Flash Gordon (serial)
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| Flash Gordon | |
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| Directed by | Frederick Stephani Ray Taylor (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Henry MacRae |
| Written by | Basil Dickey Ella O'Neill George H. Plympton Frederick Stephani Alex Raymond (based on the comic strip by) |
| Starring | Buster Crabbe Jean Rogers Charles B. Middleton Priscilla Lawson Frank Shannon |
| Cinematography | Jerome Ash Richard Fryer |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 6 April 1936 |
| Running time | 245 min (13 episodes) |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $350,000[1] |
| Followed by | Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars |
Flash Gordon is a 1936 serial film which tells the story of three people from Earth who travel to the planet Mongo to fight the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. Buster Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles B. Middleton, Priscilla Lawson and Frank Shannon played the central roles. In 1996, Flash Gordon was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
- The Planet of Peril: The planet Mongo is on a collision course with Earth. Dr. Alexis Zarkov takes off in a rocket ship to Mongo, with Flash Gordon and Dale Arden as his assistants. They find that the planet is ruled by the cruel Emperor Ming, who lusts after Dale and sends Flash to fight in the arena. Ming's daughter, Princess Aura, tries to spare Flash's life.
- The Tunnel of Terror: Aura helps Flash to escape as Zarkov is put to work in Ming's laboratory and Dale is prepared for her wedding to Ming. Flash meets Prince Thun, leader of the Lion Men, and the pair return to the palace to rescue Dale.
- Captured by Shark Men: Flash stops the wedding ceremony, but he and Dale are captured by King Kala, ruler of the Shark Men and a loyal follower of Ming. At Ming's order, Kala forces Flash to fight with a giant octosak.
- Battling the Sea Beast: Aura and Thun rescue Flash from the octosak. Trying to keep Flash away from Dale, Aura destroys the mechanisms that regulate the underwater city.
- The Destroying Ray: Flash, Dale, Aura and Thun escape from the underwater city, but are captured by King Vultan and the Hawkmen. Dr. Zarkov befriends Prince Barin, and they race to the rescue.
- Flaming Torture: Dale pretends to fall in love with King Vultan in order to save Flash, Barin and Thun, who are put to work in the Hawkmen's Atom Furnaces.
- Shattering Doom: Flash, Barin, Thun and Zarkov create an explosion in the atomic furnaces.
- Tournament of Death: Dr. Zarkov saves the Hawkmen's city from falling, earning Flash and his friends King Vultan's gratitude. Ming insists that Flash fight a Tournament of Death against a masked opponent, and then a vicious orangopoid.
- Fighting the Fire Dragon: Flash survives the tournament. Still determined to win Flash, Aura has him drugged to make him lose his memory.
- The Unseen Peril: Flash recovers his memory. Ming is determined to have Flash executed.
- In the Claws of the Tigron: Zarkov invents a machine that makes Flash invisible. Flash torments Ming and his guards. Barin hides Dale in the catacombs, but Aura has her tracked by a tigron.
- Trapped in the Turret: Aura realizes the error of her ways, and falls in love with Barin. She tries to help Flash and his friends to return to Earth — but Ming plots to kill them.
- Rocketing to Earth: Ming orders that the Earth people be caught and killed, but Flash and his friends escape from the emperor's clutches. Flash, Dale and Zarkov make a triumphant return to Earth.[2]
[edit] Cast
- Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon. Crabbe had his hair dyed blond in order to appear more like the comic strip Flash Gordon. He was very self conscious about this and kept his hat on in public at all times, even with women present. He did not like men whistling at him.[3]
- Jean Rogers as Dale Arden. Rogers also had her hair dyed blonde, "apparently to capitalise on the popularity of Jean Harlow". Both the actress and the character were normally brunettes.[3]
- Charles B. Middleton as Ming the Merciless. Ming is characterised in the mould of Fu Manchu in this serial.[3]
- Priscilla Lawson as Princess Aura
- Frank Shannon as Dr. Alexis Zarkov
- Richard Alexander as Prince Barin. Alexander helped to design his own costume, which included a leather chest plate painted gold.[3]
- Jack 'Tiny' Lipson as Prince Vultan
- Theodore Lorch as Second High Priest
- James Pierce as Prince Thun. "Big Jim" Pierce played Tarzan in Tarzan and the Golden Lion. According to Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs he was the perfect portrayal of Tarzan. He married Burroughs' daughter Joan Burroughs on 8 August 1928 after meeting her on the set of that film. As a wedding present, Burroughs included a clause in his next contract that stated that Pierce must play Tarzan. This contract later led to the filming of the serial Tarzan the Fearless. Despite the contract Pierce did not star after he was tricked into stepping aside in favor of fellow Flash Gordon actor Buster Crabbe (the first serial role for the future "King of the Serials").[4]
- Duke York as King Kala
- Earl Askam as Officer Torch
- Lon Poff as First High Priest
- Richard Tucker as Professor Gordon
- George Cleveland as Professor Hensley
- Muriel Goodspeed as Zona
[edit] Production
According to Harmon and Glut Flash Gordon had a budget of over a million dollars.[3] Stedman, however, writes that it was "reportedly" $350,000.[5]
A lot of props and other elements were recycled from earlier Universal productions. The watchtower from Frankenstein (1931) appeared as Zarkov's base. The Egyptian idol from The Mummy (1932) became the idol of the Great God Tao. Shots of Earth from space came from The Invisible Ray (1936). The Rocket Ships were reused from Just Imagine (1930). Ming's attack on Earth used footage from old silent newsreels. An entire dance segment from The Midnight Sun (1927) was used.[3] A laboratory comes from Bride of Frankenstein. The music was recycled from several other films.[5]
Exterior shots, such as the crew from Earth's first steps on Mongo, were filmed at Bronson Canyon.[3]
Crash Corrigan, who would later be the lead in other serials, wore a modified gorilla suit as the "Orangapoid".[3]
Flash Gordon was intended to regain an adult audience for serials.[5] It was shown in 'A' Theaters in large cities across the United States. Many newspapers, including some not carrying the Flash Gordon comic strip, contained half and three-quarter page feature stories in their entertainment pages with Alex Raymond drawings and stills from the serial.[6]
Flash Gordon was the first outright science fiction serial, although earlier serials had contained science fiction elements such as gadgets. Six of the fourteen science fiction serials were released within five years of Flash Gordon.[7]
The serial film was subsequently released as a 97 minute feature named Rocket Ship. Alternate titles for this film include Spaceship to the Unknown and Atomic Rocketship. The TV version was named Space Soldiers.[8]
[edit] Stunts
- Eddie Parker doubled Buster Crabbe.[3]
[edit] Critical reception
The end of chapter five, where Vultan corners Dale Arden, is "one of the most erotic bits of film footage turned out by Hollywood after the reins of censorship were tightened in 1934" according to Stedman.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Images Journal Flash Gordon article, retrieved 18/03/2007
- ^ Copied from Wikia - Flash Gordon, 17th July 2007
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Harmon, Jim; Donald F. Glut. "2. "We Come from 'Earth', Don't You Understand?"". The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge. pp. 29–35, 38. ISBN 9780713000979.
- ^ Essoe, Gabe. Tarzan of the Movies. Citadel Press. pp. 56–7, 77. ISBN 9780806502953.
- ^ a b c d Stedman, Raymond William. "4. Perilous Saturdays". Serials: Suspense and Drama By Installment. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 97–100, 102. ISBN 9780806109275.
- ^ Cline, William C.. "2. In Search of Ammunition". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 17. ISBN 078640471X.
- ^ Cline, William C.. "3. The Six Faces of Adventure". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 32. ISBN 078640471X.
- ^ Reid, John Howard (2007). Science-fiction & Fantasy Cinema: Classic Films of Horror, Sci-fi & the Supernatural. Lulu.com. pp. 71–72. ISBN 1430301139.
[edit] External links
- Flash Gordon at the Internet Movie Database
- Flash Gordon at Allmovie
- Flash Gordon web site
- Cast and plot synopsis
- Article about the serial at Images Journal
| Preceded by The Adventures of Frank Merriwell (1936) |
Universal Serial Flash Gordon (1936) |
Succeeded by The Phantom Rider (1936) |
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