One of the most deliriously bad movies ever made is having its belated New York City premiere ”“ 70 years after its Los Angeles debut ”“ in a restored 3D presentation.
Phil Tucker”™s 1953 feature “Robot Monster” was shot in four days on a $16,000 budget and has gained notoriety among audiences for its distinctively peculiar concept of the eponymous extra-terrestrial invader ”“ since the filmmaker could not afford a robot costume, he opted to depict the title character as a gorilla wearing a diving helmet. Factor in some ridiculously melodramatic dialogue and remarkably bad acting from then-unknown B-movie star George Nader and blacklisted character actress Selena Royle ”“ not to mention a wildly out-of-place score from future Oscar-winning composer Elmer Bernstein ”“ and the resulting “Robot Monster” has gone down through the years as a perennial choice in rankings of the most wonderfully worst films ever made.
“Robot Monster” was intended as a 3D theatrical release, but mostly played in 1953 in a “flat” presentation. This restored screening comes ahead of an upcoming release on 3-D Blu-Ray and DVD from BayView Entertainment.
“Our team is very proud of this 70th anniversary restoration,” said Bob Furmanek, CEO of 3-D Film Archive, the company behind this presentation.
“Robot Monster” will be screened June 24 at 3:00 p.m. at Manhattan”™s Dolby Screening Room, 1360 Avenue of the Americas. Tickets can be purchased online.
