Having also seen Plan 9 From Outer Space in the past couple of days and writing a review of it, I'm in a better position to compare it to Robot Monster. The only question I have is, will its director Phil Tucker ever get a movie made about him?
In terms of special effects it makes Ed Wood's masterpiece look like it had a Cecil B. DeMille budget. In fact there aren't really any special effects to speak of. Some stock footage of some dinosaurs from One Million, BC and some electronic equipment that may have been borrowed from Universal that might have been in storage from its Frankenstein films.
But the makeup for the Robot Monster, called Ro-Man? You've got to hand it to Tucker. They put an actor named George Barrows in a gorilla suit and instead of a head, used a foggy diving bell, the better probably to hide poor Barrows who must have been cringing with embarrassment and was grateful no one had to see him. He was the lucky member of the cast.
Ro-Man was sent to Earth to destroy mankind and he's succeeded all right in destroying all, but six members of humanity, scientist John Mylong and his family and Mylong's assistant George Nader. He spends the rest of the film trying to get rid of them which would seem easy enough, but he can't quite close the deal.
Especially when he gets a look at Claudia Barrett playing the older daughter. He's fascinated with her, especially with her breasts. Obviously Ro-Man women must be flat-chested where he comes from, he's never seen a rack before. Poor monster, just needed a trip to Hooters.
What's really sad is that this was the only work that blacklisted Selena Royle could get after she refused to go before the House Unamerican Activities Committee. Take a good look at her career credits and that she was brought down to this is a real tragedy.
Robot Monster has one of the funniest of creatures coming out of Fifties science fiction and that's saying something because the Fifties churned out some real winners. Still I have a special place for the gorilla bubble-head from space.
In terms of special effects it makes Ed Wood's masterpiece look like it had a Cecil B. DeMille budget. In fact there aren't really any special effects to speak of. Some stock footage of some dinosaurs from One Million, BC and some electronic equipment that may have been borrowed from Universal that might have been in storage from its Frankenstein films.
But the makeup for the Robot Monster, called Ro-Man? You've got to hand it to Tucker. They put an actor named George Barrows in a gorilla suit and instead of a head, used a foggy diving bell, the better probably to hide poor Barrows who must have been cringing with embarrassment and was grateful no one had to see him. He was the lucky member of the cast.
Ro-Man was sent to Earth to destroy mankind and he's succeeded all right in destroying all, but six members of humanity, scientist John Mylong and his family and Mylong's assistant George Nader. He spends the rest of the film trying to get rid of them which would seem easy enough, but he can't quite close the deal.
Especially when he gets a look at Claudia Barrett playing the older daughter. He's fascinated with her, especially with her breasts. Obviously Ro-Man women must be flat-chested where he comes from, he's never seen a rack before. Poor monster, just needed a trip to Hooters.
What's really sad is that this was the only work that blacklisted Selena Royle could get after she refused to go before the House Unamerican Activities Committee. Take a good look at her career credits and that she was brought down to this is a real tragedy.
Robot Monster has one of the funniest of creatures coming out of Fifties science fiction and that's saying something because the Fifties churned out some real winners. Still I have a special place for the gorilla bubble-head from space.