Buck Rogers (serial)
| Buck Rogers | |
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| Directed by | Ford Beebe Saul A. Goodkind |
| Produced by | Barney A. Sarecky |
| Written by | Norman S. Hall Ray Trampe Dick Calkins Philip Francis Nowlan (comics strip) |
| Starring | Buster Crabbe Constance Moore Jackie Moran Anthony Warde C. Montague Shaw Jack Mulhall |
| Cinematography | Jerome Ash |
| Editing by | Joseph Gluck Louis Sackin Alvin Todd |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 2, 1939 |
| Running time | 12 chapters (237 min) |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
Buck Rogers (1939) is a Universal serial film based on the Buck Rogers comic strip, starring Buster Crabbe (who had previously starred in two Flash Gordon serials) as the eponymous hero, Constance Moore, Jackie Moran and Anthony Warde.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The story begins with Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe) and Buddy Wade (Jackie Moran) in the midst of a dirigible flight over the North Pole. They are caught in a savage storm and crash - but not before they release an experimental substance called Nirvano Gas that they hope will preserve them until rescue can arrive. The Nirvano Gas works, but the dirigible is buried in an avalanche and is not found until 500 years have passed. When Buck and Buddy are found, they awaken to a world ruled by the ruthless dictator Killer Kane (Anthony Warde) and his army of "super-racketeer". Only those who live in the "Hidden City", run by the benevolent scientist Dr. Huer (C. Montague Shaw) and his military counterpart, Air Marshal Kragg (William Gould), resist the criminal rulers of Earth.
Buck and Buddy join the resistance, and they set out for Saturn, where they hope that they can find help in their fight against Kane. Saturn is run by Aldar (Guy Usher) and the not-so-aptly-named Council of the Wise and Prince Tallen. To the dismay of Buck and Buddy, they also discover that Kane has dispatched ambassadors of his own, headed by his loyal henchman, Captain Laska (Henry Brandon). The serial then becomes a back-and-forth struggle between Buck and Kane to secure the military support of Saturn for the struggles on Earth.
[edit] Production notes
This 12-part Buck Rogers movie serial was launched in 1939. It starred Buster Crabbe, who had previously played the role of Flash Gordon. Constance Moore played Lieutenant Wilma Deering, the only woman in the film, and Jackie Moran was Buddy Wade, a character who did not appear in other versions of the Buck Rogers franchise, but who was clearly modeled on the Sunday strip character Buddy Deering. Anthony Warde played "Killer Kane", Buck Rogers's enemy; this was the only time that Warde, who usually portrayed evil underlings in serials, played a lead villain .
Korean-American actor Philson Ahn, younger brother of noted actor Philip Ahn, played Prince Tallen, a Saturnian native who befriends Buck Rogers.
The noted actor and "crown prince of stuntmen" David Sharpe, who appeared in over 4,500 films over the course of a seven-decade career, also appeared in the Buck Rogers serial in several roles: as a Kane pilot, a Hidden City sentry, and a Saturnian lieutenant.
The serial had a small budget and saved money on special effects by re-using material from other stories: background shots from the futuristic musical Just Imagine (1930), as the city of the future, the garishly stenciled walls from the Azura palace set in Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, and even the studded leather belt that Crabbe wore in Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, turned up as part of Buck's uniform.
In 1953, the 1939 movie serial was edited into a feature film entitled Planet Outlaws. Then it was edited again to feature length and titled Destination Saturn for syndication to television, in 1965. Finally, the serial was edited once again to feature form in the late 1970s, this version simply entitled Buck Rogers with the theatrical poster advertising, "Star Wars owes it all to Buck Rogers", and later was sold on videotape in the early 1990s by VCI Entertainment under the catalogue title of Planet Outlaws (which title, to make it appear legitimate, was also superimposed onto the first shot of film following the main titles). VCI released all twelve installments on DVD in September 2000. In November 2009, VCI released a special 70th anniversary edition on DVD, with extras including "The History of Buck Rogers" by Clifford Weimer, a photo gallery and the 1935 Buck Rogers short feature originally shown at the 1933-34 Worlds Fair.
[edit] Cast
- Buster Crabbe as Buck Rogers
- Constance Moore as Wilma Deering. This was the only serial appearance for Moore, a singer on radio and the New York stage.[1]
- Jackie Moran as George "Buddy" Wade
- Anthony Warde as "Killer" Kane
- C. Montague Shaw as Doctor Huer
- Jack Mulhall as Captain Rankin
- Guy Usher as Aldar
- William Gould as Air Marshal Kragg
- Philson Ahn as Prince Tallen
- Henry Brandon as Captain Laska
[edit] Critical reception
Cline writes that Moore makes a vivid impression with a performance that projects "passive importunity...[which] could only exude from a demeanour of wholesome honesty."[1]
[edit] Chapter titles
- Tomorrow's World
- Tragedy on Saturn
- The Enemy's Stronghold
- The Sky Patrol
- The Phantom Plane
- The Unknown Command
- Primitive Urge
- Revolt of the Zuggs
- Bodies Without Minds
- Broken Barriers
- A Prince in Bondage
- War of the Planets
Source:[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Cline, William C. (1984). "5. A Cheer for the Champions (The Heroes and Heroines)". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 92. ISBN 078640471X.
- ^ Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 223–224. ISBN 078640471X.
[edit] External links
- "Buck Rogers" OFFICIAL WEBSITE(c) The Dille Family Trust[dead link]
- Buck Rogers at the Internet Movie Database
- Buck Rogers (1953 film, 68 minutes) is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
- Buck Rogers at AllRovi
- Buck Rogers.com
| Preceded by Scouts to the Rescue (1939) |
Universal Serial Buck Rogers (1939) |
Succeeded by The Oregon Trail (1939) |
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