Flash Gordon (1954 TV series)

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Flash Gordon

Title card from episode "Akim the Terrible"
Format Space opera
Starring Steve Holland
Irene Champlin
Joseph Nash
No. of episodes 39
Production
Running time 0:25
Broadcast
Original channel syndicated
Original run October 15, 1954 – July 15, 1955
External links
IMDb profile

Flash Gordon is a television show based on the characters of the Alex Raymond comic strip of the same name. Diverging from the storyline of the comics, the series set Flash, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov in the year 3203. As agents of the Galactic Bureau of Investigation, the team travels the galaxy in their ship the Sky Flash, battling cosmic villains under the order of Commander Paul Richards.

The series was filmed in West Berlin[1] as a West German, French and American co-production by Intercontinental Television Films and Telediffusion.[2] The series aired in syndication throughout most of the U.S. but also aired on the east coast on the DuMont Television Network.[3]

Writers for Flash Gordon included Bruce Geller, Edward Gruskin and Earl Markham. Episodes were helmed by directors including Wallace Worsley, Jr., Joseph Zigman and Gunther von Fritsch. Composers Kurt Heuser and Roger Roger provided much of the original music. The series was produced by Edward Gruskin and Wenzel Lüdecke.

The copyright of the series has expired, and the series is in the public domain.

Contents

[edit] Cast

[edit] Episode List

Number Title U.S. air date[4] Synopsis
1 Flash Gordon and the Planet of Death October 1, 1954 Flash, Dale and Zarkov travel to the planet Tarset to investigate an ancient curse. They must overcome a traitorous scientist and thwart an invasion from the evil planet Ebon.
2 Escape Into Time October 8, 1954
3 The Electro Man October 15, 1954
4 The Vengeance of Rabeed October 22, 1954
5 Akim the Terrible November 5, 1954 The evil King Akim rules Charon, where the only law is lawlessness. After Akim brainwashes Flash's best friend into attempting to assassinate Flash, Flash and Dale travel to Charon to thwart Akim's nefarious schemes.
6 The Claim Jumpers November 12, 1954
7 The Dancing Death November 19, 1954
8 The Breath of Death November 26, 1954
9 The Great Secret December 3, 1954
10 Return of the Androids December 10, 1954
11 The Frightened King December 17, 1954
12 The Deadly Deception December 24, 1954
13 Duel Against Darkness December 31, 1954
14 The Sound Gun January 14, 1955
15 The Weapon that Walked January 31, 1955
16 Mission to Masca February 4, 1955
17 The Lure of Light February 11, 1955 Prudentia, evil queen of the planet Diana, kidnaps Dale Arden to force her to reveal the secret of faster-than-light travel. Flash and Zarkov must use that secret themselves to travel back in time to save Dale's life.
18 The Rains of Death February 18, 1955
19 Flash Gordon and the Race against Time February 25, 1955
20 The Witch of Neptune March 4, 1955
21 The Brain Machine March 11, 1955 Flash and Dale race to Saturn to clear the names of the captive Zarkov and Commander Richards, accused of sabotaging Neptune's atmospheric converters. They battle the evil Zyderine, "Witch of Neptune," who brainwashed the captives and has stolen their knowledge of galactic defense.
22 Struggle to the End March 18, 1955 Using her stolen knowledge, Zyderine, Witch of Neptune, builds a solar ray and threatens to destroy all life if she is not declared Queen of the Galaxy. Flash and Dale race to Neptune to thwart her evil plot.
23 The Water World Menace March 25, 1955
24 Saboteurs from Space April 1, 1955
25 The Forbidden Experiment April 8, 1955
26 Heat Wave April 15, 1955
27 The Hunger Invasion April 22, 1955
28 Encounter with Evil April 29, 1955
29 The Matter Duplicator May 6, 1955
30 The Micro-Man Menace May 13, 1955
31 The Space Smugglers May 20, 1955
32 The Mystery of Phoros May 27, 1955
33 The Shadowy Death June 3, 1955
34 Death in the Negative June 10, 1955
35 The Earth's Core June 17, 1955
36 Deadline at Noon June 24, 1955 Planets are being destroyed and Earth is next. Flash, Dale and Zarkov must time-travel to 1950s Berlin to defuse a bomb planted 1,250 years in the past.
37 The Law of Velorum July 1, 1955
38 The Skyjackers July 8, 1955
39 The Subworld Revenge July 15, 1955

[edit] Critical response

Modern critical reaction to the series has been light but largely negative. The production values are frequently derided, with the series described as "bargain-basement."[5] The televised series suffered in comparison to the earlier film serials with the television incarnation labeled "vastly inferior," lacking "good concepts and scripts" and "most of all, [lacking] Buster Crabbe, who was Flash Gordon."[6] One positive comment noted the portrayal of Dale Arden, who was transformed from the typical damsel in distress of the serials into a trained scientist and a "quick thinker who often saved [Flash and Zarkov] from perishing."[7]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wertz, Diane. "'Flash Gordon' not out of this world", Newsday, 2007-08-09. Retrieved on 2007-12-03. 
  2. ^ "Flash Gordon and the Planet of Death". Flash Gordon. 1953-10-01. No. 1, season 1.
  3. ^ Cook, John R.; Wright, Peter (2006). British Science Fiction Television: A Hitchhiker's Guide. I. B. Tauris, 46. ISBN 1845110471. 
  4. ^ Fergus, George. Flash Gordon (1954). epguides.com and tv.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
  5. ^ Bassoir, Jean-Noel (2004). Space Patrol: Missions of Daring in the Name of Early Television. McFarland & Company, 25. ISBN 0786419113. 
  6. ^ Harmon, Jim; Glut, Donald Frank (1973). The Great Movie Serials: Their Sound and Fury. Routledge, 45. ISBN 071300097X. 
  7. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2002). Crime Fighting Heroes of Television: Over 10,000 Facts from 151 Shows, 1949-2001. McFarland & Company, 46. ISBN 0786413956. 

[edit] External links

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Space opera serials 1930-1960
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