science

Glen Robinson (visual effects)

Glen Robinson (visual effects) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Glen Robinson (visual effects) rather than just read about it. In short: Thomas Glenn Robinson, better known as Glen Robinson (September 20, 1914 – March 27, 2002), was an American special and visual effects artist, winner of six Academy Awards: two Academy Awards for Technical Achievement and four Special Achievement Academy Awards. As a special effects artist, his career spans over six decades from the mid-1930s to the mid-1980s, having worked literally on dozens of films.

Key takeaways

Glen Robinson (visual effects) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Glen Robinson (visual effects) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Glen Robinson (visual effects) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Thomas Glenn Robinson, better known as Glen Robinson (September 20, 1914 – March 27, 2002), was an American special and visual effects artist, winner of six Academy Awards: two Academy Awards for Technical Achievement and four Special Achievement Academy Awards. As a special effects artist, his career spans over six decades from the mid-1930s to the mid-1980s, having worked literally on dozens of films.

Biography Glen Robinson was born Thomas Glenn Robinson in Idaho on September 20, 1914. When aged twelve his family moved to Los Angeles city and in 1932, at the age of 18, he graduated from Venice High School. In 1936 he was hired by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer company, where he became the studio's top special effects coordinator. Alongside his special effects career, Robinson was an engineer of roller coaster and double Ferris wheel attractions at amusement and theme parks that included Magic Mountain (Golden, Colorado; Valencia, California), Pleasure Island (Wakefield, Massachusetts), Freedomland U.S.A. (New York) and Space City USA (near Huntsville, Alabama). In the book, Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History (Theme Park Press, 2019), Robinson is credited for his work at the park. However, his specific contributions to Freedomland remain undetermined. Space City USA never was completed. Glen Robinson died of natural causes on March 27, 2002, at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. He died on the same day as three other Hollywood stars: actor Dudley Moore, comedian Milton Berle and film director and screenwriter Billy Wilder. Robinson was aged 87 and at the moment of his death he was survived by five children (two sons and three daughters), fourteen grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Selected filmography The Wizard of Oz (1939, special effects prop shop, uncredited) Forbidden Planet (1956, special effects technician, uncredited) The Rat Patrol (TV Series, special effects), three episodes: The Last Chance Raid (1967) Two for One Raid (1967) The One That Got Away Raid (1967) The Bamboo Saucer (1968, special effects) Battle of Britain (1969, special effects) Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970, mechanical effects, uncredited) Earthquake (1974, special effects) The Hindenburg (1975, special mechanical effects, credited as Glenn Robinson) Logan's Run (1976, special effects) King Kong (1976, special effects) Demon Seed (1977, special mechanical effects – uncredited) Hurricane (1979, special effects) Meteor (1979, special effects supervisor) Kaala Patthar (1979, special effects) Flash Gordon (1980, special effects consultant) Island Claws (1980, special effects) Pennies from Heaven (1981, special effects) Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982, special effects) Amityville II: The Possession (1982, special effects supervisor) Meatballs Part II (1984, special effects)

Awards

Two Academy Awards for Technical Achievement 1952 (24th): "for the development of a new music wire and cable cutter" 1960 (32nd): "for the design of a multiple-cable, remote-controlled winch", shared with Winfield Hubbard and Luther Newman, both from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Construction Department

Four Special Achievement Academy Awards 1975 (47th): for Best Visual Effects for Earthquake (1974), shared with Frank Brendel and Albert Whitlock 1976 (48th): for Best Visual Effects for The Hindenburg (1975), shared with Albert Whitlock 1977 (49th): for Best Visual Effects for King Kong (1976), shared with Carlo Rambaldi and Frank Van der Veer 1977 (49th): for Best Visual Effects for Logan's Run (1976), shared with L. B. Abbott and Matthew Yuricich

References

External links Glen Robinson at IMDb

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Glen Robinson (visual effects)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Glen Robinson (visual effects) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Glen Robinson (visual effects) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Glen Robinson (visual effects) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Glen Robinson (visual effects)

In research: Glen Robinson (visual effects) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Glen Robinson (visual effects) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Glen Robinson (visual effects) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1914 births, 2002 deaths, Academy Award for Technical Achievement winners, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Glen Robinson (visual effects) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Glen Robinson (visual effects) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Glen Robinson (visual effects) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Glen Robinson (visual effects) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Glen Robinson (visual effects) in simple terms?

Why does Glen Robinson (visual effects) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Glen Robinson (visual effects)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Glen Robinson (visual effects).