Short Circuit
Encyclopedia
Short Circuit is a 1986 comedy
science fiction film
starring Ally Sheedy
and Steve Guttenberg
and directed by John Badham
. Fisher Stevens
, Austin Pendleton
, and G. W. Bailey
co-star, with Tim Blaney
providing the voice of robot
"Number 5."
The story revolves around a sentient
robot
labeled "SAINT Number 5." The acronym SAINT stands for "Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport." The robot later takes the name "Johnny 5".
A sequel, Short Circuit 2
, was released in 1988.
) is one of five prototype robots proposed for Cold War
use by the U.S. military, although the scientist mainly responsible for creating them, Newton Graham Crosby, Ph.D. (Steve Guttenberg
) and his partner Ben Jabituya (Fisher Stevens
), are more interested in peaceful uses of their artificial intelligence
, like playing musical instruments. While a demonstration takes place on the grounds of the developer's company, Nova Laboratories in Damon, Washington, a lightning storm forces an end to the presentation. A power surge hits Number 5 while it is recharging and alters its program, causing a malfunction. An associated accident causes it to be taken off company grounds and it wanders away, unable to communicate and not knowing where it is.
Number 5 finds itself at the home of animal-lover Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy
) in Astoria, Oregon
, who initially thinks the robot is an extraterrestrial visitor, but then determines that the robot was built by Nova. After she helps it satisfy its cravings for "input" (due to its malfunction), and explains the nature of life and death to it, Stephanie and the robot realize the power surge has brought the robot to life. The robot subsequently gains a respect for life, rejecting the destructive nature of its military programming, as well as a fear of the disassembly that awaits it back at Nova, believing it to be akin to death.
After several narrow escapes from a troop of soldiers led by Nova's security head Captain Skroeder (G. W. Bailey
) — who in his attempt to destroy the wayward robot disobeys orders from Howard Marner (Austin Pendleton
), the director of Nova — as well as from Stephanie's unscrupulous ex-boyfriend Frank, Stephanie and the robot finally convince Newton of the robot's sentience, but are cornered by the full weight of Nova's security and the Army
, who seemingly destroy the robot. Unbeknownst to the soldiers, the robot they destroyed was a copy built by Number 5 from spare parts, and with the robot's "destruction," the project that spawned it is ruined and Skroeder is fired. Number 5 (who renames himself "Johnny 5" after hearing the song "Who's Johnny?
" throughout the movie) leaves for Montana
with Stephanie and Newton, who has subsequently quit his job after siding with the robot.
According to the commentary in the DVD, Johnny 5 was the most expensive part of the movie, requiring several different versions to be made for different sequences. Almost everything else in the movie was relatively inexpensive, allowing them to allocate as much money as they needed for the robot character. Johnny 5 was designed by Syd Mead
, the "visual futurist" famous for his work on Blade Runner
and Tron
.
Most of the arm movements of Johnny 5 were controlled by a "telemetry suit", a metallic skeleton carried on the puppeteer's upper torso. Each joint in the suit had a separate sensor, allowing the puppeteer's arm and hand movements to be transferred directly to the machine. He was also voiced in real-time by his puppeteer, the director believing that it provided for a more realistic interaction between the robot and the other actors than putting in his voice in post-production, although a few of his lines were redubbed later.
During Stephanie's impromptu news interview, director John Badham makes a cameo appearance as the news cameraman.
had a chart hit with the single "Who's Johnny (Theme from Short Circuit)
."
In 2008 Varèse Sarabande
issued David Shire
's score as part of their CD Club series of limited edition releases. The DeBarge song was not included (or mentioned in the liner notes); the last three tracks are source music. Curiously, the booklet claims the end title song isn't used in the movie, when it clearly is.
for ZX Spectrum
, Commodore 64
and Amstrad CPC
was also made based on the movie. It featured two parts, one arcade adventure where Johnny 5 had to escape from the lab, and one action part where Johnny 5 escapes across the countryside, avoiding soldiers and rabbits.
, premiered in 1988. There was a script for a possible third movie written in 1989 and rewritten in 1990, but it was found unsatisfactory by the producers, and the project was subsequently scrapped. Johnny 5 also makes an appearance in a commercial for Home and did a half-hour video called Hot Cars, Cold Facts.
In April 2008, Variety
reported that Dimension Films
had acquired the rights to remake the original film. Dan Milano
had been hired to write the script, and David Foster to produce it. Foster said that the robot's visual look would not change.
On October 27, 2009, it was announced that Steve Carr
would direct the remake and that the film's plot would involve a boy from a broken family befriending the Number 5 robot.
For reasons unknown, Carr left the project and on August 10, 2011, it was announced that Tim Hill
would direct the reboot instead.
s and optional deleted scene
s in later DVDs. The scenes shown in the credits include an extended SAINT demonstration sequence, which would have included the robots flying remote-controlled airplanes, an encounter with a white, commercially-made Omnibot 2000
, and a close encounter with "death" at a scrapyard. The latter two were from a cut sequence set between Number 5's theft of the Nova van in which he was being carted back by Ben, and his second arrival at Stephanie's house. In that sequence, the Nova van would have run out of fuel near the scrap yard, forcing Number 5 to abandon it and look for another suitable mode of transportation. The Omnibot
in the former of the two scenes would have belonged to the scrap yard owner's children, who were to frighten Number 5 away with their comparisons between him and the Omnibot.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
starring Ally Sheedy
Ally Sheedy
Alexandra Elizabeth "Ally" Sheedy is an American film and stage actress, as well as the author of two books. She is best known for her roles in the Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.-Early life:...
and Steve Guttenberg
Steve Guttenberg
Steven Robert "Steve" Guttenberg is an American actor and comedian. He became well known during the 1980s, after a series of starring roles in major Hollywood films, including Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy, and Short Circuit.-Early life:Guttenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, the...
and directed by John Badham
John Badham
- External links :...
. Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
, Austin Pendleton
Austin Pendleton
Austin Pendleton is an American film, television, and stage actor, a playwright, and a theatre director and instructor.-Life and career:...
, and G. W. Bailey
G. W. Bailey
George William "G.W." Bailey is an American stage, television and film actor. Although he appeared in many dramatic roles, he may be best remembered for his "crusty" comedic characters such as Staff Sergeant Luther Rizzo in M*A*S*H ; Lieutenant—and later, Captain—Thaddeus Harris in Police Academy...
co-star, with Tim Blaney
Tim Blaney
Tim Blaney is an American puppeteer and voice actor. He has provided the voices for Frank the Pug in Men in Black and Men in Black II and the self-aware robot "Johnny 5" in Short Circuit and Short Circuit 2.-Filmography:...
providing the voice of robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
"Number 5."
The story revolves around a sentient
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
labeled "SAINT Number 5." The acronym SAINT stands for "Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport." The robot later takes the name "Johnny 5".
A sequel, Short Circuit 2
Short Circuit 2
Short Circuit 2 is a 1988 comedy science fiction film, the sequel to 1986's film Short Circuit. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson, and starred Fisher Stevens as Ben Jahrvi , Michael McKean as Fred Ritter, Cynthia Gibb as Sandy Banatoni, and Tim Blaney as the voice of Johnny 5 Short Circuit 2 is a...
, was released in 1988.
Plot
Number 5 (voiced by Tim BlaneyTim Blaney
Tim Blaney is an American puppeteer and voice actor. He has provided the voices for Frank the Pug in Men in Black and Men in Black II and the self-aware robot "Johnny 5" in Short Circuit and Short Circuit 2.-Filmography:...
) is one of five prototype robots proposed for Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
use by the U.S. military, although the scientist mainly responsible for creating them, Newton Graham Crosby, Ph.D. (Steve Guttenberg
Steve Guttenberg
Steven Robert "Steve" Guttenberg is an American actor and comedian. He became well known during the 1980s, after a series of starring roles in major Hollywood films, including Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy, and Short Circuit.-Early life:Guttenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, the...
) and his partner Ben Jabituya (Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens
Fisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
), are more interested in peaceful uses of their artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, like playing musical instruments. While a demonstration takes place on the grounds of the developer's company, Nova Laboratories in Damon, Washington, a lightning storm forces an end to the presentation. A power surge hits Number 5 while it is recharging and alters its program, causing a malfunction. An associated accident causes it to be taken off company grounds and it wanders away, unable to communicate and not knowing where it is.
Number 5 finds itself at the home of animal-lover Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy
Ally Sheedy
Alexandra Elizabeth "Ally" Sheedy is an American film and stage actress, as well as the author of two books. She is best known for her roles in the Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.-Early life:...
) in Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
, who initially thinks the robot is an extraterrestrial visitor, but then determines that the robot was built by Nova. After she helps it satisfy its cravings for "input" (due to its malfunction), and explains the nature of life and death to it, Stephanie and the robot realize the power surge has brought the robot to life. The robot subsequently gains a respect for life, rejecting the destructive nature of its military programming, as well as a fear of the disassembly that awaits it back at Nova, believing it to be akin to death.
After several narrow escapes from a troop of soldiers led by Nova's security head Captain Skroeder (G. W. Bailey
G. W. Bailey
George William "G.W." Bailey is an American stage, television and film actor. Although he appeared in many dramatic roles, he may be best remembered for his "crusty" comedic characters such as Staff Sergeant Luther Rizzo in M*A*S*H ; Lieutenant—and later, Captain—Thaddeus Harris in Police Academy...
) — who in his attempt to destroy the wayward robot disobeys orders from Howard Marner (Austin Pendleton
Austin Pendleton
Austin Pendleton is an American film, television, and stage actor, a playwright, and a theatre director and instructor.-Life and career:...
), the director of Nova — as well as from Stephanie's unscrupulous ex-boyfriend Frank, Stephanie and the robot finally convince Newton of the robot's sentience, but are cornered by the full weight of Nova's security and the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, who seemingly destroy the robot. Unbeknownst to the soldiers, the robot they destroyed was a copy built by Number 5 from spare parts, and with the robot's "destruction," the project that spawned it is ruined and Skroeder is fired. Number 5 (who renames himself "Johnny 5" after hearing the song "Who's Johnny?
Who's Johnny
"Who's Johnny" is a dance-pop hit recorded by El DeBarge. Released in 1986 off the Gordy label, the single was used for the film Short Circuit and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart....
" throughout the movie) leaves for Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
with Stephanie and Newton, who has subsequently quit his job after siding with the robot.
Cast
- Ally SheedyAlly SheedyAlexandra Elizabeth "Ally" Sheedy is an American film and stage actress, as well as the author of two books. She is best known for her roles in the Brat Pack films The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.-Early life:...
as Stephanie Speck - Steve GuttenbergSteve GuttenbergSteven Robert "Steve" Guttenberg is an American actor and comedian. He became well known during the 1980s, after a series of starring roles in major Hollywood films, including Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy, and Short Circuit.-Early life:Guttenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, the...
as Newton Crosby, PhD. - Fisher StevensFisher StevensFisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
as Ben Jabituya - Austin PendletonAustin PendletonAustin Pendleton is an American film, television, and stage actor, a playwright, and a theatre director and instructor.-Life and career:...
as Dr. Howard Marner - G. W. BaileyG. W. BaileyGeorge William "G.W." Bailey is an American stage, television and film actor. Although he appeared in many dramatic roles, he may be best remembered for his "crusty" comedic characters such as Staff Sergeant Luther Rizzo in M*A*S*H ; Lieutenant—and later, Captain—Thaddeus Harris in Police Academy...
as Captain Skroeder - Brian McNamaraBrian McNamaraBrian McNamara is an American actor, known for his portrayal of Dean Karny in the TV Movie Billionaire Boys Club for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a supporting role.-Biography:...
as Frank - Tim BlaneyTim BlaneyTim Blaney is an American puppeteer and voice actor. He has provided the voices for Frank the Pug in Men in Black and Men in Black II and the self-aware robot "Johnny 5" in Short Circuit and Short Circuit 2.-Filmography:...
as Number 5 (voice) - Marvin J. McIntyreMarvin J. McIntyreMarvin J. McIntyre, sometimes billed as Marvin McIntyre is an actor with more than thirty years worth of screen appearances. His credits include:*Fandango *Pale Rider *Silverado *Short Circuit...
as Duke - John Garber as Otis
- Penny Santon as Mrs. Cepeda
- Vernon Weddle as General Washburne
- Barbara TarbuckBarbara TarbuckBarbara Tarbuck is an American actress born in 1942 in Detroit, Michigan. She is usually seen interpreting Lady Jane Jacks in General Hospital.-Biography:...
as Senator Mills - Tom Lawrence as Howard Marner's Aide
- Fred Slyter as Norman
- Billy Ray Sharkey as Zack
- John BadhamJohn Badham- External links :...
as Cameraman (uncredited) - Robert Krantz as Reporter
- Jan Speck as Reporter
- Marquerite Happy as Barmaid
- Howard Krick as Farmer
- Marjorie Card Hughes as Farmer's Wife
- Herb Smith as Gate Guard
- Jack ThompsonJack Thompson (actor)Jack Thompson, AM is an Australian actor and one of the major figures of Australian cinema. He was educated at University of Queensland, before embarking on his acting career. In 2002, he was made an honorary member of the Australian Cinematographers Society...
as Party Guest - William Striglos as Party Guest
- Mary Reckley as Party Guest
- Lisa McLean as Party Guest
- Eleanor C. Heutschy as Party Guest
Production
This film was conceived after the producers found success with an educational video about a robot that they created and distributed to local colleges. Studying other films with a prominent robot cast in them (like the Star Wars series) for inspiration, they decided to take a more realistic approach to the standard "living robot" plot, asking how people would truly react if a living robot appeared before them (with the theory that no one would believe for a second the robot was alive). As part of this, they purposely made Captain Skroeder the one taking the most rational action against the robot, having him do the "right" thing despite being a villain.According to the commentary in the DVD, Johnny 5 was the most expensive part of the movie, requiring several different versions to be made for different sequences. Almost everything else in the movie was relatively inexpensive, allowing them to allocate as much money as they needed for the robot character. Johnny 5 was designed by Syd Mead
Syd Mead
Sydney Jay Mead, commonly Syd Mead, is a "visual futurist" and concept artist. He is best known for his designs for science-fiction films such as Blade Runner, Aliens and Tron...
, the "visual futurist" famous for his work on Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
and Tron
Tron
-Film:*Tron , a franchise that began in 1982 with the Walt Disney Pictures film Tron** Tron , a 1982 science fiction film by Disney, starring Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, Cindy Morgan, Dan Shor and David Warner...
.
Most of the arm movements of Johnny 5 were controlled by a "telemetry suit", a metallic skeleton carried on the puppeteer's upper torso. Each joint in the suit had a separate sensor, allowing the puppeteer's arm and hand movements to be transferred directly to the machine. He was also voiced in real-time by his puppeteer, the director believing that it provided for a more realistic interaction between the robot and the other actors than putting in his voice in post-production, although a few of his lines were redubbed later.
During Stephanie's impromptu news interview, director John Badham makes a cameo appearance as the news cameraman.
Soundtrack
Although no soundtrack album was released at the time, El DeBargeEl DeBarge
Eldra Patrick "El" DeBarge is an American R&B/pop falsetto singer and was the focal point and lead singer of the family group DeBarge throughout the early to mid-1980s....
had a chart hit with the single "Who's Johnny (Theme from Short Circuit)
Who's Johnny
"Who's Johnny" is a dance-pop hit recorded by El DeBarge. Released in 1986 off the Gordy label, the single was used for the film Short Circuit and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart....
."
In 2008 Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
issued David Shire
David Shire
David Lee Shire is an American songwriter and the composer of stage musicals, film and television scores. The soundtrack to the movie The Taking of Pelham 123 and parts of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack such as Night on Disco Mountain, an adaptation of Modest Mussorgsky's Night on Bald...
's score as part of their CD Club series of limited edition releases. The DeBarge song was not included (or mentioned in the liner notes); the last three tracks are source music. Curiously, the booklet claims the end title song isn't used in the movie, when it clearly is.
- Main Title (2:13)
- The Quickening/Off The Bridge (2:44)
- Discovering Number 5/Sunrise (4:32)
- Grasshopper/Joy(less) Ride (4:43)
- The Attack/Coming To (3:47)
- Road Block/Bathtub/Robot Battle (2:42)
- Getaway/Hello, Bozos (2:41)
- Night Scene/Joke Triumph (4:17)
- Danger, Nova/Escape Attempt/Aftermath (3:48)
- Finale/End Title: "Come And Follow Me" - Max Carl and Marcy Levy (5:04)
- Rock (3:45)
- Bar (1:51)
- The Three Stooges (1:10)
Video game
A video game developed by Ocean SoftwareOcean Software
The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...
for ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
was also made based on the movie. It featured two parts, one arcade adventure where Johnny 5 had to escape from the lab, and one action part where Johnny 5 escapes across the countryside, avoiding soldiers and rabbits.
Reception
The movie had mostly positive reviews. Short Circuit debuted at No.1 at the box office.Sequel and remake
The sequel, Short Circuit 2Short Circuit 2
Short Circuit 2 is a 1988 comedy science fiction film, the sequel to 1986's film Short Circuit. It was directed by Kenneth Johnson, and starred Fisher Stevens as Ben Jahrvi , Michael McKean as Fred Ritter, Cynthia Gibb as Sandy Banatoni, and Tim Blaney as the voice of Johnny 5 Short Circuit 2 is a...
, premiered in 1988. There was a script for a possible third movie written in 1989 and rewritten in 1990, but it was found unsatisfactory by the producers, and the project was subsequently scrapped. Johnny 5 also makes an appearance in a commercial for Home and did a half-hour video called Hot Cars, Cold Facts.
In April 2008, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that Dimension Films
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
had acquired the rights to remake the original film. Dan Milano
Dan Milano
Dan Milano is an American voice actor, puppeteer, writer, and director. He was one of the creators of the Fox sitcom Greg the Bunny and performed the title character Greg as well as Warren the Ape...
had been hired to write the script, and David Foster to produce it. Foster said that the robot's visual look would not change.
On October 27, 2009, it was announced that Steve Carr
Steve Carr
Steve Carr is an American film director and producer of several movies, mostly of the comedy and family genre.-Biography:Carr will direct the film adaption of the Rumpus Entertainment comic Meet the Haunteds.-As a director:* Next Friday...
would direct the remake and that the film's plot would involve a boy from a broken family befriending the Number 5 robot.
For reasons unknown, Carr left the project and on August 10, 2011, it was announced that Tim Hill
Tim Hill
Tim Hill is an American film director and television writer.He began his career in 1993 as a writer and storyboard artist for Rocko's Modern Life, he also created the Kablam! skit Action League Now!...
would direct the reboot instead.
End credits
The ending credit sequence features parts of scenes cut from the final product, a gimmick that predated the advent of director's cutDirector's cut
A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials, comic book or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit...
s and optional deleted scene
Deleted scene
In Entertainment, especially the film and television industry, Deleted scenes are parts of a film removed or censored from or replaced by another scene in the final "cut", or version, of a film...
s in later DVDs. The scenes shown in the credits include an extended SAINT demonstration sequence, which would have included the robots flying remote-controlled airplanes, an encounter with a white, commercially-made Omnibot 2000
Omnibot
The Omnibot is a toy robot originally manufactured by Tomy in the mid 1980s. The name then came to apply to the successful line of robots manufactured by the company. The initial Omnibot was announced with expectations of restoring popular interest in robots, at a time when it was becoming obvious...
, and a close encounter with "death" at a scrapyard. The latter two were from a cut sequence set between Number 5's theft of the Nova van in which he was being carted back by Ben, and his second arrival at Stephanie's house. In that sequence, the Nova van would have run out of fuel near the scrap yard, forcing Number 5 to abandon it and look for another suitable mode of transportation. The Omnibot
Omnibot
The Omnibot is a toy robot originally manufactured by Tomy in the mid 1980s. The name then came to apply to the successful line of robots manufactured by the company. The initial Omnibot was announced with expectations of restoring popular interest in robots, at a time when it was becoming obvious...
in the former of the two scenes would have belonged to the scrap yard owner's children, who were to frighten Number 5 away with their comparisons between him and the Omnibot.