Tobor the Great (1954)

Director:

Lee Sholem

Writers:

Carl Dudley (story)
Philip MacDonald (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 September 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Man-Made monster with every human emotion

Plot:

As projected here, a thinly-disguised NASA, working with nuclear rockets, is ready for manned flights in the mid-fifties...

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Scientist

Cast

Charles Drake	...	Dr. Ralph Harrison
Karin Booth	...	Janice Robertson
Billy Chapin	...	Brian 'Gadge' Robertson
Taylor Holmes	...	Prof. Arnold Nordstrom
Steven Geray	...	The Foreign Spy-Chief
Henry Kulky	...	Paul, Spy-Henchman
Franz Roehn	...	Karl
Hal Baylor	...	Max (spy-henchman)
Alan Reynolds	...	Gilligan, a reporter
Peter Brocco	...	Dr. Gustav
Norman Field	...	Commissioner of CIFC
Robert Shayne	...	General #1
Lyle Talbot	...	An Admiral
Emmett Vogan	...	First Congressman
William Schallert	...	Johnston, a reporter

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park Observatory, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Dudley Pictures Corporation

Goofs:

Factual errors: Early in the movie, a model of the earth, rotating on its axis in space, is seen moving from east to west - the wrong way.

Quotes:

Brian 'Gadge' Robertson: Gee, Tobor, you're wonderful!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Rate It X (1986)

An amiable boy-and-his-robot tale.

Scientists Ralph Harrison (Charles Drake) and Arnold Nordstrom (Taylor Holmes) both consider space travel tests on human subjects to be too dangerous. Their solution is to create the title robot (Lew Smith), who will be sent on the first space flight. They've programmed Tobor with the ability to both feel and react to human emotions. Tobor proves to come in handy when dastardly enemy agents (led by a creepy Steven Geray) kidnap Nordstrom and his scrappy, wholesome grandson "Gadge" (Billy Chapin) in order to force Nordstrom to spill all his secrets.

The primary word that sprang to my mind while watching this was: likable. It gets a little intense at one point while never becoming too unpleasant. It wouldn't be bad for family viewing. The characters are engaging enough and the plot very straightforward; it moves along quite well to a satisfying conclusion. The sight of Tobor driving a jeep, on the other hand, is one of the flat-out funniest things I've seen in a while. Basically, it's all in good fun.

Drake makes for a stolid and ultimately two-fisted hero, while Holmes, Chapin, and Smith as Tobor form the real heart of the picture. Nice bit performances by such familiar folk as William Schallert and Peter Brocco are also quite enjoyable.

"Tobor the Great" is a pretty cute little sci-fi tale.

7/10