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

Director:

Joseph Zigman

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

1 October 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | 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 | 33rd Century | Character Name In Title

Cast

Steve Holland	...	Flash Gordon (31 episodes, 1954-1955)
Irene Champlin	...	Dale Arden (31 episodes, 1954-1955)
Joseph Nash	...	Dr. Hans Zarkov (31 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Directed by
Gunther von Fritsch		(8 episodes, 1954-1955)
Wallace Worsley Jr.		(8 episodes, 1954-1955)
Joseph Zigman		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Alex Raymond		(39 episodes, 1954-1955)
Bruce Elliot		(9 episodes, 1954-1955)
Earl Markham		(9 episodes, 1954-1955)
Edward Gruskin		(3 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Produced by
Wenzel Lüdecke	....	producer (20 episodes, 1954-1955)
Edward Gruskin	....	producer (4 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Original Music by
Kurt Heuser		(8 episodes, 1954-1955)
Roger-Roger		(3 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Cinematography by
Jean Isnard		(3 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Film Editing by
Heinz Haber		(6 episodes, 1954-1955)
Roger Pacaut		(3 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Art Direction by
Raymond Gabutti		(2 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Set Decoration by
Helmut Nentwig		(4 episodes, 1954-1955)
Raymond Gabutti		(unknown episodes)

Series Makeup Department
Igor Keldich	....	makeup artist (2 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Production Management
Ernst Liepelt	....	unit manager (6 episodes, 1954-1955)
Jörg Zorer	....	production manager (6 episodes, 1954-1955)
René Noel	....	unit manager (3 episodes, 1954-1955)
Fred Surin	....	production manager (3 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eva Ebner	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1954-1955)
Alain Jessua	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Art Department
Louis Boussaroque	....	props (2 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Sound Department
Willy Szdzui	....	sound (6 episodes, 1954-1955)
Jean Bertrand	....	sound engineer / sound (3 episodes, 1954-1955)
Paul Durand	....	sound assistant (2 episodes, 1954-1955)
Guy Villette	....	sound assistant (2 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Visual Effects by
F.W. Wintzer	....	miniatures / minatures (6 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Herbert Körner	....	camera operator (3 episodes, 1954-1955)
Arndt Rautenfeld	....	camera operator / camera (3 episodes, 1954-1955)
Alex Dulac	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)

Series Editorial Department
Marie-Louise Barberot	....	assistant editor (2 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Music Department
Kurt Heuser	....	composer: theme music / theme music (2 episodes, 1954)
Roger-Roger	....	composer: incidental music (unknown episodes)

Series Transportation Department
Gunther Kortwich	....	driver (4 episodes, 1954-1955)

Series Other crew
Joseph Zigman	....	production consultant / director: Intercontinental Television Films Corporation (6 episodes, 1954-1955)
Sipora Van Praag	....	dialogue director (3 episodes, 1954-1955)
Ginette Doynel	....	script girl (2 episodes, 1954-1955)
Maurice Duault	....	administrative director (2 episodes, 1954-1955)
Louis Grospierre	....	technical director (2 episodes, 1954-1955)
Eva Ebner	....	production secretary (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Inter-Continental Film Productions
• Interwest
• La Telediffusion
• Luedecker Productions

Distributors

• DuMont Television Network (1954) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Navarre Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2005) (worldwide) (all media)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Motion Pictures for Television (MPTV)
• Passport Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Shout! Factory (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• King Features Syndicate  "Flash Gordon" rights

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:

Because this television show was in syndication in late 1953, the three Universal Pictures Flash Gordon theatrical serials were retitled for TV broadcast. Flash Gordon (1936/I) became "Space Soldiers", Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938) became "Space Soldiers' Trip to Mars", and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940) became "Space Soldiers Conquer the Universe".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Angel: Ground State (#4.2)" (2002)

So bad it's good

Digiview Productions has just released three of the series' 39 episodes on DVD, including "Deadline at Noon," "Flash Gordon And The Planet of Death" and "Flash Gordon And The Brain Machine." These are the only episodes I have seen, so keep in mind, all comments are based on this limited exposure. By today's standards, 1954's "Flash Gordon" might not make it to a fan-film awards show. The writing is atrocious, the acting could best be described as forced melodrama and the production values are comical ("Deadline at Noon" includes a lengthy discussion between Flash, Dale and the good Doctor commenting on the wonders of stock footage, for example.) Also, the 'science' behind the fantasy is so dated, it's hilarious (1,200 years in the future, the state-of-the-art still includes Geiger counters.) For all that, Flash Gordon has its good points, one of which has to be Flash's space ship, the Sky Flash, which looks pretty darn good for the early days of television. I'm sure that when "Flash Gordon" was watched through the eyes of a child in the mid 1950s, it had everything a "Star Trek" or a "Battlestar Galactica" had for future generations of young TV fans: plenty of action, adventure, ray guns, space ships and far-flung planets waiting to be explored. In short, if you're a Flash Gordon fan and an all-around sci-fi movie geek like I am, this is some of the best entertainment you can find at the bottom of the DVD bargain bin.