Comments on: Dick Tufeld, voice of Lost In Space's Robot, RIP

By: G.L. Dryfoos

G.L. Dryfoos — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:38:00 +0000

Dick Tufeld was also the announcer for Albert Brooks’s “Comedy Minus One” http://www.how2foldsoup.com/index.php/Articles/Albert-Brooks-Comedy-Minus-One-Script.html on the album of the same name.

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:31:00 +0000

But lest the machine overshadow the man, let’s remember why we’re all here now: http://www.newsfromme.com/2012/01/23/dick-tufeld-r-i-p/

Tufeld, too, was more than the sum of his parts.

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:27:00 +0000

An invaluable resource for all occasions: http://irwinallen.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Smith%27s_Insults

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:21:00 +0000

Enough with this “GUNTER” business already! At least we’re not referring to him as a “Rambler-Crane series Robot”, as I saw done in a few Tufeld obits. (That would refer specifically to the Robot in the unfortunate 1998 film version of “Lost in Space”, also voiced by Tufeld.)

Anyhow … now that you mention it, the Robot’s bubble does seem vertically elongated somehow in the photo.

By: hassan-i-sabbah

hassan-i-sabbah — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:39:00 +0000

My mam used to call me a Blatherskite/Bleatherskite !
Good ol’ ma!

By: hipdadiddy

hipdadiddy — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:08:00 +0000

The photo accompanying this post makes GUNTER’s head look like a sock monkey.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:28:00 +0000

My favorite is: You blithering blatherskite!

By: robuluz

robuluz — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:25:00 +0000

Oh, the pain!

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:10:00 +0000

It’s a Smithicism.

By: robuluz

robuluz — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:07:00 +0000

Not Cool? Was just having fun, but happy to withdraw if I’m coming across like a dick. That happens.

By: Antinous / Moderator

Antinous / Moderator — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:56:00 +0000

Mind your manners and you’ll keep your friends!

By: robuluz

robuluz — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:19:00 +0000

*Robulus enters thread…. reads…. backs out of thread slowly. Very…. very… slowly.*

By: Daemonworks

Daemonworks — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:40:00 +0000

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger! My arms and flailing wildly! My arms are flaily wildy!

By: Stefan Jones

Stefan Jones — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:29:00 +0000

Good Sleuthing! That may well be it.

By: penguinchris

penguinchris — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:07:00 +0000

As a kid in the 90′s, I watched a lot of old TV shows (back when TV Land was good) including of course all the sci-fi classics like Star Trek and Lost in Space.

The vegetable planet episode was one of my favorites, but I hadn’t thought of it or remembered its existence in years – thanks :)

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:01:00 +0000

”Eden” had the better original music, certainly. How do you beat Spock on Vulcan harp? The award for best psychedelic lighting must go to “Promised”, though.

By: Ambiguity

Ambiguity — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:55:00 +0000

In fact, it beat STAR TREK’s space-hippie episode, “The Way to Eden”, to the air by over a year.

But I have to admit, I still remember that song to this day… whereas the music from Promised Planet? Lost in space (or at least time)…

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:03:00 +0000

Ah, yes, “The Promised Planet”! And who sez LiS wasn’t socially relevant? In fact, it beat STAR TREK’s space-hippie episode, “The Way to Eden”, to the air by over a year.

(Oh, and do we recall the primary motivation for the Robinsons’ space odyssey in the first place? Yep, the population crisis — mentioned within minutes of the beginning of the first episode. And THAT beat the ST:TOS overpopulation episode “The Mark of Gideon” to the screen by by more than THREE years.) (Not that we’re turning this into a LiS-vs.-ST thing, since that would by silly….)

By: Ambiguity

Ambiguity — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:41:00 +0000

Man, I am in total awe of the depth of LIS knowledge here. Most geek wannabes just drone on and on (and on) about Star Wars trivia… bah! This is the real deal, folks. Well done!

Oh, and since we’re reminiscing, a big shout out to The Promised Planet which shows the Good Doctor at his grooviest, bewigged, ’68 best!

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:37:00 +0000

Yes, I’ve pondered that myself. Perhaps he confines himself to conjecture. Another possibility: if he were to start theorizing, it might be the slippery slope leading to robotoid-hood.

Then again, if his own statements count for anything, he’s one heck of a theorizing robot already and was from practically the beginning!

And, truth be told, he’s really not much good at controlling the environment. But we love him nonetheless.

By: Mr. Spocko

Mr. Spocko — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:36:00 +0000

I really loved that voice. So much energy. I also am extremely fond of the Lost In Space movie. for a couple of reasons.
1) The father son story
2) The smart kid
3) Heather Graham
4) Joey the Space pilot.
5) Mrs. Robinson skin tight costume for hyper sleep.
6) Robot voice.

Not necessarily in that order, but all contributed. I also thought the effects were pretty good.

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:29:00 +0000

Believe me, I was trying to figure out the source of that confusion! :-) Robby suffered through a multitude of indignities over the decades following his debut, though less so than his cousin the Robot. But I just remembered what you must be thinking of: the “Columbo” episode “Mind Over Mayhem”: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3360/3172078960_65f943e755.jpg

By: pjcamp

pjcamp — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:24:00 +0000

Non-Theorizing? Is that some especially important thing for a robot to not be able to do? Are all the theorizing robots still hanging out in the basement smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, trying to grow goatees, and figure out the meaning of 42 while the environment gets all out of control?

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:04:00 +0000

Donald: That infernal comet shows up at the end of the first episode (“The Reluctant Stowaway”) and the beginning of the second (“The Derelict”); it is, in fact, the basis for the show’s first cliffhanger ending.

The walking, talking carrot guy and so on are from the notorious “The Great Vegetable Rebellion”, the penultimate episode in the series. And if you want to relive what I for one consider the top Penny-centric episode, try “My Friend, Mr. Nobody” from the first season: it’s a joy.

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:57:00 +0000

”Smith-centric” is almost a redundancy, given the show’s rapid evolution into ‘The Jonathan Harris Show’. But I might name as my own favorite in that category “Invaders from the Fifth Dimension”, which constitutes a textbook example of why kids should be wary of talking to strangers. (Aliens need a humanoid brain for their ship; Smith volunteers Will Robinson’s.)

By: Stefan Jones

Stefan Jones — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:45:00 +0000

I know Robby appeared in other TV shows. An episode of The Twilight Zone for one.

Was there ever one in which his legs ended in a “box,” like the Lost in Space robot, rather than separate feet?

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:34:00 +0000

Worth noting, however, is that both robots were designed by the same guy: Robert Kinoshita.

Who (cross appendages) will turn 98 in a few weeks! Praise Bob and his mind children!

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:31:00 +0000

You’re quite right about his playing a “robotoid” — in his FIRST guest appearance. But as I note elsewhere here, there was a second, in which he was back to being a mere robot, and not a very charismatic one at that.

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:29:00 +0000

Actually, Robby appeared in TWO episodes, “The War of the Robots” (as an evil “Robotoid”) and the 3rd-season opener “Condemned of Space” (as a rather dull Guard Robot). However, aside from a minor cosmetic alterations (new flat-black paint job, yellow pinstripe highlighting on the arms, and a missing “radar” antenna), Robby was just as he appeared on “Forbidden Planet”; the legs were the same.

By: An Infinitude of Tortoises

An Infinitude of Tortoises — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:22:00 +0000

AND his ability to defeat Robby (or a Robotoid “played” by Robby) in battle, as happened in the 1st-season episode “The War of the Robots”!