Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)

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

Director:

Daniel Haller

Writers:

Glen A. Larson, Leslie Stevens

Stars:

Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Pamela Hensley

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gil Gerard	...	Capt. William 'Buck' Rogers
Pamela Hensley	...	Princess Ardala
Erin Gray	...	Colonel Wilma Deering
Henry Silva	...	Kane
Tim O'Connor	...	Dr. Elias Huer
Joseph Wiseman	...	King 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

Storyline

In 1987, Captain William "Buck" Rogers pilots his space shuttle Ranger 3 on a mission but a meteor storm freezes him into an orbit that returns him to Earth - 500 years later. In 2491, his shuttle is found and captured by the Draconian flagship, under the command of Princess Ardala and her second-in-command Kane. Reviving him, they return him to Earth after secretly planting a homing beacon aboard his shuttle to track a path through Earth's defense barrier. Buck is under arrest and learns that Earth has been rebuilt over the centuries in his absence following a nuclear holocaust. Buck Rogers must adjust to the 25th century, and convince the Terrans that the Draconians are secretly planning to conquer Earth.

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Plot Keywords:

space opera | buck rogers character | 25th century | princess from outer space | waking up in the future | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 March 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Awakening

Filming Locations:

Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites - 404 S. Figueroa Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$21,671,241, 30 March 1979

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Douglas Rain (the voice of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)) was the first choice to do the voice of Dr. Theopolis.

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Goofs

When Captain Buck Rogers fights Tigerman in the launch bay of the Draconian flagship, the actor is very dissimilar from the one in the rest of the film.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: [voiceover during narration] 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. An awesome brush with death: in the blink of an eye, his life support systems were frozen by ...

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Crazy Credits

Erin Gray and Pamela Hensley appear as "dream girls" along side their names in the original (theatrical) credits.

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Alternate Versions

The original 1979 UK theatrical release of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was cut to remove a groin kick to obtain an "A" classification.

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Connections

Referenced in Family Guy: The Story on Page One (2000)

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Soundtracks

Dead City / Attack of the Mutants
(uncredited)
Composed by Stu Phillips

User Reviews

Major Production Goof!

It's important to realize there are actually two versions of this film.

The first was the Theatrical Release, which had a few well-placed Hells and Damns, as well as a painful kick in Duke Butler(Tigerman)'s testicles during the obligatory he-man fight scene. There is also a special-effects bonanza near the end of the film, when a hologram from the Draconian Warlord appears to chastise Kane (Henry Silva) for launching the attack (and failing!) before his arrival.

All of these aforementioned scenes were cut out in the TV Release, to make room for commercials, and to appease network censors. Regrettable, but these things happen.

But it was the TV Release which became the commercially-released video-tape! This is a major production goof, and it reveals the studio's utter contempt for the audience! If they didn't care enough to release the better version, or even bother to see which one they had in their hands, then they obviously don't think much of those who would pay to see it! Sadly, such an attitude only hurts the studio's image when looking at the video. From Gil Gerard's obviously doctored speech, to the suddenly paralyzed state of Tigerman, one cannot escape the sense that this was not a work of love, but something created to pad a few pockets and fill a network time-slot. Feeding time for the animals, in the studio's eyes!

What a way to treat "The Original Space Man"!