IMDb > Tobor the Great (1954)

Tobor the Great (1954) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
4.7/10   154 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 26% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Lee Sholem
Writers:
Carl Dudley (story)
Philip MacDonald (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Tobor the Great on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 September 1954 (USA) more
Genre:
Sci-Fi more
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... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
An amiable boy-and-his-robot tale. more (13 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)
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
Helen Winston ... Miss Baker, CIFC secretary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Daly ... CIFC Scientist with Pipe (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum ... Government Representative (uncredited)
Art Gilmore ... Airport Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Maurice Hill ... Young CIFC Scientist (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock ... Military Man (uncredited)
Lew Smith ... Tobor (uncredited)
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Directed by
Lee Sholem 
 
Writing credits
Carl Dudley (story)

Philip MacDonald (screenplay)

Produced by
Richard Goldstone .... producer
Carl Dudley .... executive producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Howard Jackson 
 
Cinematography by
John L. Russell 
 
Film Editing by
Basil Wrangell 
 
Art Direction by
Gabriel Scognamillo 
 
Set Decoration by
Edward G. Boyle 
John McCarthy Jr. 
 
Makeup Department
Bob Mark .... makeup supervisor
 
Production Management
Orville Fouse .... production supervisor
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herbert E. Mendelson .... assistant director (as Herb Mendelson)
 
Sound Department
T.A. Carman .... sound
Howard Wilson .... sound
 
Special Effects by
Howard Lydecker .... special effects
Theodore Lydecker .... special effects
Melbourne A. Arnold .... robot builder (uncredited)
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial Effects
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
77 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
USA:Approved
Filming Locations:
Griffith Park Observatory, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA more
Company:
Dudley Pictures Corporation more

Fun Stuff

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. more
Quotes:
Brian 'Gadge' Robertson: Gee, Tobor, you're wonderful! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Rate It X (1986) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful.
An amiable boy-and-his-robot tale., 9 September 2008
7/10
Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada

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

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