Tobor the Great
| Tobor | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Lee Sholem |
| Produced by | Richard Goldstone |
| Written by | Carl Dudley Philip MacDonald |
| Starring |
Charles Drake Karin Booth Billy Chapin |
| Music by | Howard Jackson |
| Cinematography | John L. Russell Jr. |
| Edited by | Basil Wrangell |
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Production
company |
Dudley Pictures Corporation
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| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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77 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Tobor the Great (a.k.a. Tobor) is a 1954 American black-and-white science fiction film from Republic Pictures, produced by Richard Goldstone, directed by Lee Sholem, that stars Charles Drake, Karin Booth, and Billy Chapin. The film was written by Carl Dudley and Philip MacDonald.
The storyline involves Dr. Ralph Harrison, who resigns his government post in protest against the inhumane treatment being inflicted upon spaceship pilots. His colleague, Professor Nordstrom, develops an alternative: a robot that he names "Tobor" (the reverse anagram of "robot"), which soon becomes a friend and playmate to Harrison's young son, "Gadge". Tobor is stolen by enemy agents, and only the two scientists' and Gadge's psychic link with the robot can save it from being reprogrammed and used for evil purposes against the USA.
At his underground laboratory in Los Angeles, Professor Nordstrom (Taylor Holmes), worried that manned space exploration is too dangerous, enlists the help of Dr. Ralph Harrison (Charles Drake), who recently left the new government-appointed Civil Interplanetary Flight Commission. The two scientists embark on a research project to create a robot that can replace a human for space flight. Nordstrom's daughter, Janice Roberts (Karin Booth), and her 11-year-old son Brian (Billy Chapin), nicknamed “Gadge”, become very interested in the project.
When a press conference is called to announce the creation of "Tobor", reporters, such as the inquisitive journalist Gilligan (Alan Reynolds), are invited to Professor's Harrison's home to see the remarkable invention. In order to undertake space travel, the remote-controlled robot has been given some human capabilities, including the ability to "feel" emotions and react via a telepathic device built into his robotic brain. Under the watchful eyes of Harrison's trusted assistant Karl (Franz Roehn), the giant robot Tobor is unveiled and then demonstrated. Unknown to the scientists, a foreign spy chief (Steven Geray) has quietly joined the group of reporters; he quickly draws up a plan to steal the robot.
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Wikipedia