Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)

Directors:

Ford Beebe
Ray Taylor

Writers:

George H. Plympton (screenplay) &
Basil Dickey (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

9 April 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Adventure

Tagline:

From the ALEX RAYMOND newspaper feature owned and copyrighted by King Features Syndicate (all of the original posters and cards)

Plot:

Flash and his friends return to planet Mongo for an antidote to the Purple Death. But Ming the Merciless has other plans for them...

Plot Keywords:

Antidote | Spaceship | Psychotronic | Evil Man | Serial

Cast

Buster Crabbe	...	Flash Gordon (as Larry 'Buster' Crabbe)
Carol Hughes	...	Dale Arden
Charles Middleton	...	Emperor Ming
Anne Gwynne	...	Sonja [Chs. 2, 6-12]
Frank Shannon	...	Dr. Zarkov
John Hamilton	...	Prof. Gordon [Chs. 1, 4]
Herbert Rawlinson	...	Dr. Frohmann [Chs. 1, 4]
Tom Chatterton	...	Prof. Arden [Chs. 1, 4]
Shirley Deane	...	Princess Aura
Lee Powell	...	Capt. Roka
Roland Drew	...	Prince Barin
Don Rowan	...	Capt. Torch
Victor Zimmerman	...	Lt. Thong
Edgar Edwards	...	Capt. Turan
Ben Taggart	...	Gen. Lupi [Chs. 1-2]
Michael Mark	...	Prof. Karm [Chs. 5-10]
Earl Dwire	...	Janda [Ch. 1]
Harry C. Bradley	...	Keedish [Chs. 6-7]
Sigurd Nilssen	...	Count Korro [Chs. 1-2]
Mimi Taylor	...	Verna [Ch. 5]
Byron Foulger	...	Prof. Drok [Chs. 11-12]
William Royle	...	Capt. Sudan [Chs. 1-9]
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ernie Adams	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Roy Barcroft	...	Ming Soldier [Ch 6, 10-12] / Arborian Sentry [Ch 6] (uncredited)
Robert Blair	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Jean Brooks	...	Olga, Blonde Ming Henchwoman [Ch. 5] (uncredited)
Allan Cavan	...	Man with Thinking Brain [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Wheaton Chambers	...	Scientist [Chs. 1, 4] (uncredited)
Lane Chandler	...	Ming Soldier [Chs. 3-5, 7-8, 12] (uncredited)
Donald Curtis	...	Ronal [Chs. 1-12] (uncredited)
Carmen D'Antonio	...	Ming's Dancing Girl [Chs. 1, 3-4] (uncredited)
Harold Daniels	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Luli Deste	...	Queen Fria [Chs. 1-2] (uncredited)
Paul Douglas	...	Guard (uncredited)
John Elliott	...	Scientist (uncredited)
Jack Gardner	...	Prof. Gordon's Radio Operator [Chs. 1, 4] (uncredited)
Jack George	...	Scientist [Chs. 1, 4] (uncredited)
Pat Gleason	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Saul A. Goodkind	...	Various Characters (voice) (uncredited)
Reed Howes	...	Barin's Ship #5 Commander (uncredited)
Bill Hunter	...	Guard (uncredited)
Mala	...	Prince of the Rock People [Chs. 7-9] (uncredited)
Vivian Mason	...	Ming's Gong Girl [Chs. 1-4] (uncredited)
Eddie Parker	...	Arborian Prison Guard [Ch. 10] (uncredited)
Ernie Payson	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Joey Ray	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Paul Reed	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Gene Rizzi	...	Ming Soldier (uncredited)
Jack Roper	...	Man of Low Intellect [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Guard Kroad [Ch. 11] (uncredited)
Clarice Sherry	...	Frifa Queen Grenda (uncredited)
Tom Steele	...	Ming Pilot [Ch. 11] (uncredited)
Charles Waldron Jr.	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Chief Yowlachie	...	King of the Rock People [Chs. 7-9] (uncredited)

Directed by
Ford Beebe
Ray Taylor

Writing credits
George H. Plympton		(screenplay) &
Basil Dickey		(screenplay) &
Barry Shipman		(screenplay)
Alex Raymond		(newspaper feature "Flash Gordon")

Produced by
Henry MacRae	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Jerome Ash		(photography)
William A. Sickner		(photography) (as William Sickner)

Film Editing by
Joseph Gluck
Louis Sackin
Alvin Todd

Art Direction by
Harold H. MacArthur		(as Harold MacArthur)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles S. Gould	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Ed Tyler	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ed Keyes	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)

Stunts
George DeNormand	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Eddie Parker	....	stunt double: Buster Crabbe (uncredited)
Tom Steele	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Saul A. Goodkind	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Ralph Freed	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Sam Perry	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Charles Previn	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Charles Previn	....	musical arrangements (uncredited)
Charles Previn	....	musical director (uncredited)
Heinz Roemheld	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Frank Skinner	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Frank Skinner	....	conductor (uncredited)

Other crew
Jacques Jaccard	....	dialogue director

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Universal Films Argentina (1940) (Argentina) (theatrical) (1940)
• Universal Films Argentina (1940) (Paraguay) (theatrical)
• Universal Films Argentina (1940) (Uruguay) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1940) (Costa Rica) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1940) (Ecuador) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1940) (Guatemala) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1940) (Honduras) (theatrical)
• Universal Films (1940) (Panama) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures Corporation of Peru (1940) (Bolivia) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures Corporation of Peru (1940) (Peru) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Questar Home Video (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• Concorde Vídeo (1992) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Grapevine Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• LS Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• United Video (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Video Classics (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Video Yesteryear (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Startime Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Passport International Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Madacy Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Questar Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• United American Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• VCI Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• C.A.V. Distribution (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Círculo Digital S.L. (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (video)
• Roan Group, The (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• VCI Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (TV)
• Big Sky Video (2008) (Australia) (DVD)
• Bach Films (2009) (France) (DVD)

Other Companies

• King Features Syndicate  newspaper feature "Flash Gordon" owned and copyrighted by

Also Known As:

"Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers Conquer the Universe" - USA (TV title)
"Space Soldiers Conquer the Universe" - USA (TV title)

Runtime:

Brazil:220 min | UK:195 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #5874) | UK:U | Australia:G | Australia:PG (2008)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Chapter Titles: - 1. The Purple Death - 2. Freezing Torture - 3. Walking Bombs - 4. The Destroying Ray - 5. The Palace of Peril - 6. Flaming Death - 7. Land of the Dead - 8. The Fiery Abyss - 9. The Pool of Peril - 10. The Death Mist - 11. Stark Treachery - 12. Doom of the Dictator

Movie Connections:

Featured in Time of the Robots (2012)

Democracy v Nazis in space

This needs reviving. In retrospect you see the point Republic were making. Its full of references which an audience contemporary with the 1940 production would have understood. The title music is Listz's Prelude 2. This was familiar from reports from Nazi Germany and Nuremberg rallies where it had been used repeatedly to glorify German power. Ming where's a white uniform identical to Mussolini of Fascist Italy. Largely gone is Ming's overt evil and sadistic attitudes in favour of a Messianic belief of unifying the universe under one rule will bring peace and prosperity. Despite the method required will be warfare to attain this. Buster Crabb repeatedly makes remarks about liberty and freedom. He also informs races from different planets that they must unite against the evils and dangers of a conqueror. The people of Saturn are represented by Chinese actors and Ming is fanatical in his wish to conquerer Saturn. This is a reference to the millions killed by the Japanese in Manchuria and China. Also a reference to the Axis pact between Germany and Japan demonstrating the necessity of nations to unite to defeat conquerors who are in alliance with each other.