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Date Posted: 05:40:23 11/02/10 Tue
Author: Rick
Subject: Favorite moments in 'Buck Rogers' (1939)

During the interim, Universal tried their luck with the comic strip, but Buster was the essence of Flash Gordon, so it didn't work out, but the 1939 serial was still good in its own way. Anthony Warde as Killer Kane wasn't effective as Ming, but he could still hold his own with his supergangsters. Also of note, Red Rock Canyon was used for the locale and it served as a good backdrop and it is a place I know very well.





Rick

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[> Re: Favorite moments in 'Buck Rogers' (1939) -- Officer Torch, 08:29:39 11/02/10 Tue [1]

I generally liked BR of 1939 (and later TV series with Gil Gerard for that matter, especially 1st season). Buster Crabbe did a good job, though perhaps better in the FG serials. But, the '39 BR serial, as Rick also indicated, was still good in its own way.

I enjoyed the futuristic things/concepts in the serial that we eventually saw in later films. Most enjoyable to me were air squadron ships, long distance rockets, aerial battles, hidden city mountain entrance, subway, televisors, transporter, city scenes from earlier movies, Kane's art deco headquarters, various ray gun shoot outs, scenery at Red Rock Canyon, the dynamo room, those amnesia helmets, especially when applied to Killer Kane at end.

The music was good overall, lots from our favorite fare. I found it lackluster in romantic chemistry between Buck and Wilma (it was present in the later TV series). I thought Anthony Ward was great as Killer Kane...and he was a tough guy, a little rough around the edges. Interestingly though, both Kane and FGs Ming were evil...but in a different way. Kane, to me, was a demanding, somewhat hyper bully type, and tended to want things confirmed, a smart move I thought, eg, ...are you sure that...?? (Ming was tough also, but not in a bully type way..actually, he was more of a to the point dangerous type, with a keen, working interest in science and weaponry...but, he seemed lax at obtaining confirmation of things he ordered or were said to him. He didn't appear too hyper, only when provoked (Kane seemed to want or have an aura of absolute command, and had his puppet council to bully among others.)

The BR of '39 had one of worst cheats to me....a part where Buddy gets shot by a Kane guard and seems to fall to floor, and next episode, he's ok and just easily jumps out of window and uses his anti gravity device!

On the negative side also, there were too many trips to Saturn (what...they had only one radio given by FG?...and when it broke, that was it? Who was this Prince Talon...had he no communications gear? He eventually came to earth on some space ship near the end to render help (?)...some loose ends I found; but, it was still enjoyable overall.

There were seemingly 3 types of people on Saturn. The so called primitive Zuggs, supposedly backwards, assigned menial tasks mostly, a council of the wise (3 men in monk like garments, and Prince Talon's group). It seems the Zuggs were in the majority, but there were gray areas...aah, no more analyzing ..it was just an enjoyable, fascinating and fun thing to watch with good music as well.


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