Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: RIP: 'Lost In Space' Robot Actor Dies

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Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 01-19-2009, 10:21 AM:

Bob May, 'the man in the robot suit' in the original "LOST IN SPACE" TV series has passed away.

Story Link (With Pictures)

'Lost in Space' Actor Bob May Dies at 69 in Calif.

(01-19) 04:08 PST LOS ANGELES, (AP) --
Bob May, who donned The Robot's suit in the hit 1960s television show "Lost in Space," has died. He was 69.

May died Sunday of congestive heart failure at a hospital in Lancaster, said his daughter, Deborah May.

He was a veteran actor and stuntman who had appeared in movies, TV shows and on the vaudeville stage when he was tapped by "Lost in Space" creator Irwin Allen to play the Robinson family's loyal metal sidekick in the series that debuted in 1965.

"He always said he got the job because he fit in the robot suit," said June Lockhart, who played family matriarch Maureen Robinson. "It was one of those wonderful Hollywood stories. He just happened to be on the studio lot when someone saw him and sent him to see Irwin Allen about the part. Allen said, 'If you can fit in the suit, you've got the job.'"

Although May didn't provide the robot's distinctive voice (that was done by announcer Dick Tufeld), he developed a following of fans who sought him out at memorabilia shows.

"Lost in Space" was a space-age retelling of "The Swiss Family Robinson" story in which professor John Robinson, his wife and their children were on a space mission when their craft was knocked hopelessly off course by the evil Dr. Zachary Smith, who became trapped in space with them.

May's robot was the Robinson family's loyal sidekick, warning them of approaching disaster at every turn. His line to one of the children, "Danger, Will Robinson," became a national catch phrase.

The grandson of famed vaudeville comedian Chic Johnson, May was introduced to show business at age 2 when he began appearing in the "Hellzapoppin" comedy revue with Johnson and his partner, Ole Olsen.

He went on to appear in numerous films with Jerry Lewis and in such TV shows as "The Time Tunnel,""McHale's Navy and "The Red Skelton Show." He was also a stuntman in such 1950s and '60s TV shows as "Cheyenne,""Surfside 6,""Hawaiian Eye,""The Roaring 20s" and "Stagecoach."

He was particularly fond of his Robot role, once saying he came to consider the suit a "home away from home."

Lockhart said May wore the suit for hours at a time and learned the lines of every actor in the show so he would know when to respond to their cues. Because it wasn't easy to get in and out of the suit, he kept it on during breaks.

"He was a smoker," Lockhart remembered. "From time to time (when he was on a break), we'd see smoke coming out of the robot. That always amused us."

May and his wife lost their house in November when a wildfire destroyed their upscale mobile home park in the San Fernando Valley.

Survivors include his wife Judith; his daughter; his son, Martin; and four grandchildren.

Funeral services are pending.

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 01-20-2009, 05:49 PM:

69 is way too young to go.. very sad. I will miss his works...even as the "Bubble-headed boobie" (One of Dr. Smiths pet names for the robot.)

At least the original robot wasn't as lame as the movie version. [Smile]

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 01-20-2009, 07:15 PM:

How many of the Lost In Space episodes did Robbie The Robot appear in as often as a evil robot I can remember 2

Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 01-21-2009, 09:54 AM:

QUOTE FROM STORY:
"The grandson of famed vaudeville comedian Chic Johnson, May was introduced to show business at age 2 when he began appearing in the "Hellzapoppin" comedy revue with Johnson and his partner, Ole Olsen."

Fascinating bit of trivia!
Olson & Johnson were two of America's most zany and forgotton comedy teams. Their humor tended to consist of rapid-fire low comedy, with broad slapstick and good (or bad, depending on your point of view) visual gags and dialogue puns.

They made several motion pictures as stars and appeared in bit parts of several others made by Universal in the late 1940's.

I managed to find a copy of "Hellzapoppin" on VHS (the only format available) several years ago. It's a hack-eyed film most notable for having stooge Shemp Howard playing a theater projectionist.

HELLZAPOPPIN was a HUGE success on Brodway and ran for several years, but it contained the type material that did not easily translate to the cinema. Also, a lot of ad-libbing went on nightly on Broadway- - something that was impossible to do in the movie version. In fact it's said that the unpredicable nature of each performance is what helped to make the show a big success, but many of Olson & Johnson's ad-libs and gags often wandered into territory that would never have passed the cinema censors of the time.

HELLAZAPOPPIN (the movie) also suffers obviously from a lack of anything remotely resembling a budget. UNIVERSAL already had ABBOT & COSTELLO, as their big moneymakers at the time. (some say A&C "saved the studio") So they didn't really need another comedy team.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 01-21-2009, 02:16 PM:

Indeed, Olsen and Johnson were a big name act. You always see them mentioned in histories and texts of the day.

Gordon, I think you're right about Robbie and LIS.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 01-21-2009, 08:01 PM:

Interesting is that the B9 robot for LIS had the same designer as Robbie THe Robot
http://www.b9robotbuildersclub.com/pub/home/kinoshita.html

Posted by Todd Shelskt (Member # 4684) on 01-26-2009, 09:57 PM:

I don't mean to sound mean, but the VOICE of the robot was what made him!

The movie version of "Lost in Space" was horrendous!

Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 01-26-2009, 10:49 PM:

Here is my small shrine to the B-9 and Robbie. I do have a Bob May signed LIS robot model kit somewhere around here. I never met him, but a robot collector friend of mine was nice enough to give me his signed copy. [Big Grin]

Woah, and I just realized that he was only in his mid-20's when LIS started! I always thought he was much older than in his 60's.