Emperor Ming lusts after the blond Dale Arden. Ming to Dale: "..your eyes, your hair, your skin...I've never seen one like you before...you're beautiful.." Featuring Buster Crabbe, Jean Rogers and Charles Middleton as Ming. This is the only serial that has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Cool
peacemtn 3 years ago
A little trivia. Q: What Rock mucisian idolized Flash Gordan as a kid?
A: Jimi Hendrix.
So, what does that tell ya?
huh?
HyaPowa 3 years ago
Well that can pretty much be traced back to Alex Raymond's original strip.
Although IMHO Dale was fleshed out a little more as a character in the Raymond strip,
Although she was pretty much always the classic woman in distress who was helpless without Flash on the scene.
cha5 3 years ago
Thanks for the comments.
roflmao0000 3 years ago
Even 1936 audiances couldn't figure why Flash picked feinting girl-woman Dale, versus hot dangerous sex magnet Aura, all post-code Hollywood allowed. Actually, that WAS the reason-to revert women to 2nd class status, vrs pre-code Hollywood's independent ladies.
Jean Roger's balked at her character's helplessness. In Trip to Mars (1938) Dale did some feinting, but stood up for going back to Mongo, knifed Flash, was doped, flew stratosleds without lessons & bombed bad guys like a pro.
Yourdeadmeat69 3 years ago
Run nightly, instead of weekly Saturday morning, this serial ran three successive times in early 1936. It was the second highest grossing "picture" in 1936 and a mainstay in military motion picture houses WW2right behind Robin Hood.
Yourdeadmeat69 3 years ago
Touted a "million dollar" serial, even Crabbe claimed that honor. That might have been true had Universal not reused sets and music from half dozen A pictures already accomplished, including horror great Bride of Frankenstein. Still, double normal fare, $350,000, Universal's attempt to break Republic Studios lead in chapter plays helped cause Universal's bankruptcy 1936.
Crabbe's straight up sincerity as Flash elevates his role above normal 1930 camp histrionics and makes it timeless.
Yourdeadmeat69 3 years ago