31 Days of Cheese - Day Two Robot Monster

(sorry this is late)

The iconic symbol of 1950’s Grade Z film Monster Movie Cheese is the Ro-Man.

The Ro-Man is a guy in gorilla suit with a space helmet stuck on top. Phil Tucker, the director didn’t have enough money to build a robot suit but he did have enough money to hire George Barrow who had a gorilla suit and have him stick a space helmet on his head. And no it didn’t work. It’s utterly absurd and I desperately want a model of it for my desk. (There is one out there which frightens me somehow).

The whole thing is supposed to be the dream of kid but that kid’s got to be a bit twisted – One his older sister gets tied up – twice once by her dickhead boyfriend and once by the Ro-Man who in classic Monster Movie fashion gets the hots for the lady. And then there is the (off-screen) murder of his younger sister by the Ro-Man, really the kid needs a shrink or even have him put away.

Back to the Ro-Man – and we really should go back to him – most of the film seems to be him walking around Branson Canyon while trying to hunt down the last 6-7 humans left alive. When he isn’t doing that he’s talking to his boss – the same guy of course, the budget wasn’t large enough for two Ro-Men. When the Ro-man talks it’s kinda weird – the voice is calm but George is waving his arms around like he’s very very angry. It does not compute.

Course the dialog doesn’t help. A sample of Ro-man’s speech: “Yes to be like the Hu-man, to want, to feel, why that is not in the plan?”

And I would be remiss in not pointing out that the Ro-Man’s equipment is in a cave on top of a library table and it includes the ‘Billion Bubble machine” which gets a credit listing.

Easily one of the worst films ever made – and it was originally released in 3-d no less.

Enjoy with Banana Bread.