Shields and Yarnell - THE DUO

As many of you know, Shields and Yarnell's specialty was a series of skits called The Clinkers, in which they assumed the personae of robots, with many individual, deliberate motions (as opposed to normal smooth motion) stereotypical of robots and early animatronics, enhanced by their ability to refrain from blinking their eyes for long stretches of time.

Their dance and mime performances were featured in 1977 and 1978 on their own CBS television comedy-variety program, The Shields and Yarnell Show. They appeared on 400 national television shows in the United States, including The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, The Red Skelton Show, The Muppet Show (1979), and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

The pair played the "Six-Hundred-Dollar People" created by Dr. Loveless Jr., in the 1979 TV movie The Wild Wild West Revisited. They performed in the unsuccessful Broadway musical production Broadway Follies in New York City, which closed after only one performance, following bad reviews that night. Career highlights included shows for two American Presidents, a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II, and a tour of China with comedian Bob Hope.

Their television special Toys on the Town, written by Shields, earned an Emmy Award. They won an award as Las Vegas "Entertainer of the Year," dual Georgies for "Rising Stars of the Year" and "Special Attraction of the Year" from the American Guild of Variety Artists.

The duo divorced in the mid-eighties, but still continued to appear together on stage, television and film.

Sadly Lorene Yarnell (Jansson) passed away July 29, 2010.

Robert Shields is credited for being the originator of the Robot.  Robert has since transitioned from being a  creative mime to a creative jeweler, sculptor, and painter... which was a natural progression for him. His fascination with design, color, texture, and form leads to sublime and captivating one of kind pieces of art. The result of his constant pursuit of fresh and exciting concepts have rendered his work exceptional and collectible.

Robert Shields now resides in the Verde Valley, Arizona where he continues to sculpt, paint, design jewelry, and write comedy.

The long awaited Documentary of his life "Robert Shields: My Life as a Robot” just premiered at the Sedona International Film Festival in 2024 and WON the Audience Choice for BEST OF FEST Documentary and the Prestigious Marion Herrman EXCELLENCE IN FILMMAKING Award! The 87 minute Feature Documentary will be in Festivals all around the country!

See if it’s coming to your town at www.mylifeasarobot.com.