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

Director:

Daniel Haller

Writers:

Glen A. Larson (written by) &
Leslie Stevens (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 October 1979 (Portugal)

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 | World War Three | Based On Comic | Futuristic | Space War

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
Eric Lawrence	...	Officer
H.B. Haggerty	...	Tigerman #2
Colleen Kelly	...	Wrather
Steve Jones	...	Pilot
David Buchanan	...	Pilot
Burt Marshall	...	Wingman
Howard F. Flynn	...	Dr. Theopolis (voice)
John Rayner	...	Computer Council (voice)
Guerin Barry	...	Computer Council (voice)
Mel Blanc	...	Twiki (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tony Epper	...	Drunk
William Conrad	...	Opening Narrator / Draconian officer (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Daniel Haller

Writing credits
Glen A. Larson		(written by) &
Leslie Stevens		(written by)
Philip Francis Nowlan		(characters)

Produced by
Richard Caffey	....	producer
Glen A. Larson	....	executive producer
Andrew Mirisch	....	associate producer
David G. Phinney	....	associate producer (as David Phinney)
Leslie Stevens	....	supervising producer

Original Music by
Stu Phillips

Cinematography by
Frank Beascoechea		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
John J. Dumas
David Howe
William Martin		(as Bill Martin)

Art Direction by
Paul Peters

Set Decoration by
Richard Reams

Costume Design by
Jean-Pierre Dorléac

Production Management
Jack Cunningham	....	unit production manager
Edward D. Markley	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Phil Bowles	....	first assistant director
Charles Norton	....	first assistant director: second unit
Jerry Sobul	....	first assistant director
Robert Villar	....	second assistant director
Judith Vogelsang	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Yarek Alfer	....	property maker
Roy Barnes	....	set designer
William Stout	....	concept art

Sound Department
Peter Berkos	....	sound effects editor
John R. Carter	....	sound (as John Carter)
Andrew Gilmore	....	sound (as Andy Gilmore)
Robert L. Hoyt	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Jackson	....	boom operator
Billy Mauch	....	sound editor (as William J. Mauch)
Clyde Sorenson	....	sound

Special Effects by
Bud Ewing	....	special effects
Jack Faggard	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Jerry L. Allen	....	model builder (as Jerry Allen)
Peter Anderson	....	visual effects supervisor
Percy Angress	....	production assistant: miniature & optical effects (as Percy Angress M.K.)
Deborah Armstrong	....	production assistant: miniature & optical effects
Leonia Aruta	....	model builder (as Leonie Aruta)
Robert D. Bailey	....	production assistant: miniature & optical effects (as Bob Baily)
Richard Bennett	....	special camera equipment: miniature & optical effects
Phil Bills	....	opticals (as Phillip Bills)
Robert Bloomfield	....	model builder
Cosmas Paul Bolger Jr.	....	opticals (as Paul Bolger)
George Brennan	....	special electronics: miniature & optical effects
William Brier	....	opticals
James Burton	....	opticals
Colin Cantwell	....	computer graphics
Sean M. Casey	....	model builder (as Sean Casey)
James Catania	....	opticals (as Jim Catania)
Charles Cowles	....	opticals
Angela Diamos	....	animator
Syd Dutton	....	matte artist
Bud Elam	....	special electronics: miniature & optical effects (as Ray Morgan Elam)
Sherry Epperson	....	animator
Alex Funke	....	special effects photography
David M. Garber	....	unit supervisor: miniature & optical effects
David M. Garber	....	visual concepts and effects
Pete Gerard	....	chief model maker (as Bryson Peter Gerard)
Peter Gibbons-Fly	....	special effects photography
Dan Goozee	....	effects illustration and design
Robert Hall	....	optical supervisor
David Hill	....	editorial assistant: miniature & optical effects
Jena Holman	....	effects illustration and design (as Jeana Holman)
Frederick P. Hope	....	effects illustration and design (as Fred Hope)
David Jones	....	effects illustration and design supervisor
Michael Joyce	....	model builder
Denny Kelly	....	editorial assistant: miniature & optical effects (as Dennis Kelly)
James Kibbee	....	key gaffer: miniature & optical effects
Frederick Langenbach	....	opticals (as Frederick Lagenbach)
Philippe Lantz	....	model builder
Dick Lasley	....	effects illustration and design (as Richard Lasley)
Ronald Longo	....	opticals
C. Cory M. McCrum-Abdo	....	editorial assistant: miniature & optical effects (as Cory McCrum)
Tim McHugh	....	production assistant: miniature & optical effects
Ray Monahan	....	camera: miniature & optical effects
Harry Moreau	....	animation and rotoscope design
Max Morgan	....	animator (as Maxwell Morgan)
John C. Moulds	....	camera: miniature & optical effects (as John Moulds)
Patrick Murphy	....	key grip: miniature & optical effects
Masaaki Norihiro	....	opticals
Maureen O'Connell	....	editorial assistant: miniature & optical effects
Bill O'Sullivan	....	opticals (as William O'Sullivan)
George Pryor	....	production assistant: miniature & optical effects
Eldon Rickman	....	opticals
Richard Rippel	....	opticals (as Richard Ripple)
David Robman	....	camera: miniature & optical effects
Chuck Shuman	....	camera: miniature & optical effects (as Charles Schuman)
Richard Smiley	....	model builder
Wayne Smith	....	unit supervisor: miniature & optical effects
Wayne Smith	....	visual concepts and effects
David Stipes	....	camera: miniature & optical effects (as David Stypes)
Wendy Vanguard	....	effects illustration and design
Keith White	....	special effects photography
Bob Wilson	....	opticals (as Robert Wilson)
Kris Brown	....	visual effects engineer (uncredited)
Rob Maine	....	visual effects camera (uncredited)
Scott Squires	....	visual effects camera (uncredited)

Stunts
Gregory J. Barnett	....	stunts
Tony Brubaker	....	stunt coordinator
Fred M. Waugh	....	stunt coordinator (as Fred Waugh)
Norman Blankenship	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tony Brubaker	....	stunts (uncredited)
Michael Cassidy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Phil Chong	....	stunts (uncredited)
Erik Cord	....	stunts (uncredited)
Kenny Endoso	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)
Don Fox Greene	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gene Hartline	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tommy J. Huff	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom Lupo	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alan Oliney	....	stunts (uncredited)
Felix Silla	....	stunts (uncredited)
Michael M. Vendrell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Marvin Walters	....	stunts (uncredited)
Glenn R. Wilder	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Tony Rivetti	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera, steadicam
Michael J. Schwartz	....	electrician
Leonard J. South	....	additional photographer

Editorial Department
Maureen O'Connell	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Glen A. Larson	....	composer: theme music

Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Miriam Nelson	....	choreographer
David Oliver	....	title designer

Production Companies

• Bruce Lansbury Productions
• Glen A. Larson Productions
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1979) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Cinema Internazional Corporation (1979) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Cubic (additional visual effects supplied by)
• Universal Hartland (miniature & optical effects)

Other Companies

• Intrada  score album released by (limited edition)
• Universal Title  titles and opticals

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:

To cut costs, some footage and various props were used from Glen A. Larson's "Battlestar Galactica" (1978) series. Even some of the concept designs from Galactica were used. The Terran starfighters on Buck Rogers were originally designed as the Colonial Vipers for Galactica, but Larson had opted for a design closer the X-Wing fighters from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). Larson then employed the unused designs for Buck Rogers.

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:

Spoofed in "Robot Chicken: Big Trouble in Little Clerks 2 (#5.3)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

SUSPENSION

Blast off for adventure!

Buck Rogers. The name conjures up memories of a by-gone era, two eras in fact. Buck was the hero of one of the earliest and most popular science fiction comic strips. He was also the hero of this post-Star Wars 70's film. In the former, Buck had been trapped in a cave-in, where strange gases put him to sleep, to finally wake in the 25th Century. In the latter, Buck is an astronaut who, due to an accident, is adrift, in suspended animation, to later arrive back on Earth, in the 25th Century. In both, Buck becomes a hero and savior of the Earth.

I first saw this movie in the theater. At the time, my friends and I clamored for anything remotely sci-fi; especially after the success of Star Wars. Unfortunately, that was a pretty mixed bag. For every Alien, there was a Battle Beyond the Stars. Others were a bit uneven; like Star Trek TMP, and this film.

The effects were fine, for the time period, but can't hold a candle to today's CGI, or even ILM's work of the era. The designs were interesting, if a little too pristine. The antiseptic look of Earth was a bit bland; the Draconian ship had far more character. The costumes were typical of a Glen Larson show; disco inspired and not very functional. I never liked the Earth flight suits, although the dress uniform at least looked military. Princess Ardala's costumes, though, were quite interesting (what there was of them, yowza!).

Gil Gerard was likeable as Buck; a cocky, confident hero. He was athletic enough to carry the fight scenes, but not so much that he never seemed in danger. Erin Gray was a tad subdued here; thankfully, her role was expanded in the later series. Pamela Hensley was a very steamy and sultry Ardala. Henry Silva, well, he was a bit stiff. Michael Ansara made a better Kane in the series.

The film has a few slow moments; but, for the most part, it's quite entertaining. The space scenes were good for their time, although marred by the use of stock footage. The disco music sucked even then. As Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars showed, a more classical, symphonic sound far better suited space opera. The only real complaint I had, at the time, was the abrupt change in Tigerman. One moment he is Duke Butler. Suddenly, at the end, it's Hard Boiled Haggarty! Hunh?!? Still, it's a minor quibble.

The film is an entertaining piece of 70's sci-fi and an enjoyable space opera. Compared to other Star Wars knock-offs of the era, it's practically 2001: A Space Odyssey. Now, how about a DVD with a commentary track from the actors?