"Gort's" robot head from The Day the Earth Stood Still....

Description

"Gort's" robot head from The Day the Earth Stood Still. (TCF, 1951) Directed by Robert Wise, 1951's The Day the Earth Stood Still is based on the short story "Farewell to the Master" (1940) written by Harry Bates. The film stars Michael Rennie as the humanoid alien visitor, "Klaatu," who comes to Earth, accompanied by a powerful 8-foot metal robot (Gort), to issue an ultimatum to humanity. Gort does not speak, but uses a beam weapon projected from beneath a visor to vaporize weapons and obstacles. Klaatu describes him as being part of an interstellar police force. He announces that the people of the universe constructed numerous robots like Gort and gave them irrevocable powers to respond to violent actions in order to "preserve the peace." He goes on to say, "There's no limit to what Gort could do. He could destroy the Earth." Toward the end of the film, Patricia Neal's character speaks the incredibly famous line, "Gort...Klaatu barada nikto." after which Gort relented from destroying the Earth. Gort appears to be constructed from a single piece of "flexible metal." In many scenes, Gort remains motionless in front of the saucer resting on the National Mall in central Washington, D.C., while scientists and military researchers examine him. A static 8-foot Gort statue was created for these sequences. A smaller, half-scale Gort was used for close-up sequences when Gort's visor raises and he fires his beam weapon. In the sequences when Gort moves, he was portrayed by 7 ft., 7 in.-tall actor Lock Martin wearing a thick foam-rubber suit designed and built by Addison Hehr. Constructed of fiberglass and metal, the robot's massive head measures 14 in. tall x 13 ¼ in. wide x 17 in. long. A trio of 8 ¼ in. metal supports are bolted to the fiberglass skull cap that fitted to Lock Martin's head, enabling the robot to appear even taller. Nine distinctive air holes are crafted beneath the robot's chin, allowing Martin to breathe. The helmet has been expertly repainted, and the original wooden earpieces were reassembled and accompany the lot. Replacement ear pieces, identical in appearance, were installed for longevity. The missing visor was accurately replaced in hand-crafted aluminum by a master armorer using visual reference from studio photo stills. The Day the Earth Stood Still was the first science-fiction epic of its kind and paved the way for the future of the genre. Gort remains as the most famous robot in film history whose form has graced countless posters and sci-fi imagery since the film's 1951 release. The importance of this science fiction artifact cannot be overstated.

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