Tobor the Great (1954)

I love this movie so much

Fantastic!

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

As of late, I've been spending my time watching vintage Horror and Sci-Fi movies and one of the most surprising things I've discovered is that many of these movies- often low budget, Poverty Row productions- are Light Years ahead of Contemporary movies when it comes to sheer Entertainment Value; movies like TOBOR, THE GREAT, for instance. The movie is well-written AND well directed and it deserves to be much better known than it is. With all due respect to Robby the Robot, I'd much rather have a Tobor action figure/model on my shelf (Gort's a different story, however...). (In the short story upon which THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL is based, the robot is called Trog- "Gort," spelled backwards... or is that sideways...? TOBOR is, of course, Robot spelled backward. Coincidence...?) Tobor tears through doors and walls and electrified fences in impressive fashion, but his greatest feat may be commandeering a jeep to take off in pursuit of the villains. TOBOR, THE GREAT is Great Fun, no two ways about it.

I saw this film when i was ten years old and it made a big impression on me.So much so that I sat through the main film again so that I could watch Tobor again.I must have been in the cinema for six hours.The only other time I saw it was on a kids Saturday matinée a couple of years later.I have never seen it shown on TV,I wonder if it has been? It might seem corny now,but to a young boy in the early fifties it was magic.I have never forgotten it and I was really pleased to find all the info about the film when I Googled it. I see the DVD is due to be released in 2009 so I will get the chance to watch Tobor for the first time in fifty years.I am sure I will still enjoy it and it will bring back memories of a simpler time.

Kindly Professor Arnold Nordstrom (the excellent Taylor Holmes) and humane, no-nonsense Dr. Ralph Harrison (a lively and engaging performance by Charles Drake) create a robot called Tobor (Lew Smith in a cool metallic suit) who can feel human emotions and has superhuman strength. Tobor develops a telepathic link with Professor Nordstrom's smart, mischievous grandson Gadge (an endearingly spunky portrayal by Billy Chapin). When Nordstrom and Gadge are kidnapped by a no-count gang of covert agents, Tobor comes to their rescue. Director Lee Sholem relates the neat story at a steady pace and does a solid job of maintaining an amiably lightweight tone throughout. This film further benefits from winningly sincere acting by a sturdy cast: Karin Booth as Nordstrom's fetching daughter Janice, Steven Geray as the nefarious foreign spy chief, William Shallert as folksy reporter Johnson, Franz Roehn as Nordstrom's grouchy assistant Karl, Henry Kulky as mean brute Paul, and Peter Brocco as the antsy Dr. Gustav. John L. Russell's stark black and white cinematography and Howard Jackson's robust, stirring score are both up to snuff. The warm relationship between Tobor and Gadge is genuinely charming and touching while the scenes of Tobor in action are very cool and exciting. But what really makes this film so special and appealing is its marvelous surplus of pure heart. A disarmingly sweet little treat.

I was a little girl when this came out. I saw it in the theater and was spellbound. I only saw it once, but remembered it all my life. I just bought it and could not be happier. It is very much for children, but I will always hold it dear. I think the plot is fun. The robot is great and the people are funny, but all in all this is a film I would take any one to see, big or small. It just makes you feel good to watch it. I wish that there were more movies made this wholesome. The title is wonderful too. Robot spelled backwards. You just can't lose with a movie like this. I would give it a big thumbs up!!!!