"Phyllis Kirk as Nora and Asta as Asta." " Well..." " Well?" "If this is your idea of a weekend in the country I'll take a hot Sunday in Times Square." "Nora, it wasn't my idea." "Doc Nyles invited us." "Well, you accepted." "I don't even know him." "What could I do?" "He said he'd feel more comfortable with me around." "Whatever he meant by that." "The least he could have done was explain his cryptic invitation." "Well, we'll find out soon enough." " You know what I think?" " What?" "I think he just decided if he made you curious enough you'd have to accept." "Doc's a pretty smart fellow." "Well, there's only one thing I'm curious about:" "Is he the kind of fellow who serves hot chocolate and has great roaring fires?" "I doubt it." "He's a physicist." "Probably uses electronic radiant heating." "Well, at this point I'd settle for curling up in front of a hot wall." "My, my." "Were you ever wrong." "There isn't an electronic gadget in the place." "You're right." "You know, it's strange, because in New York even his window shades work by push button." "Dr. Nyles is in his laboratory." "He said this hot buttered rum might hold you till he got here." "Laboratory, Mrs. Creavy?" "Is there really a laboratory in this old house?" "We have a staff of assistants." "There are two men:" "Mr. Hartwick and Mr. Provost." " Thank you." " And there's Robby." "Ah, a woman, eh?" "No, Robby is not a woman." "Uh, a little boy?" "A girl?" "An animal?" "He's not an animal either." "But whatever Robby is, he rules the roost around here." "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Charles." "I hope Mrs. Creavy has welcomed you properly." "What do you know about proper welcoming you miserable pile of tin?" "May I take your hat and coat?" "It's like I told you." "He runs things." "Hello, old pal." "Robby?" "We're doing fine." "Uh, no hat, and no coat." "See?" "Stand back!" "You're in my part of the house!" "Go on!" "Go on!" "Hello, Nick." "If you can knock off your feud, Mrs. Creavy I'd like to jump into some of that hot buttered rum." "Yes, sir." "I'll get a cup." "Well, Nick." "I think you've met my family." "Must say yours is a lot prettier." "Well, a bit paler than usual." " This is Nora." " Hello." "This is our youngest, Asta." "Sit down." "Don't let Robby throw you, Nora." "He's just an overgrown instrument panel." "But he walks, and he talks." "Oh, he can do a lot more than that." "He's capable of 130 simple tasks." "No wonder Mrs. Creavy is falling to pieces." "Robby's sort of like canned housemaid." "No, happily, Robby's strictly industrial." " For handling radioactive materials?" " Exactly." "Tomorrow, for the first time, he meets the press the Department of Defense and the scientific advisers to the government." "That's quite an audience for a debut." "Will that be all for the present, Dr. Nyles?" "That's Hartwick talking." "He has Robby on remote." "Okay for now, Hartwick." "Pull him in, wrap him up." "Thank you, Mrs. Creavy." "Frankly, Nick, the reason I wanted you here is because this demonstration means so much to me." "You mean, we're going to be able to watch it?" "That sounds like great fun." ""Fun," she calls it." "The blackest day in history." "Now, that will do." "That will hardly do, my dear Dr. Nyles." "Have you told them about that gash on your head?" "I forbid you to say another word." "Very well." "It's out of my hands, anyway." "Don't mind Mrs. Creavy." "She has an almost superstitious fear of Robby." "Doc, what about the gash on your head?" "Oh, nothing." "One of those inexplicable things." "Would you like to see your room?" "What about that gash?" "While I was working on a lathe in the laboratory I must have momentarily blacked out." "Apparently, I struck my head in falling." "Robby happened to be standing over me when my assistant Provost found me." "Is that why you wanted me here?" "My only feeling in the matter, Nick, is one of vague uneasiness." "See, Robby means a great deal to me." "He's my brainchild." "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is To have a thankless child!" "Don't go weird on me, like Mrs. Creavy." "Robby has no power of movement, thought or emotion except what we give him." " You believe me, don't you?" " Oh, of course." "Hmm?" "Oh." "Of course." "Nora, I thought you said you believed Doc." "I did, I did." "It's just that I don't know very much about electronics." "Honey, he explained it to you." "Robby is simply an overgrown instrument panel..." " ...who works with push buttons." " Uh-huh." "Did it ever occur to you that he might not have all his buttons?" "That's kind of an interesting idea." "You mean you think it's possible?" "Don't ask me." "You're the one who suggested it." "Well, for Pete's sake, you don't have to act as though I could be right." "Pleasant dreams, Nora." "Help!" "Help!" "Unh." "Is it time to get up?" "No, not yet." "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Oh, you got here just in time." "Hartwick, what is this nonsense?" "Nonsense?" "Didn't you see?" " It looked as if Robby was going for him." " He was going to kill me!" "Don't be ridiculous." "The control panel was on." " He was walking a simple straight line..." " I know he was going to kill me." " Somebody must've thrown the switch." " I did." "I was giving Robby a routine checkup." "You told me to get up early this morning and do it." "Where were you, Provost?" "You were supposed to be here too." "I guess I must have overslept, sir." "Of all the days to oversleep." "The day we're shooting a year and a half's work." "How can you think of going ahead with the demonstration?" "Now, get a grip on yourself." "Could it have been that you were standing in Robby's path?" "No, he turned on me." "I knew it." "I knew it." "He's a monster." " A death machine." " Now, listen to me, all of you." "I'm not going to let an inane instinct create bad public relations for Robby." "I don't care what you think." "Keep it to yourselves." "Now, get some breakfast." "Then we'll give it a complete countdown." "I'd hate to think of this guy going off on his own." "Don't waste your time, Nick." "Just a network of wires." "Yes, Doc." "But wires can get twisted." "And furthermore, gentlemen, I will not presume to tell you the problems that arise in the handling of radioactive materials." "But it is my conviction that the remote-coordinating automaton will increase handling efficiency by 100 percent." "Now I'd like you to meet Robby." "Using a portable control panel, my assistant, Mr. Hartwick will bring him in from our laboratory in a demonstration of remote handling without visual aid." " Are you ready?" " Yes, sir." "You know I can always tell when you're trying to keep something from me?" " No, how?" " You answer everything with a question." " Do I?" " Now, why did you get up at 6:00 and what was all the commotion about, and why was everyone so grim?" "What do you mean by everyone?" "Now, you see?" "That wasn't an answer, that was a question." " Was it?" " Nicky!" "Oh, Nora, it's just the doc didn't want us to tell." "Besides, I didn't want to make you nervous." "Oh." "Well, of course, if it's that bad, maybe you shouldn't tell me." "Then I won't." "Tell me." "Hartwick thought that Robby tried to kill him." "Why did you tell me?" "Because you asked me." "We all decided it was pretty ridiculous." "Just a curious set of circumstances, that's all." "What does Robby think?" "That's the point." "How can a robot think?" "How's the signal?" "Clear and strong." "Gentlemen." "Shall we join them?" "The remote-coordinating automaton conveys a continuous flow of information permitting us to correct for error." "He's left the laboratory, sir." "With a few hours' practice, a child can operate Robby as easily as he runs his electric trains." "He's proceeding down the hall now." "Dr. Nyles!" "Mrs. Creavy, what's the matter?" "Oh, it's terrible!" "It's terrible!" "He was coming towards me!" "Gentlemen, it's really nothing." "My housekeeper has a fixation." "No!" "No!" "Look for yourself!" "You claim that the robot killed Provost and that the robot knew what it was doing." "Robby should be destroyed, like any murderer." "And you say the robot did it but you're not sure it knew what it was doing." "The imagination can play tricks." "But one thing I am sure of, nobody's safe as long as Robby's alive." "Alive?" "We're talking about a piece of machinery." "Or are we?" "And you say Robby didn't commit the murder." "Like you said, Lieutenant Voss, he's only a piece of machinery." "Now, you take the curious position that the robot is innocent until he's proven guilty." "That curious position happens to be the basis of our judicial system." "Besides, Robby happens to be my client." "Well, as far as I'm concerned, your client went haywire and killed Provost with a blow on the head." "Maybe it was an accident maybe somebody was pulling the switches but I've got a hunch what my final report will say:" ""Criminal negligence." That's a pretty serious charge." "Let's take a look at the lab." "Maybe you'd like to show us around." "Poor Mr. Provost." "He was such a nice man." "Nora, why don't you take Mrs. Creavy up to her room?" "Come along, Mrs. Creavy." "You need some rest." " Thanks, Nick." " For what?" "For taking Robby as your client." "A charge of criminal negligence could ruin both you and Robby." "We couldn't let that happen." "If it wasn't an accident, Nick, who did kill Provost, and why?" "Yeah, and how was it done?" "I thought Lieutenant Voss established it was a blow by Robby's fist." "A blow by a heavy object that could have been Robby's fist." "Doc, speaking in a mechanical sense is Robby capable of dealing such a blow?" "Yes, I believe so." "Could he then pick up his victim in his arms?" "Anything could happen with a machine gone haywire." "You told me that anybody could learn to run Robby." "Is that true?" "Yes, that's true." "Would you mind showing me what makes my client tick?" "Nicky how much longer is this going to take?" "I'm just getting the hang of it." "It's like running my own electric train." "Well, when we get to our station, will you let me know?" "I'll be through in a minute." "Why don't you get ready for bed?" "You mean, get undressed in front of him?" "I'll turn his back to you." "Nicky, are you doing that?" "Doing what?" "Making him stare at me." "Sorry." "Whoops." "Too far." "Are you absolutely sure he can't think?" "Positive, unless somebody does his thinking for him." "Well, whatever you're thinking for him, Nick, I wish you'd stop." "Don't you worry, Nora." "I've got him under control." "What are you doing?" "Now I'm gonna test his crushing power." "Now, watch this." "A question, are you doing that or is he?" "I am, of course." "I wanted to find out if he could deal a lethal blow." "Well, now you know." "I know that he can, not that he did." "Ready, Robby?" "Go ahead." " Where is he going with it?" " Gonna put it in the closet." "But he can't do that." "It's like sweeping it under the rug." " What do you suggest?" " Why, I suggest that you stop him before he wrecks this entire room." "Watch out!" "Nora!" "Nora, did you see that?" "What do you mean, did I see it?" "I was the one who kept telling you." " It proves Robby's innocent." " How?" "Come with me and I'll show you." "You too." "Come on, Robby." "Oh, I forgot." "There, now he's in prime position." "Now he's in carrying position." " What's he going to carry?" " You." " Me?" " Yes, I want you to crawl in his arms." " I wouldn't crawl in his arms if he were..." " Nora." " He just isn't my type." " Nora, you're wasting time." "You're wasting breath." "Why do you want me to do that, anyway?" "To establish Robby's innocence." "This could be the final proof..." " ...one way or the other." " It's the other way that worries me." "Nora, don't worry about it." "Come on, I want you to get in his arms." "Now, the idea is you play dead." "I just want a dead weight up there." "Oh, fine, and suppose he decides to play for keeps?" "Oh, Nora, would I ever do anything to hurt you?" " Well, no." " Well?" "I'll crawl into your arms." "Oh, all right, all right, all right." "I'll do it, but I don't like it one bit." "All right, here you go." "Easy." "There we are." "Now, that should be just about as comfortable as riding in one of those sports cars." "Mm." "What's going to happen now?" "He's going to walk you across the room." "Now, relax." " Nora, you can't hold on." " What?" "No, let's just lie limp." "Let your arms..." "That's it." "All right, Robby, you all ready?" "Nicky, he's going to bash me against the doorway!" "Yes." "Yes, it's obvious now." "Well, aren't you going to do anything to stop him?" "Of course." "There." "Nora!" "Nora, can you see?" "There's no way of getting you though this door without crushing you." "Well, what on earth did you think I was hollering about?" "Yes, but Robby got through carrying Provost's body without mishap." "Well, at least Hartwick had sense enough to turn him sideways in the doorway." "Yeah, you know what that means." "Hartwick knew that Robby was carrying a body." "Robby, I think you've beaten the rap." "Come on, I'll help you down." "Well, what do we do now, wait until morning?" "I think Lieutenant Voss should know immediately." " I'll go wake Dr. Nyles." " Oh, well, hurry back, please." " Nick...!" " Don't scream, Mrs. Charles." "I can pull this trigger faster than you can summon help." "No, he's not dead." "He's as alive as you are, but both those conditions can be easily altered." "But why should you want to kill us?" "I didn't say I would." " But Robby might." " Robby?" "Yes, Robby, that soul of all things evil." "You're lying." "You murdered Provost." "Murder is not the word for an act of mercy." "What's one man's life against the millions who might die in a nuclear war?" "Robby was created for the atomic plants." "Unless he and the people who made him are destroyed there'll be thousands like him, fashioning weapons of death." "But how is it going to help you to kill us?" "It'll help put Robby where all haywire machines go:" "...On the junk pile." "You tried to kill Dr. Nyles too, didn't you?" "The real killer stands before you." "Look at his face." "Can't you see evil written on it?" "Even Mrs. Creavy could when I pointed it out to her." "It says only one thing:" "Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!" "Nick!" "Stop him." "Stop him." "Keep him away from me!" "Keep him away!" "And so, gentlemen, knowing that my adversary was under great emotional strain, I just kept coming towards him." "That did it." "He cracked completely." "And now, folks, while you're all gathered here I'd like to demonstrate a little household item." "Notice how easily..." "You get away from me, boy, you bother me." "Notice how easily you can push it." "And just for a few extra dollars, folks, you can buy me to push it." "Oh, I'll take it!" "I'll take it!" "Get in line, lady, there are 30 million women ahead of you."