Besides the stench of its awfulness, the movie is noted for two things: the first film appearance of Pia Zadora (then ten-years-old, as Girmar the Martian Girl, and the first documented motion picture role of Mrs. Claus (played by Doris Rich, who played Ma Kettle in the televisi0n version of The Egg and I).
The plot of the film is simple (very simple); Martians kidnap Santa Claus because there is nobody on their planet to give their children presents. While kidnapping Santa, they also snatch two Earth children. One bad Martian, deciding that the plot was a bad idea, decides tom kill Santa and the Earth children. But you can't keep a good Santa down. SPOILER: He appoints a Martian to be the Martian Santa Claus and returns to Earth with the two children.
Directed by Nicholas Webster (Mission Mars, Sharks: The Death Machine, Manbeast! Myth or Monster?), the film was scripted by Glenville Mareth (who evidently did little else) from a story by Paul L. Jacobson (who also produced the movie and did little else).
John Call (whose 31 IMDb credits are mainly bit parts and uncredited roles) plays Santa Claus. Character actor Vincent Beck (The Spy in the Green Hat, The Pink Jungle, The Bamboo Saucer) had his first screen credit here playing the bad Martian Voldar. Bill McCutcheon Bwho was Uncle Wally on Sesame Street, starred in the television series Ball Four, and co-starred with bob "Captain Kangaroo" Keeshan in the series Mister Mayor) was Dropo, the soon-to-be Martian Santa Claus. The two Earth children were taken from the stage: Victor Stiles was appearing in Oliver!, and Donna Conforti was in Broadway's Here's Love.
For better or for worse, here's you early taste of Christmas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4SZyeUGSM4
And, for your edification, here's the IMDb list of the 25 worst Christmas films:
1. Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas (2014)
2. The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
3. Santa with Muscles (1996 -- with Hulk Hogan)
4. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
5. Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House (2002 -- going back to the well once too often)
6. Look Who's Talking Now (1993 -- Jophn Travolta and Kirstie Alley)
7. Home Alone 3 (1997 -- se comment on #5, above)
8. Black Christmas (2006 - a sorority house slasher flick with Michelle Trachtenberg and Lacey Chabert,and Mary Elizabeth Winstead)
9. Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006 -- Tim Allen achieves diminishing returns)
10. Turbulence (1997 -- can a serial killer land a plane without a pilot?)
11. Deck the Halls (2006 -- dueling neighbors try to out-do each other)
12. Unaccompanied Minors (2006 -- kids snowed in at a midwestern airport)
13. Christmas with the Kranks (2004 -- Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Ackroyd)
14. Eight Crazy Nights (2002 -- Adam Sandler; why is this on a Christmas list?)
15. Jack Frost (1998 -- Michael Keaton as a snowman)
16. Surviving Christmas (2004 -- Ben Affleck, , Christina Applegate, James Gandolfini)
17. I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998 -- Jonathan Taylor Thomas, need I say any more?)
18. Mixed Nuts (1994 -- Christmas at a crisis hotline; I kind of liked this one)
19. A Bad Moms Christmas (2017 -- Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn)
20. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018 -- an unfortunate take on the E. T. A. Hoffmann story)
21. Jingle All the Way (1996 -- Arnold and Sinbad, celebrating the crassness of the season)
22. Bad Santa 2 (2016 -- Billy Bob Thornton reprises his role)
23. The Santa Clause 2 (2002 -- Tim Allen should have stopped at the first one)
24. Ernest Saves Christmas (1998 -- in what world was Jim Varney's character popular?)
25. Fred Claus (2007 -- Vince Vaughan as Santa's older brother)
