Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979) (TV)

Director:

Daniel Haller

Writers:

Glen A. Larson (writer)
Leslie Stevens (writer)

Release Date:

30 March 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Adventure

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Buck Rogers | Based On Comic | Time In Title | Space War | Digit In Title

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Gil Gerard	...	Capt. William 'Buck' Rogers
Pamela Hensley	...	Princess Ardala
Erin Gray	...	Col. Wilma Deering
Henry Silva	...	Kane
Tim O'Connor	...	Dr. Elias Huer
Joseph Wiseman	...	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

Also Known As:

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Awakening (USA) (new syndication title)

Runtime:

89 min | Germany:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (cut) (1979) | Netherlands:AL | Australia:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Bruce Lansbury Productions

Trivia:

The original script contained a subplot in which Counselor Apol - the chief prosecutor at Buck's trial - is discovered to be in league with Princess Ardala.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: 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...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: The Story on Page One (#2.19)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

SUSPENSION

Gerard Makes BUCK a Delight!

BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25th CENTURY could easily have become dated camp, by now (Rogers' disastrous space tour was supposed to have occurred in 1987...did we miss it?), but there's such a sense of joy and humor to the production that it actually is more fun to watch today than when it was briefly released, theatrically, in 1979.

A large measure of this is due to Gil Gerard, as Capt. William 'Buck' Rogers, who gives an enthusiastic, likable performance. Some of his dialog is ripe with sexual innuendo, particularly in his scenes with Erin Gray, as the beautiful, if a bit wooden, professional soldier, Wilma Deering, but his rakish charm (and an occasional wink!) keeps the one-liners from sliding into bad taste. The other female lead, Pamela Hensley, as a bikini-clad evil Princess, would do Mae West proud with her lusty vampiness. Her scenes with Gerard, as she eyes him as an evening's 'entertainment', are a delight. (And in the "Is this a coincidence?" department...Her character is named Ardala, and wears a horned headpiece...Could George Lucas have been influenced by her when he created Natalie Portman's Princess Amidala in STAR WARS: EPISODE ONE - THE PHANTOM MENACE?) The other major male roles are filled by Henry Silva, as Ardala's superbly evil partner, Kane, and Tim O'Connor, wise and sympathetic, as Earth scientist Dr. Huer. Deserving recognition, as well, is Duke Butler, who, as Ardala's eunuch bodyguard, Tigerman, should find another line of work, considering how he fared against Rogers!

Ignore Twiki, the low-tech R2D2 rip-off (Mel Blanc voices him, with dialog lapsing into disco-era clichés and bad sexual puns), and Dr. Theopoulis (the talking Frisbee...well, that's what he looks like!), and concentrate on the decent FX and Gil Gerard's charismatic performance...and I think you'll find BUCK ROGERS a winner!