VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 06:40:06 01/10/09 Sat
Author: Rick
Subject: What FG serial was the best one?


A good poll....





Rick

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> Re: What FG serial was the best one? -- Officer Torch, 08:25:06 01/10/09 Sat [1]

I'll vote for '36 Mongo, with '40 FGCTU a close second, and '38 Mars last...but certainly not least. Reasons (for me) as follows:

1936 "Mongo"...the first, the background info is presented, (and I make first contact with earth people as Officer Torch). I digress...OK, the first serial introduced us to FG, Zarkov, Dale Arden, Emperor Ming and his minions, also Princess Aura. We were treated to a cast of characters, good vs. evil, converts, the various kingdoms, outfits/costumes, mythological influence, sword fights/choking galore, "shadow puppet" humor, monsters of all sorts, fantasy places as in the sky city, love triangles, gods and high priests, uhh...did I mention Dale Arden and Princess Aura? A fine cast with good chemistry, and moreso a seriousness...from the cast, along with a true sense of adventure in their acting roles. Great work.

1940s FGCTU...great intro, best music of trilogy to me, super aerial battles (lots of rocketship sequences), almost non-stop action, Ming at his peak...in all respects. Yes, post Hays code days toned things down a bit, but we had a lovely Dale played by Carol Hughes, and that devilish/charming Sonja. Different Barin, Aura and attire, but still, a great serial....and perhaps a bit more futuristic, especially with weaponry. But, this was, after all 4 years after the original, and the harsh reality of real war was evident, WWII. Oh, my nephew Captain Torch did an ok job, but the Emperor called him a fool more than once. (We've airbrushed him out of some family photos since he was not always the brightest bulb.) But overall, the cast did a fine job....though there could be confusion about who is who in Barin's crew with those thin mustaches in vogue at the time.

1938 Mars...superb story, and some feel this to be the best serial. For me though, maybe too much Forest Kingdom material...4 visits!..seems padded in a way. Otherwise, we had new thingamagigs...stratosleds, a light bridge, the magic of Queen Azura, the Clay people, and we catch a glimpse of Ming's mortality as evil as he walks thru fire to shut off a valve. This even surprised Azura! We have the death squadron, the labs, nitron lamp of course, that minion Tarnak well played by Wheeler Oakman, and Richard Alexander burrowing thru a Forest Kingdom wall, with his trusty vial of amphitron, as Prince Barin. Have mixed feelings about "comic relief" aspect, but Donald Kerr as Hapgood did fine. Also enjoyable, the comic strip like intros. Ming shows his madness well in this one as he insists on cranking up the nitron lamp in his attempt to destroy earth.


[ Edit | View ]

[> [> Re: What FG serial was the best one? -- Prince Barin, 08:51:09 01/10/09 Sat [1]

Officer Torch and I have had several heated stratosled and ray gun battles over this issue. Let there be no mistake in any Forum member's mind that Officer Torch places "Mars" last because he wasn't in it! Officer Torch has always been jealous of Tarnak's role!

"Mars" is definitely the best because of the continuous story line and the flow of the action although the Forest People, "..a strange but honest race" (??), get too much play. The toned down Dale Arden, however, is a minus.

I missed Richard Alexander playing me in "Universe" but at least my Princess Aura got back into the story.

Now, Officer Torch, I challenge you to one on one with the Mighty Beast of Mongo! We will meet in the Arena of Death at midnight to settle this matter!!

Prince Barin


[ Edit | View ]

[> [> [> Re: "Open the flood-control valve"... -- Rick, 02:35:51 01/11/09 Sun [1]

"Drowned like rats! I must tell Princess Aura of this interesting event."





R~


[ Edit | View ]


Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.