User reviews

"Tobor the Great" is lightly amusing, engaging sci-fi, which could well be described as the tale of "a boy and his robot". People such as Dr. Ralph Harrison (Charles Drake, "It Came from Outer Space") and the eminent Professor Arnold Nordstrom (Taylor Holmes, "Kiss of Death" '47) don't believe that human beings should be subjected to the unknown perils of space travel. So Nordstrom has hit upon the answer: the title robot, which has been designed to be a sentient being which people can communicate with telepathically. When enemy agents kidnap Nordstrom and his grandson "Gadge" (Billy Chapin, "The Night of the Hunter"), to force the old man to divulge his secrets, Tobor swings (so to speak) into action.

There's a lot of set-up to get to the pay-off in this minor but diverting, and mostly harmless, story. Tobor may be no Robby the Robot, but "he" is a fairly cool character nonetheless. The movie is always fun when Tobor is stomping around, breaking things, offering a hand in friendship, foiling the bad guys...and, in the movies' most priceless sequence, driving a jeep.

Some of the human characters take some time getting used to. Harrison comes off as a volatile jerk at first, and "Gadge" is the perfect stereotype of a kid of that era, given to proclamations such as "Gosh!" and "Gee willikers!" But the cast delivers amiable performances (they're NOT terrible). Also co-starring are Karin Booth ("Jungle Man-Eaters"), Steven Geray ("Spellbound"), Hal Baylor ("A Boy and His Dog"), Peter Brocco ("Johnny Got His Gun"), Alan Reynolds ("Cape Fear" '62), William Schallert ('The Patty Duke Show'), Robert Shayne ('Adventures of Superman'), and Lyle Talbot ("Plan 9 from Outer Space"). Holmes has a warm, wise presence as the egghead who sets the story in motion.

As was said, it's not completely harmless. People may wince at the fact that the bad guys are prepared to torture young Gadge to get the old man to spill the beans.

Fortunately, "Tobor the Great" never dwells too long on unpleasantness, and heads towards a rousing conclusion where our hero robot saves the day. Fans of 1950s sci-fi may find it charming.

Six out of 10.

First, let me say that I am very, very sorry if this movie is not up to some reviewers' standards for 50-year-old movies. I don't really think we need to compare this to "Bicentennial Man" (what a hunk of junk and an embarrassment for Robin Williams!) or "The Iron Giant" (an animated film made 45 years later with the aid of computer graphics).

Second, let me say that I'm also sorry that this film may occasionally give the impression that there might be some negative or dangerous aspects to space travel or the space program. Other than three Apollo crew members perishing in a fire on the pad, and the near-tragedy of Apollo 13, and two space shuttle crews...but I digress.

This movie is about a robot and some bad guys. There's a kid, too. The bad guys lose and the kid and robot win. Plus, the robot has a neat name.

The end.

(BTW, this movie has what is by far my favorite "robot driving a jeep" scene of all time. This is not quite as impressive as a mad snowman driving a car, but it's pretty darn close.) Enjoy it!

To be honest, the only reason I'm commenting is because I remember seeing this film in the theater when I was six years old, and it made quite an impression on me. I was fascinated with robots (to an unhealthy degree!), and the "robot spelled backwards" really stuck with me.

I would love to see it again. It could be one of those "so bad it's funny" movies, the kind that were perfect for Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Having a robot who could think and had emotions is a pretty advanced concept for the age.

Watch this one with child-like eyes and you'll have a great time. Tobor ('robot' spelled backwards) is the invention of an elderly scientific genius who develops a robot to serve as the pilot for dangerous space flights in place of human astronauts. The inventor's grandson (Billy Chapin) befriends the robot during the development of its complex brain and artificial personality. Commie spies kidnap the inventor and the boy, attempting to get their hands on the valuable robot.

Tobor is incapable of speech, which gives the robot an interesting quality of mystery and strangeness. But he does have the ability to sense human thoughts and emotions. In other words, he can tell when someone is up to no good!

In the climax, Tobor has to break out of his own lab to rescue the boy from the evil commies who kidnapped the youth to gain control of the robot. Although Tobor is less agile that a human being, he moves around much better than Robby or Gort -- which comes in handy when Tobor has to lift the back end of the bad guy's car and prevent them from escaping!

Tobor's physical design is pretty impressive. Although it doesn't have the aesthetic appeal of Robby or Gort, he is solidly constructed and a pleasure to watch in action. The movie includes a scene in which the inventor opens up Tobor's chest to show his interior to a group of reporters at a press conferences when Tobor is presented to the public. Obviously the reason for the scene is show the audience that this is no mere suit with a man inside. It's a real robot!

It's a nice little touch in a movie designed to inspire younger viewers . . . and to entertain older ones.

'Tobor the Great' is a terrific kid's-fantasy-come-true story. Admitttedly, the direction by Lee Sholem is decidedly unskilled, and young Chapin is a mediocre actor at best (he's no Michel Ray of 'The Space Children', I'm sorry to say), but Charles Drake ('It Came from Outer Space') holds his own as the boy's father. William Shallert ('The Monolith Monsters' and several other 1950s classics) plays one of the reporters in the scene mentioned earlier.

A prerecorded tape was available a few years ago, but you'll have trouble finding it now. If a DVD comes out, it's worth the money if you have a soft spot in your heart for the sincere and unique efforts the 1950s sci-fi films.

I thought this was going to be the typical 50s sci-fi b-movie and it's not. Not only does it have a plot and good acting, there's almost no sci-fi in it. Just a robot. It's more like a feel good family movie. One way it was like an old b-movie was that it had lots of stuff that wasn't needed. It could have easily been 20 minutes shorter. Definitely worth seeing once.

I'm sure surprised to see that this film only has an overall IMDb score of 4.7--talk about a tough audience! Sure, by today's standards the film might seem dated or even quaint, but in its day it was a dandy little sci-fi yarn--and is still pretty entertaining today.

The film is about a really cool elderly scientist. His home is an amazing compound complete with traps and high-tech gadgets and he is working on a robot (named 'TOBOR' in his hidden basement lab--a place even Batman would be proud to own). Charles Drake is a younger scientist of like mind who comes to work with him on TOBOR. The idea is to have a robot that can be controlled from Earth and used to safely explore space. Unfortunately, the evil Commies (though they are never explicitly called 'Communists' in the film) want the plans for TOBOR and will do anything to get it--anything.

The film was obviously meant to appeal to children as well, with young Billy Chapin playing the scientist's precocious grandson--a kid who is as smart as many adult scientists. But I never found the kid as annoying or cloying as precocious kids in some movies. Oh, and by the way, Billy is Lauren Chapin's real-life brother. Fans of "Father Knows Best" may remember her as the youngest in the family, 'Kitten'.

Overall, highly entertaining and fun despite some limitations imposed by a lower budget. Yes, the Earth does NOT revolve the wrong direction in space nor is it surrounded by space clouds! And, the stars look fake because they are all the same brightness. But, even with these minor problems, the film is well worth seeing and is among the better sci-fi films of the day. Clever and cool.

A scientist (Taylor Holmes) resigns from his government job over his concerns that the desire for space travel is dangerous to people's lives and the danger astronauts must go through. He insists that an AI robot should do the same job and has invented one called Tobor (robot spelled backwards). Spies and international saboteurs try to steal his robot. Meanwhile, Tobor befriends the scientists 11 year-old son (Billy Chapin).

A juvenile and low budget sci-fi that proves to be pretty dull, not helped by some poor and pretty stiff acting. Not much happens until the climax at the Griffith Park Planetarium finale.

Baby boomers of a certain age may recall being entertained, back in 1965, by the latest Japanimation product at that time, a TV program called "Tobor the 8th Man," which had its origins in a manga comic in 1963. But almost a full decade before the 8th Man's initial appearance, another Tobor was thrilling baby boomers in America's movie palaces, via 1954's "Tobor the Great." In this surprisingly likable film, the elderly Prof. Nordstrom builds a mechanical simulacrum, operated telepathically; a robot designed to take the place of a human being in the first, ultrahazardous rocket voyage into space. The professor and his 11-year-old grandson, Gadge, soon become the targets of foreign spies, however, so it's a good thing that Tobor is prepared to meet ALL emergency situations! Anyway, "Tobor" is a perfect film for adults to watch with their kiddies. The film has been well directed by Lee Sholem (the man responsible for 1951's "Superman and the Mole-Men"!) and features some very competent acting (especially by Taylor Holmes as the professor and Charles Drake as his assistant) and a compact (the whole film runs only 77 minutes in length), fairly intelligent script; don't believe the wet blankets at Maltinville who claim these latter two aspects are "terrible." As far as Tobor itself is concerned, comparisons to Robby the Robot, in 1956's "Forbidden Planet," are hard to avoid. Tobor might be a taller and thus more imposing creation, which is not to say cooler looking. And lacking the power of "speech," it doesn't have 1/10 the personality of Robby. Still, it is a wholly endearing construct, and the final shot of the big galoot at the controls of Earth's first space rocket is fairly touching. In all, "Tobor" is good, lighthearted sci-fi fun, and demonstrates that a film doesn't necessarily require the resources of an Industrial Light & Magic complex to fashion a memorable robotic character. Tobor might not be Robby or R2-D2, but it sure is a good dude to have on one's side when the chips are down!

Young Brian 'Gage' Roberts (Billy Chapin) finds a robot in his grandfather's secret lab and soon becomes embroiled in a sinister attempt to steal the metal man. The film is meant for children and has many of the usual elements: a precocious kid figures out things that stymie adults, ends up with some talisman that grants them 'power and autonomy' beyond their years (usually with some initial comic side effects), and ultimately saves the day. There were not a lot of early American sci-fi films of this ilk ('The Invisible Boy' (1957) is another example), but the sub-genre was very popular in Japanese kaiju and mecha fantasies (i.a. the 'Gamera' films, the 'Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot' series). Unfortunately, even as kid's movie, Tobor is, at best, mediocre. Plodding and methodical, the film wastes too much time in setting things up (the lengthy prologue featuring V2 launches could have been dispensed with) and not enough time on establishing a rapport between Gage and Tobor, so the scene where the Robot displays 'love' for the boy (according to the grandfather) seems to come out of nowhere. The script is generally dull and the acting bland and, IMO, the titular robot somewhat awkward and clunky (but I'm not a 10-year old in the mid-50s). Oddly, due to the costume's design relative to the actor within, the towering metal man has the proportions of a dwarf. While the film is as expositional as an Ivan Tor's OSI adventure, it is far from 'hard science fiction' but it does illustrate how far back the on-going debate about manned vs. unmanned space exploration goes. Overall, 'Tobor' is a watchable, if unmemorable film for aficionados but I imagine the current crop of kids would only watch the lumbering tin man and the inept Russian-by-any-other-name spies with distain. In 1956, a pilot episode for a TV show called "Here Comes Tobor', featuring the robot and a new cast, was filmed but the series not put into production. The pilot episode ('Tobor and the Atomic Submarine') can be found on-line.

I have to admit having a soft spot for TOBOR THE GREAT, but not for the reasons one might expect. Oh sure, the robot is great, a towering behemoth of tin cans and toasters welded together into a clattering, somewhat clunky suit. He doesn't have much of a personality but he's cool. The scenes where Tobor goes postal and sets off to right wrongs are the best, especially when little Timmy is threatened by the bad Slavic accented spies who want to force his kindly scientist grandpa into spilling his state secrets for them.

And it's here where my interest in the film kicks in. It's a very subtle bit of indoctrination for young viewers into the wonders of America's cold war military industrial complex disguised as a giant rampaging robot movie. The heroes are all sharply uniformed military men or scientists working to further America's dominance in the space race, and the bad guys are all thugs who work for a foreign power with a vested interest in disrupting their progress. They probably don't even celebrate Christmas.

The film is rife with military lingo, helpful Air Force officers, well intentioned grandfatherly politicians who understand the need to keep secrets from the public, and little Timmy eagerly helping things along by his own deft contributions to ensuring for the common defense. It's a great little study about how national security really begins with each of us and our need for vigilance (sound familiar, War On Terror veterans?), hard work, and personal sacrifice. The biggest laugh comes in the opening monologue's passage regarding congress supposedly granting unlimited funding to the Tobor project -- those were the days!

The most interesting character in the film is actually the reporter, absurdly named Gilligan. He's a hard working leathershoe journalist who is determined to break his big story but is sympathetic to the government quashing his efforts when it comes to keeping the marvel of Tobor's development a secret from our enemies, and our friends. Everybody pitches in, including the shapely mom with her fresh, clean, good looks, representing that which we fight to protect back at home, which looks like Ward Cleaver's house. And just like the Beaver's mom I bet she'd be an animal in bed.

The big robot and his flashing lights & funky metallic shoes are just window dressing to keep the kids' interest -- and make no mistake, this film was aimed squarely at the bright 6 to 12 year old future defense industry workers in the audience. The lesson being that if you do well in school, mind your manners at home, and take an active role in the community you too might one day get to build friendly robotic soldiers who are immune to human weaknesses. It's a pretty fun little movie too and a harmless diversion for 9 year olds of all ages.

6/10

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!!!!

Typical Scifi movie of the 50s with likable characters , a giant robot and a good-natured little boy. It deals with Dr. Harrison : Charles Drake and Professor Nordstrom : Taylor Holmes developing the robot Tobor . They announce this scheme at a press conference , then they learn a spy has been taking information. Later on , things go wrong when a group of spies kidnap the little boy and his grandfather . Man-Made monster with every human emotion.

A slight and simple film with a brief intrigue in which a band attempts ro take a robot and carrying out a kidnap . Here the Robot "Tobor the great" steals the show , he is the real star of this production . It was designed by Gabriel Sconamillo and Mel Arnold , while Robert Kinoshita made Robby the Robot for the vintage Sci-fi "Forbidden Planet" 1956 that starred Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis , Leslie Nielsen. Both of whom , Tobor and Robby , are considered to be the most attractive robots of the Golden Age of the Sci-Fi. This Tobor the great inspired a comic-books and a TV series, though the latter never was released . Besides Tobor , being starred by Chales Drake who usually played as a secondary actor , acting in the classy "It Came from Outer Space" , the veteran Taylor Holmes , the kid Billy Chapin and his widow mother performed by Karin Booth. Furthermore, short appearances uncredited from William Schallert and Lyle Talbot, among others .

It was well photographed in Black and White by John Russell . As well as evocative and atmosphetic musical score by Howard Jackson who composed a lot of soundtracks . Produced in low budget by Republic Pictures the picture was professionally directed by Lee Sholem . This filmmaker was a good artisan who made a large number of films about various genres such as Adventures : Tarzan and Magic Fountain, Tarzan and the slave, Hell Ship Mutiny, Ma Pa Kettle Waikiki , Jungle Man-eaters , The Louisiana Hussy , Western : Redhead of Wyoming , Río Apache, Terror : Pharaoh's Curse , SciFi : Superman and the Mole Men , Doonsday Machine , Tobor the great . In addition , he made several episodes of known TV series of the 50s and 60s such as : Adventures of Long John Silver, The Sheriff of Cochise, 77 Sunset Strip, Men into Space, Sugarfoot, Bronco, Cheyenne , Miami Undercover, Death Valley Days, Maverick, among others . The film will appeal to children and vintage Sc-ifi movies enthusiasts .

Tobor, a fifty-gallon drum with legs, must rescue young Billy Chapin, the grandson of it's creator, from the evil commie bad guys (BOO!! HISS!!!) who want to use poor Tobor for their own evil purposes.

A movie that was way behind its time-even for 1954.

If you want a real classic boy-and-his-robot-friend story, check out IRON GIANT, BICENTENNIAL MAN, or even MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000, for that matter.

Rating: * out of *****

True, its budget is small, its special-effects minimal, its appeal somewhat juvenile, but there's a directness and innocence about this boy-and-robot adventure which -- when seen from a modern-day perspective -- is quite appealing. I agree, however, with the author of "Keep Watching the Skies" that the ending is a curious and rather unsettling miscalculation.

'Tobor the Great', wow what a title. If you're a fan of cheesy B-movies from '50s, you know you have to see the film titled like that. 'Tobor the Great' doesn't serve as a monster movie, it is a film more about the kid and his pet robot. Heartwarming science-fiction comedy that could be a classic. Although fairly entertaining the film is quite slow in the pace and uses the ideas presented in the script in very shallow way.

After his concerns about human testing on pilots Professor Nordstrom (Taylor Holmes) invents a robot named Tobor (robot spelled backwards) to fly the first spaceship. He is helped by his colleague Ralph Harrison (Charles Drake) who resigned his government job in protest against human testings on pilots. Nordstrom's grandson Gadge (Billy Chapin) discovers Tobor and they became sort of a friends. Of course, an evil foreign agents want to steal the secrets behind Tobor.

The film is slow moving and its many subplots are underdeveloped exactly like the main premise. Acting is uneven but not too distracting. Special effects are actually very good considering the era and the budget. At least the design of Tobor is not totally laughable. Like I said, 'Tobor the Great' could have been classic, but it is too unpretentious and modest in all the wrong reasons. Still worthy enough to give it a look.

Tobor The Great (1954) is a small budget film with minimal special effects. It is pitched at mainly younger viewers while maintaining entertainment value for older audiences. Lee Sholem's direction maintains the film's story at a steady pace and the acting is solid and genuine.

The character of Tobor the robot comes across as being an implacable, mysterious, potentially dangerous but oddly human-like being.

Consider the premise of a robot that is able to think and display and respond to emotion. A character such as Tobor raises all sorts of questions and dilemmas that we will have to contend with as our technology becomes endowed with artificial intelligence and is increasingly integrated into all aspects of our lives.

"Here Comes Tobor!" Yes, be hopeful....but be cautious lest our technological Tobors are made too much in our own image!

Who "Played" Tobor ? Who fwas in the robot suit ? No credits for the most important character in this silly film . Thats all I want to ssay, but i have to have one hundred and fifty words here . This film is a solid relic of the ninteenfifties, but I bet you could renmake it today with updated effects and plot .

There is early space-race fear of putting human beings in orbit. Of course, pioneering astronauts had no sure things since so much was based on speculation. A man named Nordstrom develops a robot (Tobor, get it?) that could do the same things as a human without the danger to our delicate constitutions. Of course, the Russians get wind of his invention and easily move in on everyone. Since this is basically a kid movie, there is a precocious kid who can't keep his hands off anything. He could have undone millions of dollars in research with his intrusions, but, of course, boy will be boys. To me this is entertaining but it's hard to overcome the dependence on ESP as a conduit to the robot. Throw out all the technology and simply think things. Isn't that the way Professor Harold Hill taught his bands to play their instruments in "The Music Man"?

This Early 50's Sci-Fi Entry Started as a Big-Picture in Widescreen and Color with Richard Carlson in the Lead.

A Serious Film about the Dangers to Astronauts and the Alternative of A. I. or Robots Replacing the Human Pilots.

But as Money was not Forthcoming, it Devolved into a Boy and His Robot Picture with a Script that was Changed to Included "Gosh" and "Gee-Whillikers" and "I just gotta see Tobor, I just gotta", from a Precocious 11 year old (Billy Chapin), Grandson of the Inventor. An Absent Minded Professor (Taylor Holmes).

The Professor's Assistant and Father Figure (Charles Drake) is Never Far from the Kid (nicknamed "Gadge" sheesh) when things get Dangerous. Karin Booth is the Mother and Wears the Obligatory 50's Dress Up with Pearls.

The Plot, after a few False Starts with "Tobor" causing some Domestic Destruction with "Gadge" at the Controls and is Laughed Off as Boys will be Boys, turns more Serious with Communist Spies Infiltrating the Proceedings.

"Tobor" is put through some Training Exercises and shows some Proficiency but Not Without some "Human" Emotion seeping into its Circuits.

He Bonds with "Gadge" Telepathically (ESP is also touched on as a mode of control), and when the Boy and the Professor are Kidnapped "Tobor" is on the Hunt.

The Hostage Scenes are a bit Brutal for a Kids Movie.

Overall, the Good Looking, Sleek, Metallic, and Glass Robot is Low-Budget Impressive with its Determined if sometimes Clunky Adventures around the House/Laboratory and off to Rescue "Gadge" and the Professor.

Worth a Watch for what it is and Not for what it is Not......GREAT POSTER.

TOBOR is one of the handful of familiar 50s sci-fi titles I had never seen. Didn't seem to get much airplay for whatever reason.

The film has an interesting angle with the discussion of whether the space exploration should begin with manned missions or not. And, here the concept of going with a robot is pretty forward looking, to boot. Of course, much of the deeper exploration of this theme is brushed aside once it becomes apparent that this is kiddie matinee stuff featuring a boy and his 'bot (foreshadowing THE INVISIBLE BOY by three years).

The design of Tobor is pretty cool. A definite step up from the usual Tin Man approach with some sleek lines and other interesting design elements. For some reason, they had to add in a form of ESP into its operating system (COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK went one step further and even made that 'bot psychic!). I guess one could be charitable and consider it an early A.I. form of machine learning. Not much really happens once Tobor is introduced, and the main conflict revolves around the old commie spies routine. The elderly scientist's (Taylor Holmes) security is so tight that he can't remember if he invited 12 people or 13 to the unveiling! Thank god for the kid, Brian (Billy Chapin) - aka Gadget - and his gun! The nefarious Russkies are then scared off by a sound effects record! Once the spies are introduced, it's pretty clear what the climax will be, although the sight of Tobor in a jeep and then applying a knuckle sandwich to one of the baddies are pretty amusing. It's also a tad surprising that for a juvenile oriented film that the kid has shirt torn off and threatened with a blow torch.

Veteran writer Philip MacDonald (REBECCA, THE BODY SNATCHER) keeps the plot moving within the confines of the story (Carl Dudley). Lee 'Roll 'Em' Sholem's direction is plain and straightforward. The art direction by Gabriel Scognamillo (also credited with Tobor's basic design) is good for the budget. Howard Jackson's score is standard stuff and falls prey to the old 'lite-hearted' sit-com like backing when the kid is introduced.

TOBOR is average 50s fodder, but, it does have an intriguing notion or two. And, the ending is really fantastic and lifts the whole film up a notch. Tobor into the great beyond!

An inventor of a marvelous robot is captured by evil schemers trying to discover the secret of the robot. An average story with some fine performances but the scope of the story is far too limited and the robot looks like a collection of toys.