Synopsis
Tongue-in-cheek film showing a domestic robot freeing housewives of their chores (and intimating that their work is hardly necessary); actually a promo showing how relays and switches function in the modern automobile. Shown at the New York World's Fair in 1940.
Synopsis from TMDb
Details
- Studio
- Jam Handy Organization (JHO)
- Released
- 1940-01-01
- Running time
- 8 minutes
Reviews on the Internet Archive
★★★★★ · The "Robit" Film · StratoGeezer · 2006-08-10
The announciation of the narrator is half the fun of watching these films. Although this film centers around a a hilarious, clunky, stereotypical 1950's robot, the narrator pronounces it as "Robit" over and over. This "robit" is totally good humor to watch - especially the part where he vacuums up a mess with his foot. The voice is perfect. This film associates all sorts of now ancient technologies with robot-like qualities. It's a good analogy - and really interesting to see illustrations of the latest technologies of the time - especially the insides of the mechanical car radio - showing…
★★★★★ · They had know how. Do we? · tribtower · 2013-05-27
Well done Jam Handy screenwriters. Clever tongue in cheek and ya might learn something too. The nit-picking about the pronounciation of "ROBOT"! as "ROBUT" is the way many Canadians say this word. I can see all the multicultural stuff they've tried to cram into your Yankee heads has'nt done one bit of good. The people of 1940 who this was intended for knew the message was the medium. WOW! all those wonderful appliances featured in the movie- we would'nt even know how to make one of those in this country any more. Whata pop-up toaster. As for that- writing a fine little shooting script, this…
★★★★★ · I want to kill this robot and its manufacturer(s) · HuckleberryFinn · 2004-04-12
Roll-Oh has got to be the squarest, clunkiest hunk of metal crap ever grace the silver screen. Still, the family keeps it around because it's somehow proficient at completing household tasks. This film gets 5 stars for including an African American boy pre-1960 without mentioning his race or implying he's a drug addict.
★★★★★ · Roll-Oh is Fun-Oh to Watch · Attacking Martian · 2008-01-11
You can always count on the fact that promo films from GM and it's various subsidies are always going to be of top-notch quality and full of fun things to see. I've seen this before but enjoyed seeing it again.
★★★★ · Watch out for the "robuts" · pottersclay75 · 2005-08-22
Other than the narrator's annoying way of saying "robut," this film is very entertaining. Roll-oh is great. They must have had a great number of problems with the furnace, though, since Roll-oh's control panel had a permanent "fix furnace" button. He needs a vocabulary update since he has not evolved past caveman speech. The only problem with this film is that you think its going in one direction, and then get stuck with looking at car parts for the last half. But, Jam Handy didn't bite the hand that fed it.
★★★ · Leave it to Roll-Oh · Cell Sam · 2003-07-22
A true fantasy film where the housewife is able to free herself of house work to sit around all day and read magazines. The only thing missing is the bon bons. Take a look at our pretty housewife in 3 or 4 mos.: My ! her figure has filled out - she's as big as Roll-Oh ! Another interesting part of the film shows a black boy at a wonderous new water fountain. It is ironic at this time that black americans were told that such water fountains were "For Whites Only". If only Roll-Oh could see what we can do now !
