Flash Gordon (serial)
Flash Gordon is a 1936 13-chapter science fiction Flash Gordon movie serial. It is the first movie adventure for the Alex Raymond comic strip character. It is the first science fiction movie serial. It tells the story of Flash Gordon's first visit to the planet Mongo where he confronts the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless.
| Flash Gordon | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Frederick Stephani |
| Produced by | Henry MacRae |
| Written by | Basil Dickey Ella O'Neill George H. Plympton Frederick Stephani |
| Starring | Buster Crabbe Jean Rogers Charles B. Middleton Priscilla Lawson Frank Shannon |
| Cinematography | Jerome Ash Richard Fryer |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date | 6 April 1936 |
Running time | 245 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Buster Crabbe plays the space adventurer Flash Gordon, Jean Rogers plays his love Dale Arden, Frank Shannon plays the scientist Dr. Zarkov, Charles B. Middleton plays Ming the Merciless, and Priscilla Lawson plays Ming's daughter Princess Aura.
In 1996, the serial was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, a sequel to this movie, was released in 1938.
