AT&T Archives: Robot, by Jim Henson

For more from the AT&T Archives, visit http://techchannel.att.com/archives

Jim Henson made this film in 1963 for The Bell System. Specifically, it was made for an elite seminar given for business owners, on the then-brand-new topic — Data Communications. The seminar itself involved a lot of films and multimedia presentations, and took place in Chicago. A lengthy description of the planning of the Bell Data Communications Seminar — sans a mention of the Henson involvement — is on the blog of Inpro co-founder Jack Byrne. It later was renamed the Bell Business Communications Seminar.

The organizers of the seminar, Inpro, actually set the tone for the film in a three-page memo from one of Inpro's principals, Ted Mills to Henson. Mills outlined the nascent, but growing relationship between man and machine: a relationship not without tension and resentment: "He [the robot] is sure that All Men Basically Want to Play Golf, and not run businesses — if he can do it better." (Mills also later designed the ride for the Bell System at the 1964 World's Fair.) Henson's execution is not only true to Mills' vision, but he also puts his own unique, irreverent spin on the material.

The robot narrator used in this film had previously starred in a skit for a food fair in Germany (video is silent), in 1961. It also may be the same robot that appeared on the Mike Douglas Show in 1966. Henson created a different — but similar — robot for the SKF Industries pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair.

This film was found in the AT&T Archives. Thanks go to Karen Falk of the Henson Archives for providing help and supporting documentation to prove that it was, indeed, a Henson production..

Footage courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, Warren, NJ

• Category

  Science & Technology

[MarlonOwnsYourCake]

that robot sounds a lot like my ex wife.

[OofusTwillip]

This character seems to be an embryonic ancestor of Henson's SAM (Super Automatic Machine) robot character, who appeared on "Sesame Street" in the early 1970s. SAM was convinced that "Machines are better. Machines can do anything. Machines never make mistakes." Of course, SAM always made mistakes!

SAM wasn't a success, and was retired after 3 years, but his body was re-purposed as Dr. Nobel Price's Weather Machine on episode 1740 (1983).

[gjh0328]

Lol

[stringanime]

LOL 00:46

[Lekhan singadi]

Robot may like this

[TheMusketITuckedIt]

Not a bad job done by a young Jim Henson.

[sgtrock66]

interesting vid. There was a SciFi short story about machines without man and then one showed up and they realized they were made to serve man and they did. Wish I could remember the name of the story.

[disneyphilip]

13 people are machines who think they can get along without man.

[Ali Gator]

Jim was a genius for sure, but way out there at the same time, nice drugs!

[Jesusdragon737]

This might be the first time I've ever disliked a video with such a positive ratio.

[AnuarPhysics]

hahaha!