A Blast for Buck (17 Jan. 1980)

A satellite enters earth orbit. It transmits a message intended for Buck, and a warning of a possible attack. Buck and his friends try to figure out who might have sent the satellite to prevent the attack.

Director:

David G. Phinney

Writers:

Glen A. Larson (developed for television by), Leslie Stevens (developed for television by),

Stars:

Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Tim O'Connor

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Gil Gerard	...	Capt. William "Buck" Rogers
Erin Gray	...	Col. Wilma Deering
Tim O'Connor	...	Dr. Elias Huer
Gary Coleman	...	Hieronymous Fox
Patty Maloney	...	Twiki
Mel Blanc	...	Twiki (voice)

Storyline

A satellite enters earth orbit. It transmits a message intended for Buck, and a warning of a possible attack. Buck and his friends try to figure out who might have sent the satellite to prevent the attack.

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Plot Keywords:

spandex disco jeans | spandex suit | 25th century

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 January 1980 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glen A. Larson Productions, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor) Color (technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is a "clip" show in which Buck receives a riddle and must use a mind probe to figure it out. Contains clips from episodes: Planet of the Slave Girls (1.3, 1.4), Vegas In Space (1.5), The Plot to Kill a City (1.6, 1.7) Return of the Fighting 69th (1.8), Unchained Woman (1.9), Planet of the Amazon Women (1.10), Cosmic Whiz Kid (1.11), Escape from Wedded Bliss (1.12), and Cruise Ship to the Stars (1.13)

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Goofs

In the flashback sequences that are supposedly memories of Buck, Wilma and Twiki, there are several examples of scenes in which the person remembering the sequence was not present. For example, in Wilma's recollection of certain events from episode #1.8, "Return of the Fighting 69th", one of the shots is of a man warning the gunrunners that the next bomb will hit. Wilma wasn't in that room when he said that. So how can his warning be part of her memory?

User Reviews

Lackluster episode

Buck Rogers (an unusually phlegmatic Gil Gerard) subjects himself to a mind probe in order to find out who is responsible for the mysterious objects being sent to the Defense Directorate's building. Director David G. Phinney, working from a talky and uninspired script by Dick Nelson, crucially fails to generate any tension or momentum, thereby ensuring that this show is a real tedious slog from limp start to lame finish. Worse yet, the blah story ain't much of a grabber and the whole thing just reeks of cheapness. The use of clips from previous better episodes makes this insipid affair come across like a cut-rate "greatest hits" compilation done by K-Tel. The silly big surprise ending doesn't help matters any. On the plus side, the always gorgeous Erin Gray looks quite yummy in a tight'n'clingy red spandex jumpsuit and Gary Coleman briefly enlivens the dull proceedings with a last reel appearance as precocious child genius Heironymous Fox, but overall this one rates as a definite low point of the first season.