Flash Gordon: The Movie That Inspired Star Wars
Flash Gordon, which debuted in 1936 and continues to exist as a television series.
Before stepping into the 1940s, it's essential not to forget about the famous cartoonist Alex Raymond's creation, Flash Gordon, which debuted in 1936 and continues to exist as a television series. In late 1933, the King Features Syndicate, which had previously pioneered characters like "Mandrake," "The Phantom," and "Popeye," would ask Raymond to create a Sunday supplement that could compete with "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century." Raymond conceived a concept reminiscent of Jules Verne's mysterious adventures. Teaming up with the ghostwriter Don Moore, who had penned numerous novels in the past, they would create the character "Flash Gordon," swiftly overshadowing "Buck Rogers."
Another point I'd like to share here is the reason for including this film in this newsletter. Initially, I was determined not to include any characters that originated from comics and cartoons but were later adapted into films. However, the stagnation in both cinema and as a subcategory in science fiction during the twenty years I'm discussing, the presentation of Flash Gordon as a thirteen-part serial, and its production with a massive budget of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars persuaded me otherwise. This serial would be followed by "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars" in 1938 and "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" in 1940.
The film's indirect inclination to create a superhero against emerging diabolical forces in Europe and Japan is evident. When considering the thirteen parts of the four-hour and five-minute Flash Gordon film in terms of their introduction-development-conclusion structure, they encompass many adventures and perilous stories experienced by Flash. The first episode, "The Planet of Peril," will depict the danger of a collision between the planet Mongo and Earth, touching upon Dr. Alexis Zarkov, Flash Gordon, and Dale Arden's journey to Mongo to prevent this collision and their ensuing struggle. The second episode, known as "The Tunnel of Terror," will shape Flash's adventures, focusing on Dale Arden being forced to marry Ming, and Flash Gordon and Prince Thun's journey to Ming's palace to rescue Dale Arden.
Subsequently, King Kala, a loyal follower of Ming, will capture Flash for attempting to halt the wedding ceremony. Kala won't stop there; under Ming's command, he'll force Flash to battle a monster resembling a giant octopus in a room filled with water. Ming's daughter, Princess Aura, despite rescuing Flash from the monster with Prince Thun, will attempt to keep Dale away from him due to her love for Flash. This jealousy will lead Aura to destroy the mechanism that controls the underwater city.
In the fifth episode, "The Destroying Ray," Flash, Dale, Princess Aura, and Prince Thun will have escaped the city's wrath, only to be captured by another loyal follower of Ming, King Vultan, and his Hawk Men. The Hawk Men, under Vultan's command, reside in a city powered by the brain force of Mongo and the gravity beams it emits. Meanwhile, Vultan will fall deeply in love with Dale and add the beautiful woman to his harem. Dr. Alexis Zarkov, forming a close friendship with Prince Barin, the exiled leader of the planet Mongo, will strive to rescue them. Dale, pretending to be infatuated with King Vultan, will decide to rescue Flash, Barin, and Thun, who are working as slaves in the Hawk Men's atomic chambers. Under Zarkov's leadership, the three men will cause a massive explosion in the atomic chambers, while Zarkov will prevent the city of the Hawk Men from falling.
This will earn Flash, his friends, and King Vultan's appreciation. However, Ming, with plans to eliminate Flash on the other side, will resort to horrifying schemes, including staging a death tournament to rid himself of Flash forever. In the ninth episode, "Fighting the Fire Dragon," Flash will be revived thanks to Princess Aura discovering the creature's weak spot during the battle. Aura's jealousy won't cease; she'll attempt to erase Flash's memory to win him over. Despite Flash regaining his memory, Ming will be determined to execute him. At this crucial moment, inventor Zarkov will devise a machine that renders Flash invisible, allowing Flash to defeat Ming and his men. The scene where the guards' helplessness is evident as they try to stop the invisible Flash from strangling Ming is noteworthy. Furthermore, Aura's father will tell Ming, "You cannot fight a man you cannot see," undoubtedly one of the defining moments in science fiction cinema history.
Simultaneously, Prince Barin will hide Dale Arden in an underground tomb to protect her from Princess Aura's animosity. However, in the closing scene of the eleventh episode, "In the Claws of Tigron," Barin will be attacked by Aura's tiger. As Flash and Prince Barin rush towards the screams and the terrifying roar of the tiger, they'll see Dale under attack. Flash will leap forward and kill the tiger to rescue her. Upon Barin's advice to Aura to give up and help humans like he did, Aura will realize her mistakes and decide to assist Flash and his friends in returning safely to Earth. The thirteenth and final episode of the film, "Rocketing to Earth," will open with a scene where Ming orders the capture and execution of the Earthlings. However, Flash and his companions will somehow evade all of Ming's attempts and ultimately corner him in his palace. Realizing he can't escape, Ming will seek refuge in the sacred chamber of the Great God Tao, the divine temple of the planet Mongo. The emperor will understand he can't flee and, at Ming's request, his loyal servant will open the door to the sacred chamber, where Ming will meet his end. Learning this, it's time for Flash, Dale, and Zarkov to return to Earth. They will prevent the collision between Earth and Mongo and return to our planet with a great victory. The film will conclude with Flash and Dale kissing in the rocket descending to Earth.
Frederick Stephani, who will also direct the film, will successfully bring the project to life in a very short time, thanks to a massive screenplay team. Who isn't on this screenplay team? Basil Dickey, who has written the screenplay for nearly a hundred and fifty films, Ella O'Neill, the mother of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, prolific writers George H. Plympton, and, according to George Lucas, one of the characters that inspired "Star Wars" the most, Flash Gordon's creator, Alex Raymond.
One of the most crucial points on which the director and screenplay team will agree is the fact that the lead role in this series must be played by an athlete, and Buster Crabbe was perhaps the perfect choice. Why? Because Crabbe had represented the United States in the 1500-meter event at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam and later in the 400-meter freestyle event at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. The actor, who won a bronze medal in 1928, would clinch the gold in 1932, beating Frenchman Jean Taris by one-tenth of a second. In addition to "Flash Gordon," Crabbe would portray numerous other roles in the film industry, including "Tarzan," "Buck Rogers," and "Billy the Kid."
With this name, Jean Rogers will elevate the Flash Gordon series to the ranks of the indispensable. Alongside Charles B. Middleton, Priscilla Lawson, Frank Shannon, and Richard Alexander, Flash Gordon series' other five essential characters. In the series, Jean Rogers' portrayal of "Dale Arden" will lay the groundwork for the creation of two dominant female figures in the Star Wars saga, Princess Leia Organa and Padme Amidala. "Dale Arden" will be not only one of Flash Gordon's adventurous ancient friends but also the only woman he truly loves. Priscilla Lawson, a professional model who will catch Universal Studios' attention with her "Miss Miami Beach" title in 1935, will take on the role of Princess Aura, Zalim Ming's daughter, the sole legitimate heir to the throne, and Dale Arden's primary rival. The struggle between these two women for Flash Gordon's affection will be central to the series, and Lawson's outstanding performance will elevate her to cult status.
After these two important female portraits, we can move on to the other three male characters in the Flash Gordon series, with our hero's archenemy, "Zalim Ming," undoubtedly taking priority. Charles Middleton, who ventured into acting at a late age of forty-six, will be one of the film's most crucial figures as "Dr. Hans Zarkov." Zarkov will be integral to the story from the beginning, being the one who initiates all the adventures to prevent the collision between Earth and Mongo, ruled by the merciless Ming. Following this 1936 film, Dr. Hans Zarkov will be referred to as Alexis Zarkov in the other two Flash Gordon films to be shot in 1938 and 40.
The assistance the film receives from various science fiction and horror film sets and decorations underscores the solidarity among science fiction film directors. The lookout towers in Zalim Ming's palace will be borrowed from the 1931 film "Frankenstein," the laboratory set and the view from the moon from the 1936 film "Invisible Ray," and the scenes with Zarkov's spaceship and the dancers gathered around the giant idol from the 1930 film "Just Imagine." Ming's attack on Earth will be inspired by silent films of the past that used to depict world news, while the Great God Tao idol will be created from the Egyptian sculpture in the 1932 film "The Mummy." Finally, one additional dimension to this film is the Bronson Canyon, also known as Bronson Cave, where the film was shot in Griffith Park, Los Angeles. This canyon and cave, named after actor Charles Bronson, who lent his name to the scene, are close to Bronson Street.
If you knew which films and series were shot in this area, you'd be amazed. Some of them include the Batman series starring Adam West and Burt Ward from 1966 to 68, Nicholas Meyer's 1991 film "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," the cult science fiction film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" adapted from Jack Finney's 1954 book, and the Wonder Woman television series starring Lynda Carter from 1975 to 79. In addition, the A-Team became part of this category.