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Tobor the Great

A Man-Made Monster With Every Human Emotion

1954 · 77 min · Science Fiction
5.3 Niche
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Science Fiction

To avoid the life-threatening dangers of manned space exploration, Professor Nordstrom creates highly advanced form of artificial intelligence capable of piloting a starship to other worlds. In order to transmit alien data, the extraordinary robot is infused with a powerful telepathic device that enables it to instantly read and even feel emotions. Danger strikes when a sinister band of covert agents kidnaps Gadge, the professor's 10-year-old grandson. But Gadge has a powerful ally. For he has developed a psychic, emotional bond with his grandfather's robot. And now Gadge's captors must suffer the wrath of his protective friend. They must face a mechanical monstrosity bent on a killing rampage of revenge and destruction.

Country of origin
🇺🇸 United States
Year
1954
Studio
Dudley Pictures Corporation

Trivia & behind the scenes

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Origins

The robot's name 'Tobor' is a reverse anagram of the word 'robot'.

Filming

Principal photography for the film took place over about two weeks, from early to mid-January 1954, on location at the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, California.

Effects

Contrary to popular belief, the Tobor robot was not designed by Robert Kinoshita, the creator of Robby the Robot; it was actually designed by Gabriel Scognamillo and built by Mel Arnold, who also worked on the robot Gort for The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Trivia

The original Tobor robot prop and its remote control device still exist, having been kept safe in a private collection for more than 50 years, and a company called Fred Barton Productions sells screen-accurate full-size replicas of the robot.

Reception

Film historian Leonard Maltin criticized the movie for its terrible acting and dialogue, calling it a botched attempt at a heartwarming sci-fi comedy-thriller that missed becoming an important sci-fi classic.

References

The film's popularity led to a Tobor the Great comic book story series, written by Denis Gifford with artwork by James Bleach, published in Star Comics #1-2 in 1954 by D Publications.

Trivia

A proposed spin-off TV series called Here Comes Tobor was produced for the 1956-1957 season, but only a pilot episode was filmed and it was never picked up or aired.

Trivia

In 2011, a new company called Diamond World Pictures announced plans for a sequel to Tobor the Great starring Patrick Dempsey and Christopher Plummer, combining live-action and stop-motion animation, but no such film has ever been released.

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