Movies - Flash Gordon

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	Movies - Flash Gordon

:This article is about a character originated in a comic strip. For the major league baseball player, see Tom "Flash" Gordon.

Flash Gordon is a science fiction comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, first published on January 7, 1934. It was created to compete with Buck Rogers.
Plot summary
The comic strip followed the adventures of Flash Gordon, for whom the series was named, and his companions Dr. Hans Zarkov and Dale Arden. The story begins with Dr. Zarkov's invention of a rocket ship, in which the three of them make a journey to the planet Mongo, where they are stranded. Mongo is inhabited by a number of different cultures, some quite technologically advanced, that have been falling one by one under the domination of the vicious tyrant Ming the Merciless.

The three Earthpeople are befriended shortly after their arrival by Prince Barin, rightful heir to the throne that Ming has taken. Ming banishes Prince Barin and his followers — including Ming's own daughter, Aura, Barin's bride — to the forest realm of Arboria, and the three join in Barin's quest to topple Ming.

In 1995, the strip was one of 20 included in the Comic Strip Classics series of commemorative postage stamps.
Strip bibliography

Sunday, Alex Raymond, 1934 - 1943

daily, Austin Briggs, 1940 - 1944

Sunday, Austin Briggs, 1944 - 1948

Sunday, Mac Raboy, 1948 - 1967

daily, Dan Barry, 1951 - 1990

daily, Harry Harrison, writer, 1958 - 1964

Sunday, Dan Barry, 1967 - 1990

Sunday and daily, Ralph Reese & Bruce Jones, Gray Morrow, 1990 - 1991

Sunday and daily, Tom Warkentin, 1991 - 1992

Sunday, Richard Bruning, Kevin VanHook, Tom Warkentin, 1992 - 1996

Sunday, Jim Keefe, 01/1996 - 03/2003

Adaptations and other versions
Flash Gordon was featured in three serials starring Buster Crabbe
: Flash Gordon (1936), Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938), and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940).

A 1957 film adaptation starred Steve Holland
, who also starred in a 1954-1955 TV series which ran for 39 episodes and is, to date, the only live-action series based upon the character. The series had the distinction of being filmed in West Berlin, less than a decade after the end of World War II.

A semi-pornographic parody called Flesh Gordon was released in 1972. It became a cult classic and was followed in the 1980s by several sequels.

In 1979, Filmation produced an animated series based on the comic strip and the first season is remembered as one of the better efforts of the studio. The 1979 animated series was released first, but the made-for-tv movie, Flash Gordon, the Greatest Adventure of Them All was made first, and the tv series endlessly reused footage from the movie, while eliminating more adult material, including a subplot involving Hitler. In the 1986 cartoon Defenders of the Earth, Flash teamed up with fellow King Features heroes The Phantom
and Mandrake the Magician.

The 1980 film adaptation stars Sam J. Jones
in the title role and also features Melody Anderson
as Dale Arden, Topol
as Dr. Zarkov, Max von Sydow
as Ming, Timothy Dalton
as Prince Barin, and Ornella Muti
as Aura. Although not a critical success, the film is also noted for its musical score, which was composed and performed by Queen.

Within the UK at least, the film is noted for being very camp, and as such has acquired a cult status amongst students, sci-fi fans, and others. Many of the film's lines are very quotable, and often tongue-in-cheek, and this knowing sense of humour contributes heavily to the collective affection with which the picture is remembered. A good example of this is the performance of the actor Brian Blessed
, who 25 years later is still most often remembered by the British public as the Hawkman character 'Prince Vultan', despite being in many more serious, dramatic roles in film, theatre and television.
[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Flash Gordon ]

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Movies - Flash Gordon

Plot summary

Strip bibliography

Adaptations and other versions

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