Here’s our whirlwind, slapdash history of the robot in science fiction movies and television, spurred by the 100th anniversary of the first use of the word “robot” in Karel Čapek’s “R.U.R.” Čapek’s play was first performed on January 25, 1921.
Even at an indulgent two hours and seven minutes, there really wasn’t much time to explore many literary antecedents. In any case, that’s not really what the show’s all about. With 600+ viewer comments, clearly there was a spirited, parallel discussion about robots! Again, it was impossible to include everything, but we were able to give some real love to Maschinenmensch, Gort, Robby, and Artoo and Threepio, among others.
Also, around the midway point, we visited with Lew Place, who shared his very cool, life-size, totally homemade reproductions of Robby and B-9 from “Lost in Space.” If you still can’t get enough Robot, definitely check out Lew’s website at lisrobot.com. Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto!
Roy’s special guest tomorrow night will be actor David Frankham, who will discuss his career and contributions to the golden age of science fiction television, including his appearances on “The Outer Limits” and “Star Trek.”
The next Facebook livestream of Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner will take place this Sunday night at 7:00 EST!
