Robert Kinoshita (February 24, 1914 – December 9, 2014) was an American artist, art director, set and production designer who worked in the American film and television industries from the 1950s through the early 1980s.

Biography

Kinoshita was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and grew up in

Boyle Heights Boyle may refer to: Places United States * Boyle, Kansas, an unincorporated community * Boyle, Mississippi, a town *Boyle County, Kentucky *Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, a neighborhood Elsewhere * Boyle (crater), a lunar crater * 11967 Boyle, ...

neighborhood. After graduating from Roosevelt High School, he went to the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

to study architecture. Kinoshita graduated from USC in 1940 with a bachelor's degree in architecture and design. During World War II, Kinoshita and his wife Lillian Matsuyama were

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...

at the

Poston War Relocation Center The Poston Internment Camp, located in Yuma County (now in La Paz County) in southwestern Arizona, was the largest (in terms of area) of the 10 American concentration camps operated by the War Relocation Authority during World War II. The sit ...

in Arizona following the signing of

Executive Order 9066 Executive Order 9066 was a President of the United States, United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. "This order authorized the fo ...

. His career as a screenwriter started with ''Hundred Men and a Girl'' in 1937, while it took several years post war before he returned to the big screen in 1956 for the

special effects Special effects (often abbreviated as F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the fictional events in a story or virtual world. ...

tasks and built the famous

Robby the Robot Robby the Robot is a fictional character who first appeared in the 1956 film ''Forbidden Planet''. He made a number of subsequent appearances in science fiction films and television programs, which has given him the distinction as "the harde ...

in ''

Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction action film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on a film story by ...

'', although without credit.

Robots and Kinoshita

Kinoshita is best known as the designer of two of the most famous

robot A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...

s in

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

from the films ''

'' in 1956 and '' The Invisible Boy'' in 1957; and Environmental Control Robot from the 1960s

TV series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...

'', which was called "Robot". Reported costs for Robby the Robot's construction range from $100,000-$125,000. Measuring around 7 feet (213 cm) tall, Robby was the result of the efforts of a number of individuals, although the final design as it appeared in ''Forbidden Planet'' is usually attributed to Kinoshita, who was head

draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman, drafting technician, or CAD technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawi ...

of the art department, and who produced the working drawings and

blueprint A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing or engineering drawing using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets introduced by Sir John Herschel in 1842. The process allowed rapid and accurate production of an unlimited number ...

s for Robby's construction under the supervision of art director A. Arnold "Buddy" Gillespie at

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

As an art director for films

Around April 1965,

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen; June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genr ...

hired Kinoshita as the art director for the ''Lost in Space'' series. Two of Kinoshita's tasks were to design a robot (which he nicknamed "Blinky") and to redesign the pilot film's ''Gemini XII'' space ship into what would become the '' Jupiter 2''. This robot never had a real name—only the model number "B9." In the show he was referred to as "the robot" or called by the generic name, "Robot." He was brought to life by the combination of actor Bob May and

voice actor Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

Dick Tufeld Richard Norton Tufeld (December 11, 1926 – January 22, 2012) was an American actor, announcer, narrator, and voice actor from the late 1940s until the early 21st century. He worked constantly and continuously throughout this lengthy car ...

. Two of Kinoshita's famous robots appeared faceplate-to-faceplate in the ''

'' episodes "War of the Robots" and "Condemned of Space", where Robby the Robot appeared as a guest robotoid and robot, respectively. Among his credits are art direction on four other well-known TV shows: ''

Highway Patrol A highway patrol is a police unit, detail, or law enforcement agency created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways within a jurisdiction. They are also referred to in many countri ...

'' (1955–1959), ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the late 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was bo ...

'' (1960–1961), ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

'' (1970–1971), and ''

Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...

'' (1973–1974). Kinoshita also contributed production design to several features including '' The Phantom Planet'' (1961). The B9 robot fan club provided photos of Kinoshita on his 94th birthday as well as an interview. Robert Kinoshita

turned 100 A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...

in February 2014 and died in December 2014.

Filmography

Production Designer

* ''Hundred Men and a Girl'', directed by

Henry Koster Henry Koster (born Hermann Kosterlitz, May 1, 1905 – September 21, 1988) was a German-born film director. He was the husband of actress Peggy Moran. Early life Koster was born to Jewish parents in Berlin, Germany. He was introduced to cin ...

(1937) * ''Luke and the Tenderfoot'' (1955) – TV series (2 episodes) * '' The Rebel Returns to Town'', directed by Alfred L. Werker (1956) * '' The Black Sleep'', directed by

Reginald Le Borg Reginald LeBorg (born Harry Gröbel; 11 December 1902 – 25 March 1989) was an Austrian-American film director. He directed 68 films between 1936 and 1974. Film career In 1934, he moved to Hollywood, California to seek employment as a scre ...

(1956) * ''Star Broken'', directed by

Lesley Selander Lesley Selander (May 26, 1900 – December 5, 1979) was an American film director of Western (genre), Westerns and adventure film, adventure movies. His career as director, spanning 127 feature films and dozens of TV episodes, lasted from 1936 to ...

(1956) * '' Pharaoh's Curse'', directed by

Lee Sholem Lee Tabor Sholem (May 25, 1913 in Paris, Illinois – August 19, 2000 in Los Angeles, California) was an American television and film director. Nicknamed ""Roll 'Em" Sholem", he is identified more than anyone else in the industry with speed and ...

(1957) * ''

Science Fiction Theatre ''Science Fiction Theatre'' is an American science fiction anthology television series that was produced by Ivan Tors and Maurice Ziv and originally aired in syndication. It premiered on April 9, 1955, and ended on February 9, 1957, with a to ...

'' (1956–1957), TV series (14 episodes) * '' Rock All Night'', directed by

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

(1957) * '' Teenage Doll'', directed by Roger Corman (1957) * '' Here Comes Tobor'', directed by Duke Goldstone (1957) – TV movie * ''

Harbor Command ''Harbor Command'' is an American police series that was syndicated, with 39 half-hour episodes produced in 1957-1958. A Spanish-language version was broadcast in Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Overview The series stars Wendell C ...

'' (1957–1958) – TV series (14 episodes) * '' The Rough Riders'' (1958) – TV series * '' Mackenzie's Raiders'' (1958–1959) – TV series * ''

'' (1959), TV series (5 episodes) * ''

Bold Venture ''Bold Venture'' was a syndicated radio series starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall that aired from 1951 to 1952. Morton Fine and David Friedkin scripted the taped series for Bogart's Santana Productions. Synopsis Salty seadog Slate ...

'' (1959), TV series * ''

Tombstone Territory ''Tombstone Territory'' is an American Western television series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959. The first season was sponsored by Bristol-Myers (consumer products) and the seco ...

'' (1957–1959), TV series * ''

World of Giants ''World of Giants'' is an American 30-minute black-and-white science fiction spy-fi television seriesWright, Gene, ''The Science Fiction Image'', page 330, The University of Virginia, 1983 that aired in syndication from September 5, 1959, until ...

'' (1959), TV series (1 episode) * ''Adventures in the bottom of the sea'' (1958–1959), TV series * ''

'' (1959), TV series * '' Lock Up'' (1959–1960), TV series (5 episodes)

Art Director

* ''

'' (1955), TV series * ''

Macabre In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natu ...

'', directed by

William Castle William Castle (born William Schloss Jr.; April 24, 1914 – May 31, 1977) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is known for the horror film, horror and thriller film, thriller B movie, B-movies he directed durin ...

(1958) * '' The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent'', directed by

(1957) * 'The Path of Vengeance'', directed by Mark Stevens (1958) * ''The Love of a Geisha'' (''Tokyo After Dark''), directed by Norman T. Herman (1959) * ''

Men Into Space ''Men into Space'' (a.k.a. ''Space Challenge'' in later US syndication) is an American black-and-white science fiction television series, produced by Ziv Television Programs, Inc., that was first broadcast by CBS from September 30, 1959, to S ...

'' (1959–1960) – TV series * '' The Nun and the Sergeant'' of

Franklin Adreon Franklin "Pete" Adreon (November 18, 1902 – September 10, 1979) was an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Early life and career Born in Gambrills, Maryland, Adreon was a Marine Reservist during the 30 ...

director (1962) * '' Ripcord'' (1962) – TV series (1 episode) * ''

'' (1965–1967) – TV series * '' Mash: The Private War of Sgt. O'Farrell'', directed by

Frank Tashlin Frank Tashlin (born Francis Fredrick von Taschlein, February 19, 1913 – May 5, 1972), also known as Tish Tash and Frank Tash, was an American animator and filmmaker. He was best known for his work on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' ...

(1968) * ''

'' (1970–1971) – TV series (24 episodes) * ''The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War'', directed by

Russ Mayberry Russell Bradley Mayberry (December 22, 1925 – July 27, 2012) was an American television director. Early life and career Mayberry was born on December 22, 1925, in Duluth, Minnesota. He later moved to Chicago, Illinois, after serving as a Navy ...

(1973) – TV movie * '' Lieutenant Kojak'' (1973–1974) – TV series (8 episodes) * ''

Planet Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all of Earth's water is ...

'', directed by Marc Daniels (1974) * '' Ironside'' (1974) – TV series (1 episode) * '' The Dead Don't Die'', directed by

Curtis Harrington Gene Curtis Harrington (September 17, 1926 – May 6, 2007) was an American film and television director whose work included experimental films and horror films. He is considered one of the forerunners of New Queer Cinema. Life and career ...

(1975) – TV movie * ''

The Streets of San Francisco ''The Streets of San Francisco'' is an American television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ow ...

'' (1976) – TV series (2 episodes) * '' Terror at 12,000 meters'', Directed by Robert Butler (1976) – TV movie * ''

Project U.F.O. ''Project U.F.O.'' is an American television series which ran on NBC from 1978 to 1979. Running for two seasons of 13 episodes each, the show was based loosely on the real-life Project Blue Book. The show was created by Jack Webb, who pored th ...

'' (1978) – TV series (12 episodes) * ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective fiction, detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law. They run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, Califor ...

'' (1978–1979) – TV series (23 episodes) * ''

Belle Starr Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr (February 5, 1848 – February 3, 1889), better known as Belle Starr, was an American outlaw who gained national notoriety after her violent death. She associated with the James–Younger Gang and other outlaws. ...

'', directed by John A. Alonzo (1980) * ''

The Gong Show Movie ''The Gong Show Movie'' is a 1980 American slapstick film starring, co-written and directed by Chuck Barris, host of the game show of the same name. Plot The film shows a fictional week in the life of Chuck Barris as the host and creator of ' ...

'', directed by

Chuck Barris Charles Hirsch Barris (June 3, 1929 – March 21, 2017) was an American game show creator, producer, and host, author, and songwriter. A key crew member of several hugely successful game shows, he was the creator of ''The Dating Game'' (1965– ...

(1981) * '' Going Ape!'', Directed by Jeremy Joe Kronsberg (1981) * ''

Matt Houston ''Matt Houston'' is an American crime drama television series starring Lee Horsley as the title character, a wealthy oilman who holds a side job as a private investigator. Created by Lawrence Gordon and produced by Aaron Spelling, it origin ...

'' (1982) – TV series (1 episode) * ''Girls of the White Orchid'', directed by

Jonathan Kaplan Jonathan Kaplan (born November 25, 1947) is an American film producer and film director, director. His film ''The Accused (1988 film), The Accused'' (1988) earned actress Jodie Foster the Academy Awards, Oscar for Academy Award for Best Actress ...

(1983) – TV movie * ''

Lovelines ''Lovelines'' is the thirtienth studio album by the American music duo Carpenters, released on October 31, 1989. It was the third Carpenters posthumous album released after the death of Karen Carpenter to feature entirely unreleased material. B ...

'', directed by

Rod Amateau Rodney Amateau (December 20, 1923 – June 29, 2003) was an American film and television screenwriter, director, and producer. Career Among the programs that he directed were '' The Dennis Day Show'', ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', ...

(1984) * ''

Cover Up A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence, or other embarrassing information. Research has distinguished personal cover-ups (covering up one's own misdeeds) from relational co ...

'' (1984) – TV series (3 episodes)

Producer

* '' The Phantom Planet'', directed by William Marshall (1961) * ''Hell's Bloody Devils'', directed by

Al Adamson Albert Victor Adamson Jr. (July 25, 1929 – June 21, 1995) was an American Filmmaking, filmmaker and actor known as a prolific director of B movie horror and exploitation films throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The son of silent film veterans Vict ...

(1970)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinoshita, Robert 1914 births 2014 deaths American men centenarians American art directors American production designers American scenic designers American artists of Japanese descent Japanese-American internees American roboticists