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Buck Rogers

1939

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 Tomorrow's World Apr 11, 1939

Having escaped death during the crash of his airship. Buck and his crew survive by using a strange suspended animation gas. Awakened 500 years later by scientists he finds the earth under the rule of gangsters like Killer Kane. The only chance is to seek help from another planet.

EP2 Tragedy on Saturn Apr 18, 1939

Escaping from earth Buck and his crew travel to Saturn. Having been followed by two of Killer Kane's ships, they are shot down over Saturn. Escaping the crash by using gravity belts they are pursued by Kane's men and captured by the forces of Saturn. Having gone to Saturn to get help against Kane, They find the people of Saturn less than helpful. Buck and his crew stand trial on Saturn, and escape back to Earth.

EP3 The Enemy's Stronghold Apr 25, 1939

Buck delivers a war pact from Prince Tallen to Killer Kane.

EP4 The Sky Patrol May 02, 1939

AIR MARSHAL KRAGG orders the Kane Ship entering the "Hidden City", crushed in the outer gates, only to find the crew to be Buck, Wilma and Buddy, who used the ship to escape from Saturn. BUCK informs Kragg and Doctor Huer of Laska's treachery by inciting the Saturnians into believing the "Hidden City" people were revolutionaries plotting against benevolent "Killer Kane". BUCK and BUDDY gain entrance to Kane's private council chambers preventing Prince Tallen signing the treaty that pledged the Saturnians' support to Kane. CONVINCING TALLEN of Kane's brutality, Buck, Buddy and Tallen escape to an outer terrace.

EP5 The Phantom Plane May 09, 1939

BUCK ROGERS and Buddy Wade, in Kane outfits gain entrance to Kane's chambers in time to expose the brutal "Leader" and prevent Tallen signing the treaty. Escaping in the Killer's personal ship, Buck, Buddy and Tallen head for the "Hidden City", but are attacked en-route by Wilma Deering's "Hidden City" squadron, who mistake the for enemies in a Kane ship and follow it down to a landing. DISCOVERING their friends, the "Hidden City" Squadron head for home, expecting Buck, Buddy and Tallen to follow in the Kane ship. BUCK finds his rocket ports damaged and before repairs can be made they are attacked from the air by Kane's pursuit ships.

EP6 The Unknown Command May 16, 1939

WILMA DEERING and the "Hidden City" squadron encounter the Kane Patrol that is bombing Buck, Buddy and Tallen from the air. Combating the Kane ships and forcing their retreat, Wilma lands and takes Buck, Buddy and Tallen to the "Hidden City", where Buddy, who has been seriously wounded, is removed to the hospital. PRINCE TALLEN pledges his people's support to Doctor Huer by signing the treaty entrusted to him . Unable to make radio contact to ratify the treaty, Buck, Tallen and Wilma fly to Saturn, only to discover Laska in a Kane ship has already arrived to prevent the alliance. BUCK decides to disable the Kane Space Ship, making escape of Laska and crew from Saturn impossible.

EP7 Primitive Urge May 23, 1939

BUCK and Wilma arrive on Saturn with Prince Tallen, where they are trapped in a space ship by Laska to prevent their having the treaty ratified. LASKA, forcing lethal gas into the control cabin, renders Wilma, Tallen and Buck unconscious. TURNING Buck and Wilma over to Patten, his lieutenant, Laska by means of a ray filament inserted inside Tallen's helmet transforms him into a human robot. BUCK and Wilma escape their captors and rush into the Forum, to find Tallen in a hypnotic stupor condemning Buck and the "Hidden City" people. SIEZING Tallen bodily, using him as a shield, Buck and Wilma start toward the tunnel car.

EP8 Revolt of the Zuggs May 30, 1939

AFTER crashing into the outer gate in their attempted escape by tunnel car, Buck and Wilma remove the filament from Prince Tallen's helmet, restoring his senses. CAPTAIN Laska and his forces, fleeing from the Saturnians, find one of their human robots in control of the primitive Zuggs. TAKING advantage of this situation, Laska commands the Robot to order the Zuggs revolt against all Saturnians. THE COUNCIL of the wise pledges support to Buck and the "Hidden City" people as Laska and the Zuggs march on the Forum.

EP9 Bodies Without Minds Jun 07, 1939

CAPTAIN LASKA, Killer Kane's emissary, takes over the Saturnian Forum with the aid of the revolting Zuggs. BUCK ROGERS frees Wilma and Prince Tallen from prison and the three make their way into the Forum through a secret panel, to find Laska in full control. COVERING Laska, Buck removes the filament from the robot's amnesia helmet. The robot proves to be a former Hidden City soldier. FREED from Laska's influence, the robot orders the Zuggs to imprison Laska and return to their Saturnian rulers.

EP10 Broken Barriers Jun 14, 1939

BUCK ROGERS and Wilma returning from Saturn encounter a Killer Kane Patrol Squadron which brings their space ship down in flames. The Kane soldiers land and take the unconscious Hidden City people prisoners. Refusing to divulge the secret of the camouflaged Hidden City gates to Killer Kane, Buck is ordered to the robot battalion. BUDDY WADE does not share the belief of the Hidden City people, that Buck and Wilma were killed in the crash, and with the help of Captain Rankin flies over Kane's city.

EP11 A Prince in Bondage Jun 21, 1939

BUDDY WADE escapes from Kane's Council Chambers where he has gone in search of his friends Wilma Deering and Buck Rogers. MAKING his way along the palace terrace Buddy encounters Wilma and together enter the dynamo room, relieve Buck of his amnesia helmet, restoring him to consciousness.

EP12 War of the Planets Jun 28, 1939

ENTERING the control room, Buck and Marshall Kragg discover Carson, a Kane Lieutenant, operating the Hidden City gates. BEFORE Kragg can close the gates, two ships of Kane's squadron get through, but their crews are soon captured. BUCK and Buddy go to Saturn to enlist their Allies for a final drive against the outlaw forces of the earth.
6.8| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

A 20th Century pilot named Buck Rogers and his young friend Buddy Wade awake from 500 years in suspended animation to find that the world has been taken over by the outlaw army of Killer Kane.

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Universal Pictures

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Reviews

Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place
Laikals The greatest movie ever made..!
BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
udragon2010 A must see for any fan of retro-futurism or of Buster Crabbe. This serial epic is truly one of the best examples from an era when people went to the movies on Saturday afternoon,spending only a dime for a day of cartoons, movies and adventure serials based on popular comics strips and funny books.This serial, based on the 30s comic strip of the same name, pulls out all the stops to entertain and wow it's audience. Although the FX will seem dated by todays Hollywood standards, they were state of the art when the serial debuted in the 30s.This is a good family film to watch, and far more culturally significant than another Saturday morning with spongebob. Parents note that the film is spread out into chapters, or episodes, so an episode a day will keep your kids entertained. It's also fun for the parent who is fed up with the schlock kids are forced to watch now... any parents wishing Thundercats were still around? Ever wonder where George Lucas got his ideas for Star Wars? Well look no farther, this Buck Rogers serial was one of at least two inspirations for the galaxy, far, far away (the other being Flash Gordon Conqures the Universe, another comic based sci fi serial starring the immortal Buster Crabbe.) For fans of the original comic hero, it's a little disappointing to see some minor changes to the story. Like Bucks sidekick Buddy not being Col. Wilma Deerings little brother, or Wilma, Bucks main love interest, demoted to a lieutenant, darn Hollywood making women all helpless again, not to mention the fact that she is barely in the serial at all.Don't expect Buck to be a frozen fish like the 70s TV version, Buck Rogers was a WW1 pilot who was preserved in a caved in mine who awoke 500 years into the future. In this serial he's still a pilot, only now he is preserved in an Airship along with Buddy.The cliffhangers are still fun to this day and the space ships Buck rides around in are pretty cool. This serial stands the test of time, much like it's hero.
BaronBl00d Foreward...In a film made decades ago a fearless fighter and his young protégé are out fighting evil in 1939 when their zeppelin lands and freezes in snow-covered mountains. There the two bodies rest in a state of suspended life due to a newly invented gas thus preserving life for centuries. in the 25th century these two bodies are found, life is restored, and Buck Rogers and his faithful sidekick Buddy wade join forces of the Hidden City as it fights for its life again the cruel killer wade and his evil forces of reckless racketeers. That is in a nutshell the premise behind this serial and its not entirely a bad one. The story definitely has some strong aspects to it and we get to see some inventive science fiction as well, but Buck Rogers is NOT Flash Gordon nor is it ever really close to that. First of all let's see what we do have in common: a basic story that pits the few good against the evil majority, a fearless, indestructible hero both played by Larry Buster Crabbe, an evil villain bent on world and extra-world domination, and cheesy special effects. The major differences are not so much in the story but in its execution. Flash Gordon was a big budget affair compared to this. Here the sets look so much cheaper and the effects so much, well...cheaper. The acting too is excruciatingly bad as Crabbe is one of the best actors in the film, and that isn't saying too much as he says lines looking like a silent screen actor arching eyebrows, etc... Jackie Moran is the most fun as his sidekick Buddy, but everyone else ranges from acceptable(C. Montague Shaw as Professor Huer to terrible Anthony Warde as Killer Kane to one of the worst acting performances seen in a long time - Philson Ahn as Prince Tallen - boy he could use some presence. I wanted to pinch him to see if was really alive. The direction is crisp and their is only minimal use of flashback sequences, but the musical soundtrack really bothered me as Franz Waxman's score from The Bride of Frankenstein was repeatedly used throughout and used to ill-effect very often. Don't get me wrong - Buck Rogers is a fun serial. It has some cool action scenes, an inviting story, and cheesy effects like the spaceships sputtering about like a listless firecracker, but it is in no way close to Crabbe's previous serial Flash Gordon - perhaps the greatest serial ever made. One other note: Constance Moore playing Wilma Deering has virtually no personality and, as far as I recollect, is the only female in the entire production. Interesting.
Shield-3 It strikes me that "Buck Rogers" is almost like a male fantasy come to life. Think about it: Buck gets to take a nice, long five-hundred-year nap! I'm ecstatic if I can get a fifteen-minute nap on a weekend! When he wakes up, Buck is the smartest, most dynamic guy around. Never mind that in real life you would treat someone five centuries behind the times like something that escaped from the zoo. Everyone needs Buck to go on exciting missions, fight the bad guys, test exotic equipment and fly rocketships (and crash them -- I think out of five or six flights Buck makes in the serial, he only lands successfully once).Now that that's out of the way..."Buck Rogers," the serial, is merely average: better than some serials, not as good as others. It's inevitable to compare it to the "Flash Gordon" serials, and in that contest, "Buck Rogers" comes in second. Buster Crabbe essentially plays the same character as Buck and Flash, but he had more style and dash (okay, more "flash") in "Flash Gordon." Constance Moore's Wilma tries to be a more proactive character than Jean Rogers' Dale, but Rogers just seems to inhabit her character more (and those belly-baring costumes from the first "Flash" serial weren't hard on the eyes, either). You can't even begin to compare Anthony Warde's Killer Kane to Charles Middleton's Ming: Warde could have been any gangster from any generic crime movie, but Ming was an archetype of evil right up there with Fu Manchu."Buck Rogers" does provide the requisite thrills and generates its share of excitement, although the rocketship crashes get repetitive after a while (as I said before, almost every time Buck goes near a rocket, he crashes it). It's a decent enough story on its own merits, I suppose, but it does pale in comparison to the "Flash Gordon" trilogy.
Shotsy This one could have been better. Still interesting and good to look at. The re-recorded music is somewhat diluted because the orchestra was smaller than the one used in the original recordings. Warde is only fair as Killer Kane but Crabbe does a good job as Buck. Worth a look but it is no "Flash Gordon".