camp SF

There are some movies that are science fiction classics. And there are many that are not. Mars Needs Women and Nude On The Moon are two that fall into the latter category, though they have a campy style that makes them memorable.

The title of Mars Needs Women (1967, directed by Larry Buchanan) pretty much explains the plot. There's a shortage of females on the red planet, so some males head off for Earth "looking for chicks... to go all the way! " An ultra-low budget, practically zero production values, a ton of stock footage ... all these add up to a humorous dud. Look for Yvonne Craig, better known for her role as Batgirl in the campy 1960s Batman TV series.

Nude On The Moon (1961, directed by Doris Wishman and Raymond Phelan under the shared pseudonyms "O. O. Miller" and "Anthony Brooks") is a sexploitation film about two astronauts who meet, well, a bunch of nude (topless) women on the moon. A reviewer at IMDb writes:

Wow! This movie has it all! Get this: Two scientists go to the moon, in the dodgiest of rockets, and discover nudie (well, okay, topless then) space girls! One of them falls in love with the Empress of the Moon ( a dead ringer for his secretary back on Earth). The professor has got to be seen to be believed. See the two men sitting next to each other and communicating with each other via radio headsets! See the worst space suits ever! See the amazing professor enthuse about plants as moon girls play topless volley ball! Witness very spacey dancing from some of the weirder lunar lovelies! ... A true kitsch classic....

Both movies are available on DVD. You can also get NOTM in a collection called Sexy Space Box Set, which also includes Space Thing and Wham! Bam! Thank You Spaceman!