Flash Gordon (I) (1936)

Three earthlings visit the planet Mongo to thwart the evil schemes of Emperor Ming the Merciless.

Director:

Frederick Stephani

Writers:

Alex Raymond (based on the comic strip by), Ella O'Neill (screenplay),

Stars:

Buster Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles Middleton

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Buster Crabbe	...	Flash Gordon
Jean Rogers	...	Dale Arden
Charles Middleton	...	Ming the Merciless
Priscilla Lawson	...	Princess Aura
Frank Shannon	...	Dr. Alexis Zarkov
Richard Alexander	...	Prince Barin [Chs. 5-13]
Jack 'Tiny' Lipson	...	King Vultan [Chs. 5-13]
Theodore Lorch	...	High Priest #2 [Chs. 8-11, 13]
Richard Tucker	...	Professor Gordon
George Cleveland	...	Professor Hensley
James Pierce	...	Prince Thun [Chs. 2-9, 12-13]
Duke York	...	King Kala [Chs. 2-5] (as Duke York Jr.)
Muriel Goodspeed	...	Zona [Ch. 4]
Earl Askam	...	Officer Torch
House Peters Jr.	...	Shark Man [Chs. 3-4]

Storyline

A rogue planet is 'rushing madly toward the earth.' Impending doom creates worldwide pandemonium. But maverick scientist Dr. Zarkov hopes to stay disaster by travelling to the new planet in his experimental rocket. Two chance-met strangers, athletic Flash Gordon and damsel in distress Dale Arden, go with him. Arrived, the trio find Mongo to be a planet of wonders, warring factions, and deadly perils, its orbit controlled by Emperor Ming who has his own sinister plans for earth. Can our heroes, armed only with science and sex appeal, stop him?

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Plot Keywords:

rocket | flash gordon | death of parents | sky city | forced marriage | 

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Taglines:

THRILLING STRANGE WORLD ADVENTURES!!! (original Chapter 1 one-sheet poster)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 April 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers

Filming Locations:

Bronson Caves, Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$360,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

King Features Production, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

245 min 245 min (13 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor High Fidelity Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The rocket was originally constructed for the 1930 sci-fi comedy Just Imagine.

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Goofs

When Ming tells his soldiers to get Aura out of the arena, his lips move but his voice is out of synch. Also, when Aura shoots the guard at the control panel, you hear him scream, but you don't see his lips move.

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Quotes

Princess Aura: [observing Flash wrestling with the Orangupoid] He fights well, the Earth man.

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: Troldspejlet special: Væsener fra fremmede planeter (1996)

User Reviews

The Standard for All Serials

The Standard bearer of all movie serials, the definite good guy - Flash Gordon - versus Bad Guy - Ming the Merciless. Though the special effects seem awful by today's standards, for 1936 they were top notch. But the essence of the story is the battle between Earthman Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe) versus Emporer Ming of Mongo (Charles Middleton). Crabbe and Middleton are terrific in their parts. And the supporting characters playing Dale Arden, Dr. Zarkov, Princess Aura, Prince Barin, Vulcan, and the rest are all very good. This serial is far superior to the 1980 movie, basically because Crabbe is much much superior to Sam J. Jones as Flash Gordon.

This serial is the standard bearer for all movie serials. No question about it.