There is early space-race fear of putting human beings in orbit. Of course, pioneering astronauts had no sure things since so much was based on speculation. A man named Nordstrom develops a robot (Tobor, get it?) that could do the same things as a human without the danger to our delicate constitutions. Of course, the Russians get wind of his invention and easily move in on everyone. Since this is basically a kid movie, there is a precocious kid who can't keep his hands off anything. He could have undone millions of dollars in research with his intrusions, but, of course, boy will be boys. To me this is entertaining but it's hard to overcome the dependence on ESP as a conduit to the robot. Throw out all the technology and simply think things. Isn't that the way Professor Harold Hill taught his bands to play their instruments in "The Music Man"?

Kindly Professor Arnold Nordstrom (the excellent Taylor Holmes) and humane, no-nonsense Dr. Ralph Harrison (a lively and engaging performance by Charles Drake) create a robot called Tobor (Lew Smith in a cool metallic suit) who can feel human emotions and has superhuman strength. Tobor develops a telepathic link with Professor Nordstrom's smart, mischievous grandson Gadge (an endearingly spunky portrayal by Billy Chapin). When Nordstrom and Gadge are kidnapped by a no-count gang of covert agents, Tobor comes to their rescue. Director Lee Sholem relates the neat story at a steady pace and does a solid job of maintaining an amiably lightweight tone throughout. This film further benefits from winningly sincere acting by a sturdy cast: Karin Booth as Nordstrom's fetching daughter Janice, Steven Geray as the nefarious foreign spy chief, William Shallert as folksy reporter Johnson, Franz Roehn as Nordstrom's grouchy assistant Karl, Henry Kulky as mean brute Paul, and Peter Brocco as the antsy Dr. Gustav. John L. Russell's stark black and white cinematography and Howard Jackson's robust, stirring score are both up to snuff. The warm relationship between Tobor and Gadge is genuinely charming and touching while the scenes of Tobor in action are very cool and exciting. But what really makes this film so special and appealing is its marvelous surplus of pure heart. A disarmingly sweet little treat.

"Tobor the Great" is lightly amusing, engaging sci-fi, which could well be described as the tale of "a boy and his robot". People such as Dr. Ralph Harrison (Charles Drake, "It Came from Outer Space") and the eminent Professor Arnold Nordstrom (Taylor Holmes, "Kiss of Death" '47) don't believe that human beings should be subjected to the unknown perils of space travel. So Nordstrom has hit upon the answer: the title robot, which has been designed to be a sentient being which people can communicate with telepathically. When enemy agents kidnap Nordstrom and his grandson "Gadge" (Billy Chapin, "The Night of the Hunter"),to force the old man to divulge his secrets, Tobor swings (so to speak) into action.

There's a lot of set-up to get to the pay-off in this minor but diverting, and mostly harmless, story. Tobor may be no Robby the Robot, but "he" is a fairly cool character nonetheless. The movie is always fun when Tobor is stomping around, breaking things, offering a hand in friendship, foiling the bad guys...and, in the movies' most priceless sequence, driving a jeep.

Some of the human characters take some time getting used to. Harrison comes off as a volatile jerk at first, and "Gadge" is the perfect stereotype of a kid of that era, given to proclamations such as "Gosh!" and "Gee willikers!" But the cast delivers amiable performances (they're NOT terrible). Also co-starring are Karin Booth ("Jungle Man-Eaters"),Steven Geray ("Spellbound"),Hal Baylor ("A Boy and His Dog"),Peter Brocco ("Johnny Got His Gun"),Alan Reynolds ("Cape Fear" '62),William Schallert ('The Patty Duke Show'),Robert Shayne ('Adventures of Superman'),and Lyle Talbot ("Plan 9 from Outer Space"). Holmes has a warm, wise presence as the egghead who sets the story in motion.

As was said, it's not completely harmless. People may wince at the fact that the bad guys are prepared to torture young Gadge to get the old man to spill the beans.

Fortunately, "Tobor the Great" never dwells too long on unpleasantness, and heads towards a rousing conclusion where our hero robot saves the day. Fans of 1950s sci-fi may find it charming.

Six out of 10.