Here Comes Tobor

Filmed on a meager $50,000 budget - "Here Comes Tobor" (from 1957) was at least good for a few unintentional laughs, especially when it came to the clumsy, hilariously-looking robot known as "Tobor" who regularly communicated through a series of beeps and clicks (but, thankfully, never actually spoke).

IMO - This vintage, live-action, kids' TV movie really didn't hold up very well 60+ years down the road. But, hey! If you are kinda feeling in a nostalgic frame of mind (and willing to cut this film some serious slack) then, yes, perhaps you'll be more than likely to get a real kick out of watching this bargain-basement pilot film from yesteryear.

"Here Comes Tobor" was an attempt to put the Tobor costume to use once again. You see, he first appeared on TV on "Captain Video and His Video Rangers" and then in a movie, "Tobor the Great". Sadly for the production company, the pilot for "Here Comes Tobor" went over poorly and the series was never completed. I say sadly for the production company--but NOT for the American public! The show was, quite bluntly, very, very sappy and would have been difficult for anyone over age 10 to watch.

The show is about, of course, Tobor the robot (Tobor is the word robot spelled backwards). Tobor's creator is a nice guy in a wheelchair and his son is WAY too precocious for such a young kid. After all, the child has learned to control the robot telepathically and he seems way too smart--sort of like a nuclear physicist in a 7 year-old's body. That, to me, is THE problem with the pilot episode--the kid is too smart and therefore pretty annoying. He's supposed to be a kid but the part was written for Albert Einstein Junior! Seeing this little punk and the robot save the world each week in the show would have been too much--and I am glad the network execs saw fit to not accept the series. An odd little curio and worth seeing ONCE and only once.

I've enjoyed watching this infamous failed pilot for a TV series spun off from TOBOR THE GREAT thanks to it's inclusion on a Spanish made DVD of the parent film. A bit of research reveals that Tobor was actually a character devised for the old DuMont Television Network's "Captain Video And His Video Rangers" show, which I have never seen to this date. Kids have always had a thing for movie robots (check out VOYAGE TO THE PREHISTORIC PLANET for another great robot) and after Robby the Robot became a hit via FORBIDDEN PLANET the "Captain Video" producers decided to take a shot at giving Tobor his own series. This would have been the pilot episode and sadly nobody picked it up.

Pilots usually set the tone and format for a show so the series would have had Tobor and his young friend Timmy (or is it Billy?) dispatched on a fascinating weekly mission to ensure the development of United States defense & space projects: This one's subtitle "Tobor And The Atomic Submarine" aptly describes the plot of a scheming international criminal hijacking an experimental atomic powered submarine on a test cruise. The most amusing scene for me is where the scientist in charge of the program assures the military observers present that young Timmy is cleared for vital defense industry secrets.

Basically the action varies between low budget TV sets intercut with appropriate stock footage of things like aircraft carriers, jet planes swooping by, large explosions, and other things of interest to the 8 year olds who were the intended audience. The film has slipped into the public domain along with a lot of the old DuMont programming and can be found online for a free viewing or download. If you keep your expectations low -- or just happen to adore giant robot movies -- it will make an otherwise idle hour slip by

The pilot episode is entitled, "Tobor And The Atomic Submarine" has a completely new cast from the feature film (save for Robot...er...Tobor - always get these things backwards). It's actually fairly elaborate for a kiddie show pilot with Missile Launches, Ocean scenes, Atomic Submarines, Battle Ships, Air Force Jets and Pirates! Of course, it's mainly done on the cheap with stock footage and budget sets - Professor Adams' (Arthur Space) work area looks more like a hobby garage rather than a military research center. The kid, Tommy (Tommy Terrell - who apparently never worked again in Hollywood), isn't nicknamed 'Gadget' as he was in the feature. Terrell is bearable as these child actors go. Bruce Cowling is the Professor's assistant (I suppose he's a re-written version of Charles Drake's Dr. Harrison from the original film. At 26 minutes there certainly is enough incident to keep it watchable, although never really much more than that. In an odd way it's maybe too ambitious for a pilot. Tobor didn't do much more than ride a jeep to Griffith Park in the original and here it's flying on a Missile, saving an Atomic Submarine, performing Bomb removal and beating up Pirates. How were the producers going to top that week after week? Of course, as with the original movie, it's little more than a harmless children's program. Sort of a 'Timmy & Lassie' type show -- 'Tommy & Tobor'.