Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979) (TV)

Director:

Daniel Haller

Writers:

Glen A. Larson (writer)
Leslie Stevens (writer)

Release Date:

30 March 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Adventure

Tagline:

The original space man! The ultimate trip! Buck Rogers swings back to earth and lays it on the 25th Century!

Plot:

A 20th century astronaut emerges out of 500 years of suspended animation into a future time where Earth is threatened by alien invaders.

Plot Keywords:

Buck Rogers | Based On Comic | Time In Title | Space War | Digit In Title

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Gil Gerard	...	Capt. William 'Buck' Rogers
Pamela Hensley	...	Princess Ardala
Erin Gray	...	Col. Wilma Deering
Henry Silva	...	Kane
Tim O'Connor	...	Dr. Elias Huer
Joseph Wiseman	...	Draco
Duke Butler	...	Tigerman
Felix Silla	...	Twiki (body)
Caroline Smith	...	Delta Section
John Dewey Carter	...	Supervisor (as John Dewey-Carter)
Kevin Coates	...	Pilot
David Cadiente	...	Comtel Officer
Gil Serna	...	Technician
Larry Duran	...	Draconian Guard
Kenny Endoso	...	Draconian Guard

Also Known As:

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Awakening (USA) (new syndication title)

Runtime:

89 min | Germany:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (cut) (1979) | Netherlands:AL | Australia:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Bruce Lansbury Productions

Trivia:

Catherine Bach was considered for the role of Ardala.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: In the year 1987, at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, NASA launched the last of America's deep space probes. The payload, perched on the nose cone of the massive rocket, was a one-man exploration vessel - Ranger 3. Aboard this compact starship, a lone astronaut - Captain William "Buck" Rogers - was to experience cosmic forces beyond all comprehension...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Free Enterprise (1998)

Soundtrack:

SUSPENSION

Entertaining, Cheesy, Out-Dated Fun

Okay, if I had not grown up with the show then I am sure I would not find it so endearing - and speaking of Deering - Colonel Wilma Deering that is, what adolescent young man would not like seeing her each week? What Erin Gray does to tight green, red, blue, and purple spandex pants should be criminal...but I digress. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is a lot of fun for me. It has lots of hokey, enjoyable dialog, a zippy story of a guy returning 500 years later and dealing with everything he has missed, lots of familiar faces from my childhood, and the aforementioned Erin Gray who actually is fairly tame in this pilot/movie released for public consumption in theaters(Pamela Hensley as Princess Ardala gets to get the motors running in this one!). Yes, I saw this in the movie theater and didn't feel duped at all. I then watched it on a fairly regular basis and always enjoyed it. Returning to it has brought back fond memories, and unlike some shows that interested me as a child but made an unfavorable impression in middle age - Buck Rogers withstands the test of time and is still fun to watch. Sure, the effects are very dated and the actors are mugging for the camera and really saying dialog that will occasionally make you wince, but when I hear William Conrad's voice and know all systems go - I always seem to be entertained. Gil Gerard is a pretty good Buck. He has the looks and charisma to carry off the role. Sure, he is no Buster Crabbe - that might be a good thing? Other notable performances in this pilot are again Erin Gray(I don't know why but my mind keeps shamelessly drifting to her, Hensley, Tim O'Connor in the thankless role of Dr. Huer, Joseph Wiseman, and Henry Silva as Kane. Twiki the annoying robot is in here, and I am sure I liked him when I was younger but now more than anything I find his role to be unnecessary and a serious detractor from the plot as he seems to be able to understand Buck's language and speaks it with 20th century references to the point of Ad Nauseum. I think his character could have been excised or at least the stature of the role greatly changed. The round computer disc - Dr. Theopolis is a welcomed character and I wished they had used this voice in the latter episodes rather then the one they switched to in the series. One other note is check out that groovy soundtrack of the theme sung to some really far-out words by Kipp Lennon.