Lock Martin
Encyclopedia
Lock Martin was the stage name of American actor Joseph Lockard Martin, Jr. He is best remembered for playing the robot Gort
in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).
He was from Pennsylvania
and had a series of odd jobs before going into acting. He was working as a doorman
at Grauman's Chinese Theater when he was hired for the role of Gort, although this was not his first acting job. He was reportedly 7 feet 7 inches tall (about 231 cm); however Robert Wise
, director of The Day The Earth Stood Still, states his height was 7 feet 1 inch in the DVD commentary. His great height did not translate into strength and he had difficulty managing his robot suit. For scenes where he was supposed to physically lift Patricia Neal
and Michael Rennie
, they were either held up by wires, a hidden dolly or replaced with lightweight dummies.
He was also in The Incredible Shrinking Man
as a giant, but his scenes were deleted. He was nicknamed "the Gentle Giant" as he liked reading stories to children and for a time had a local show devoted to that.
Martin was married to Ethel Babcock (1914–1972).
Gort (The Day the Earth Stood Still)
Gort is a fictional humanoid robot in the 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still and its 2008 remake.In the original short story "Farewell to the Master", on which the two films are based, the character was called Gnut.- 1951 depiction :...
in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).
He was from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and had a series of odd jobs before going into acting. He was working as a doorman
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
at Grauman's Chinese Theater when he was hired for the role of Gort, although this was not his first acting job. He was reportedly 7 feet 7 inches tall (about 231 cm); however Robert Wise
Robert Wise
Robert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director...
, director of The Day The Earth Stood Still, states his height was 7 feet 1 inch in the DVD commentary. His great height did not translate into strength and he had difficulty managing his robot suit. For scenes where he was supposed to physically lift Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal was an American actress of stage and screen. She was best known for her film roles as World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still , wealthy matron Emily Eustace Failenson in Breakfast at Tiffany's , middle-aged housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud , for which she won...
and Michael Rennie
Michael Rennie
Michael Rennie was an English film, television, and stage actor, perhaps best known for his starring role as the space visitor Klaatu in the 1951 classic science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still. However, he appeared in over 50 other films since 1936, many with Jean Simmons and other...
, they were either held up by wires, a hidden dolly or replaced with lightweight dummies.
He was also in The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold and adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson from his novel The Shrinking Man ....
as a giant, but his scenes were deleted. He was nicknamed "the Gentle Giant" as he liked reading stories to children and for a time had a local show devoted to that.
Martin was married to Ethel Babcock (1914–1972).
Filmography
- The Incredible Shrinking ManThe Incredible Shrinking ManThe Incredible Shrinking Man is a 1957 science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold and adapted for the screen by Richard Matheson from his novel The Shrinking Man ....
(1957) (scenes deleted) as Giant - The Snow CreatureThe Snow CreatureThe Snow Creature is a 1954 black-and-white sci-fi monster movie produced and directed by W. Lee Wilder, and written by Myles Wilder. It stars Paul Langton and Leslie Denison as members of a scientific expedition to the Himalayas who encounter and capture a Yeti...
(1954) (unconfirmed) as Yeti - Invaders from MarsInvaders from Mars (1953 film)Invaders From Mars is a science fiction film directed by William Cameron Menzies, taken from a scenario by Richard Blake, and based on a story treatment by John Tucker Battle who was inspired by a dream recounted by his wife. It was produced independently by Edward L. Alperson Jr. and starred...
(1953) (uncredited) as Mutant carrying David to 'Intelligence' - Off LimitsOff Limits (1953 film)Off Limits is a 1953 comedy film starring Bob Hope as a manager who enlists in the army to keep an eye on his boxer, who has been drafted. It was released in the UK as Military Policemen, as the characters played by Hope and his friend Mickey Rooney join the military police.-Cast:*Bob Hope as Wally...
(1953) (uncredited) as Big Sailor - Million Dollar MermaidMillion Dollar MermaidMillion Dollar Mermaid is a 1952 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer biographical musical film of the life of Australian swimming star Annette Kellerman. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Arthur Hornblow Jr. from a screenplay by Everett Freeman. The music score was by Adolph Deutsch, the...
(1952) (uncredited) as Giant - Four Star Revue as Giant at Hollywood Bowl (1 episode, 1952)
- The Day the Earth Stood StillThe Day the Earth Stood StillThe Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 American science fiction film directed by Robert Wise and written by Edmund H. North based on the short story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates. The film stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Sam Jaffe, and Hugh Marlowe...
(1951) as Gort - Lady on a TrainLady on a TrainLady on a Train is a 1945 comedy film noir, starring Deanna Durbin and based on a story by Leslie Charteris.-Plot:Debutante Nikki Collins, an enthusiastic reader of detective stories, witnesses a murder in a building while passing by on a train entering New York's Grand Central Station. She goes to...
(1945) (uncredited) as Circus Club Doorman - Anchors AweighAnchors Aweigh"Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy, and strongly associated with the United States Navy, composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmerman with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. Zimmerman was at the time a Lieutenant, and had been bandmaster of the United States Naval Academy...
(1945) (uncredited) as Giant - Lost in a HaremLost in a Harem-Plot:When a traveling vaudeville show becomes stranded in the Middle East, their singer, Hazel Moon , takes a job at a local cafe. Two of the show's prop men, Peter Johnson and Harvey Garvey , are hired as comedy relief, but their act unfortunately initiates a brawl...
(1944) (as J. Lockard Martin) as Bobo