5.2/10
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28 user 26 critic

Tobor the Great (1954)

| Sci-Fi | 1 September 1954 (USA)
Tobor the Great Poster
A young boy-genius befriends his grandfather's robot, designed as a test pilot for space travel and coveted by foreign spies.

Director:

Lee Sholem

Writers:

Philip MacDonald (screenplay), Carl Dudley (story)

Stars:

Charles Drake, Karin Booth, Billy Chapin | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
1 nomination. See more awards »

Photos

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Drake ... Dr. Ralph Harrison
Karin Booth ... Janice Roberts
Billy Chapin ... Brian Roberts
Taylor Holmes ... Prof. Arnold Nordstrom
Steven Geray ... Man with Rimless Glasses
Henry Kulky ... Paul
Franz Roehn Franz Roehn ... Karl
Hal Baylor ... Max
See full cast »
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Storyline

As projected here, a thinly-disguised NASA, working with nuclear rockets, is ready for manned flights in the mid-fifties...but Dr. Ralph Harrison doesn't think so, and resigns in protest. Colleague Prof. Nordstrom promptly enlists his aid in developing an alternative robot Spaceman! Naturally, foreign spies are keenly interested... Uses documentary footage of early space research. Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

1950s | psychotronic film | boy | robot | rocket | See All (51) »

Taglines:

Man-Made monster with every human emotion

Genres:

Sci-Fi

Certificate:

See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film inspired a Tobor the Great comic book story series, written by Denis Gifford and with artwork by James Bleach; it appeared in Star Comics #1-2 (1954), from D Publications. See more »

Goofs

When Tobor escapes from Professor Nordstrom's compound and knocks down the high voltage gate, it sparks as he walks across it. But at this point the gate isn't connected to anything. See more »

Quotes

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

Connections

Referenced in Rewind This! (2013) See more »

User Reviews

 
Great example of a 1950's B movie!
17 March 2006 | by innocuous – See all my reviews

First, let me say that I am very, very sorry if this movie is not up to some reviewers' standards for 50-year-old movies. I don't really think we need to compare this to "Bicentennial Man" (what a hunk of junk and an embarrassment for Robin Williams!) or "The Iron Giant" (an animated film made 45 years later with the aid of computer graphics).

Second, let me say that I'm also sorry that this film may occasionally give the impression that there might be some negative or dangerous aspects to space travel or the space program. Other than three Apollo crew members perishing in a fire on the pad, and the near-tragedy of Apollo 13, and two space shuttle crews...but I digress.

This movie is about a robot and some bad guys. There's a kid, too. The bad guys lose and the kid and robot win. Plus, the robot has a neat name.

The end.

(BTW, this movie has what is by far my favorite "robot driving a jeep" scene of all time. This is not quite as impressive as a mad snowman driving a car, but it's pretty darn close.) Enjoy it!
19 of 33 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 September 1954 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

A Vingança do Monstro See more »

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dudley Pictures Corporation See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1
See full technical specs »
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