back taxes. His brilliant yet overpaid accountant (Phil Proctor) devises a scheme to allow the producer to write off the expenses of his next movie release, but only if the film is a box office flop. Armed with his foolproof plan, Shelldrake agrees to meet with Stevie and screen his film "Lobster Man From Mars" (financed by Stevie's jailed con man Uncle Joey).
Inside Shelldrake's private screening room the "film within the film" begins. They watch the weird plot unfold: Mars suffers from a severe air leakage. The King of Mars (Bobby Pickett of "Monster Mash
Monster Mash
"Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song and the best-known song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes...
" fame) commands the dreaded Lobster Man and his assistant Mombo (a gorilla wearing a space helmet) to pilot his flying saucer to Earth then steal its air. Once landed, the Lobster Man wastes no time transforming hapless victims into smoking skeletons.
On a lonely road, John and Mary, a young and innocent couple (Deborah Foreman
Deborah Foreman
Deborah Lynn Foreman is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her starring role in the 1983 movie Valley Girl, as "Julie Richman" acting opposite Nicolas Cage as "Randy".-Early life:...
and Anthony Hickox
Anthony Hickox
Anthony Hickox is an English film director, actor, film producer and screenwriter.His works include Waxwork and its sequel, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, "Prince Valiant", "Children of the Corn", "Warlock: Armageddon", "Payback",...
) discovers the hiding place of the flying saucer in a dark and mysterious cave. They attempt to warn the authorities but are ignored. Successfully contacting Professor Plocostoms (Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers.-Early life:...
), a plan is created to lure the Lobster Man to Mr. Throckmorton's (Billy Barty
Billy Barty
Billy Barty was an American film actor.-Biography:Barty, an Italian American, was born William John Bertanzetti in Millsboro, Pennsylvania...
) Haunted House that just happens to be surrounded by boiling hot springs.
Once lured, it's simply a matter of pushing the Lobster Man into the hot water where he will be boiled to death. The plan is interrupted by Colonel Ankrum (Fred Holliday
Fred Grossinger
Fred Grossinger , best known by his Hollywood name, Fred Holliday, was a stage, film, and television actor renowned for his all-American face who starred in over 1,000 TV commercials from the late 1950s through the 1980s.Holliday made guest appearances on more than 150 television shows...
) and his troops. The house is shelled and destroyed, the Lobster Man flees to his cave, taking Mary with him.
She manages to escape, but the Lobster Man follows. A wild chase ensues, but Professor Plocostomos uses the hot engine coolant from his overheated vehicle to drench Mombo causing his foamy demise. The chase concludes in Yellowstone Park where the dreaded Lobster Man is tricked into walking into the Old Faithful Geyser
Old Faithful Geyser
Old Faithful is a cone geyser located in Wyoming, in Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Old Faithful was named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name...
and a steamy end.
The screening is over. Shelldrake cannot believe his good fortune to witness such a bad movie with potential to lose every cent invested in its distribution and promotion. He buys the production on the spot, but once in release it becomes a big hit and makes a huge profit sending Shelldrake straight to tax prison, with Stevie taking his place as the studio's new boy wonder.
Cast
- Tony CurtisTony CurtisTony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
as J.P. Shelldrake - Patrick MacneePatrick MacneePatrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers.-Early life:...
as Professor Plocostomos - Deborah ForemanDeborah ForemanDeborah Lynn Foreman is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her starring role in the 1983 movie Valley Girl, as "Julie Richman" acting opposite Nicolas Cage as "Randy".-Early life:...
as Mary - Billy BartyBilly BartyBilly Barty was an American film actor.-Biography:Barty, an Italian American, was born William John Bertanzetti in Millsboro, Pennsylvania...
as Mr. Throckmorton - Anthony HickoxAnthony HickoxAnthony Hickox is an English film director, actor, film producer and screenwriter.His works include Waxwork and its sequel, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, "Prince Valiant", "Children of the Corn", "Warlock: Armageddon", "Payback",...
as John - Fred HollidayFred GrossingerFred Grossinger , best known by his Hollywood name, Fred Holliday, was a stage, film, and television actor renowned for his all-American face who starred in over 1,000 TV commercials from the late 1950s through the 1980s.Holliday made guest appearances on more than 150 television shows...
as Colonel Ankrum - Dr. DementoDr. DementoBarret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
as The Narrator - S.D. Nemeth as Dreaded Lobster Man
- Tommy Sledge as Himself
- M.G. KellyM.G. KellyMichael Gary Kelly , known professionally as M. G. Kelly and Machine Gun Kelly, is an actor, disc jockey and radio personality...
as Dick Strange - Phil Proctor as Lou
- Bobby Pickett as King of Mars / Astrologer
- Steve PetersonSteve Peterson (actor)Steve Peterson is an American actor was seen as Stanley in The Body at the Matrix Theatre, King Arthur in Dennis Gersten’s The Author’s Thumb, Tranio in Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Playhouse, Aguecheek in Twelfth Night for both Shakespeare at Play and Ellen Geer's Theatricum Botanicum, and as...
as The Butler - William AckermanWilliam AckermanWilliam Ackerman is a Grammy winning guitarist and composer of acoustic-based instrumental music. He founded and ran for many years the influential New Age record label Windham Hill Records.- Career :...
as Gas Station Attendant - Tim Haldeman as Marvin
- Jim BentleyJim BentleyJim Bentley is an English footballer, currently employed as player-manager for League Two club Morecambe.Bentley, who debuted for Telford United in 1997, moved to Morecambe in 2002...
as Rufus - Skip YoungSkip Young (actor)Skip Young was an American actor best known for his decade-long role as Wally Plumstead in the ABC sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. When chosen to join Ozzie Nelson's television series, Young suggested that the last name of his character be "Plumstead"...
as Mr. Zip - Dean Jacobson as Stevie Horowitz
- Mindy Kennedy as Tammy
- Stanley SheffStanley SheffStanley Sheff is a Hollywood born director and writer. He has worked in television, stage and screen. His collaboration with Orson Welles eventually led Sheff to direct the cult science fiction feature Lobster Man From Mars starring Tony Curtis, based on a title suggested by Welles. Feature films...
as Space Bat / Brainex (voices)
Awards and nominations
Sundance Film FestivalSundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
- 1989: Grand Jury Prize – Lobster Man From Mars (nominated)