Robot Monster
Film poster
Directed by	Phil Tucker
Produced by	Producer: Phil Tucker Executive Producer: Al Zimbalist
Written by	Wyott Ordung
Starring	George Nader Claudia Barrett Selena Royle John Mylong Gregory Moffett Pamela Paulson George Barrows
Music by	Elmer Bernstein
Cinematography	Jack Greenhalgh
Editing by	Bruce Schoengarth Merrill White
Distributed by	Astor Pictures Corporation
Release date(s)	Premiere: June 10, 1953
Running time	66 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$16,000 (estimated)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Robot Monster is a 1953 science fiction B-movie made in 3-D by Phil Tucker. Like the more famous "Plan 9 from Outer Space" it is known in bad-film fandom for being "so bad, it's good" and has the dubious honor of being considered one of the "Worst films ever". Its laughable plot line and cheesy special effects has helped it attain status as a cult film. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (460x720, 269 KB) This image is of a movie poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the movie or the studio which produced the movie in question. ... Phil Tucker (1927 — November 30, 1985) was an American film director, writer and producer. ... George Nader (October 9, 1921 — February 4, 2002) was an American film and television actor. ... Elmer Bernstein (pronounced Bern-steen[1]) (April 4, 1922 – August 18, 2004) was an Academy and two-time Golden Globe award winning American film score composer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The year 1953 in film involved some significant events. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... The term B-movie originally referred to a film designed to be distributed as the lower half of a double feature, often a genre film featuring cowboys, gangsters or vampires. ... In film, the term 3-D (or 3D) is used to describe any visual presentation system that attempts to maintain or recreate moving images of the third dimension, the illusion of depth as seen by the viewer. ... Phil Tucker (1927 — November 30, 1985) was an American film director, writer and producer. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed compared to the rest of the article. ... Plan 9 from Outer Space, considered so bad its good by some, is also a contender for Worst Movie Ever Made. Although taste and judgment are subjective, the films listed here have achieved a significant level of infamy through critical and popular consensus to be considered among the worst... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Plot

The evil alien "Ro-Man" has destroyed all but eight humans with his death ray, the "Calcinator". Survivors include a family of five, a scientist and two unseen men in a spacecraft bound for the orbiting space platform. All eight have developed an immunity to the death ray as a side effect of an antibiotic serum developed by the scientist. Ro-Man must destroy these survivors before his invasion of earth is complete. He is waylaid in his mission after developing an attraction towards Alice, the eldest daughter of the family. He refuses to eliminate her, forcing "The Great Guidance", leader of the aliens, to personally finish the unsavory task.

Production

Twenty-five-year-old writer/director Phil Tucker made Robot Monster in four days for an estimated $16,000. The film is similar in plot to Invaders from Mars, released a month earlier by Fox. Both pictures contain a young boy stumbling upon an alien invasion and is captured by the alien as he struggles to save his family and himself. As the alien commences the final destruction of earth the boy awakens to find it was all a dream. The film grossed $1,000,000 in its initial release.^[1]. It was filmed in Bronson Canyon, the site of innumerable motion pictures and TV settings.^[2]. The soundtrack was composed by Elmer Bernstein, who also composed the music for Cat Women of the Moon the same year^[3] The film's special effects include stock footage from the 1940 picture One Million B.C., 1951's Lost Continent, and Flight to Mars spliced into the film.^[1] Invaders from Mars is a 1953 science fiction motion picture. ... The famous cave opening at Bronson Canyon Bronson Canyon is a location in Griffith Park, California that has become famous as the setting for an astounding number of movies and TV shows filmed throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. ... Cat-Women of the Moon is a 1953 Science fiction 3-D film directed by Arthur Hilton. ... Stock footage, also termed archive footage, library pictures and file footage is film or video footage that is reused in a film. ... The year 1940 in film involved some significant events. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... See also: 1950 in film 1951 1952 in film 1950s in film 1940s in film years in film film Events Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati Top grossing films North America David and Bathsheba Show Boat tie The Great Caruso and An... The Lost Continent (1951) is a science fiction film, starring Cesar Romero and Hillary Brooke. ... DVD cover of Flight to Mars Flight to Mars was a 72-minute 1951 Cinecolor science fiction film, written for the screen by Arthur Strawn. ...

Ro-Man and the Billion Bubble Machine

The film was shot and projected in dual-strip, polarized 3-D. The stereoscopic photography in the film is considered by many critics to be of a high quality, and is an extra honor in favor to the crew, who had no experience with the previously unused camera rig.^[4] Image File history File links Robertmonster4. ... Image File history File links Robertmonster4. ... In film, the term 3-D (or 3D) is used to describe any visual presentation system that attempts to maintain or recreate moving images of the third dimension, the illusion of depth as seen by the viewer. ...

In the film's opening credits, "N. A. Fischer Chemical Products" is given prominent credit for the "Billion Bubble Machine", used in the film as part of Ro-Man's communication device for reporting to his superior.

Robot Monster was originally released with the 3 Dimensional Pictures short "Stardust in Your Eyes", starring nightclub comedian Slick Slaven.^[4]

Critical reviews

• Michael Weldon of the Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film, no doubt appreciating the cheesy nature, said in retrospect, "Movies don't come any better".
• Peter Wood of the National Review On Line said it was a "a notorious 1953 example of incompetent moviemaking".
• Glenn Erickson of The DVD Savant said "The important thing to note here is that Robot Monster is very entertaining. It'll bring a smile to anyone's face."
• John Sinnott of DVD talk felt "This movie is so mind bogglingly bad, that it is enjoyable to watch."
• In his non-fiction book Danse Macabre Stephen King briefly discusses the film and his laughing fit when watching the film stoned on marijuana.
• In his part-autobiography, part-writing handbook On Writing, Stephen King claims that Robot Monster is his earliest memory of watching television.

Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of over 200 stories including over 50 bestselling horror novels. ... A Cannabis sativa plant The drug cannabis, also called marijuana, is produced from parts of the cannabis plant, primarily the cured flowers and gathered trichomes of the female plant. ...

Trivia

• The poor quality of the movie gave rise to a long-lived rumor within the film industry that the poor reception from audiences caused director Phil Tucker to attempt suicide. According to Keep Watching the Skies!, a comprehensive history of 1950s American science fiction films, author Bill Warren claims Tucker's attempted suicide was actually due to depression and a dispute with the film's distributor, who had allegedly refused to pay Tucker his contracted percentage of the film's profits.
• George Nader won the Golden Globe award in 1954 as most promising male newcomer of the year. He signed with Universal Studios where he starred in secondary features while other male stars like Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson were assigned the major film roles.
• Selena Royle, MGM stock player, had a durable film career starting 1941 until 1951 when she was branded a Communist sympathizer during the McCarthy-era hysteria. She refused to appear before the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities and eventually cleared her name but the damage had already been done. She made only two additional films. ^[5].

For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and television programs, given out each year during a formal dinner. ... This article is about the American media conglomerate. ... Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz, June 3, 1925) is an American film actor. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... MGM logo Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer or MGM, is a large media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of cinema and television programs. ... Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ... For other persons named Joseph McCarthy, see Joseph McCarthy (disambiguation). ... HUAC hearings House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC or HCUA) (1938–1975) was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. ...

Monkey tales

The budget didn't allow for a robot costume as intended so director Phil Tucker used his friend George Barrows who had his own gorilla suit to play Ro-Man. Phil Tucker added the diving suit helmet. George Barrows, had a long run in films and television playing simians. Among his gorilla credits are:

• Gorilla at Large (1953)
• The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok, "The Gorilla of Owl Hoot Mesa" episode (1954)
• Black Zoo (1963)
• The Addams Family, "Morticia Joins the Ladies League" episode (1964)
• The Beverly Hillbillies, "Come Back, Little Herby" episode (1966)
• The Beverly Hillbillies, "The Gorilla" episode (1966)
• The Honeymooners, "Petticoat Jungle" episode (1966)
• The Man from U.N.C.L.E., "The My Friend the Gorilla Affair" episode (1966)
• The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966)
• Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967)
• The Wild Wild West, "The Night of the Simian Terror" episode (1968)
• Night Gallery, "Hatred unto Death" episode (1973)

Although Ro-Man was played by George Barrows, the voice was credited to John Brown. Gorilla at Large is a 1954 horror mystery B-movie made in 3-D. The film stars Cameron Mitchell, Anne Bancroft, Lee J. Cobb, Charlotte Austin, and Raymond Burr. ... The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok was a television series which ran from 1951 through 1958. ... For the TV series, see The Addams Family (TV series). ... For the 1993 film, see The Beverly Hillbillies (film) The Beverly Hillbillies was an American television program about a hillbilly family living in Southern California. ... The Honeymooners is an American television situation comedy produced by Jackie Gleason Enterprises, Inc. ... The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was an American television series that ran on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968, for 105 episodes (see 1964 in television and 1968 in television). ... The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini was the seventh (and last) of the American International Pictures Beach Party films and was released in 1966. ... Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967) is a horror comedy film, and among those featured in the documentary, The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made. ... The Wild Wild West 1990s VHS release. ... Night Gallery was Rod Serlings follow-up to The Twilight Zone, airing on NBC from 1970 to 1973. ...

References in popular culture

• Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) featured it as one of its early movie-mocking episodes.
• Ro-Man makes a cameo appearance in the movie Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
• Ro-Man appears in a fantasy sequence in Woody Allen's Stardust Memories.
• A clip of the movie also appeared in the music video for The Cars' 1984 single, "You Might Think".
• Similarly, a clip of the movie also appeared in the music video for Cyndi Lauper's 1983 single "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".
• The character of "Ro-Man" is mentioned in the 1994 Church of the Subgenius book called Revelation X: The "Bob" Apocryphon as a third gender created by JHVH-1 to populate Earth, but failing so due to "impossibility of living without its helmet". There have been several Ro-Man appearances at Subgenius' devivals, as seen in the movie Arise!.
• A brief clip from the movie can be seen on a television screen in John Carpenter's 1995 film In the Mouth of Madness.
• The Calcinite alien in X-COM: Terror from the Deep is believed to be an adaption of Ro-Man.
• Ro-Man can be seen during Grim's trial in Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure
• A clip of Earth Ro Man menacing Claudia Barrett appeared in the Saturday Morning Cartoon spin off of the Muppet Show, Muppet Babies. The title characters opened a closet door and witnessed the spectacle, which was a common device on the show.
• Images and descriptions of the film are featured prominently in Harry and Michael Medved's popular film book The Golden Turkey Awards. The film and its director are "nominated" for the dubious honors of "Most Ridiculous Monster in Film History" and "All Time Worst Director" respectively; in the former category, the film "won" the Turkey. The aforementioned "Billion Bubble Machine" credit is nominated for "worst screen credit".

Mystery Science Theater 3000, often abbreviated MST3K, is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc. ... Looney Tunes: Back in Action was a 2003 Warner Bros. ... Woody Allen (born Allen Stewart Königsberg on December 1, 1935) is a three-time Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, actor, jazz musician, comedian, and playwright. ... Stardust Memories is a film written and directed by Woody Allen which was released in 1980; Allen considers this to be one of his best films in addition to The Purple Rose of Cairo. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... The Cars were an American rock band, fronted by Ric Ocasek, that emerged from the early punk scene in the late 1970s. ... This article is about the year. ... Cynthia Ann Stephanie Cyndi Lauper (born June 22, 1953) is an iconic American Grammy Award-winning singer and Emmy Award-winning film, television and theatre actress. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Girls Just Want to Have Fun was the first major single released by singer Cyndi Lauper as a solo artist. ... J. R. Bob Dobbs The Church of the SubGenius is a postmodern religion, originally based in Dallas, Texas, which gained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s subculture, with a large presence on the Internet. ... JHVH-1 is a very fast car. ... John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, film score composer and occasional actor. ... In the Mouth of Madness (also known as John Carpenters In the Mouth of Madness) is a 1995 horror film (originally intended for a 1994 release) directed by John Carpenter and written by Michael de Luca, who was at the time in charge of New Line Cinema. ... Calcinites only appear at Terror Sites, and only in the company of Aquatoids. ... X-COM: Terror from the Deep is a computer game, the sequel to X-COM: UFO Defense (or UFO: Enemy Unknown in Europe). ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed compared to the rest of the article. ... The Muppet Show is a television program featuring a cast of Muppets (diverse hand operated puppets, typically with huge eyes and large moving mouths) produced by Jim Henson and his team from 1976 to 1981. ... ҉Jim Hensons Muppet Babies is an American animated television series that aired from 1984 to 1990 on CBS in first-run episodes, and then until 1992 in reruns. ... Michael Medved (born October 3, 1948) is a Jewish-American, neoconservative radio talk show host, film critic, and author. ... The Golden Turkey Awards is a 1980 book by film critic Michael Medved and his brother Harry Medved. ...

Availability

• A dual projection polarized 3-D print of "Robot Monster" was screened at The World 3-D Expo 2006 September 16, 2006 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, Ca. and at the "3-D at the Castro" film festival October 19, 2006 at the Historic Castro Theatre in San Francisco.

• The trailer (2D version) can be seen here courtesy of Sabu Cat Productions.
• The VHS version in inferior red and green anaglyph 3-D is no longer commercially available. Used copies periodically show up on various internet auction sites.
• The DVD version in "glorious 2-D" was released by Image Entertainment in 2003 and is still available.

is the 259th day of the year (260th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 292nd day of the year (293rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ ^{a b} How to Make a Monster "How to Make a Monster" Retrieved on 2007-01-08
2. ^ Films made at Bronson Canyon "Bronson Canyon - facts and information". Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
3. ^ Elmer Bernstein - the official site. "Elmer Bernstein - The official site". Retrieved on 2007-01-04.
4. ^ ^{a b} 3-D Movies: "A History and Filmography of Stereoscopic Cinema" by R. M. Hayes, McFarland Classics, Paperback
5. ^ Selena Royle "Selena Royle - Biography notes at imdb". Retrieved on 2007-01-08.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Robot Monster

• Robot Monster at the Internet Movie Database
• Elmer Bernstein and Robot Monster

_ Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...