06 April 2024

Flash Gordon's 88th Anniversary: The Serial

Flash Gordon and Dale Arden aboard a rocketship in a scene from the Flash Gordon serial of 1936.

I didn't think I would be interrupting a month-long Build Your Own Space Opera mega-table when I decided to start observing Flash Gordon Day, but I am, in fact, doing it (and retroactively at that, as I am writing this on the 11th).

On this day in 1936, Flash Gordon made its cinematic debut in the form of a serial with thirteen exciting chapters starring Larry "Buster" Keaton as Flash Gordon, Jean Rogers as Dale Arden, Frank Shannon as Dr. Zarkov, Priscilla Lawson as Princess Aura, and Charles Middleton as Ming the Merciless. Based on the comic strip by Alex Raymond and Don Moore, it brought swashbuckling science fiction adventure to life in a new way and altered the course of film history. Today, we celebrate 88 years of Flash Gordon... the serial.

Long live Flash!

Flash Gordon and Dale Arden staring into one another's eyes in a scene from the Flash Gordon serial of 1936.

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