Posted on 11/13/2017 3:52:45 PM PST by Swordmaker
Having appeared in Forbidden Planet, The Twilight Zone, Lost in Space, and numerous other science-fiction shows, Robby the Robot is one of the most iconic pieces of sci-fi memorabilia in TV history. And now it is going up for sale.
Robby the Robot will be one of the centerpieces of the upcoming “Out of this World” auction hosted by Bonhams. The seven-foot tall robot is operational and is expected to sell for somewhere in range of seven figures when it goes to auction on November 21.
Adding to its potential value is the fact that Robby the Robot was, at the time of its construction, one of the most expensive sci-fi props ever built. Made mostly of plastic and featuring working electronics which could be controlled remotely or via the person inside the suit, the prop cost Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer around $100,000.
As the New York Times points out, Robby the Robot was the only member of the Forbidden Planet cast to receive sole billing in the movie’s opening credits and has made appearances in numerous TV shows since his film debut. Even if you haven’t seen any of the works the prop has appeared in, you will likely recognize Robby’s iconic design.
As iconic as Robby is, it wasn’t always a pleasure to work with. Earl Holliman, one of the last surviving members of the Forbidden Planet’s cast, described playing alongside Robby as “kind of awkward.” This was mainly due to the fact that Robby’s lines had to be delivered by the script supervisor.
Bill Malone, the prop’s current owner, said he bought Robby in 1979 and has kept the robot in his home ever since. After joking about having coffee with Robby every morning, Malone said that he wanted to ensure that the iconic prop was taken care of.
“I’m of an age where I’m still healthy and doing good,” Malone told the Times. “But I think it’s time to think about his future. We’re sending Robby to college.”
Robby is far from the only classic piece of sci-fi history that has been auctioned off. Recently, we reported on the sale of Xenomorph eggs and the sword of Conan, which would make for the greatest cosplay ever.
Yeah, I remember the people sinking into the sand and then getting the thing on their necks. But the movie that really got to me was “The Thing”. My parents took me to see it when I was 5 and I remember hiding under the theater seat. Even years later, The Thing gave me chills.
He looks like the same Robby to me. Here he is on 'Lost in Space' with the robot from the TV series episode "War of the Robots":
FP is certainly the best SF movie ever made, at least until 2001 came along 12 years later, in 1968.
Sorry, but you can’t leave The Day The Earth Stood Still out of the mix, even if it was a few years earlier (1951).
The robot in Lost In Space didn't have a name. They simply called him "Robot", or "The Robot". Robby appeared in 3 episodes of LIS.
Fate of the original “Robby” suit:
In 1971 the original 1956 Robby the Robot was sold to Jim Brucker and put on display at his Movie World / Cars of the Stars Museum, near Disneyland in Buena Park, California, where he was often vandalized by visitors.
Robot historian Fred Barton was commissioned to restore Robby to his original 1956 state while the robot was still on display at the museum. Barton used original duplicate replacement parts made for the Forbidden Planet suit by MGM’s prop department.
It was, however, in a desperate condition once again several years later.
The museum closed its doors in 1980, and Robby, along with his vehicle, original MGM spare parts, and shipping containers were sold to William Malone.
Malone noted that Robby had once again fallen into a state of disrepair.
Having built the first ever replica of Robby in 1973, Malone was able to carefully restore the robot prop to its original condition using additional spare parts which the original builders had stocked in Robby’s stage cases some 25 years earlier.[5]
The original Robby the Robot remains in Malone’s collection as of 2015.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robby_the_Robot#Later_appearances
Re: The robot in Lost In Space didn’t have a name. They simply called him “Robot”, or “The Robot”. Robby appeared in 3 episodes of LIS.
Correction: make that TWO episodes, A B&W titled, ‘War of the Robots’, and a later color episode called ‘Condemned In Space, about a prison spaceship. Robby was the sole prison guard.
It was a requirement. . . except in Disney films.
Wrong robot. . .
He is a mad scientist and I am his beautiful daughter....
Gotta love pulp SciFi
It was played with a Theremin, a musical instrument that used the field effect of the human body to play.
**The vegetable people were the precursors of Joy Behar.**
I love it when Rush calls her *Maude Bay-Hard.*
You are both quite right!
I apologize, memory failed me!
“The music drives my lady friend nutz! Too bad!”
That was the first use of a Theremin in a major production.
L
“Oh, just one more thing, Mr. The Robot! You say you take 10W-30, but I found a puddle of 10W-40 in your recharge station! Would you care to explain?”
I thought TDTESS was really boring. Could never sit through the whole thing.
The book version was better, though. It was called Farewell To The Master, by Harry Bates.
In it appears the poignant scene, in which Gnut is trying diligently to recreate the dead Klaatu from a recording of his voice saying the only words he ever uttered: "I am Klaatu, and this is Gnut."
His attempt fails because of minute imperfections in the recording. He is able to make a Klaatu that lives a few minutes, but soon dies as a result of these imperfections.
In the 1970s, there was a band called Klaatu that many people thought was actually The Beatles. It was formed after The Beatles broke up, and the desire was so strong among many of their fans to resurrect them.
I don't think very many of the fans of Klaatu understood the connection between the name of the band and the sound they were trying to resurrect.
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