Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe

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: Ray Taylor, Ford Beebe
Studio: 3H Entertainment / Puzzlevision Inc.
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
Hollywood leading man Buster Crabbe, "The King of the Serials", stars as blond space hero, Flash Gordon, in one of the most action-packed serials ever filmed.

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.

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe - The Complete Saturday Morning Serial

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 Conquers the Universe - The Complete Saturday Morning Serial
Starring: Buster Crabbe , Carol Hughes , Charles Middleton , Anne Gwynne , and Frank Shannon
Director: Ford Beebe , and Ray Taylor
Manufacturer: St. Clair Vision
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NY1EDU
Release Date: 2007-05-15

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

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

Average customer rating:

Not quite what was expected
Sloppy packaging

The Flash Gordon Collection
Starring: Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
Manufacturer: Passport
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000A0D1RE
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Description

Before Star Wars! Before Star Trek! It was Flash Gordon who wowed audiences with his dazzling deeds of derring-do, saving both the Earth and lovely Dale Arden from the clutches of the villainous emperor Ming the Merciless, aided by Dr. Zarkov and the cheesiest special effects this side of the galaxy!

This DVD compilation includes the entire 12 episode serial FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE, starring Buster Crabbe as Flash and Charles Middleton as Ming. Classic Sci-Fi from the Golden Age of Hollywood!

Also included: FLASH GORDON, the TV series from the 1950s, starring Steve Holland as Flash, with Irene Champlin as Dale Arden and Joe Nash as Dr. Zarkov. Here are ten rare episodes on the fiftieth anniversary of their original broadcast.

Bonus! MANHUNT IN SPACE, a feature film edited from episodes of ROCKY JONES: SPACE RANGER, a Sci-Fi TV series that rivaled FLASH GORDON during Television's Golden Era.

A complete movie serial in 12 exciting chapters! Plus! Ten adventurous episodes from the television series! Plus a bonus feature!

DISC 1 FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE Chapters 1-6

In the third and final Flash Gordon serial, made in 1940, Flash, Dr. Zarkov and Dale Arden travel to Mongo to discover the source of poisonous dust that has been falling to Earth. They again run afoul of their arch-nemesis, Ming the Merciless, up to his usual tricks. Also on hand are Prince Barin of Arboria, Queen Fria of the frozen northern land of Frigia, the treacherous Sonja and the Rock People. With Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon, Charles Middleton as Ming, Carol Hughes as Dale Arden, and Frank Shannon as Dr. Zarkov.

Chapter 1. The Purple Death! Chapter 2. Freezing Torture! Chapter 3. Walking Bombs! Chapter 4. The Destroying Ray! Chapter 5. The Palace of Terror! Chapter 6. Flaming Death!

DISC 2 FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE Chapters 7-12

The adventure continues on the planet Mongo, pitting the heroics of Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov against the evil machinations of Ming the Merciless. Our heroes also encounter monsters, robots, cheesy special effects, highly improbable costumes and even more improbable dialogue. With Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon, Charles Middleton as Ming, Carol Hughes as Dale Arden, and Frank Shannon as Dr. Zarkov.

Chapter 7. The Land of the Dead! Chapter 8. The Fiery Abyss! Chapter 9. The Pool of Peril! Chapter 10. The Death Mist! Chapter 11. Stark Treachery! Chapter 12. Doom of the Dictator!

DISC 3 FLASH GORDON: THE TV SERIES As the main science fiction hero of the 1930s, it was only natural that Flash Gordon would be revived for a TV series during the sci-fi adventure boom of the 1950s. Steve Holland took over the role of Flash Gordon, now an agent for the Galactic Bureau of Investigation, with Irene Champlin as Dale Arden and Joe Nash as Dr. Zarkov. Here are rare episodes on the fiftieth anniversary of their original broadcast.

1. "Flash Gordon and the Planet of Death" Debut episode: After an expedition to a mysterious planet fails, Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov journey there to investigate along with the sole survivor of the first mission. First broadcast on October 1, 1954

2. "Akim the Terrible" Akim, a nutty tyrant in the Nietzscheian mold, despises the weak, so on his planet it is a crime to help old or sick people. He also sends a mind-controlled assassin to kill Flash. First broadcast on November 5, 1954.

3. "The Claim Jumpers" In pursuit of space pirates, Flash Gordon and Dale Arden come to the rescue of Prospector Pete and his daughter when the pirates come to steal Pete's treasure. First broadcast on November 12, 1954

4. "The Breath of Death" An escaped convict stows away on board Flash's rocketship and takes Flash and Dale hostage. Will Dr. Zarkov be forced to destroy his friends along with the stolen ship? First broadcast on November 26, 1954

DISC 4 FLASH GORDON: THE TV SERIES More adventures from the case files of the Galactic Bureau of Investigation, with Steve Holland as Flash Gordon, Irene Champlin as Dale Arden and Joe Nash as Dr. Zarkov. They are imperiled by more evil villains, more cheesy special effects, and more corny dialogue. Here are four more rare episodes on the fiftieth anniversary of their original broadcast. Filmed in West Berlin.

1. "Flash Gordon and the Race Against Time" Flash, Dale and Zarkov must get Commander Richards to Mars in time for a vote to determine if the Galaxy Bureau of Investigation will continue operations. First broadcast on February 25, 1955

2. "Flash Gordon and the Brain Machine" Part of a continuing adventure, evil witch queen Zydereen (Marie Powers) has Dr. Zarkov and Richards under her control, causing them to destroy the machine creating the breathable atmosphere on Neptune, then drains knowledge and memories from their minds. First broadcast on March 11, 1955

3. "The Forbidden Experiment" Taking serum in response to an urgent call from an old colleague, Dr. Zarkov is lured into a trap by a man-beast demanding his services. Dale and Flash go to rescue Zarkov, only to be captured as well. First broadcast on April 08, 1955

4. "The Earth's Core" Invaders from Inner Space! Flash Gordon must investigate an alien invasion coming from under the Earth! First broadcast on June 17, 1955

DISC 5 FLASH GORDON: THE TV SERIES Even more adventures with Steve Holland as Flash Gordon, Irene Champlin as Dale Arden and Joe Nash as Dr. Zarkov of the Galactic Bureau of Investigation, as they are imperiled by yet more evil villains, more cheesy special effects, and more corny dialogue. And dig those costumes! Filmed in West Berlin.

1. "Deadline at Noon" To save the Earth, Flash, Dale and Zarkov travel back in time to the 1950s to defuse a type of bomb that is destroying planets in their own era. Their journey takes them to war-damaged West Berlin where the bomb is hidden. First broadcast on June 24, 1955

2. "The Subworld Revenge" Those subworlders are at it again! German-accented denizens of the Earth's core plan to dominate the outer world. Can Flash stop them in time? Apparently not; this was the last show of the series. First broadcast on July 15, 1955

BONUS: MANHUNT IN SPACE, a feature film edited together from the original TV series ROCKY JONES: SPACE RANGER from 1954. Join Space Ranger Rocky Jones, Vena Ray, Winky, Prof. Newton and ten year-old Bobby on their spaceship "The Orbit Jet" as they thwart space pirates led by the beautiful but evil Cleolanta.

Customer Reviews:

Not quite what was expected.......2006-02-02

Slightly disappointed in that the boxed set contained both the some of the original Buster Crab series plus more recent material, (1970's I think, since only going off what my Father in Law informed me). If had realised later material included in the boxed set, I would have gone for another boxed set. Discription on Amazon some what misleading.

Sloppy packaging.......2005-11-11

Flash Gordon is as hokey and entertaining as he was half a century ago but the folks who put this package together were lazy. There are a dozen or so individual Flash Gordon episodes on each disk but there are no "breaks" between them. If you watch three one night and want to pick up where you left off the next day, you have to start the disk all over again. There is no way to go straight to the next episode. You have to repeat the episodes that preceeded it. This is simply lazy or slopy on the part of the people who put the package together. They don't deserve your business.

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 Conquers the Universe
Starring: Buster Crabbe , Carol Hughes , Charles Middleton , Anne Gwynne , and Frank Shannon
Director: Ray Taylor , and Ford Beebe
Manufacturer: 3H Entertainment / Puzzlevision Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

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

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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

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Flash Gordon - Space Soldiers
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Flash Gordon: Box Set (Space Soldiers/Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars/Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe) (3DVD)
The Phantom - Serial

ASIN: B00022OG8S
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Amazon.com

Description

Hollywood leading man Buster Crabbe, "The King of the Serials", stars as blond space hero, Flash Gordon, in one of the most action-packed serials ever filmed.

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

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 Conquers the Universe
Starring: Buster Crabbe , Carol Hughes , Charles Middleton , Anne Gwynne , and Frank Shannon
Director: Ford Beebe , and Ray Taylor
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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

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

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

Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
Flash Gordon - Space Soldiers
Buck Rogers
Flash Gordon: Box Set (Space Soldiers/Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars/Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe) (3DVD)
The Phantom - Serial

ASIN: 630577109X
Release Date: 2000-02-22

Amazon.com

Description

When a ravaging plague strikes the Earth, it threatens no less than global extinction. This alien disease, called the "Purple Death" by Earth's scientists, is believed to be the evil spawn of Ming, the Emperor of Planet Mongo, and the most merciless interplanetary villain that ever struck fear into the heart of man. The World's only hope seems to rest with Flash Gordon, the planet-hopping hero, who blasts off in his rocket ship to search and destroy the source of the death dust rays. Bonus Features: Interview with Buster Crabbe| Classic TV Commercials with Buster Crabbe| 1932 Olympic Footage| Interactive Motion Menus| Chapter Menu| Photo Gallery| Bio on Buster Crabbe. Specs: 1-DVD10 + 1-DVD5; Dolby Digital Mono; 237 minutes; B&W; 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio; MPAA - NR; Year - 1940; SRP - $19.99.

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe, Vol. 1

Average customer rating:

Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe, Vol. 1
Starring: Flash Gordon
Manufacturer: Passion Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

Swashbucklers | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video
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Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe, Volume II

ASIN: B00023BLTY
Release Date: 2002-02-02

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe Volumes 1 & 2

Average customer rating:

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe Volumes 1 & 2
Starring: Flash Gordon
Manufacturer: Miracle Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

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

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

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Flash Gordon - Dominion of Ming
H.G. Wells' First Men in the Moon

ASIN: B00067VZBK
Release Date: 2005-10-25

Product Description

Contains 4 hrs. of 12 Classic Episodes.

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

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

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Classics | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
Flash Gordon - Space Soldiers
Buck Rogers
Flash Gordon: Box Set (Space Soldiers/Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars/Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe) (3DVD)
The Phantom - Serial

ASIN: B00005QFEA
Release Date: 2005-08-24

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

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

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

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

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

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

Average customer rating:

3D Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe

Manufacturer: Razor Digital Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Cult Movies | Genres | DVD | Video

Apt. 51 Robot Monster in Real 3D!
Misadventures in 3D
Transitions 3D (HQFS)
The Creeps in 3D For Your TV!

Product Features:

Episodes 1 to 4
2D & 3D versions included

ASIN: B000FPHG9I

Product Description

A horrible plague that threatens global extinction strikes the earth! "Purple Death," called by earth scientists, is believed to be created by the evil villain Ming, the emperor of Mongo, and nemesis of all earth people. Earth leaders are convinced that this is one of Ming's deadly plans to overtake the planet. The only hope for the planet Earth is Flash Gordon. With the help of his beautiful companion Dale Arden and the genius scientist Dr. Zarkov, Flash and his companions take off to the planet Mongo to confront the evil Ming and stop his plans of destruction. Will Flash succeed or will Ming finally overtake earth and succeed in interplanetary conquest...

Average customer rating:

Flash Gordon is the COOLEST
Flash Gordon is the COOLEST
BAD DVD COMPANY!!! BAD, BAD, BAD!

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe 1
Starring: Buster Crabbe
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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

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( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

4-for-3 All DVDs | 4-for-3 DVD | Stores | DVD | Video

All Deals | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe 2

ASIN: B00006II59
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Customer Reviews:

Flash Gordon is the COOLEST.......2004-01-27

Were do I even start describing how amazing this serial is!! Maybe I should say what is bad about this DVD first. There is only one downside to this DVD, the sound quality is very poor, but only in the first two episodes. Besides that everything else is A-OK. If you were to compare the special effects used in movies today with the special effects of the Flash Gordon movies you would start laughing hysterically. What are supposed to be robots look more like men covered in tinfoil with pointy cardboard boxes on their heads. A lot of the costumes look like soemthing out of Robin Hood movie, the names are corny (example A being "Ming the Merciless"), and the spaceships are simply incredible in the terrible way. But all the stiff acting and corny lines do not stop this movie from being one of the best I have ever seen. It's faults are hilarious, what are supposed to be the most serious of lines are delivered like something out of a Saturday moring cartoon show, but these things just make the movie better and better. For people who like movies that are so bad they're good, this is a MUST BUY!!!!!!!!!!

Flash Gordon is the COOLEST.......2004-01-27

BAD DVD COMPANY!!! BAD, BAD, BAD!.......2003-12-29

The visual and audio transfer on Alpha Video's edition of "Flash Gordon" is so poor that I could not understand half of the dialogue. Conversations warble and jitter in and out of silence. The print they used is not from the original serials but from a TV edit from the 1950's - which chops off the original intros, and over one hour of the actual running time. This dvd copy looks bad and sounds awful. Avoid this at all costs. I wasted my money on a product that no one could possibly sit through.

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