Flash Gordon - The Peril from Planet Mongo

Starring:Buster Crabbe, Carol Hughes, Charles Middleton, Anne Gwynne, Frank Shannon, John Hamilton, Herbert Rawlinson, Tom Chatterton, Shirley Deane, Lee Powell, Roland Drew, Don Rowan, Victor Zimmerman, Edgar Edwards, Ben Taggart, Michael Mark, Earl Dwire, Harry C. Bradley, Sigurd Nilssen, Mimi Taylor
Director: Ford Beebe, Ray Taylor
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
A strange purple dust is killing off the population of Earth, leaving a telltale purple smudge on the foreheads of its victims! Together, Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, and Dr. Zarkov trace the plague to the planet Mongo and archfiend Ming the Merciless! There's hope for the Earth, though, when the intrepid team discovers Polarite, the antidote to the pandemic, found only in the barren, cold reaches of Frigia. This collection of Flash Gordon serials finds Buster Crabbe teamed up with a different Dale Arden, but facing the usual array of strange creatures and spellbinding thrills. It's worth noting that Mongo looks a lot like Sherwood Forest, with its natives toting bows and arrows and wearing Robin Hood outfits. These installments of the series are unusually inventive, such as the scenes when Flash and company travel to the frozen wastelands of Frigia. The encounters with the Rock People and the "walking bombs" are also rather bizarre, even by today's standards. There's even a topical note to the story line, with a madman bent on genocide; the real-life people of Earth would face just such a threat a few short years later. It's the slam-bang pace and two-fisted action of Flash Gordon's adventures that kept audiences spellbound in the '30s, though, and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe certainly gave them their money's worth. --Jerry Renshaw
Description
Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov return to Mongo on a special mission at the request of Barin, their friend from Arboria. His kingdom is being threatened by Emperor Ming's heat projectiles. Once on Mongo, Flash is able to extinguish the heat projectiles by using one of Dr. Zarkov's contra-thermal units. But Ming the Merciless has plans far more devastating for Arboria and even threatens to send a rocketship full of explosives to Earth. Soon Flash is faced with trying to save both Arboria and Earth! It looks like it's curtains for all decent humans everywhere. Climb aboard and join Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkov in the struggle to preserve justice and freedom in our universe! This is a feature-length edited version of Chapters 7-12 of the 1940 serial "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe."

Flash Gordon - The Peril from Planet Mongo
Average customer rating:

Science and heros against threats to the Earth

"King of Serials on DVD...VCI Entertainment ~ Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)"

Worth a few laughs

A Seminal Serial Character In His Final Adventure

1930s science fiction with funny hats

Flash Gordon - The Peril from Planet Mongo
Starring: Buster Crabbe , Carol Hughes , Charles Middleton , Anne Gwynne , and Frank Shannon
Director: Ford Beebe , and Ray Taylor
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
Heroes | By Theme | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
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General | Travel | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video
Crabbe, Buster | ( C ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Dwire, Earl | ( D ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Gwynne, Anne | ( G ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Hamilton, John | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Hughes, Carol | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Middleton, Charles | ( M ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Powell, Lee | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
Beebe, Ford | ( B ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
Taylor, Ray | ( T ) | Directors | Stores | DVD | Video
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( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005Y6YQ
Release Date: 2002-03-19

Amazon.com

A strange purple dust is killing off the population of Earth, leaving a telltale purple smudge on the foreheads of its victims! Together, Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, and Dr. Zarkov trace the plague to the planet Mongo and archfiend Ming the Merciless! There's hope for the Earth, though, when the intrepid team discovers Polarite, the antidote to the pandemic, found only in the barren, cold reaches of Frigia. This collection of Flash Gordon serials finds Buster Crabbe teamed up with a different Dale Arden, but facing the usual array of strange creatures and spellbinding thrills. It's worth noting that Mongo looks a lot like Sherwood Forest, with its natives toting bows and arrows and wearing Robin Hood outfits. These installments of the series are unusually inventive, such as the scenes when Flash and company travel to the frozen wastelands of Frigia. The encounters with the Rock People and the "walking bombs" are also rather bizarre, even by today's standards. There's even a topical note to the story line, with a madman bent on genocide; the real-life people of Earth would face just such a threat a few short years later. It's the slam-bang pace and two-fisted action of Flash Gordon's adventures that kept audiences spellbound in the '30s, though, and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe certainly gave them their money's worth. --Jerry Renshaw

Description

Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov return to Mongo on a special mission at the request of Barin, their friend from Arboria. His kingdom is being threatened by Emperor Ming's heat projectiles. Once on Mongo, Flash is able to extinguish the heat projectiles by using one of Dr. Zarkov's contra-thermal units. But Ming the Merciless has plans far more devastating for Arboria and even threatens to send a rocketship full of explosives to Earth. Soon Flash is faced with trying to save both Arboria and Earth! It looks like it's curtains for all decent humans everywhere. Climb aboard and join Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkov in the struggle to preserve justice and freedom in our universe! This is a feature-length edited version of Chapters 7-12 of the 1940 serial "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe."

Customer Reviews:

Science and heros against threats to the Earth.......2007-03-16

This is one of the serials that inspired star wars ( with really bad special effects).
A recent News article asks:
"Could crazy technology save the planet?"
There's the man-made "volcano" that shoots gigatons of sulfur high into the air. The space "sun shade" made of trillions of little reflectors between Earth and sun, slightly lowering the planet's temperature. The forest of ugly artificial "trees" that suck carbon dioxide out of the air. And the "Geritol solution" in which iron dust is dumped into the ocean.
More genetically altered super fast growing trees that will grow with a minimum of water would be very nice for deserts everywhere.
What Flash Gordon does is give us hope that science can help;
that our actions can make a difference!
This series of adventures is the last of these Buster Crabbe is getting old and fat and
Dale Arden is played by a different although very pretty actress ( Instead of Jean Rogers Carol Hughes),
but the same spirit of saving the world is there.

"King of Serials on DVD...VCI Entertainment ~ Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)".......2005-10-07

VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures present "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" (1940) (Dolby digitally remastered), adapted from Alex Raymond's comic strip with 12 Chapters of this "Special Collector's Edition" vintage serial episodes loaded with sci-fi special effects and action sequences...story line has Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkov traipsing off to Ming's favorite planet Mongo...can the trio stop Ming from shooting the ever popular "Death Rays" at their home planet Earth...will Flash survive the fiery pit, an avalanche and the over zealous robots, will they explode to human touch....watch for the exciting aerial battles as Ming and his warships make short work of the opposition all except Flash and his comrades...can the mysterious plague known as the "Purple Death" (aka Purple Dust) make short work of all the inhabitants of the planet Earth...what devilment is Ming the Merciless up to with spreading this dust into the atmosphere...double thrills, chills, mystery and suspense...as Flash Gordon fills the giant screen with excitement...don't miss a single spine-thrilling episode..return next week to this local theater for another episode of action and adventure that will keep you thrilled until the next chapter.

Under director's Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor, producer Henry MacRae, screenplay by Alex Raymond (comic strip), George H.Plympton, Basil Dickey and Barry Shipman, music score by Franz Waxman ("Bride of Frankenstin"-1935), Franz Liszt, Charles Previn, Frank Skinner, Ralph Freed, Sam Perry, Heinz Roemheld, special effects Ed Keyes, ...the cast include Buster Crabbe ("Flash" Gordon), Carol Hughes (Dale Arden), Anne Gwynne (Sonja), Charles Middleton (Emperor Ming the Merciless), Frank Shannon (Dr. Zarkov), John Hamilton (Prof. Gordon), Herbert Rawlinson (Dr. Frohmann), Tom Chatterton (Prof. Arden), Shirley Deane (Princess Aura), Lee Powell (Capt. Roka), Roland Drew (Prince Barin), Don Rowan (Capt. Torch), Earl Dwire (Jenda), Roy Barcroft (Ming soldier/Ming adjutant/Arborian sentry ), Lane Chandler (Ming soldier/Ming adjutant), Donald Curtis (Ronal), Eddie Parker (Arborian Prison Guard-stuntman), Tom Steele (Ming Pilot)...must make mention Eddie Parker (stunt double for Buster Crabbe).......special behind the scenes note that actor Buster Crabbe graduated from the University of Southern California and won the 400 meter freestyle in which he medaled in the 1932 Olympics, went to work for Paramount in "King of the Jungle" (1933), next role was "Tarzan the Fearless (1933), Crabbe returned to Paramount Pictures was featured in Zane Grey Westerns which were well received, then came the roles that made him a household word "Flash Gordon" and "Buck Rogers" at Universal Picture Serials (1936-1940), meanwhile PRC Studios was looking for a leading hero "Billy the Kid" and "Billy Carson" in the 1940's B-Western series and ran its course for six years, later made several televison appearances and appeared in a series "Captain Gallant and the Foreign Legion" (1955-1957).....meanwhile back to the feature as Universal Pictures always at the top of their game and this serial is no exception...there is a great deal of entertainment here for the cliffhanger fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features.

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc One)
1. The Purple Death
2. Freezing Torture
3. Walking Bombs
4. The Destroying Ray

SPECIAL FEATHERS: (Disc One)
SERIAL TRAILERS:
1. Republic Pictures presents "HI-YO Silver" (Lee Powell)
2. "And Then There Were None" (Louis Hayward)
3. "Gorgoyles" (Cornel Wilde)
4. "The Southern" (Zachary Scott)

BIOS: (Disc One)
1. Buster Crabbe (aka Clarence Linden Crabbe)
Birth Date: 2/07/1908 - Oakland, CA
Died: 4/23/1983 - Scottsdale, Arizona

PHOTO GALLERY (Disc One)
(stills from "Flash Gordon", autographed pictures signed for Bill Blair, picture of Ester Williams, Johnny Wessmuller and Buster)

INTERVIEWS: (Disc One)
1. Xth Olympiad (young Buster Crabbe wins the Gold Medal for the 400 meter freestyle in 1932)
2. Buster Crabbe (interview Circa from 1970).
3. Bisoldol Television Commercial
4. Buster Crabbe (interview #1 from 9/30/1970)

CHAPTER TITLES: (Disc Two)
5. The Palace of Terror
6. Flaming death
7. The Land of the Dead
8. The Fiery Abyss

SPECIAL FEATURES: (Disc Two)
INTERVIEWS:
1. Buster Crabbe (interview #2 from 9/30/1970)
2. Hormel Chile Television Commercial with Buster Crabbe.

CHAPTER TITLES (Disc Three)
9. The Pool of Peril
10.The Death Mist
11.Stark Treachery
12.Doom of the Dictator

SPECIAL FEATURES: (Disc Three)
INTERVIEWS:
1. Buster Crabbe (interview #1 from 1975).
2. Magic Mold Bodyshirt (commercial with losing weight with this magic shirt)
3. Buster Crabbe (interview #2 from 1975)

If you crave action, drama and plenty of adventure then this is the place for all of the above...check out another release from VCI Entertainment and Universal Pictures present "Buck Rogers" (1939) (Dolby digitally remastered), adapted from Edgar Wallace novel with 12 Chapters of vintage serial as the story unfolds Buck Rogers and his young friend Buddy Wade crash land in a trans-polar dirigible flight on an Earth mountain top...what is this strange gas of suspended animations...have the years passed so quickly with Buck and Buddy now 500 years into the future...who now rules the planet Earth with such tyrannical despot, all this and much more in the following chapters...while you're at it why not pick up a copy from VCI Entertainment and Columbia Pictures present "Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere" (1951) (digitally remastered), 15 Chapters.finally for the first time on video the really great Columbia Serial that broke the mold...we have everything a serial fan would want...the tinted sequences by Cinecolor and unique inventions that were unlike any other serial out there in the '50s.....get out there as they're going fast, this is the best of "Sci-Fi Serials" you've been waiting for.

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" (1940), the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure from the "King of Serials" VCI...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 237 mins on 3 DVD's ~ VCI Entertainment 8240 ~ (5/28/2000)

Worth a few laughs.......2005-06-16

Bad acting, shallow characters, ridiculous costumes (whatever they could dig up from Robin Hood), cheap sets (the spacecraft only have one seat!), and ludicrous special effects add up to a camp classic.

I can't stand sitting thru more than 2 episodes at once (there are twelve total).

These episodes were originally intended to be viewed as serials at theaters in "Matinee" format... you would see one new 20 minute episode a week, with a cliffhanger at the end of each one - the problem is, when you can see the episodes "back to back", the cliffhanger resolutions can be seen as the true ripoffs that they were, as they never quite match up with the impossible-to-escape cliffhanger shown from the week before (the writers figure that after a week's time you'll have forgetten what they showed you the week before).

At least the "evil" Sonja is pretty hot... and Ming makes a pretty good "bad guy".

A Seminal Serial Character In His Final Adventure.......2005-03-14

Perhaps the best known of Hollywood serial characters, Flash Gordon is the iconographic 1930s American male: athletic, courageous, smart, blond with a handsome face and winning smile. As played by Olympic athlet Buster Crabbe, he would be the focus of three serials: SPACE SOLIDERS (1936), FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS (1938), and FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE (1940.)

Although all three are available to the homemarket, the latter is perhaps the most readily so, and there are numerous VHS and DVD editions. Most of these are "budget"--and in most cases the term is indicative; you will find that fuzzy pictures, poor sound, and zero bonuses are the norm. At present, the VCI edition is probably the best available; although it shows the ravages of time, the picture is fairly stable, the sound is at least reasonable, and it does offer a few bonuses.

Like most serials, the story is very basic. A strange plauge has visited the earth--an illness that leaves a single purple dot on the foreheads of its victims. Flash, Dale Arden (Carol Hughes), and Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon) take to their space ship to investigate the matter and discover that the disease is being spread by a spaceship sent by Ming the Merciless (Charles Middleton) from the planet Mongo. Needless to say, they rush off to Mongo to put a stop to it.

The great thing about the Flash Gordon serials is their look, which is very, very strange indeed. The special effects are very much 1930s science-fiction pulp, with sputtering spacecraft shaped rather like outsized hypodermic needles, peculiar-looking robots with angular faces, and all the rest. The sets and costumes add a great deal more to the film's truly bizarre look; apparently Mongo is a strange cross between Sherwood forrest, Imperial Russia, and some sort of Asian Art Deco Hell; all the men wear tights (whether they look good in them or not) and they are as handy with bow and arrow and sword as they are with ray guns.

Although a seminal figure in Hollywood serials, the Flash Gordon films were bested by a number of other serials, most notably by THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, SPY SMASHER, and THE CRIMSON GHOST, to name but a few. But in their strange mishmash of American gung-ho, pulp science fiction, and bizarre Hollywood conceptualization, they remain entertaining--and FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE is really the best of the three. It is also, incidently, the installment upon which the cult satire FLESH GORDON was largely based. Recommended, but primarily for hardcore serial fans.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

1930s science fiction with funny hats.......2005-01-04

This has to be some kind of archetype - the master plan from which generations of cheesy science fiction movies were drawn. It dates to the era when short-wave radio was gee-whiz technology, when heroes were handsome and Nordic looking, when women were for screaming and for being saved, and when special effects for ray-guns were scratched directly on the black&white film with a pin.

It has everything: ray-guns that look like oilcans, arrows and swords, women on every mission (for the required ineffectual girlfight, since men couldn't hit women), and wobbly spaceships sputtering sparks. Almost everyone except the daring Flash wears a funny hat. Dale Arden, the lovely but useless heroine, has a pert cap with a meter-long plume, cemented to her head at a jaunty angle. Evil Emperor Ming alternates between jagged skullcap and a chapeau titled "Death of Ostriches." His minions, the witless ones seemingly outnumbered by the traitors, wear claustrophobic visors good for hiding the features of any would-be infiltrator. Heck, even the shovels have big fancy fins on them.

Our heroes are brilliant strategists. When captured by the Rock Men, they escape using the clever tactic of running away, something their guards seem never to have anticipated.

Perhaps it was meant more or less seriously at the time, but this can only be enjoyed for its campiness today. So be it - this is the finest, campiest sample of cheesy effects, gratuitous cliff-hangers, and bumbling fights you will ever see. Wait for a rainy Saturday, pop some extra popcorn, and sit back. This is goofy, black-and-white nostalgia at its finest.

//wiredweird

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