B-9 Robot from Lost in Space

B-9 Robot from Lost in Space sold for a staggering $265,000 at the Profiles in History Hollywood Auction 14:

http://www.profilesinhistory.com/items/historic-highlights/b-9-robot-from-lost-in-space-the-original-tv-series.html

In 1965, after CBS executives screened the LOST IN SPACE Pilot "No Place to Hide", they suggested to Irwin Allen two additions to the cast, Dr. Smith and the Robot. Immediately, work began on creating something believable yet practical for television filming. Acclaimed designer Bob Kinoshita, who years before had designed the fore-mentioned Robby, put his skills to the test and created a pop-culture icon.

Kinoshita created two full-sized Robots for filming. The first was more of a costume than a prop, and was worn by actor Bob May. This Robot was modified in the early 1970s - into something more akin to a white refrigerator than a Robot - for a Saturday morning children's show. It was then rescued by a 20th Century Fox executive and fully restored.

The Robot being offered for auction is a full-sized prop, used for scenes in which it was unsafe or unnecessary for an actor to be inside. You can clearly see this Robot floating in space in "The Condemned of Space"; being attacked by a Cyborg in "Space Destructors"; knocked down by the "antimatter" John Robinson in "The Antimatter Man"; and being hung upside down by a giant magnet and run through a blast furnace in "Junkyard in Space". There were even times when both Robots appeared together in the same scenes! In "Flight into the Future" our Robot posed as a statue in honor of the other Robot. Then, more notably in "The Antimatter Man", he even portrayed an evil antimatter Robot.

After the run of the series, like many of the props from Irwin Allen's shows, the Robot was relegated to storage on the 20th Century Fox back lot. When Fox sold the land in the early 1970s, the Robot (along with many other LOST IN SPACE artifacts, including the Jupiter 2) was purchased to save it from imminent destruction.

Due to its age, the Robot was in need of some minor cosmetic restoration. The Robot's original owner and restorer was Academy Award-nominated Hollywood model maker Greg Jein. The exterior of the Robot was repainted with matching paint; some of the missing and/or broken chest lights were replaced with original parts (spares acquired along with the Robot); and new matching claws were created and affixed. Original neon tubing was installed in the mouth, and the special effects holes in the torso (originally made during filming of the series) were repaired. The Robot's arms, having been molded in rubber, have now hardened and developed surface cracks due to age, but they are the original screen-used arms.

This Robot has been displayed at many science fiction conventions around the world. In its many travels, it has acquired autographs of all of the original cast members (save for Guy Williams, who passed away in 1989); their signatures appear in ink on the back of the Robot's torso. It is here offered for public sale for the first time, from the John J. Alcantar III Legends of Entertainment Collection.

One of the biggest stars from a classic television show of the 1960's, this almost certainly will be your only opportunity to own the most complete and original LOST IN SPACE Robot used in production of the show. Don't be a "Bubble-Headed Booby" and miss your chance to bring the Robot home with you!