My Favorite Martian
| My Favorite Martian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | John L. Greene |
| Starring |
Ray Walston Bill Bixby Alan Hewitt Pamela Britton |
| Theme music composer | George Greeley |
| Composer(s) | George Greeley |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 107 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Harry Poppe |
| Producer(s) | Jack Chertok |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Jack Chertok Television Productions, in association with The CBS Television Network |
| Distributor |
Peter Rodgers Organization[1] Telepictures Corporation |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format |
Black-and-white (1963–65) (75 episodes) Color (1965–66) (32 episodes) |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | September 29, 1963 – May 1, 1966 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | My Favorite Martians |
My Favorite Martian is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966,[2] for 107 episodes (75 in black and white: 1963–65, 32 color: 1965–66). The show starred Ray Walston as Uncle Martin (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara.
John L. Green created the central characters and developed the core format of this series, which was produced by Jack Chertok.
Premise
A human-looking extraterrestrial in a one-man spaceship crash-lands near Los Angeles. The ship's pilot is, in fact, an anthropologist from Mars and is now stranded on Earth. Tim O'Hara, a young newspaper reporter for The Los Angeles Sun, is on his way home from Edwards Air Force Base (where he had gone to report on the flight of the X-15) back to Los Angeles when he spots the spaceship coming down. The rocket-powered aircraft had nearly hit the spaceship and caused it to crash.
Tim takes the Martian in as his roommate and passes him off as his Uncle Martin, who refuses to reveal any of his Martian traits to people other than Tim, to avoid publicity (or panic), and Tim agrees to keep Martin's identity a secret while the Martian attempts to repair his ship. Uncle Martin has various unusual powers: He can raise two retractable antennae from his head and become invisible, he is telepathic and can read and influence minds, he can levitate objects with the motion of his finger, he can communicate with animals, he can freeze people or objects, and he can speed himself (and other people) up to do work.
Ostensibly an inventor by trade, Martin also builds several advanced devices, such as a time machine that transports Tim and the Martian back to medieval England and other times and places, such as St. Louis in 1849 and the early days of Hollywood, and brings Leonardo da Vinci and Jesse James into the present. Another device he builds is a "molecular separator" that can take apart the molecules of a physical object, or rearrange them (a squirrel is made into a human). Another device can take memories and store them in pill form to "relearn" them later. Other devices create temporary duplicates, or levitate Martin and others without the need of his finger.
Tim and Uncle Martin live in a garage apartment owned by a congenial (and former WAVE as revealed in season one, episode one) but scatterbrained landlady, Mrs. Lorelei Brown, who often shows up when not wanted. Martin and she have an awkward romance from time to time, but Martin never gets serious for fear of going home to Mars. She later dates a vain, cold-hearted, plain-clothes police officer, Detective Bill Brennan, who dislikes Uncle Martin and is highly suspicious of him.
"Martin O'Hara's" real name is Exigius 12½. Revealed in "We Love You, Miss Pringle", it was heard again when his real nephew, Andromeda (played by young actor Wayne Stam), crash-landed on Earth in the show's third season. Andromeda, originally devised to bring younger viewers to the aging show, disappeared without explanation after this single episode and was never referred to again. Andromeda was, however, a regular on the later animated series My Favorite Martians. Andromeda had a single antenna, which Martin explained was because his baby antennae had fallen out and only one adult antenna had come in so far. Martin also reveals he lives on Fulton Canal that leads to a mix ups with Canal Fulton, Ohio.
Cast
- Ray Walston as Uncle Martin O'Hara (the Martian)
- Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara
- Pamela Britton as Mrs. Lorelei Brown
- J. Pat O'Malley as Mr. Burns, Tim's boss (first season)
- Alan Hewitt as Detective Bill Brennan (second and third seasons)
- Roy Engel as Police Captain (third season)
Production
Development
The series was produced by Jack Chertok Television in association with CBS. The show was originally syndicated by Wolper Pictures, then it moved to Telepictures, and later by successor-in-interest Warner Bros. Television Distribution. The Chertok Company retained ownership of all copyrights for the show as of early July 2013; Rhino Entertainment held U.S. video rights until August 2008. Australian entertainment company Umbrella Entertainment acquired rights for Australia and New Zealand and released seasons one-three (in full color) in 2007 and 2008 on DVD suitable for all region codes. Those rights together with streaming recently were acquired by Shock Video, which in November 2017 released a new complete box set using the restored show elements. In 2010, MPI Home Video acquired the rights to the series for home video. In 2018, Pidax Video Germany acquired both streaming and DVD rights for Germany and will begin to release the series in Germany under its German title Mein Onkel vom Mars; the release is expected sometime in 2018. As of early July 2013, Warner Bros. held domestic and international syndication rights for the series. Those rights have now returned to the Chertok trust.
Music
The theme music for the series was composed by George Greeley and performed on an Electro-Theremin by Paul Tanner, a former member of Glenn Miller's band. It was influential in Brian Wilson's engagement of Tanner in 1965 and 1966 to work with the Beach Boys on their landmark hit, "Good Vibrations". Greeley also scored the series; an album of his music from the first two seasons was released by La-La Land Records in 2007 (dedicated to the composer, who died while the album was being prepared).
Filming
The first two seasons were filmed in black-and-white (at Desilu), but the final season was shot in color (at MGM), resulting in minor changes in the set and the format of the show. In addition to the extraterrestrial powers indicated in the first two seasons, Martin was able to do much more in the final season, such as stimulating facial hair to provide Tim and himself with quick disguises, and levitating with his nose. Brennan's boss, the police chief, was involved in many episodes in the third season, generally as a device to humiliate the overzealous detective.
Comparison to other shows
My Favorite Martian was produced at the same time as other situation comedies that featured characters who could do extraordinary things, as a parody of the standard family situation comedy. The show was an example of science-fiction comedy, differing from My Living Doll, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie in that the central character was a man, and in that he relied on science and advanced technology rather than magic.
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 37 | September 29, 1963 | June 28, 1964 | ||
| 2 | 38 | September 27, 1964 | June 27, 1965 | ||
| 3 | 32 | September 12, 1965 | May 1, 1966 | ||
Episode list
Season 1 (1963–64)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "My Favorite Martian" | Sheldon Leonard | John L. Greene | September 29, 1963 |
| Covering the flight of an Air Force experimental aircraft, reporter Tim O'Hara discovers the wreckage of a small spaceship---and the surviving, genial Martian anthropologist who piloted it. (This was also the pilot for the series.) | |||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Matchmakers" | Sidney Miller | John L. Greene and Paul David | October 6, 1963 |
| Watching his boss's dog for the weekend provides an unexpected romantic jolt for Tim when the dog takes a fancy to that owned by a girl who suddenly gives Tim a chance as a result. | |||||
| 6 | 3 | "There Is No Cure For The Common Martian" | Sidney Miller | James Komack | October 13, 1963 |
| Uncle Martin's cold wreaks havoc when he disappears upon every sneeze and his antennae are stuck in the "up" position. | |||||
| 8 | 4 | "Russians 'R' In Season" | Alan Rafkin | James Komack | October 20, 1963 |
| After spying on him and discovering Uncle Martin, government agents think Tim is a Russian agent---forcing Uncle Martin to take a lie detector test. | |||||
| 4 | 5 | "Man or Amoeba" | Alan Rafkin | Jerry Seelen and Leo Rifkin | October 27, 1963 |
| Uncle Martin tries to convince Angela's stubborn teacher that the facts he gave her about life on Mars and other planets for a book report is true. | |||||
| 3 | 6 | "The Man on the Couch" | Sidney Miller | William Blinn and Michael Gleason | November 3, 1963 |
| Seeking comfort in cool air by sitting at the top of a water tower during a heat wave, Uncle Martin is mistaken for a suicidal jumper. | |||||
| 9 | 7 | "A Loaf of Bread, A Jug of Wine, and Peaches" | Alan Rafkin | Earl Barret | November 10, 1963 |
| Uncle Martin falls for an exotic dancer whose enchantment with his courtly ways enrage her policeman boyfriend. | |||||
| 14 | 8 | "The Awful Truth" | Oscar Rudolph | Arnold and Lois Peyser | November 17, 1963 |
| When Uncle Martin gives Tim the ability to read minds for a full day, it helps Tim with a newspaper story but hurts him temporarily with his latest paramour. | |||||
| 15 | 9 | "Rocket To Mars" | Leslie Goodwins | Elroy Schwartz and Austin Kalish | December 1, 1963 |
| Before Uncle Martin can install a crucial new part on his damaged spaceship, a junk dealer picks it up by mistake. | |||||
| 11 | 10 | "Raffles No.2" | Oscar Rudolph | Austin Kalish and Elroy Schwartz | December 8, 1963 |
| Martians lack fingerprints, and Uncle Martin needs one for his driver's license application---but he unwittingly borrows a print from a jewel thief. | |||||
| 16 | 11 | "The Atom Misers" | Leslie Goodwins | James Menzies | December 15, 1963 |
| Tim's assigned to a story about a teen physics prodigy Uncle Martin thinks can help him make an advanced material to continue repairing his spaceship. | |||||
| 13 | 12 | "That Little Old Matchmaker, Martin" | Oscar Rudolph | Terry Ryan | December 22, 1963 |
| Against his better judgment, Uncle Martin agrees to read the mind of a pretty but distant co-worker Tim's trying to woo. | |||||
| 7 | 13 | "How To Be A Hero Without Really Trying" | Sidney Miller | Ed James and Seaman Jacobs | December 29, 1963 |
| A nosy boy (future Munsters co-star Butch Patrick) imagining he's from Mars helps Tim lure his comely adult sister on a picnic, where Uncle Martin has to help Tim rescue the boy from a high, unwieldy mountain side. | |||||
| 20 | 14 | "Blood is Thicker Than the Martian" | Oscar Rudolph | Al Martin and Bill Kelsay | January 5, 1964 |
| Uncle Martin fears Tim's visiting cousin Harvey will expose him--until Harvey exposes a wounding flaw of his own. | |||||
| 19 | 15 | "Poor Little Rich Cat" | James Komack | James Komack | January 12, 1964 |
| Tim, Uncle Martin, and an estate lawyer try to thwart a shady couple trying to embezzle the six-figure fortune the wife's sister left her cat. | |||||
| 17 | 16 | "Rx for Martin" | James Komack | James Komack | January 19, 1964 |
| Mars in unusually close-to-Earth orbit means Uncle Martin might fly even his wounded spaceship home, but he sprains his ankle and must convince doctors he can manage. | |||||
| 21 | 17 | "Going, Going, Gone" | Oscar Rudolph | Elroy Schwartz and Austin Kalish | February 4, 1964 |
| Sunspots wreak havoc with Uncle Martin's metabolism and powers. | |||||
| 22 | 18 | "Who Am I?" | Leslie Goodwins | Ben Starr | February 9, 1964 |
| An accidental blow to the head causes amnesia for Uncle Martin and panic for Tim and a doctor. | |||||
| 23 | 19 | "Now You See It, Now You Don't" | Leslie Goodwins | Ben Gershman and Bill Freedman | February 16, 1964 |
| Tim and Uncle Martin help a longtime museum curator prove to his board that a rare Egyptian piece he's just acquired isn't fake. | |||||
| 24 | 20 | "My Nephew The Artist" | Oscar Rudolph | Ben Starr | February 23, 1964 |
| Uncle Martin's powers paint masterpieces in his bid to help Tim with household expenses, but Tim is believed to be their actual painter, arousing suspicion in the museum where they're displayed. | |||||
| 26 | 21 | "Hitchhike to Mars" | Oscar Rudolph | Bill Freedman and Ben Gershman | March 1, 1964 |
| Uncle Martin plans to hitch a ride aboard a rocket flight to Mars, assuming he and Tim can convince the rocket's superstitious builder not to change the mission plan. | |||||
| 25 | 22 | "Uncle Martin's Broadcast" | Oscar Rudolph | James Komack | March 8, 1964 |
| A mishap with Uncle Martin's broadcast transmission power gets himself and Tim in jail. | |||||
| 28 | 23 | "An Old, Old Friend of the Family" | Leslie Goodwins | John L. Greene | March 15, 1964 |
| A foreign leader visiting for key negotiations wants the press kept out, but Uncle Martin thinks Tim can get to him, anyway. | |||||
| 27 | 24 | "Super-Duper Snooper" | Leslie Goodwins | Al Martin and Bill Kelsay | March 22, 1964 |
| When Mrs. Brown takes a correspondence course in private investigation, Uncle Martin fears he's her first deep surveillance target. | |||||
| 31 | 25 | "The Sinkable Mrs. Brown" | Oscar Rudolph | Al Martin and Bill Kelsay | April 5, 1964 |
| A shifty realtor tries to strong-arm Mrs. Brown into selling the house and full property. | |||||
| 29 | 26 | "Martin and the Eternal Triangle" | Oscar Rudolph | Ben Gershman and Bill Freedman | April 12, 1964 |
| A suspicious French clothier has eyes for Mrs. Brown, prompting Uncle Martin to try romancing her to thwart him. | |||||
| 33 | 27 | "Danger! High Voltage!" | Leslie Goodwins | Ben Gershman and Bill Freedman | April 19, 1964 |
| Martin's efforts to ground himself cause a city-wide power shortage. | |||||
| 34 | 28 | "If You Can't Lick Them" | Oscar Rudolph | Blanche Hanalis | April 26, 1964 |
| When a small boy sees Martin's antennae, it causes a nationwide fad, to the Martian's dismay. | |||||
| 32 | 29 | "Unidentified Flying Uncle Martin" | Leslie Goodwins | James Komack | May 3, 1964 |
| To repair a fault with his ship, Martin is forced to take it out for a flight. | |||||
| 35 | 30 | "How Are You Gonna Keep Them Down on the Pharmacy?" | Leslie Goodwins | James Komack | May 10, 1964 |
| A vitamin deficiency causes unconsciousness to anyone in Martin's proximity. | |||||
| 36 | 31 | "Miss Jekyll and Hyde" | Oscar Rudolph | Al Martin and Bill Kelsay | May 17, 1964 |
| Martin plays Pygmalion to get Mrs. Brown's brilliant niece (Marlo Thomas) off his trail. | |||||
| 37 | 32 | "Who's Got The Power?" | Leslie Goodwins | James Komack | May 24, 1964 |
| A thunderstorm short circuits Martin's ability to disappear ... and reappear. | |||||
| 38 | 33 | "Oh, My Aching Antenna" | Oscar Rudolph | Ted Sherdeman and Jane Klove | May 31, 1964 |
| Martin's efforts to look youthful are wreaking havoc on Mrs. Brown's vegetable garden. | |||||
| 39 | 34 | "The Disastro-nauts" | Leslie Goodwins | Bill Freedman and Ben Gershman | June 7, 1964 |
| Martin hopes to be the astronaut on an expedition to Mars, funded by a meatball tycoon (Alan Hale, Jr.). | |||||
| 40 | 35 | "Shake Well and Don't Use" | Oscar Rudolph | Al Martin and Bill Kelsay | June 14, 1964 |
| Martin's dinner party immobilizes Tim's boss. | |||||
| 5 | 36 | "A Nose for News" | Alan Rafkin | William Blinn and Michael Gleason | June 21, 1964 |
| Martin covers a story for Tim and ends up stuck with a job on the paper. David White ("Bewitched") guest stars. | |||||
| 10 | 37 | "Uncle Martin's Wisdom Tooth" | Oscar Rudolph | James Komack | June 28, 1964 |
| The problem: how to extract Martin's impacted wisdom tooth. | |||||
Season 2 (1964–65)
| No. series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 1 | "Dreaming Can Make it So" | Oscar Rudolph | Ben Gershman and Bill Freedman | September 27, 1964 |
| Martin's sudden tendency to dream in 2D nearly leads to catastrophe. | |||||
| 39 | 2 | "The Memory Pill" | Oscar Rudolph | Benedict Freedman | October 4, 1964 |
| A Martian pill erases Tim's memory of his extraterrestrial uncle. David White ("Bewitched") guest stars. | |||||
| 40 | 3 | "Three to Make Ready" | Leslie Goodwins | Bruce Howard & Bud Nye | October 11, 1964 |
| Martin has mixed feelings about his latest chance to get home ... which leads him to split into three. | |||||
| 41 | 4 | "Nothing But the Truth" | Oscar Rudolph | Blanche Hanalis | October 18, 1964 |
| Martin's test flight is jeopardized by a visit from Mrs. Brown's sister, her pragmatic husband, and imaginative son who swears he saw a spaceship. | |||||
| 42 | 5 | "Dial M for Martin" | Oscar Rudolph | Fred S. Fox & Iz Elinson | October 25, 1964 |
| An accident turns Uncle Martin's head into a telephone receiver. Alan Hewitt joins the cast as Detective Bill Brennan. | |||||
| 43 | 6 | "Extra! Extra! Sensory Perception!" | Leslie Goodwins | Rik Vollaerts | November 1, 1964 |
| A visiting expert on ESP jeopardizes Martin's true identity. | |||||
| 44 | 7 | "My Uncle the Folk Singer" | Oscar Rudolph | Lee Carson | November 8, 1964 |
| Uncle Martin inadvertently becomes a folk singing sensation as he and Tim attempt to save a pretty girl's coffee house. Pat Priest (The Munsters) guest stars. | |||||
| 45 | 8 | "The Great Brain Robbery" | Oscar Rudolph | Rik Vollaerts | November 15, 1964 |
| In an effort to help Tim with the rent, Martin decides to tutor a rebellious young boy. | |||||
| 46 | 9 | "Double Trouble" | Oscar Rudolph | Ben Gershman & Bill Freedman | November 22, 1964 |
| Martin and Tim frantically attempt to eliminate an accidental duplicate of Mrs. Brown -- during its dinner date with Brennan. | |||||
| 47 | 10 | "Has Anyone Seen My Electro-Magnetic Neutron Converting Gravitron?" | Leslie Goodwins | Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler | November 29, 1964 |
| A little boy comes away with a valuable souvenir after an impromptu joyride in the Martian spaceship. | |||||
| 48 | 11 | "Don't Rain on My Parade" | Leslie Goodwins | James Komack | December 6, 1964 |
| After being blasted with a supposed rain-making machine, Martin accidentally triggers it to start raining for days on end. | |||||
| 49 | 12 | "Night Life of Uncle Martin" | Oscar Rudolph | Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler | December 13, 1964 |
| When Martin pushes himself with insufficient sleep, his sub-conscious goes out on the town. | |||||
| 50 | 13 | "To Make a Rabbit Stew, First Catch a Martian" | Leslie Goodwins | Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler | December 20, 1964 |
| A Martian vitamin pill grows a neighbor's pet rabbit to human size -- as it decides to crash Mrs. Brown's costume party. | |||||
| 51 | 14 | "Won't You Come Home, Uncle Martin, Won't You Come Home?" | Leslie Goodwins | Teleplay by: Al Martin & Bill Kelsey Story by: Marty Roth | December 27, 1964 |
| Tim becomes the most hated man in California, courtesy of a Martian benevolence bulb. | |||||
| 52 | 15 | "The Case of the Missing Sleuth" | Oscar Rudolph | Bill Freedman & Ben Gershman | January 3, 1965 |
| When Brennan mistakenly atomizes himelf with Martin's invention, his disappearance draws the attention of a morose sleuth. Michael Constantine guests. | |||||
| 53 | 16 | "How Are Things in Glocca Martin?" | Byron Paul | Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler | January 10, 1965 |
| Martin plays Cupid for Tim's great uncle and his long-lost lower-class love. | |||||
| 54 | 17 | "Gesundheit, Uncle Martin" | Oscar Rudolph | Ben Gershman & Bill Freedman | January 17, 1965 |
| Martin's sneezing is effecting his short-term memory. | |||||
| 55 | 18 | "Martian Report #1" | Oscar Rudolph | Blanche Hanalis | January 31, 1965 |
| Eager to prove his theories on child-rearing, Martin adopts a young girl. | |||||
| 56 | 19 | "Uncle Martin and the Identified Flying Object" | Byron Paul | Marty Roth & Lissa Charrel | February 7, 1965 |
| Martin's malfunctioning levitation finger has Mrs. Brown convinced she's living in a haunted house. | |||||
| 57 | 20 | "A Martian Fiddles Around" | Oscar Rudolph | Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler | February 14, 1965 |
| Mrs. Brown's violin-playing is causing the Martian to become transparent. | |||||
| 58 | 21 | "Humbug, Mrs. Brown" | Oscar Rudolph | Al Martin and Bill Kelsay | February 21, 1965 |
| Martin's efforts to make Mrs. Brown more thrifty turn her into a miser. | |||||
| 59 | 22 | "Crash Diet" | Byron Paul | Al Martin and Bill Kelsay | February 28, 1965 |
| Martin reduces his spaceship to the size of a small toy ... which is snatched up by a toy manufacturer. | |||||
| 60 | 23 | "Gone, But Not Forgotten" | Byron Paul | Benedict Freedman | March 7, 1965 |
| Martin's health monitor is mistaken for a quarter and deposited into a drink machine at police headquarters -- where it loudly proclaims that it is a Martian in distress. | |||||
| 61 | 24 | "Stop or I'll Steam" | Oscar Rudolph | Burt Styler & Albert E. Lewin | March 14, 1965 |
| Martin and Tim have an unwanted roommate -- Detective Brennan. | |||||
| 62 | 25 | "The Magnetic Personality and Who Needs It" | Oscar Rudolph | Burt Styler & Albert E. Lewin | March 21, 1965 |
| A reformed pickpocket is accidentally magnetized by a Martian invention. | |||||
| 63 | 26 | "We Love You, Miss Pringle" | Oscar Rudolph | Blanche Hanalis | March 28, 1965 |
| Martin suspects that one of Tim's former teachers has been an unsung hero to the students who fear her. | |||||
| 64 | 27 | "Once Upon a Martian's Mother's Day" | James V. Kern | Story by: Marty Roth Teleplay by: Bill Kelsay | April 4, 1965 |
| Martin is taken with an elderly woman who is the spitting image of his own mother. Madge Blake guest stars. | |||||
| 65 | 28 | "Uncle Baby" | James V. Kern | Marty Roth | April 18, 1965 |
| Tim accidentally turns Martin into an infant. | |||||
| 66 | 29 | "Uncle Martin's Bedtime Story" | Oscar Rudolph | Burt Styler & Albert E. Lewin | April 25, 1965 |
| Mrs. Brown's new electric bed is tuning her into Martin's brainwaves. | |||||
| 67 | 30 | "006 3/4" | Oscar Rudolph | Blanche Hanalis | May 2, 1965 |
| Tim and Martin are recruited to combat the evil spies of CRUSH. Les Tremayne guest stars. | |||||
| 68 | 31 | "Never Trust a Naked Martian" | Leslie Goodwins | James Komack | May 9, 1965 |
| Tim touches one of Martin's antennae -- and becomes trapped in limbo. | |||||
| 69 | 32 | "Martin's Favorite Martian" | James V. Kern | Phyllis & Robert White | May 16, 1965 |
| Tim tries on Uncle Martin's spacesuit -- and is captured by tourists who mistake him for the real thing. Olan Soule and Linda Evans guest star. | |||||
| 70 | 33 | "The Martian's Fair Hobo" | James V. Kern | Teleplay by: Marty Roth Story by: Lila Garret & Bernie Kahn | May 23, 1965 |
| Martin mistakes a hobo for a member of the Martian Space Patrol. | |||||
| 71 | 34 | "A Martian Sonata in Mrs. B's Flat" | Oscar Rudolph | Ron Friedman | May 30, 1965 |
| A splash of Martin's music distillate transforms his landlady into a virtuoso. | |||||
| 73 | 35 | "The Green Eyed Martian" | Oscar Rudolph | Phyllis & Robert White | June 6, 1965 |
| Mrs. Brown is suddenly the object of every man's desire. | |||||
| 73 | 36 | "El Senor from Mars" | Oscar Rudolph | Ben Gershman & Bill Freedman | June 13, 1965 |
| Martin and Tim jet to Mexico to prevent an Aztec chest from exposing an artifact sporting the Martian's likeness. Bernie Kopell guests. | |||||
| 74 | 37 | "Time Out for Martian" | James V. Kern | Marty Roth | May 8, 1966 |
| Trapped in time, in Merry Olde England, Martin and Tim get embroiled in a political attempt to destroy the Magna Carta. This episode was postponed for broadcast until the very end of the series' third and final season. | |||||
| 75 | 38 | "Portrait in Brown" | James V. Kern | Phyllis & Robert White | June 27, 1965 |
| Mrs. Brown is accidentally converted into a 2D image, and is mistaken for a portrait. | |||||
Season 3 (1965–66)
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76 | 1 | "Go West, Young Martian (1)" | David Alexander | Martin Roth | September 12, 1965 |
| 77 | 2 | "Go West, Young Martian (2)" | David Alexander | Martin Roth | September 19, 1965 |
| 78 | 3 | "Martin of the Movies" | David Alexander | Albert E. Lewin and Burt Styler | September 26, 1965 |
| 79 | 4 | "Keep Me From The Church on Time" | John Erman | James B. Allardice and Tom Adair | October 3, 1965 |
| 80 | 5 | "I'd Rather Fight Than Switch" | David Alexander | Philip Rapp | October 10, 1965 |
| 81 | 6 | "Tim, The Mastermind" | David Alexander | Burt Styler and Albert E. Lewin | October 17, 1965 |
| 82 | 7 | "Martin Goldfinger" | Wesley Kenney | Burt Styler and Albert E. Lewin | October 24, 1965 |
| 83 | 8 | "Bottled Martin" | Wesley Kenney | Burt Styler and Albert E. Lewin | October 31, 1965 |
| 84 | 9 | "Hate Me a Little" | Mel Ferber | Gene L. Coon | November 7, 1965 |
| 85 | 10 | "Girl in the Flying Machine" | Mel Ferber | Blanche Hanalis | November 14, 1965 |
| 86 | 11 | "That Time Machine is Waking Up That Old Gang of Mine" | Jean Yarbrough | James Allardice and Tom Adair | November 21, 1965 |
| 87 | 12 | "Avenue "C" Mob" | John Erman | Blanche Hanalis | November 28, 1965 |
| 88 | 13 | "Tim and Tim Again" | John Erman | Bill Kelsay and Martin Roth | December 5, 1965 |
| 89 | 14 | "Lorelei Brown vs. Everybody" | Jean Yarbrough | Bill Kelsay | December 12, 1965 |
| 90 | 15 | "The O'Hara Caper" | John Erman | Albert E. Lewin and Burt Styler | December 19, 1965 |
| 91 | 16 | "Who's Got A Secret?" | John Erman | Martin Roth | December 26, 1965 |
| 92 | 17 | "Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow" | Jean Yarbrough | Ben Starr | January 2, 1966 |
| 93 | 18 | "Martin's Revoltin' Development" | Jean Yarbrough | Leigh Chapman | January 16, 1966 |
| 94 | 19 | "TV or Not TV" | John Erman | Michael R. Stein and Jack Gross Jr. | January 23, 1966 |
| 95 | 20 | "Man from Uncle Martin" | John Erman | James Allardice and Tom Adair | January 30, 1966 |
| 96 | 21 | "Martin the Mannequin" | David Alexander | Martin Roth | February 6, 1966 |
| 97 | 22 | "Butterball" | David Alexander | Blanche Hanalis | February 13, 1966 |
| 98 | 23 | "When a Martian Makes his Violin Cry" | John Erman | Austin Kalish and Irma Kalish | February 20, 1966 |
| 99 | 24 | "When You Get Back Home to Mars, Are You Going to Get It" | Jean Yarbrough | Martin Roth | February 27, 1966 |
| 100 | 25 | "Doggone Martin" | John Erman | Albert E. Lewin | March 6, 1966 |
| 101 | 26 | "Virus M for Martin" | David Alexander | Bill Kelsay | March 13, 1966 |
| 102 | 27 | "Our Notorious Landlady" | David Alexander | Gene Thompson | March 20, 1966 |
| 103 | 28 | "Martin Meets his Match" | David Alexander | Gene Thompson and Bill Kelsay | March 27, 1966 |
| 104 | 29 | "Horse and Buggy Martin" | David Alexander | Albert E. Lewin | April 3, 1966 |
| 105 | 30 | "Stop The Presses, I Want to Get Off" | Jean Yarbrough | Austin Kalish and Irma Kalish | April 17, 1966 |
| 106 | 31 | "My Nut Cup Runneth Over" | John Erman | Bill Kelsay and Gene Thompson | April 24, 1966 |
| 107 | 32 | "Pay The Man The $24" | John Erman | Burt Styler | May 1, 1966 |
Home media
DVD releases
Rhino Entertainment released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1 in 2004–2005. The third season was never released, however the season 3 release from Umbrella Entertainment of Australia was released in North America on February 5, 2008, as an import. This release is classified as 'Region 0', thus making it viewable around the world to anyone with a region-free DVD player. Rhino also released a 3-DVD box of "The Best of My Favorite Martian" in 2007 comprising episodes 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 14, 16, 18, 22, 24, 29, 31, 34 and 37.
In January 2010, it was announced that MPI Home Video had acquired the rights to the series in Region 1 (under license from Jack Chertok Productions).[3] It was announced at the time that they planned on releasing season 3 on DVD in the summer of 2010. However, this release never materialized and was postponed indefinitely. It was subsequently released on October 30, 2012.[4]
MPI subsequently re-released season 1 on June 24, 2014.[5][6] and season 2 on December 23, 2014.[7]
On October 20, 2015, MPI Home Video will release My Favorite Martian- The Complete Series' on DVD in Region 1.[8]
In Region 4, Umbrella Entertainment has released all 3 seasons on DVD in Australia. These releases are all Region Free. The season 1 release includes special features such as audio commentary with Ann Marshall, a stills gallery, script, and interview with Ann Marshall. The season 3 release includes special features such as an unaired version of the pilot, behind the scenes home movies, interviews with Stan Frazen, Ted Rich, James Hulsey and Wayne Stam, audio commentary by James's Hulsey and Chertok historian and licensing manager Peter Greenwood.
scans of the original comic series, scripts and the shooting schedule.
| DVD name | Ep # | Release dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 4 | ||
| The Complete 1st Season | 37 | September 7, 2004 June 24, 2014 (re-release) |
March 1, 2008 |
| The Complete 2nd Season | 38 | May 10, 2005 December 23, 2014 (re-release) |
September 1, 2008 |
| The Complete 3rd Season | 32 | October 30, 2012 | November 3, 2007 |
| The Complete Series | 107 | October 20, 2015 | N/A |
Reception
Ratings
In its first season, My Favorite Martian did extremely well in the Nielsen ratings, ranking at #10.[9] However, by the end of the second season the show had dipped to #24.[9] Still, the series was doing well enough to be renewed for a third season. Ratings dipped even further in the third season due to redundant stories, usually involving Martin's time machine, and the series was canceled.
Spin-offs
Animated series
| My Favorite Martians | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Animation |
| Voices of |
Howard Morris Jonathan Harris Lane Scheimer Jane Webb |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Norm Prescott Lou Scheimer |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 8 – December 22, 1973 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | My Favorite Martian |
An animated series, My Favorite Martians, was made by Filmation and was broadcast as part of the Saturday morning programming on CBS from September 8, 1973 to December 22, 1973 for a total of sixteen episodes. The series features Tim, Martin, Mrs. Brown and Detective Brennan (Brennan is considerably different). To appeal to a younger audience, Uncle Martin is joined by his Martian nephew named Andromeda, nicknamed "Andy", who only has one antenna and thus lesser powers than Uncle Martin and did appear in one episode of the television series. The pair also have a Martian pet named Okey, a sort of bouncing sheepdog with antennae. Tim also had a niece of his own, named Katy, living with them. None of the characters were voiced by the original actors; Bixby was at the time committed to his latest project, The Magician, and Walston tried to distance himself from the role. As a result, Jonathan Harris voiced Martin and Jane Webb voiced Mrs. Brown.[10]
The cartoon utilized a number of scripts from what would have been season four of the live action show; as of early July 2013, Jack Chertok Television co-owned it, with the Chertok company retaining all merchandising rights to the show.
Distribution rights were held, as of April 2013, by Classic Media as part of their Filmation holdings.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Check-Up" | September 8, 1973 |
| 2 | "Life Style" | September 15, 1973 |
| 3 | "Home Schtick" | September 22, 1973 |
| 4 | "Wall to Wall Flower" | September 29, 1973 |
| 5 | "The Cleo Caper" | October 6, 1973 |
| 6 | "Robot Tailor" | October 13, 1973 |
| 7 | "Lonely Okie?" | October 20, 1973 |
| 8 | "Triple Trouble" | October 27, 1973 |
| 9 | "The Incredible Shrinking Ship" | November 3, 1973 |
| 10 | "My Favorite Neighbor" | November 10, 1973 |
| 11 | "Allergy" | November 17, 1973 |
| 12 | "Truant Teacher" | November 24, 1973 |
| 13 | "Love: Martian Style" | December 1, 1973 |
| 14 | "The Chump Who Cried Chimp" | December 8, 1973 |
| 15 | "Credibility Gap" | December 15, 1973 |
| 16 | "Garage Sale" | December 22, 1973 |
In other media
Feature film
The series was also remade as a feature film in 1999 starring Christopher Lloyd as the Martian and Jeff Daniels as Tim. This film was released and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Ray Walston was featured in the film (both Bill Bixby and Pamela Britton had since died; the former in 1993 and the latter in 1974) and played another Martian who had been trapped on Earth since the time of the first series and wore a similar space suit from the series; his cover was now that of a Government investigator of unidentified flying objects. However, the premise was changed: Martians such as Lloyd's "Uncle Martin" are now non-humanoids with four arms, four legs, and three eyes who use a gumball (which they call "nerplex") to assume human form. The "nerplex" comes in a selection that will turn the person ingesting it into assorted life forms, including Martian, Venusian and one to "never use" (Venox 7).
Comics
The TV series was adapted into a comic strip by Dan Spiegle, distributed by Gold Key Comics. [11] It ran between 1963 and 1966 for nine issues.
Gerry Anderson's company Century 21 aquirered the rights to produce a weekly adaption than ran in their weekly newspaper like formatted comic TV21.
Unlike the Gold Key adaption the British comics would later in their run featured Martin's nephew Andromeda.
Due to a lack of reference he was depicted as a chubby freckled British schoolboy.
The weekly adaption ran for two years (1965 -66) and was featured in three of the comics British Christmas annuals.
The comic rights returned to the Chertok company who licensed a reprint of the Gold Key produced by Hermes Press, and subsequently issued a special edition single issue reprint for the national national free comic book day.
That reprint is the only instance of a sixties television comic reprint to be used for this event. Subsequently during the event the books in almost every venue were the first to sell out.
The Chertok Company is actively looking to reprint the British comic adaption in a single volume for the first time.
However the TV21 Martian pages have been used as special features on the US MPI DVD release and the Australian release by Umbrella Entertainment.
And more recently on the Australia New Zealand release by Shock Entertainment.
Merchandising
During the show's initial run several products were produced resulting in a board game,a magic set,paint by numbers and springs with bells beanie hat.
In 2012 licensing resumed on the My Favorite Martian property resulting in a model kit and built up box version from Pegasus Hobbies.
Due to the success of the kit the Chertok company subsequently has extended the license to Pegasus Hobbies.
The Pegasus kit is in fact a props replica based on the Martian spaceships appearance in the episode Crash Diet where the ship was shrunk as part of the episode the initial version of the shrunk ship is in scale with the Pegasus model.
A still of Martin holding that scaled ship can be found on the back of the box for the fully assembled version.
A photoetched metal kit that gives modelers the ability to uupgrade the cockpit detail.Was produced by the Paragrafix Company who also for the first time created a scale version of the time suitcase the CCTBS together with Martin's flight log book in English and the show's Martian text.
Factory entertainment produced a shake ems version of both Uncle Martin and his spaceship.
A special edition black and white version of their Uncle Martin statue was used as a Comic Con exclusive by Factory entertainment.
In 2015 Greenlight collectibles produced a prototype My Favorite Martian boxed set featuring the second season Plymouth Fury as seen in the show it was not produced subsequently.
In November 2017 Zynga Entertainmart added My Favorite Martian to its cell phone game Black Diamond Casino which is now playing worldwide.

See also
References
- ↑ My Favorite Martian. Series description page at PeterRodgersOrganization.org. (Retrieved 2018-07-12.)
- ↑ "My Favorite Martian Episodes List". IMDB. 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
- ↑ "My Favorite Martian - Long-Awaited USA Release for Season 3 Is Planned for 2010!". Tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2016-01-29. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
- ↑ "My Favorite Martian - A U.S.A. Release of 'Season 3: Collector's Edition' is Scheduled by MPI". Tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2016-01-29. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
- ↑ "Date, Cost, Early Cover Art for MPI's 'Season 1: Collector's Edition". Tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
- ↑ "My Favorite Martian - Formal Announcement Includes Extras for MPI's 'Season 1: Collector's Edition'". Tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
- ↑ "Release Date, Pricing for MPI's 'Season 2: Collector's Edition'". Tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
- ↑ "Official Announcement, Box Art for 'The Complete Series'". Tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
- 1 2 Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2009-06-24). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows - 1946-Present (ninth edition -- 2007). pp. 1683–1684. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
- ↑ DataBase, The Big Cartoon. "My Favorite Martians Episode Guide -Filmation". Big Cartoon DataBase (BCDB).
- ↑ "Dan Spiegle". lambiek.net.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to My Favorite Martian. |
My Favorite Martian:
- My Favorite Martian on IMDb
- My Favorite Martian at TV.com
- My Favorite Martian at epguides.com
- Extensive Overview of My Favorite Martian
- Another look at My Favorite Martian
My Favorite Martians: