House of Schlock: Christmas in July with Dr. M. A. Dewey

Joshua Smith is an adult programming associate at the New Orleans Public Library

Greetings, friends of library science. Dr. M. A. Dewey has escaped once again to provide brief respite from the heliosis gripping the Crescent City with a special Christmas in July screening of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964).

Universally recognized as one of the worst films ever made, this charming and fun cult classic claims a pioneering position in the development of entertainment targeting children. It was born from the desire of Paul Jacobson to move from video production to producing feature films.

Recognizing a gap in the market and an opportunity to compete with Disney, who at that time was really the only production company with a focus on family entertainment, he found a writer and director to help make his dream come true.

In addition to being a pioneer in children’s film, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is also an early example of using children’s entertainment for product marketing. The film uses the Wham-o Air Blaster, a toy in its second year on the market, as the futuristic weapons wielded by the Martians.

Dr. M. A. Dewey

Descended from the first librarian appointed in Alexandria by the Ptolemaic kings, Dr. M. A. Dewey has spent his life hidden away in a dark basement of a library near the French Quarter, toiling in secrecy to unravel the mystic secrets of library science and searching tirelessly for the one true classification system lost to the dark ages by those idiots in the library science community. His madness, driven by the increasing brain-boiling heat of a New Orleans summer, is reaching its breaking point.

The film debuted to little fanfare in December of 1964 but saw regular re-release starting the following year as a matinee showing during the holiday season. It wasn’t until December 1991 that it gained status as a beloved cult classic when it was featured in Season 3 of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Having been in the public domain since its release in 1964, the film began to pop up on other horror host shows following its debut on MST3K cementing its place in the pop culture zeitgeist that continues to this day.

Join the mad doctor at 2pm on July 25th at the Algiers Regional Library for this special Christmas in July screening. Refreshments will be served alongside trivia and lore from the production of the yuletide sci-fi masterpiece.

That’s not all, dear friends of library science! Dr. Dewey will descend upon the Nora Navra Library on August 29th at 1pm for a sci-fi double feature. The mad doctor will be showing Beast From Haunted Cave (1959) and The Wasp Woman (1959). Both films saw their initial release as a double feature. Beast From Haunted Cave is a tale of crime and monsters set against the backdrop of an idyllic ski resort. The Wasp Woman is a near perfect early entry into the subgenre of horror and sci-fi films cautioning against the pitfalls of vanity. Fans of The Substance (2024) and Death Becomes Her (1992) will enjoy this pioneering film in the genre.

Dr. Dewey’s House of Schlock is inspired by the horror host genre pioneered by Vampira in the early 1950s and expanded by many hosts around the country like New Orleans’ own Morgus the Magnificent. Learn more about the history of this tradition here, or check out Dr. Dewey’s reading list to venture deeper into the House of Schlock: