Lock Martin

Lock Martin
Born	Joseph Lockard Martin Jr. (1916-10-12)October 12, 1916 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	January 19, 1959(1959-01-19) (aged 42) Los Angeles County, California, U.S.
Years active	1944–1957
Height	7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)
Spouse(s)	Ethel Mae Babcock (7 June 1946 – his death)

Joseph Lockard "Lock" Martin Jr. (October 12, 1916 – January 19, 1959) was an American performer afflicted with gigantism. Martin and a twin brother were born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; his brother died in childbirth.^[1]

Martin would eventually grow to over 7 feet tall by adulthood, though his exact height was reported inconsistently.^[2] He became notable for appearing as the robot Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).^[3] Despite his size, he had difficulty moving in the heavy robot suit, and during scenes in which he was supposed to lift and carry either Patricia Neal or Michael Rennie, they were either held up by wires, or replaced with lightweight dummies.^[2]

Martin traveled with Spike Jones and His City Slickers and appeared on their television show in the early 1950s.^[4] He also worked as a doorman at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.^[5] He can also be heard as a contestant on the November 14, 1951 edition of You Bet Your Life.

Towards the end of his career, he was filmed for a part in The Incredible Shrinking Man as a circus giant, but his scenes were deleted.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

• Lost in a Harem (1944) – Bobo (as J. Lockard Martin)
• Anchors Aweigh (1945) – Giant
• Lady on a Train (1945) – Circus Club Doorman
• The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) – Gort
• Four Star Revue (1952, TV Series) – Giant at Hollywood Bowl
• Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) – Giant
• Off Limits (1953) – Big Sailor
• Invaders from Mars (1953) – Mutant carrying David to "Intelligence"
• The Snow Creature (1954) – Yeti
• The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) – Giant (scenes deleted)

References

1. Smith, Richard Harland (12 October 2006). "It's Lock Martin's Birthday!". moviemorlocks.com. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
2. Roberts, Dan (2014). Famous Robots and Cyborgs An Encyclopedia of Robots from TV, Film, Literature, Comics, Toys, and More. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 9781628739275. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
3. S. T. Joshi, ed. (2007). Icons of Horror and the Supernatural An Encyclopedia of Our Worst Nightmares. Vol. 1. Greenwood Press. pp. 8–9. ISBN 9780313337819. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
4. Young, Jordan R. (1984). Spike Jones and His City Slickers An Illustrated Biography. Disharmony Books. pp. 47, 143. ISBN 9780940410732. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
5. Matthews, Melvin E. (2007). 1950s Science Fiction Films and 9/11 Hostile Aliens, Hollywood, and Today's News. Algora Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 9780875864990. Retrieved 16 November 2022.

External links

• Lock Martin at IMDb
• Lock Martin at Find a Grave