Buck Rogers (1939)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Directors:

Ford Beebe
Saul A. Goodkind

Writers:

Dick Calkins (comic strip)
Norman S. Hall (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 February 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Original cartoon strip by Dick Calkins and Phil Nolan - Based on the Buck Rogers newspaper feature owned and copyrighted by John F. Dille Co. (original posters)

Plot:

A pilot and his young passenger crash-land on a mountaintop and are put into suspended animation by a strange gas...

Plot Keywords:

Suspended Animation | Outlaw | Buck Rogers | Blizzard | Saturn

Cast

Buster Crabbe	...	Buck Rogers (as Larry 'Buster' Crabbe)
Constance Moore	...	Wilma Deering
Jackie Moran	...	George 'Buddy' Wade
Jack Mulhall	...	Captain Rankin
Anthony Warde	...	Killer Kane
C. Montague Shaw	...	Professor Huer
Guy Usher	...	Aldar
William Gould	...	Air Marshal Kragg
Philson Ahn	...	Prince Tallen
Henry Brandon	...	Captain Laska
Wheeler Oakman	...	Lieutenant Patten
Kenne Duncan	...	Lieutenant Lacy (as Kenneth Duncan)
Carleton Young	...	Scott
Reed Howes	...	Captain Roberts

Also Known As:

Buck Rogers Conquers the Universe (USA) (video title)
Buck Rogers: Destination Saturn (USA) (recut version)

Runtime:

237 min (12 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Chapter Titles: - 1. Tomorrow's World - 2. Tragedy on Saturn - 3. The Enemy's Stronghold - 4. The Sky Patrol - 5. The Phantom Plane - 6. The Unknown Command - 7. Primitive Urge - 8. Revolt of the Zuggs - 9. Bodies Without Minds - 10. Broken Barriers - 11. A Prince in Bondage - 12. War of the Planets

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Buck and Buddy infiltrate the council on Saturn, the second soldier reacts to being shot by Buck's laser gun before he is shot.

Quotes:

Buck Rogers: I don't understand, sir. Who is this man called Killer Kane?
Professor Huer: He is the result of the stupidity of the men of your century. You failed to stamp out lawlessness and in the end the criminal became stronger than the law.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Right Stuff (1983)

Great Serial

This serial only proves that Buster Crabbe is definitely the king of the Saturday morning serials. He played two of the most memorable characters in comicdom, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. The main difference is the fact that Flash Gordon is more of an adult strip while Buck Rogers was more of a kiddie strip. In comparing the serials, Buck Rogers had as much action as the latter two Flash Gordon epics, however there was not as great a chemistry between Crabbe and Constance Moore as Crabbe had with Jean Rogers. All that aside though, on its own merit, its a great serial.