jls (09/02/82)
A long time ago (late 50s(?)) I saw a movie with "Robbie the Robut" as one of the characters. The story had something to do with people going to another planet, looking for a group of people who had gone there before and not returned. Can anyone remember the title and know why it has never (as far as I know) been on TV?
wmartin (09/03/82)
This is the famous "Forbidden Planet", one of the first really good SF movies. It has been on TV, at least here in St. Louis, but not as often as many movies far below it in quality or interest -- I don't know why. It might be interesting to do a detailed comparison between the Star Trek series and Forbidden Planet; I think Star Trek owed a lot to Forbidden Planet in many aspects. Anybody out there with both Forbidden Planet and the first year of Star Trek on videotape who wants do do a thesis? Will Martin
bratman (09/03/82)
The movie was called "Forbidden Planet". It starred Walter Pigeon and Leslie Nielson, and introduced Anne Francis. It was based on one of Shakespear's plays concerning man's inner struggle with the evil which lives inside him (The Tempest?). It has been shown on H.B.O., but, possibly due to licensing arrangements, has not made it to commercial T.V.. Steve
burton (09/03/82)
I seem to remember watching 'Forbidden Planet' several times on commercial tv, usually as a midnight movie or as a Saturday matinee. By the way, wasn't FP also either the first or one of the first color movies? I remember hearing something along those lines. Doug Burton Bell Labs, IN ihps3!ixn5c!inuxc!burton
pds (09/03/82)
#R:mork-cb:-12900:whuxlb:9100001:000:409 whuxlb!pds Sep 3 16:13:00 1982 The movie was Journey to Planet-X, a first rate low budget flick starring Oscar Goldman as 'the best damn Quantum Mechanic in the universe....' basic plot was Captain falls in love with lone woman survivor of exploratory trip (daughter of mad scientist) Mad scientist gets madder mad scientist mad id goes wild kill everyone, repent, captain and robot and woman escape planet destroyed simple right!
knudsen (09/04/82)
Can't resist congratulating PDS, author of Article 67. He nutshelled the plot of "Forbidden Planet" perfectly, but got another title! I think I've seen that title (Journey to Planet X) in TV listings, tagged as not-worth staying-up-past-10:30 PM. Or could FP have been re-issued under different title, as is often done? I doubt it, because it was pretty succesful the first run (or was it?). I'll bet PDS he/she got the titles crossed up in memory. By the way, FP's sound track did use electronic "music" -- but mostly percussive & other weird effects (dripping-water, etc) made by (?) lashed-up circuits -- I don't recall what the gear was like they used (I read papers when I was 11, but can't remember anything). Columbia Records did build a piano-roll-controlled synthesizer, a truly general instrument desrving the name, whose technology suggests it may have existed back then (early 50's) and may have been used in FP. mike knudsen ihnss!knudsen
stewartd@sri-unix (09/09/82)
"Forbidden Planet" was one small step beyond Star Trek. The
"Monster from the Id" in FP not only told us something about ourselves,
it did it without slapping us in the face with it until the
point was brutally obvious. Besides being an entertaining flick with
revolutionary special effects.
David C. Stewart
Colorado State University - CompSci
(...hplabs!csu-cs!stewartd)dmh (09/14/82)
It was on TV recently. Good movie but i can not rember any details. Dave Hollander