This blog was begun Friday night April 24th, and completed the following evening :
Tonight's movie was one I've had my eye on almost since we began our public domain quest. It was called "Tobor the Great"(1954), and the reason I put off watching it all these weeks is that in the promotional frame that appears on the CCC Youtube channel, I got the impression that it was a "kid's movie", the kind of "gee whiz"- inspiring, pre-Space Age serial that would attract 10 year olds en masse to a Saturday Matinee. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, because you have to have a Kid in you to like sci-fi in the first place. You have to have wonder, no matter your age. But when the pandemic began, I just wanted Monsters : Brains at first, and Mad Scientists too, and all the weird stuff I could get my hands on. I wasn't ready for Streamlined Chromium Adventure Stories, which is what I assumed "Tobor" was, so it could wait until the feeling of unease died down, and I would watch it then.
It took several weeks but tonight the time was right, and now I wished I hadn't waited so long, because the title is correct : "Tobor" is one "Great" movie!
Charles Drake plays "Dr. Ralph Harrison", in charge of monitoring the health of potential astronauts as they are subjected to the extreme physical testing required before man can be sent into space. After a recruit is nearly killed during a centrifuge g-force test, Drake feels the program managers are being reckless with human life, and he resigns in disgust from the space agency ( named something like CISF, this was before NASA existed). The next day, his colleague, a technological genius named Professor Nordstrom (Taylor Holmes), comes calling to try and persuade Drake to come back.
Nordstrom agrees with Drake that the tests are too dangerous, added to the risk of sending men up in nuclear-powered rockets, but then tells him that he has a solution to the problem. He invites Drake to his home the next evening, where a demonstration will be given to a dozen respected guests, including famous scientists and a reporter with exclusive access. When Drake arrives, he meets the Professor's 11 year old nephew Brian (Billy Chapin), who's known by his nickname "Gadge" (he loves gadgets). Gadge is a boy genius with an aptitude for mathematics. He wants to attend the meeting too, as all boys would, but the Professor tells him that this time it's not possible, because what will be shown is Top Secret, and Gadge doesn't have such a clearance. He does rig up a set of headphones with an extension cord, however, so Gadge can listen from his room.
The meeting begins, and after a short preamble, Professor Nordstrom raises a hydraulic platform and a tall cylinder appears. Using a remote control device, he opens the cylinder to reveal a robot, whom he introduces as Tobor : "that's robot spelled backwards". Pleased at his little joke, he goes on to explain that the robot is able to think critically and make the split second decisions that would occur during a space mission. Some technical specs are discussed and then the reporter asks a pertinent question, "Okay, professor. Let's say he could act as a pilot and perform any of the mechanical duties that might come up, but what about the unexpected? What happens if there's an occurrence he isn't programmed for, what then"?
A sly smile creases the Professor's face. "Ahh, yes. I was expecting someone might ask that". Taking the remote control device, which resembles a small ray gun, he flips a switch and startles the assembled with his answer. "I've considered emergency situations where he'd not know how to respond, and so we developed, Karl and I (his assistant), a beam that will allow us to communicate with Tobor by mental telepathy. That way, if there is an onboard problem, we can show him how to deal with it via Though Transfer".
The reporter : "Are you telling me that bag of bolts can think"?
"In a manner of speaking, yes. And he can do more than that; he can also feel emotion. Here, we will try a little experiment. Come up here if you will, and project goodwill at him. Think a welcoming thought".
The reporter indulges him and "thinks" a hello at Tobor, who responds by reaching out his metal arm for a handshake.
"Now if you will, try projecting enmity". The reporter laughs, but thinks an "unfriendly" thought. Tobor smacks him to the ground.
"So you see, gentlemen, he is quite capable of spontaneity! We will need to perform further tests to ensure the long range communication mechanism is failsafe, but otherwise, he is mission ready. We can use Tobor and other robots like him until space flight is proven safe enough for man to take over".
The demonstration is a huge success. Dr. Drake is back on board and all the scientists in attendance are mightily impressed. But wait........after the guests have departed, Drake notices something. "Professor? Didn't you say there were to be twelve guests this evening"?
"Yes".
"But I count thirteen chairs".
This is not good. We in the audience have already noticed a silent gentleman hanging around the space lab, looking Slightly Sinister in his rimless glasses. Tonight at the Professor's house, we saw him present his papers at the gate. The guard waved him through, but he wasn't legit. Naturally, he's a Commie Spy, but they can't track him down because he used a fake name and licence plates. And now he has all the information on Tobor!
The plot will do a one-eighty now, and what you were expecting to be a space adventure will turn into a Cold War thriller, but all of Tobor's attributes will still come into play, especially his much-vaunted ESP. Before the communists can carry out their Evil Plan to abduct him, Tobor will bond with young Gadge, and their emotional connection will become an important factor after he and the Professor go missing one night, following a meeting at the Griffith Park Observatory.
In this sense, the story does have an element of "boy's adventure". Gadge actually says things like "gee willikers", giving his character genuine 1950s appeal. He will have to learn how to control the mighty Tobor all on his own, and a lot of furniture will be destroyed before he gets the hang of it, but Gadge trusts his instincts and believes in his own scientific flights of fancy. He's a kid Spielberg would love, and I'll bet SS saw this movie as a boy himself.
I loved "Tobor the Great". It had an exciting story, with a total plot switch halfway through. It had some great stock footage in the opening scenes of actual g-force testing. I'm guessing this was taken at an Air Force facility for jet pilots, as we hadn't even put up a satellite yet, let alone selected the Mercury astronauts in 1954, but yeah, there's also some stock atomic blasts, lots of great hardware. Tobor is one of the coolest looking robots I've ever seen, and I was pleased to discover that he was designed by our old pal Robert Kinoshita, who we recently mentioned for his work on "The Phantom Planet".
Besides the idea of using ESP to communicate with a robot, there is a lot that is futuristic about this film. Professor Nordstrom lives in a "smart" house, where every appliance is operated by photoelectric cell. He has a security gate that opens on coded sound waves. His clock even tells the time in a Siri-like voice. He's got Bill Gates beat by several decades. In playing the genial Professor, Taylor Holmes steals the show. He was an early actor whose career began on the stage in 1900! So he'd already been around 54 years when he made this picture, which makes him the perfect foil for the youthful Billy Chapin as his energetic nephew Gadge.
The movie is very Spielbergian in it's portrayal of the villains also, as they are EE-vil enough to threaten Gadge with Terrible Harm if he will not do their bidding, but he has the Gee Whiz factor in his favor, something Mr. S has often used in his own films.
"Tobor the Great", shot in black and white, in part at Iverson Ranch, is a terrific movie that gets "Two Huge Thumbs Up" and a big recommendation from me. We've hit the Trifecta, folks - three outstanding movies in a row. Hopefully we can keep it going! :):)
Tune in later tonight to find out. I'll see you then at the Usual Time.
Tons and tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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