Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars

Starring:Buster Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles Middleton, Frank Shannon, Beatrice Roberts, Donald Kerr, Richard Alexander, C. Montague Shaw, Wheeler Oakman, Kenne Duncan, Warner Richmond, Jack Mulhall, Lane Chandler, Anthony Warde, Ben Lewis (III), Fred Kohler Jr., Earl Askam, Jerry Frank, Herbert Holcombe, Stanley Price
Director: Frederick Stephani, Robert F. Hill, Ford Beebe
Studio: Image Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
It's easy to point and guffaw at the Flash Gordon serials. In fact, in this day and age it's hard to believe that audiences of any era were ever expected to accept bulbous rocket ships that flatulently trail sparks and smoke; preposterous, shambling space creatures; and spaceship interiors that look as though they were assembled from a plumbing warehouse. Despite the primitive sets and effects, Flash Gordon serials are as much a part of the roots of modern sci-fi as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, or Ray Bradbury.

Description

All three Flash Gordon serials in one box! "Space Soldiers" (1936, 245 min., 13 episodes) - Internationally renowned polo player and Yale graduate Flash Gordon and the lovely Dale Arden are enlisted by Dr. Hans Zarkov on his quest to save Earth from being destroyed by the runaway planet Mongo. "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938, 299 min., 15 episodes) - A mysterious beam of light emanating from Mars is sucking the nitrogen from the Earth's atmosphere, and only Flash Gordon can stop it, battling Queen Azura, the Clay People of Mars, and his mortal enemy Ming the Merciless! "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" (1940, 234 min., 12 episodes) - A rocket is dropping purple dust into the Earth's atmosphere, causing instant death! Can Flash Gordon stop the madman from Mongo while retrieving the antidote to the death dust from the frozen planet of Frigia?

Space Soldiers - Flash is enlisted to save Earth from a runaway planet. "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars" - A light beam from Mars is sucking away Earth's atmosphere! "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" - A rocket is dropping deadly purple dust onto the Earth! 3-disc box set.

Robert F. Hill, Ford Beebe, Ray Taylor, Frederick Stephani

Buster Crabbe, Charles Middleton, Jean Rogers, Frank Shannon, Richard Alexander, Carol Hughes

Customer Reviews:

A Blast from my past........2007-06-05

I first saw these serials in the movie theatres in the 1940's. They were part of the magical joy of a child's early life, which brought us back to that same theatre every Saturday matinee until we had seen all the episodes. In those days one could see a triple feature, the Flash Gordon serial, and cartoons for 9 cents at the Old Loma Theatre in Burbank, California.
Later, in the early 1950's they appeared on television for the first time. Even the adults were part of the audience. Crude as those early special effects were, they just delighted my whole generation.
Now, all three of the serials are available for a huge savings on DVD, about the same price for one individual movie. Step back into time and relive another era, sadly gone forever.

Flashing on Memory.......2007-05-19

Those of us who grew up in the 1950s, first saw most of these episodes on TV. Originally designed as weekly serials in the 1930s to be shown in theatres before the main feature, they were among our earliest entrees into the genre of science fiction and fantasy films. Still showing on TV into the 1970s, they suddenly vanished from view thereafter and are only now available in their entirety on DVD. Seeing them again is a revelation on more than one level. It never occurred to us as kids just how overacted was Buster Crabbe's portrayal of Flash Gordon, and it's a hoot to witness now. There's more unintentional humor than anything else in these volumes, but you'll also see images your brain has forgotten and you'll howl at the "flash" backs. The impossibly goofy spaceships, the gila monster lizard dragons, The Emperor Ming, Professor Zarkov, Prince Baron, the great sexless Dale, and all the gang are here. If you've got kids, they'll laugh along with you and wonder how a generation could be so entranced by such phony yet entertaining technology, back before there was any real technology to speak of. By the time you get to the 3rd DVD, the similar plotlines (what plotlines there are) begin to grow tired. But you can always pull this stuff out again for a good laugh and a warm stroll down memory lane. Note: Obviously, Steven Spielberg was well acquainted with these serials and you'll enjoy seeing his inspiration for the initial Star Wars movie on DVD 2 here.

Youth Revisited.......2007-05-12

As a youth I used to go to movies on Saturday to see the Flash Gordon episodes. Those were the days (1930s) when they gave away free dishes to attract the more mature crowd. The quality of these DVDs is very good and I have enjoyed seeing Flash and Ming and the rest of the crowd again.
John in Palm Springs

love the sparklers on the rockets.......2007-03-19

exactly as I remembered from my youth - a local channel used to play these serialised shows on friday nights

decent transfer and sound quality.

I am happy with it.

Classic Sci-Fi Serials!.......2007-02-16

Flash Gordon is a superhero in his own right. Created for Alex Raymond's 1934-1945 Sunday comic strip, Gordon is an all-American hero, who travels to the alien planet Mongo with the lovely Dale Arden and brilliant scientist, Dr. Hans Zarkov. On the strange planet, the three Earthlings encounter savage monsters, and Ming the Merciless--the most cruel dictator in the Universe.

The first of the serials--"Flash Gordon" (1936)--is the best. This continuity does Raymond's original vision a great justice. The first two years of the strip are roughly chronicled here, with innovations (what they are I won't tell you, because they occur at the end). If read Checker Books' first Flash Gordon volume, then you basically have a novelization of this serial. Buster Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Frank Shannon, Charles Middleton, Priscilla Lawson and John Lipson star.

"Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars" (1938) pick up right where the first serial left off. In order to save Earth from the diabolical plans of Ming and witch-queen, Azura, Flash and company must ally themselves with the Clay People of Mars. Crabbe, Rogers, Shannon and Middleton.

Buster Crabbe, Frank Shannon and Charles Middleton were reunited in the final chapter of the Flash trilogy, "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" (1940). Though this is the weakest of the series (barely any monsters, weak acting, and overused plot), there is a note of finality as the ruthless Ming defiantly declares, "I am the Universe!"

Of all the serials I have seen, Universal's Flash Gordons are the best. One of the things I admire the most about all of the Gordon serials are that you never see any strings or anything in all the rocket ship scenes. Even in "Batman," (1943) strings were evident in the plane used in one of the chapters. B-movie serials, yet great period quality invested in them.

Average customer rating:

Space silliness
Good Movie--if You Get the Full Edition!
Uncomplete and cut
Flash Gordon and the star war
ANOTHER CLASSIC SERIAL

Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
Starring: Buster Crabbe , Jean Rogers , Charles Middleton , Frank Shannon , and Beatrice Roberts
Director: Ford Beebe , Frederick Stephani , and Robert F. Hill
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Sci-Fi Action | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Sci-Fi | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Space Adventure | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Aliens | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

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Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe - The Complete Saturday Morning Serial
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Flash Gordon: Box Set (Space Soldiers/Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars/Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe) (3DVD)
Flash Gordon - Dominion of Ming

ASIN: 6305773904
Release Date: 2000-03-28

Amazon.com

It's easy to point and guffaw at the Flash Gordon serials. In fact, in this day and age it's hard to believe that audiences of any era were ever expected to accept bulbous rocket ships that flatulently trail sparks and smoke; preposterous, shambling space creatures; and spaceship interiors that look as though they were assembled from a plumbing warehouse. Despite the primitive sets and effects, Flash Gordon serials are as much a part of the roots of modern sci-fi as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, or Ray Bradbury.

Description

Complete and uncut: 15 episodes starring "Buster" Crabbe. Life on Earth is about to be destroyed! A mysterious beam of light emanating from Mars is sucking the nitrogen from the planet's atmosphere, and only Flash Gordon ("Buster" Crabbe) can stop it. Blasting off with Dale Arden (Jean Rogers) and Dr. Hans Zarkov (Frank Shannon), Flash and his intrepid band of adventurers quickly learn that Queen Azura (Beatrice Roberts), ruler of Mars, is stealing Earth's nitrogen to aid in her ongoing war with the Clay People, Martians whom Azura magically turned into living mud. A bigger surprise, however, is yet to come; working closely with the Queen is Flash's mortal enemy, Ming the Merciless (Charles Middleton), who--while posing as Azura's ally--is secretly plotting to overthrow the Queen and seize Mars for himself! Can Flash save the Earth, rescue the Clay People, bring Azura to her senses, and stop Ming's heinous scheme? The answers lie in "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars"--15 thrilling episodes of sci-fi adventure at its very best.

Customer Reviews:

Space silliness.......2006-11-15

These fifteen episodes, twenty minutes each, add up to a five-hour marathon of popcorn-worthy swashbuckling. It's based on Alex Raymond's comic strip from that pre-WWII era that now looks like such an Eden of innocence. It wasn't, of course, but they didn't know it back then.

Queen Azura of Mars has waged war on the clay people, who seem condemned to live their shambling lives away from the sun, in prison uniforms and itchy-looking rubber masks. Evil Ming the Merciless falsely befriends her, to take advantage of her mystic command of the White Opal. It is a gem that grants her magical powers and looks pretty good on with her perpetual evening gown. Somewhere along the line the good guy's gal, Dale Arden, also doffs her lab coat and spends the rest of the flick running through forests and caves in an evening gown of her own - more sparkly, and more dramatic about the bodice. Then there's Prince Barin, standing proud in his armored chestplate and shortie bloomers. And Ming, with a little arrow pasted onto his skullcap.

Well, ignore the costumes (and the plot, if you can). Instead, drink in the tubby little strato-sleds as they soar through the air, flatulent with drooping sparks and drifting wreaths of smoke. Or the wonderful labs, generally bare except for a few ominous Erlenmeyers and a Jacob's ladder or two, or more. Or the ray guns that look mostly like little cookie presses with the handle bent sideways.

It's great stuff. My childhood was, I admit, as close to the series's 1938 date as to this writing, or closer. It was wonderful, stirring adventure back then. It still is, if you can see it with innocent-enough eyes. If not, it's the epitome of camp, only better for being so un-self-conscious. And people don't have bloody fights and do keep their clothes on, so tender sensibilities need not worry.

//wiredweird

Good Movie--if You Get the Full Edition!.......2005-10-04

Make sure you get the Image Entertainment DVD! That one has all the episodes and runs 299 minutes. I bought the 97 minute edition by accident because the reviews are all combined!

Even the 97 minute version was good, but so much was edited out, and a few times the viewer is edited into a different situation completely.

The plot involves an attempt to destroy earth once again, and Flash Gordon, Professor Zarkhov, and Dale Arden come to the rescue. The queen of Mars has usurped the throne and turned her enemies into "clay men." But behind it all is Ming the Merciless. Lots of fun! But remember, with all these serials, the viewer had better not ask questions (like how is it everyone speaks English, or why can you fly from planet to planet and never worry about Oxygen or temperature). These movies are meant as an escape and are best called "feel good" movies. Kids love these as well as adults.

Uncomplete and cut.......2005-09-27

1mn45s are missing in 35mm sources while existing in 16mm TV versions.
On the Image DVD, Flash Gordon Trip To Mars Chapter 3 at 53mn53s : Flash says "It's one of the Death Squa-(sound cut, and) I don't see any more of them."
A sequence is definitely missing, the two parts said being definitely opposite in meaning.
The shot looks the same but we know how movies are shot, all dialogue in same set are shot at once even if applying to different times and actions.
From a forum, someone detailed : Flash Gordon and Zarkov are being pursued by a Martian pilot in a "Strato-Sled". (The Martian pilot pushes a button at the top of his console, and you hear an explosion) Flash says: "It's one of the Death Squadron ships right on our tails!" Zarkov says: "Man the gun Flash! I'll try to get him into position for you!" (The two ships weave around and fire at each other, Flash pushes his button, and there's a big explosion) Zarkov says: "Got 'Em Flash! Direct hit!" The injured Martian pilot crawls to the televisor and says: "Death Squadron Base Emergency!"(twice) The Squadron Commander, (Kenneth Duncan) says: "Death Squadron Base answering. Who's calling?" Martian pilot answers: " Z- N 12! Look out for...Look out for..." (he collapses, and his ship crashes into a mountain.) Flash says: " I don't see any more of them. He must be the only one."

Flash Gordon and the star war.......2005-09-08

I saw all the episodes of Flash Gordon during my adolescence and it had been for ever in my mind. Later on,as a man I had the opportunity to buy it and see it again, and I was impressed for the performance of Buster Crabbe that with the company of Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov go in the quest to save planet Earth.
During the 13 hair-raising episodes of fabulous high adventure on Mongo, a planet complete with hawkmen, lionmen,melting rays, sky cities, rocket fleets, atom furnaces, all controlled by the cruelestdespot in the universe...Ming the merciless. comparing all this I realized that this 1951 TV series is the beginning of the new star war episodes, that is the importance of to see Flash Gordon.

ANOTHER CLASSIC SERIAL.......2004-08-18

THIS TIME AROUND, FLASH GORDON, DALE ARDEN, AND PROFESSOR ZARKOFF TRAVEL TO MARS TO PREVENT QUEEN AZURA FROM STEALING THE EARTH'S NITROGEN. ALSO, THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH EMPORER MING AGAIN. THIS 13-CHAPTER SEQUEL DOESN'T COMPARE WITH THE 1ST, BUT IT'S EASILY ONE OF THE BEST SERIALS EVER RELEASED. ANY SERIAL FAN WILL LOVE THIS ACTON-PACKED SERIAL.

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