Robby the robot

Robby the robot ( Robby the robot ) is a fictitious Robot appeared in film of Science-fiction prohibited Planet in 1956.

Biographical elements

Fictitious

Design

In forwarding on Altaïr as one learns it in prohibited Planet , Dr. Morbius built Robby, a robot with the extraordinary capacities, thanks to the bits which it could decipher of the Science of Krells, a civilization having reached very an high degree of development before disappearing.

Characteristics

uses “isotope 217” like fuel;
is expressed in many languages ( if you do not speak English, I am at your disposal with 187 other languages, their various dialects and idioms );
can raise formidable weights;
synthesizes all, since invaluable stones to whiskey bottles;
carries out domestic tasks such as the kitchen and cleaning;
and especially is programmed never not to carry damage to an human being, in agreement with the laws of Asimov.

Realities

Robby is a plastic hull a height of 2,18 m (7 ' 2") and of a weight of 45 kg (100 pounds) which makes it possible an actor to play the part of a robot, even if the mystery concerning the presence or not of a man to animate it were a maintained time.

Its design is allotted to Robert Kinoshita and would have cost more than 125000 dollars of the time (1955). It is built in “Royalite”, a plastic employed in the Fifties to manufacture the bags. Robby consists of three separate sections: the head, the chest and legs. The operator is initially engaged in the legs, then one adjusts the chest, and finally the head ( cf has tribute to Robby the robot). The handling of Robby is testing because of the lack of air and of exiguity and, moreover, it is almost impossible to cross too tilted staircases or plans. Its head of glass lets appear a multitude of factitious but mobile and/or luminous instruments (antennas, gyroscopes, sensors,…) who require more 800 m of electric cable. If the field does not make it possible to dissimulate wire of external power, these instruments are connected on internal batteries which are as much to carry for the actor.

Success

After its first appearance, Robby rained so much with the public which it passed the following year of the role of supporting character to that of main character, as a companion of a little boy in the infernal Brain ( The Invisible servant boy ) in 1957. However, this film with small budget and the very poor scenario will not even return in its expenses, ringing the knell of the career of Robby as an actor of foreground.

Since, Robby became a legendary figure of the Science-fiction and connects the caméos with the cinema like on television. It should be noted that Robby of prohibited Planet was sold in 1971 with a museum, the Movie World with in California, and that two counterparts were built starting from the original plans of MGM in 1972, allowing the robot to continue to appear on the screens. With the closing of the museum in the Eighties, the original robot became the property of a private collector ( cf its interview). Lastly, in 1997, a Californian company obtained the license to market counterparts life size (see “external Bonds”).

Partial catalog of films

1956 : prohibited Planet ( Forbidden planet ): Robby the robot
1957: the infernal Brain ( Invisible The Servant boy ): Robby
1961 : Uchu Kaisoku-SEN : Toy
1963 : the Fourth Dimension: Uncle Simon ( Uncle Simon ) (TV) Episode 128
1964: the Fourth Dimension: Automation ( The Brain Center At Whipple' S ) (TV) Episode 153
1966: One off Our Spies Is Missing : Ageing Machine
1966: Lost in space: Titrate French unknown ( War off the Robots ) (TV) Episode 20: Robotoid
1966 : the Family Addams: Lurch makes useful ( Lurch' S Little Helper ) (TV) Episode 2.27
1967: Lost in space condemned space ( Condemned off Space ) (TV) Episode 60
1974: Columbo : Beyond the madness ( Mind Over Mayhem ) (TV): MM7
1976 : Hollywood Boulevard : Robby
1978 : cruising has fun ( The Love Boat ) (TV)
1979: Wonder Woman : original Evening ( Spaced Out ) (TV) Episode 3.14: itself
1983: Likely Stories, vol. 3 (TV): Maid
1984 : Gremlins : Robot
1988: Objective land ( Earth Girls Are Easy ): Robot
2003: Looney Tunes pass to the action ( Looney Tunes: Back in Action ): Robert the Robot
2005: Stacked ( Gavin' S Pipe Dream ) (TV) Episode 1.04: Nightmare NASA Robot

Anecdote

At the time of the exit of prohibited Planet in France, Robby had the honor to go up the Champs Elysées and to be interviewed on television by France Rock.

Distinction

Robby appears in the Hall off Famed '' of since 2004.

See too

prohibited Planet

External bonds

has tribute to Robby the robot: Facts and photographs.
Fred Barton Productions: Counterparts under license + photographs and vidéos of the various appearances of Robby to the cinema and on television.
Interview of Bill Malone: An interview of the current owner of original Robby.

Card IMDB

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