In 1956 the MGM prepares Forbidden Planet. The intelligent humanoid robot named Robby is the star of the movie, especially as the terrible evil monster named Id is invisible. In this Shakespearian drama whose scenario is apparently inspired by The Tempest, the robot dies atrociously : obliged to respond to Asimov's laws that forbids it to harm a human being, it breaks up because it cannot oppose Id which is actually a psychic emanation of the mad scientist.
In the following year Sputnik I is the first artificial satellite of the Earth. Less advanced than the nice Robby it only says "beep beep beep". Meanwhile the real Robby receives a huge popular success and it will then be reused in many science fiction movies.
Robby is a complex machine for its time : talking, walking, reaching out and flashing with all its lights. It is activated incognito by a small man hidden inside. The rubber hands and the dome have not survived the test of time and were changed in the early 1980s by a careful collector. Accompanied by its Jeep, remote control console and some spare equipment, it will be sold in New York on November 21 by Bonhams in association with Turner Classic Movies, lot 1070.
Other robots aroused also later the fervor of the public. R2-D2, shaped like a more modern 1 m high electronic equipment mounted on small wheels, has been continuously modified from 1977 for the needs of the Star Wars series. It was sold for $ 2.75M by Profiles in History on June 28, 2017.
SOLD for $ 5.4M including premium
#TCMAuctions viewings on view all wknd in #NY. Highlights incl. stunning film posters & #RobbyTheRobot, a custom-bound screenplay from #AllAboutEve, drawings from #HarperGoff, incl. a personal scrapbook documenting every stage making #WaltDisney's classic #20000LeaguesUndertheSea pic.twitter.com/Sr383wsMFr
— BONHAMS (@bonhams1793) November 17, 2017
Will Roddy the Robot make $3m? https://t.co/g6mL3e7tAt #LostinSpace @Bonhams pic.twitter.com/IyKhq4P4TA
— Paul Fraser (@PFCollectibles) September 27, 2017