“Forgotten Hollywood”- Robbie the Robot Up For Auction…

Posted on November 1, 2017 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here… 

“`Originally designed for MGM’s outer space epic Forbidden Planet, Robby the Robot ranks among the single most iconic props in science fiction history, and arguably, cinema’s most famous robot. Bonhams Auction House is presenting Robby for the very first time.

“`Robby was built at MGM for $100,000 – a gigantic sum for a science fiction prop in those days.  Robby ran on five 12 volt DC motors, which were originally World War II military surplus. Actor / stuntman Frankie Carpenter, and former kid star Frankie Darro, wore the Robby costume in the film. The bulk suit weighs 120 pounds that Carpenter and Darro had to wear using a flying harness just like the one worn by the Flying Monkeys in The Wizard of Oz.

“`Since Robby is, in many ways, the movie’s star, he was present at the Los Angeles premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. During the film’s original release, the robot was sent around the country on a promotional tour.

“`Robby also co-starred in The Invisible Boy; and appeared in many television programs, including Lost in SpaceThe Addams Family, and The Twilight Zone. After restoration, Robby occasionally was in flicks such as Gremlins; and it made appearances at screenings, conventions, and other events, including the 2016 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival.

“`Robby was also recently honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in its special retrospective of Forbidden Planet. He remained on display at the Academy for two months.

“`Now, Robbie can be yours. Make your bid on November 21st.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 1st, 2017 at 1:40 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


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