I wasn't quite into Isaac Asimov at that age, but I watched a show called Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot, an import from Japan redubbed for the American syndicated television market. It was about a boy who fights alien enemies with a giant robot that he controls. (That along with Ultraman and Spectreman, were some interesting Japanese programs that I liked - but I digress).
With Star Wars, although they were called "droids," the robot phase became more intense. On TV, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century brought us Twiki. And later we saw the advent of Shogun Warriors and the Transformers.
Throughout the decades there seemed to be pairings similar to Johnny Sokko with boys or teens partnering with robot sidekicks. Along with Luke and the droids, the great animated movies Iron Giant and Big Hero Six shared the theme. And of course who can forget the pair in Lost in Space?
What is the fascination? And were you a robot maniac like I was? Whether Ultron, Red Tornado, or Robotman - did you like the comic book robots?
All things robotic today.... chew the fat! Or in other words, "Klaatu barada nikto!"
22 comments:
For us British kids in the '70s the most famous robot on TV was Doctor Who's robotic dog called K-9.
K-9. . . all the mobility disadvantages of a Dalek. . . heh. . .
I am an absolute SUCKER for the common robotic theme of emergent sentience and, ultimately, person-hood/humanity. Asimov's Bicentennial Man (story, not film); IRON GIANT; the A.I. moonbase in MOON; the Vision, of course (different creature, though, really); Mr Data from STNG. Others, like the Star Wars droids and the Robot from Lost In Space tickled me to death when I was younger, but I kind of find them tiresome now, because their personalities seem to exist as a hocus-pocus of "who knows how things like this happen?"--- or else there's a short-cut of "programmed" personalities created by scientists. . . which seems like a non-science-savvy writer's short-cut.
But--- I do like me some well-written robots, make no mistake!
HB
Yeah, I like Data, too (been watching TNG most nights for the past few weeks).
Of those you have pictured, I particularly like Twiki, just because I have a fondness for that oh-so-campy and oh-so-'70s Buck Rogers series (the first season, anyway); I also love the Iron Giant and the Robots animated movie.
And I like the humorous take on robotic characters, like Bender in Futurama, and Andy the cowardly robot in another underappreciated '70s series, Quark. On that note, another of my favorite robots appeared in the only good episode of Galactica 1980: the Cylon that Starbuck repaired and reactivated, who basically stole the show - they could have done an entire series with just those two trading quips while marooned on that barren planet.
Love the robots!!!! Vision, Machine Man, Sonny (i robot) and HAL9000 are great. I especially like when they are written to sacrifice themselves to save humans, like in the Iron Giant. It somehow makes them seem like what people aspire to be. They can also be the most terrifying, like Terminators or the house in Demon Seed (70's movie).
Hi, do any of you older Bronzers (I was born in 61) recall Tobor the 8th Man or Gigantor??? Some awesome robot cartoons to a young boy who only had one lonely little black and white TV to watch it on, lol.
Edo, huge Quark fan here, thanks for the mention.. How about Boxy and Muffet the robot dog in vintage Galactica..?
Also been taking the missus through virtually all the years of Next Gen, purchased the 41-disk Blu-ray set last year.
NOTE: I did avoid a fair share of Season 1 and 2 episodes due to their still-to-be-polished writing problems. Oddly, she doesn't want to watch any Borg episodes since she's a bit scared of 'em; which is tough since my fav is 'Best of Both Worlds', and 'course that leaves out 'First Contact' as well. I did manage to have her watch 'I Borg', with the Hugh character.
It's pretty easy to start talking about the distinctions between robots, androids, A.I.'s, and cyborgs, isn't it? Heck, IIRC, the distinction isn't even that clear in Capek's play R.U.R. (where the word was first coined, I believe), as the Robots/artificial people end up revolting and demand to be taught how to reproduce (or something). They're portrayed much more as androids as opposed to being mechanical automatons.
Another particular favorite of mine is in THE LONELY from the first season of Twilight Zone. The convict serving a sentence on a desert asteroid-- and a pal leaves a robotic woman to keep him company? Played by Jean Marsh, I believe. The short story adaptation (Serling adapted several of his scripts to short stories in FROM THE TWILIGHT ZONE [1962]-- I HIGHLY recommend picking this book up from Amazon. . . ) is, if anything, stronger than the filmed episode, and the ending is just devastating. You keep looking at the page, hoping that somehow the words are going to change. . .
HB
I liked Twiki too; Mel Blanc was perfect for the voice. Anybody remember the show Small Wonder, with the robot disguised as a girl (Vicki, I think she was called)? I watched it when it came out, but I'm thinking it probably doesn't hold up too well :)
(Today's topic makes me wonder how many have failed the "Please prove you're not a robot" challenge at the bottom of the page; I almost always pass ...)
Robby the Robot for me. Partly reflected glory because the movie is so cool and quietly subversive, and partly because his design and concept are so strong.
I've never really associated the Marvel Vision with robothood. Like Rom he seemed (at least in the SA and BA) more man than a robot.
Machine Man is up there with the best - his extendable limbs are a great concept and his personality is interesting too.
Charlie Horse 47- Tobor no, Gigantor yes. Used to see it on WLS via our local cable.
HB- with that Twilight Zone book, you just added another to my near- infinite search list...
My fave robots: "Robot" from "Lost in Space". Arms waving, screaming "Warning, Warning!"- A bit cheesy but I love it!
Marvin, from "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ". The very definition of a robot with a bad attitude. If I had a robot, it would probably sit in a corner and sulk also.
Wall-E and EVA- can't say enough about how good that movie was. How they portray so much personality is astounding. Pixar never ceases to amaze...
Redartz, your comment about Pixar reminded me of another much more recent robot I really liked: BB-8. I didn't think a basketball could have so much personality...
Mike, SMALL WONDER reruns faaaaar more than is necessary on one of the lower-end local broadcast "oldtime TV" stations 'round here. Usually along with MR BELVEDERE. HBGirl and I have declared SmWonder as the worst television show ever produced. It's truly an abomination. Not even so-bad-it's-good status-- more like an-assault-on-the-gene-pool level of bad. Every choice made for that show was the wrong one. . .
(And I'm even keepin' an open mind, here!)
HB
I can't help but toss out one bone, though. The girl playing the Robot/Vicki was admirably consistent in maintaining that robot persona, with the voice and deadpan-yet-attentive expression. Heck, even Leonard Nimoy and Brent Spiner could be occasionally caught reading as more "human" than they were supposedly intended to be. Never underestimate the discipline and determination of young actors, nope. . .
HB
As if anyone thought there could be a robot topic and I not have something to say.....
HB - just to jump on your K9 comment. America answered back 4 months later with "Rover" the computer dog on Wonder Woman. I'm not sure how many episodes "he" appeared in, mostly delivering the mail and one liners, but I'm sure he did not have the cultural impact that K9 did.
When the wife was pregnant with our first, I would lean against her stomach and say "Beedee beedee beedee". Twiki's line from Buck Rogers. When she was born and I could see that she was a girl, I changed it to "Peedee peedee peedee", combining pretty with Twiki's line. Going on 24 years later, I still call her that.
Favorite robot story - from the realm of scifi, a company in introducing robots to help augment the police force. A robot with an encyclopedic knowledge of the justice system is paired with a beat cop. Things go horribly wrong and results in the mayor's son being injured in a automobile accident. The worst thing about the pairing, the constant hum, much like we get from fluorescent lights. Present during the night's trial, and hulking, non-speaking, black suited man from "one of those alphabet agencies". By morning, the robot is turned off and boxed back up, yet the police man can still hear that constant annoying hum. As he walks out of the precinct, he exchanges a few words with the departing agent. As the agent goes to open the door, he has to give it a huge pull to dislodge the stuck door. The cop can hear the metal rip and turns to see the agent slamming the door shut. As the cop turns to walk down the street, he notices the hum is gone.....
Still can't remember the name of the story or where I read it.....
(You're wondering who I am (secret secret I've got a secret)
Machine or mannequin (secret secret I've got a secret)
With parts made in Japan (secret secret I've got a secret)
I am the modern man
I've got a secret I've been hiding under my skin
My heart is human, my blood is boiling, my brain I.B.M.
So if you see me acting strangely, don't be surprised
I'm just a man who needed someone, and somewhere to hide
To keep me alive, just keep me alive
Somewhere to hide, to keep me alive
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto, domo...domo
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto, domo...domo
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto).
PS: In a world of robots, the solar powered model is king......
@HB: Hmmm, so she was either a really great actress or a really bad one who stumbled into the right part :) But yeah, the best thing about Small Wonder was probably Edie McClurg as the neighbour.
I used to watch Mr. Belvedere too ... kinda had a thing for Ilene Graff :)
Hiya,
Did anybody here ever see the 1957 film 'The Invisible Boy' that marked Robby the Robot's second cinematic appearance. I saw it before getting the opportunity to view 'Forbidden Planet' and had no knowledge of the earlier film's existence.
Hey, I was a kid, okay?
I remember it as being a rather light dabble concerning a boy and his robot doing the things that a boy with a robot would do, flying on a gigantic kite, turning invisible to freak out the parental units and unwittingly help a super computer take over the world.
You know, the things we all wanted to do when young and innocent.
Anyhoo, here's a link to some info about the flick.
https://themotionpictures.net/2015/12/06/the-invisible-boy-1957/
Seeya,
pfgavigan
ps, the 'I'm not a robot' button on the page is kinda amusing.
Ha- Prowl, you totally win the thread with your daughter's nickname anecdote-- heh, good one.
I just checked on Wikipedia-- SMALL WONDER somehow managed to linger for four seasons (!!!). Cripes-- Star Trek & Gilligan's Island only got three?? Firefly got THIRTEEN EPISODES?? Granted, it looks like it cost about $1.50 to produce, but still. . .
Ol' Robbie the Robot! He was every-flippin'-where in the 50's & 60's, wasn't he? I'm not sure there wasn't a television he didn't make an appearance on at some point. I also looked him up on Wikipedia a few years ago. . . and immediately recognized that his "complete" list of television appearances was faaaaaar from it. His asymmetrical little radar-dish ear-thingies were always my favorite aspect of the design. . .
Hmmmm-- the Tin Man. . . is he a actually a robot from before the invention of the word? He was once a human woodsman who had several misfortunes with his axe(s), until he had a wholly artificial body. Maybe a cyborg?
HB
Interesting topic here, and timely too - today's news featured an article about the European Union creating regulations for robots and AI. The future might arrive sooner than we think!
For me it's the Vision (android), Shogun Warriors (giant robots) and Six Million Dollar Man (cyborg) as my top choices. Honourable mentions go out to Deathlok, C3PO & R2-D2, Machine Man, Cylons, and the Terminator!
- Mike 'more machine than man' from Trinidad & Tobago.
Mike and HB, you have reawakened the long locked away memory of SMALL WONDER. I thought I had buried it all these years! Wow.
pffavigan, I vaguely remember the Invisible Boy; I actually think I must have seen that before Forbidden Planet also. Taking a look at Wikipedia, I did not recall Robbie appearing in Lost in Space battling their robot. I did recall him however on Columbo in that child genius's lab in an episode. And I see he was also on Wonder Woman with Lynda Carter.
I'm glad Machine Man was mentioned as I kind of liked that character. The Aaron Stack character was different than Vision or other androids; I liked that he was on his own and trying to make it. There was a quite good MTU annual with Machine Man in it. It also reminded me that my younger brother watched Inspector Gadget but it was past my cartoon watching prime.
Twiki seems to be popular; I too enjoyed his appearances on Buck Rodgers. I haven't seen that show in decades, but I do recall thinking Twiki was a highlight.
The Tin Man.. the First Cyborg! Sounds like a retcon in the making. Scarecrow as a zombie, Dorothy a heavily weaponed time traveler, and the lion a clone of an extinct animal. Now I'm thinking like a Hollywood executive...
That "I'm Not a Robot" test seems kind of discriminatory after today's comments. (And why do I have such a hard time identifying storefronts)?
Hiya,
Hey Martinex, the really scary thing is that I've seen some ads for something called 'Emerald City' that appears to be very much in the vein of what you are talking about.
So how long have you been a Hollywood executive and how do you intend to repent for your sins?
Seeya
pfg
For me, it was all about the robot toys. In the late '60s, I think I received a new battery operated robot for Christmas and birthday every year. They had cool designs, flashing lights and different attachment claws, magnet hands, treaded feet ... hours of fun!
A topic of endless interest. Like Edo and David, I've been watching Star Trek: The Next Generation lately. I got the blu-ray set during a Black Friday sale and have gone through seasons 3-7 sequentially (like David, I could not bring myself to watch seasons 1 and 2, not yet anyway). Data has many very good episodes, but the stand outs to me are "Measure of a Man" and "The Offspring." In one, a trial is held to determine if he is a sentient being, and in the other, he creates another android -his child. Both are Trek at its best. Although we are constantly told that Data has no emotions, his behavior does seem to contradict this much of the time. I don't really know that the addition of his "emotion chip" was necessary.
I never saw the Jonny Soko TV series but when I was a kid, KTLA in Los Angeles would show the Jonny Soko movie several times a year. I loved how "Giant Robot" would shoot missiles out of his fingers! What a great toy!
I recall seeing the Invisible Boy a couple of times. Robby really got around. He was modified a number of times to appear on other shows or movies, or was just left 'as-is'. A terrific design.
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