HERE COMES TOBOR / TV 1957-8

Tonight we have another failed TV pilot, this one trying to exploit that awesome Dumont Robot... TOBOR!!!

Seemed like a natural for the TV boy crowd, but fate is a fickle finger! It was to have been a weekly adventure where Tommy Adams, played by Tommy Terrell, and TOBOR would encounter and fight against espionage in the scientific community. Tommy has a top-secret clearance since he can communicate mentally wif' TOBOR! This was Tommy Terrell's only role, ever. "...He never even had a chance!"

Super heavyweight composer (430 credits!!!) Howard Jackson did the music for this show and TOBOR THE GREAT and are his only ventures into science fiction! He worked almost exclusively on shorts and documentaries in the forties and fifties, but earlier worked on movies like PARAMOUNT ON PARADE, NIGHT ANGEL, SUPERNATURAL, COLLEGE HUMOR, MIDNIGHT CLUB, LADY FOR A DAY, GIRL WITHOUT A ROOM, EIGHT GIRLS IN A BOAT, BOTTOMS UP, WE'RE NOT DRESSING, DIZZY DAMES, LONESOME TRAILER, THE LONE WOLF RETURNS, MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN, BLAZING SIXES, DANCE CHARLIE DANCE, BLONDES AT WORK, MR. CHUMP, BOY MEETS GIRL, GIRLS ON PROBATION, TORCHY GETS HER MAN, THE COWBOY QUARTERBACK, DEAD END KIDS AT MILITARY SCHOOL, GRANNY GET YOUR GUN and TEAR GAS SQUAD!

It's time to bring in our lil' pal, Rufus The Gnat, as you all know is the offical 'GO' button pusher on Moldie Oldie Monday, here at The Dungeon! Rufus, push the button and start tonight's Eariffic Earclip!.. HERE COMES TOBOR!!

The soundclip starts with Prof. Adams, who's Tommy's uncle, talking about his latest invention. The Professor is played by Arthur (20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH) Space. Arthur Space, what a great name!!

After that, the episode begins...

Speaking of THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE, Tabonga will be doing a new post of that title around Halloween, so stay tuned for it and much more!

Tabonga swears on a stack of mint FMs that a white '56 Ford Fairlane convertible is an 11! John Agar had the same one in TARANTULA and I had the Post Cereal premium set you sent away for that included that model!

Here's the big shots trying to operate their consarned newfangled invention!

Robots are good at horseshoes, the ringer is TOBOR's. Great use for a billion dollar contraption, babysitting!

These guys think it's cute! And, what do they care about government waste anyway, look what they're driving, a chick magnet!

Tommy's smarter than all those guys put together!

I think where the series was lost was when they tried to explain some of the props they were going to use as scientific instruments! TV producers thought the kids would probably just laugh.

Davey sez... "Hell, I made one of them stoopid thangs in wood shop one time!"

While inside the missile that's to take TOBOR into space, Tommy gets carried away with his farewells and the lid slams shut on him! ...OOOPSIE!!!

TOBOR holds Tommy in his lap as they blast off into space!

Oh crap, what the hell am I going to tell Chuck and Jeanne...

A lot of scenes were very dark and it was hard to tell what was going on at times, expecially when they were in space with the pirates. Space Pirate Dr. Ohm was played by Franz Roehn, Franz (looking up at TOBOR) was also in TOBOR THE GREAT, THE FLY, FRANKENSTEIN 1970 and MR. SARDONICUS.

And, for any of you out there that still don't believe that TOBOR is a real robot, just check out those credits! So there, that should put an end to that ridiculous rumor!

...Ghoulnight, Everbloody!!