Danger, Will Robinson!
In the fall of 1965, the "family space adventure" Lost in Space debuted on CBS television.
The storyline concerned the launch of the Jupiter 2 on October 16, 1997. Professor John Robinson, his wife Maureen and their children, Judy, Penny and Will, along with Major Don West (the spaceship's pilot) compromised the world's first "space family," selected to colonize a planet in the Alpha Centauri star system. They would all be frozen in suspended animation for a 98-year journey. Dr. Zachary Smith became trapped on board while sabotaging the Robinsons’ spaceship prior to launch. His dastardly handiwork causes the ship to spiral off course and crash-land on a desert planet.
Another member of the crew was the wonderfully impressive Environmental Control Robot known simply as "Robot". Art Director Robert Kinoshita (the talent behind Robby the Robot from the movie, Forbidden Planet) designed the automaton, finishing the suit to accomodate diminutive character actor Bob May. May spoke the robot's lines on stage, pressing a small telegraph switch inside the left claw in sync with the syllables to activate the neon in the chest plate. He would see out through the slatted collar with the upper half of his face blackened to avoid showing up on camera.
The television voice of Robot was provided by Dick Tufeld, already employed as the show's announcer. During the interview/sound test, producer Irwin Allen explained he wanted a cultured, laid back voice for his robot. After twenty minutes, Allen decided that Tufeld just wasn't what he was looking for. As he turned to leave, Tufeld asked him if could try one more thing. He delivered a series of robotian mechanical lines as he had originally intended, including the now famous "Warning, that does not compute." Allen looked stunned and said, "That's it! What took you so long?"
Dick Tufeld was never on the set for filming of the episodes. During post-production, he would come into the studio and loop the robots voice, using recordings of Bob May's lines delivered on the set played through headphones to synchronize with the original soundtrack. The sound engineers would then work to mix Tufeld's voice into the show. Depending on the number of lines to be recorded (the Robot often having more lines than the principal actors), it could take one and a half to two hours to lay down 60 to 70 lines of dialogue for one episode.
Tufeld reprised his role some 30 years later in 1998 for the motion picture version of Lost In Space.
- from various internet sources
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Comments and faves
Stitch, mju.tabor, Douglas Roesch, hellophotokitty, and 71 other people added this photo to their favorites.
Janet Leadbeater (82 months ago | reply)
fabulous shot
Emily Quinton (82 months ago | reply)
Wonderful...
Esther17 (82 months ago | reply)
Ohh, I love it! Does he walk too? :)
annappleaday (82 months ago | reply)
well, he's cute..
thtstudios (82 months ago | reply)
is there anything more worth knowing about Lost in Spance?
Good choice on opeining eyes, specially with his work today.
Stitch (82 months ago | reply)
i heart this robot :)
the tomahawk kid (82 months ago | reply)
i loved that show!...it was pretty much the big show of my childhood with maybe dr. who running alongside...now what was it i saw bill mumy (will robinson) in later in life?...babylon 5 i think...lost in space, how that takes me back...nice one duane!...
Valleia [deleted] (82 months ago | reply)
: )
maxw [deleted] (82 months ago | reply)
Love it.
Jane_W [deleted] (82 months ago | reply)
We have one of these little guys too!
Loved the TV series, didn't care much for the film though.
Marion J. Ross (82 months ago | reply)
huh!
once again, i learn something new!
Buddha smiling (82 months ago | reply)
Sweeet.
mimbrava (82 months ago | reply)
Now, now, don't post a robot just because you're starting a full-time job, Duane! ;~)
judyboy (82 months ago | reply)
Man you took the words right out of my mouth. I was going to say that here but I looked at the title and laughed - good one!
gen i us (82 months ago | reply)
aww I love this... always had a fascination for robots :)
shadowbox (82 months ago | reply)
I so very much want this robot
velvetart (82 months ago | reply)
it was a fun show. I didn't like the movie all that much. Interesting story behind that "warning!..." line. I didn't know that.
Douglas Roesch (82 months ago | reply)
The robot, my old buddy from childhood. Dig that goofy Dr. Smith, too...
artofgold (82 months ago | reply)
Wow, a fabulous shot!
hellophotokitty (82 months ago | reply)
"open the pod bay doors Hal..."
elston (82 months ago | reply)
"I'm not a robot like you. I don't like having disks crammed into me... unless they're Oreos, and then only in the mouth."
-Philip J. Fry
k_turbo [deleted] (82 months ago | reply)
Lost in Space , you're making me feel old ...
jam-L (82 months ago | reply)
Nice pic of i.robot!
randi rivers (82 months ago | reply)
Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!
flashes of the past :)
OldhaMedia (82 months ago | reply)
My little brother and I would play Lost in Space and mimic Dr. Smith's "Oh dear!" and his loquacious insults.
He hated when I would mimic the alien female who was in love with Dr. Smith... "So prrrretty, doktor smeeeth!"
Lost in Space taught me about television production values, and ther lack thereof as well as the problems of continuity.
I loved that stupid show.
Red Label (82 months ago | reply)
Perigo Perigo!
I loved that show! And Dr. Smith was already the "Queen" of them all.
aarthyr (82 months ago | reply)
its 12:46am..and I feel like passing out.
Which reminds me as it is completely unrelated. I like it, I want to steal it [mr.robot]. Take it away, and in a 'stealing' manner, not borrowing. I'm a 'bad' girl, you know.
Lost in Space. I remember it now.
Eugenia Moira Angela Darling (82 months ago | reply)
fabolous image,
thanks for your story :o)
small fry (82 months ago | reply)
I loved this show! And nothing beats the original theme tune for sheer exciting, outrageous, brass scoring.
Rafael Ollero [deleted] (82 months ago | reply)
Love it..
robotgirl (82 months ago | reply)
Great macro of the old boy!
Roberto Delduque [deleted] (82 months ago | reply)
*******************************
YYYYYYyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeessssss!!!
Crfullmoon (82 months ago | reply)
"Oh, the pain! The pain!"
This show was a major impression on my early childhood. Wierd show.
Seeing that "Metallic Mon-stro-si-ty"
really is giving me flashbacks.
Adrasteia9 (82 months ago | reply)
this robot rocks! :-)
Atsuo (82 months ago | reply)
good shot! I love this robot and have got two bodies too.
neuskool (81 months ago | reply)
aye there! just noticed the link - thanks for the shout out, duane!
fab4chiky (72 months ago | reply)
awesome! I know someone who also did a robot model called carmodeldaddy, please check it out!
Buglugs (70 months ago | reply)
Warning Warning... Alien approaching... Everyone return to the ship!
Boy does that ever take one back... LOL... Thanks!
dawholagn (68 months ago | reply)
Mr. Smith is a coward! Great pic!
richard.hensley1 (63 months ago | reply)
b-9
scott_waterman (59 months ago | reply)
You write the Robot often having more lines than the principal actors which is ironic. The robot was a principle character and the voice is acting. It the similar with 2001: A Space Odyssey where Hal is not thought of as an acting part. Few people know the actor's name who brilliantly played that part.
richard.hensley1 (59 months ago | reply)
Douglas Rain The voice of Hal.
scott_waterman (59 months ago | reply)
Thank you richard.hensley1 !
And thanks to Douglas Rain for one of the most memorable performances recorded on film.
Dead Air (57 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Science Fiction Unleashed, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
Totally cool, and nicely shot!
laura's worlds (55 months ago | reply)
WOW amazing SCI-FI mood!!
You are invited to post it to The Asimov Club pooland meet other Asimov fans
pictureclub_2000 (54 months ago | reply)
post your picture!
mortgagestar1 (53 months ago | reply)
I had this very toy back in the mid 60's.!
DavidDMuir (48 months ago | reply)
Thank you for making this photograph available under a creative commons licence. I was looking for an image to illustrate a blog post and this was just what I needed.
--
http://edcompblog.blogspot.com/ (?)
opium_den (23 months ago | reply)
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Robots, Automatons, Mainframes and the Silicon Revolution, and we'd love to have this added to the group!
LooknFeel (22 months ago | reply)
He is my role model. My rolling role model.
This photo was invited and added to the Robots, Automatons, Mainframes and the Silicon Revolution group.