Robby (1968)

Anecdotes

Robby is a 1968 family film written and directed by Ralph C. Bluemke. It is a modern-day retelling of Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe in which the main characters are portrayed as children. The film deals with many themes, including friendship, homesickness, racial blindness and naturism.

Production

Writer/director Ralph C. Bluemke originally conceived the idea of retelling the classic Robinson Crusoe story with children as the principals while working at a bank in 1960, seven years before filming would even begin.

In choosing his principal actors, Bluemke first cast ten-year-old Ryp Siani in the role of Friday. Ryp was already a seasoned child actor by this time, having been brought up in a show business family, and appearing in television commercials since early childhood. Casting the role of Robby was more challenging. After looking at dozens of child actors, Bluemke finally settled on nine-year-old Warren Raum.

The film was shot on location on Vieques Island in Puerto Rico, the same island on which Lord of the Flies (1963) was shot five years earlier.

Given the nature and location of the script, writer/director Ralph C. Bluemke knew from the beginning that the film would require a certain amount of nudity in order to give it a sense of realism and authenticity. Warren Raum (age 9) and Ryp Siani (age 10), who played Robby and Friday, respectively, were both Bluemke's first choices for the leading roles.

When cinematographer Al Mozell asked Bluemke how far he wanted to go in showing the actors' naked bodies, Bluemke told him to simply film the boys as if they were fully clothed. Mozell reluctantly agreed, saying, "Okay, but nudity is a no-no."

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