"Flash Gordon" (1954) TV series 1954-1955

Director:

Joseph Zigman

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

1 October 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Space hero Flash Gordon and his crew of the Galaxy Bureau of Investigation patrol space, battling space monsters, power-mad alien dictators and other threats to the stability of the universe.

Plot Keywords:

Flash Gordon | Character Name In Title

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 3 of 5)

Steve Holland	...	Flash Gordon (30 episodes, 1954-1955)
Irene Champlin	...	Dale Arden (30 episodes, 1954-1955)
Joseph Nash	...	Dr. Hans Zarkov (30 episodes, 1954-1955)

Runtime:

30 min (39 episodes)

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

West Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Inter-Continental Film Productions

Trivia:

At least 13 episodes have fallen into the public domain. The known episodes are: "Flash Gordon and the Planet of Death", "Akim the Terrible", "The Claim Jumpers", "The Breath of Death", "Return of the Androids", "The Lure of Light", "Flash Gordon and the Race Against Time", "Flash Gordon and the Brain Machine", "Struggle to the End", "Saboteurs from Space", "The Forbidden Experiment", "Deadline at Noon", and "The Subworld Revenge".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Angel: Sense and Sensitivity (#1.6)" (1999)

Either unwatchable or fascinating....

Depending on your point of view. I have a dim memory of seeing this rerun on Sunday morning TV when I was a kid (even then it seemed ancient). I picked this up for a buck at a local thrift store. For the most part is seemed very tedious, and the attempts to pass of post war Berlin as other planets reminded me of ALPHAVILLE without the wit or imagination (after all, Godard knew we wouldn't really buy Paris AS Alpahville but assumed we'd go along with the joke --- here they actually seem to be serious). Still some of the imagery is sporadically striking. For a moment I thought the hellish underground scenes might be taken from some German silent film. They had a little of the atmosphere of Lang's SEIGRIED, only done on the cheap. Really this is a curiosity item more than anything. I can't recommend it, but I wouldn't try to dissuade anyone from seeing it either.

Oh --- but Irene Champlin as Dale Arden ---? Dale's MOM, maybe....