Robby the Robot
Robby the Robot was a popular fictional character who made a number of appearances in science fiction movies and television programs from 1956 onward.
Description and overview
Robby the Robot was a 7 foot, 2 inch tall mechanical suit designed for an actor to wear, to play the part of a robot. It was originally designed for the 1956 MGM movie Forbidden Planet,[1] and quickly became a science fiction movie and television icon.
The "Robby" robot suit was reused in a less popular movie called The Invisible Boy, and it made several further appearances in other movies and TV shows over the next few decades. While Robby's appearance was generally consistent, there were notable exceptions, such as the 1962 Twilight Zone episode "Uncle Simon", where he was given a somewhat more human "face". At other times Robby usually retained the working gears inside his bubble head, although the details of his "brain" and chest panel were sometimes altered. Robby has made few television or film appearances since the 1970s, although he is featured in a 2006 commercial for AT&T.
Robby differed from his successors in that he walked (somewhat awkwardly) on mechanical legs, while later models by his principal designer Robert Kinoshita, such as Robot B-9 of Lost in Space, moved smoothly on motorized treads. In Forbidden Planet Robby was operated by Frankie Darro from inside the suit and his distinctive voice was provided by actor Marvin Miller. In that film, the phrase "Emergency Cancellation Archimedes" causes Robbie to desist from his current orders/activity.[2]
Before the appearance of Robby, robots in movies and plays tended to lack personality characteristics, being simple mechanical devices. Since his appearance, robots with personalities have become more and more common in movies.[citation needed]
In 2004, Robby the Robot was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame.
Fate of the original "Robby" suit
For many years, Robby the Robot was on display at the Movie World / Cars of the Stars Museum in Buena Park, California. The museum is now closed. A replica is currently on display at the Metreon entertainment complex in San Francisco. There are, however, many full-scale reconstructions and duplicates of the original "Robby" suit presented to the public in various venues. "Robbies" are now being sold at Hammacher Schlemmer.com and the original one is owned by the world's foremost Forbidden Planet collector, film director William Malone.
Appearances
- Forbidden Planet (1956)
- The Invisible Boy (1957)
- The Thin Man Season 1, Episode 23: "Robot Client" (Original Air Date: 28 February 1958)
- The Gale Storm Show Season 3, Episode 14: "Robot from Inner Space" (Original Air Date: 13 December 1958)
- The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959-1963)
- The Twilight Zone (1960s)
- Episode "Uncle Simon"
- Episode "The Brain Center at Whipple's"
- Episode "One for the Angels" (as an action figure)
- The Addams Family in the episode "Lurch's Little Helper" aired March 18, 1966.
- Hazel (1961-1966)- Episode "Rosie's Contract"
- Gilligan's Island (1966) Season 2, Episode 21 "Gilligan's Living Doll"
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1966)
- Ark II - (Saturday morning TV show from Filmation)
- Holmes and Yo-Yo(1976)
- Lost in Space (1966 & 1967) - Appearances in two different episodes as two different characters (in War of the Robots as a robotoid)
- The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968 & 1970) - Appeared as the maid.
- Columbo (1974) - Episode "Mind Over Mayhem" (IMDb)
- Hollywood Boulevard (1976)
- Project UFO(1978)- “Sighting 4010: The Waterford Incident” (1978) Season 1 Episode 10
- Wonder Woman (1979) - Season 3 episode "Spaced Out" as MC at a science fiction convention.
- Mork & Mindy (1979)
- Night Stalker (1982) - Featured in the print advertising for the Mattel video game for IBM and Mac Nighstalker Ad
- Gremlins (1984)
- Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) (Cameo as piece of junk in Watto's Junk Shop)
- Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
- The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XIV (2003), in animated form
- Stacked (2005) - Appeared as the Nightmare NASA Robot
- Television commercial for AT&T, with WOPR, KITT, and Rosie the Robot Maid in 2006
- Television commrcial for Charmin in 1981, as an assistant to Mr. Whipple, named Squeezak, repeating the phrase "Don't squeeze Charmin".
See also
References
- ^ Robby original role/bio, Robot-Hall-of-Fame
- ^ Warren Stevens: Films - Forbidden Planet