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Buck Rogers (1939)
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Overview
User Rating:
Directors:
Writers:
Release Date:
6 February 1939 (USA)
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Tagline:
Original cartoon strip by Dick Calkins and Phil Nolan - Based on the Buck Rogers newspaper feature owned and copyrighted by John F. Dille Co. (original posters) more
Plot:
A pilot and his young passenger crash-land on a mountaintop and are put into suspended animation by a strange gas...
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NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
‘Buck’-ing Tradition, Buck Rogers Web Series Coming 2010
(From Tubefilter News. 14 January 2009, 2:24 PM, PST)
Frank Miller Moves from Central City to 25th Century
(From Comicmix. 19 December 2008, 11:37 AM, PST)
(From Tubefilter News. 14 January 2009, 2:24 PM, PST)
Frank Miller Moves from Central City to 25th Century
(From Comicmix. 19 December 2008, 11:37 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Entertaining but weaker than the "Flash Gordon" franchise
more (9 total)
Cast
(Credited cast)| Buster Crabbe | ... | Buck Rogers (as Larry 'Buster' Crabbe) | |
| Constance Moore | ... | Wilma Deering | |
| Jackie Moran | ... | George 'Buddy' Wade | |
| Jack Mulhall | ... | Captain Rankin | |
| Anthony Warde | ... | Killer Kane | |
| C. Montague Shaw | ... | Professor Huer | |
| Guy Usher | ... | Aldar | |
| William Gould | ... | Air Marshal Kragg | |
| Philson Ahn | ... | Prince Tallen | |
| Henry Brandon | ... | Captain Laska | |
| Wheeler Oakman | ... | Lieutenant Patten | |
| Kenne Duncan | ... | Lieutenant Lacy (as Kenneth Duncan) | |
| Carleton Young | ... | Scott | |
| Reed Howes | ... | Captain Roberts |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Buck Rogers Conquers the Universe (USA) (video title)
Buck Rogers: Destination Saturn (USA) (recut version)
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Buck Rogers: Destination Saturn (USA) (recut version)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
237 min (12 episodes)
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Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
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Filming Locations:
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Chapter Titles: - 1. Tomorrow's World - 2. Tragedy on Saturn - 3. The Enemy's Stronghold - 4. The Sky Patrol - 5. The Phantom Plane - 6. The Unknown Command - 7. Primitive Urge - 8. Revolt of the Zuggs - 9. Bodies Without Minds - 10. Broken Barriers - 11. A Prince in Bondage - 12. War of the Planets
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Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Buck and Buddy infiltrate the council on Saturn, the second soldier reacts to being shot by Buck's laser gun before he is shot.
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Quotes:
Buck Rogers:
I don't understand, sir. Who is this man called Killer Kane?
Professor Huer: He is the result of the stupidity of the men of your century. You failed to stamp out lawlessness and in the end the criminal became stronger than the law.
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Professor Huer: He is the result of the stupidity of the men of your century. You failed to stamp out lawlessness and in the end the criminal became stronger than the law.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Best of John Belushi (1985) (V)
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I can't help comparing this 1939 serial to "Flash Gordon" (1936) and "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" (1940). Although some of the special effects (the ray guns and fleets of spaceships) are superior, "Buck Rogers" is less fun. It's not the fault of Buster Crabbe, who invests Rogers with the same heroic energy he gave to Gordon. And Jackie Moran shines as sidekick Buddy Wade (in the newspaper strip he was Buddy Deering, Wilma's younger brother). But the other actors fall short. So does the story and pacing.
Anthony Wade's Killer Kane is a colorless villain, lacking the panache of Charles Middleton's gleefully evil Ming the Merciless. He badly needs a slinky, sinister Ardala Valmar to spice things up. Constance Moore is a competent Wilma Deering but there's no chemistry between her and Crabbe. Moore lacks the passion Jean Rogers exhibited as Dale Arden in the "Flash" series or the breezy camaraderie Erin Gray displayed as Wilma Deering in the 1980s "Buck Rogers" television show. C. Montague Shaw is OK as Doctor Huer but doesn't have nearly as much to do as Frank Shannon's Doctor Zarkov (again, from the "Flash" serials).
After an exciting start, the serial falls down in the latter six episodes. It is typical of the genre to have a late episode replay scenes from earlier in the series to pad things out. But "Buck Rogers" does this twice. Serial plots also tend to have a lot of captures, escapes, and re-captures. "Flash Gordon" broke the monotony by having these occur in a variety of ways in a variety of locations. "Buck Rogers" has only two destinations: Earth and Saturn. Both planets apparently share the same rocky desert terrain. Doctor Huer has only one technological gimmick to help Buck. The heroes get stranded by crashed spaceships seemingly every other episode. And Kane's goons never tumble to the fact that it's Rogers driving that rocket cruiser reported missing from their hangar.
Given it's charismatic hero and quality special effects, "Buck Rogers" could have equaled or surpassed "Flash Gordon" if it had had stronger writing or more energetic secondary characters. Unfortunately, it has neither.