Did you know that:
Buster Crabbe won gold medal in the 400 Meter Swimming Freestyle at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Also won a bronze medal in the 1500 Meter Freestyle at Amsterdam.
In 1971 Crabbe broke the world swimming record for the over sixties in the 400 meters free style.
He was the only actor to play Tarzan, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon - the top 3 pulp fiction heroes of the 1930s.
Lee Powell who played (Roka) was killed in action with Marines in the South Pacific during World War II. He was also the first The Lone Ranger" 1938.
Carol Hughes (Dale Arden in Conquers the Universe) was married to actor Frank Faylen (most famous for playing Dobie Gillis' dad on TV) from 1936 until his death in 1985.
Priscilla Lawson (Princess Aura in Flash Gordon) was married to movie actor Alan Curtis, and she joined the armed forces under her married name in World War II. It is believed that she lost a leg in a war accident and after leaving the service managed a stationary shop in Los Angeles after the war.
Richard Tucker (Prof. Gordon) and Priscilla Lawson (Princess Aura) were both in the movie Test Pilot with Clark Gable.
Montague Shaw played the (Scientist General Prof. Huer in Buck Rogers) and the (Clay king) in Trip To Mars
Wheeler Oakman played (Killer Kane's Henchman in Buck Rogers) and (Tarnak) in Trip To Mars *also the role of The Hawk, the main gangster in the first all-talking feature film "The Lights of New York" from 1928.
*discovered by: Barry Wray
Anne Gwynne (Sonja in Conquers the Universe) is the mother of actress Gwynne Gilford and Mother-in-law of actor Robert Pine.
She was one of the top five pin-ups in World War II, according to a February 15, 1943 "Life" magazine article. Others were Dorothy Lamour, Ann Sheridan, Maureen O'Hara and Alexis Smith.
Buster Crabbe never got paid for Flash Gordon & never even got a holiday card from the studio? He was under contract to Paramount & was loaned out to Universal for the serials. Universal paid Paramount for his services but he never got a cent for it.
Buster Crabbe and John Wayne were in the same fraternity (Sigma Chi) at USC.
Jean Rogers (playing Clara Young), Charles Middleton (playing a member of the lynch mob) and Frank Shannon (playing a settler) appeared in "Brigham Young Frontiersman" in 1940, with Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell and Dean Jagger.*
*discovered by: Barry Wray
It was reported in a book or trade magazine that Richard Alexander (Prince Barin 1936, and 1938) designed a number of the costumes used in the Flash Gordon serials.
John Bevilacqua
Western star, Glenn Strange, who was best known for playing 'Sam, the Bartender' in the long running tv program, "Gunsmoke" played the Gocko -- the dragon, with lobster claws, in Flash Gordon (1936). Later, he would play the Frankenstein monster in "House of Frankenstein" (1944), "House of Dracula" (1945) and Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948). He also was the original choice to play the creature in "The Creature From the Black Lagoon" (1954)
Barry Wray
Carol Hughes was Regis Philbin's Mother-in-Law from 1957 - 1968. He was married to her daughter CatherineFaylen.
Barry Wray
In 1996, the National Film Registry (Established by the Library of Congress) enshrined the serial 'Flash Gordon' as one of "the great American Films". It was deemed to be a "culturally. historically and esthetically important" film. 24 other films were enshrined that year including, 'The Deer Hunter', 'Destry Rides Again', 'The Graduate', 'MASH', 'The Producers', 'Woodstock' and 'To Be or Not to Be'.
Barry Wray
James H. Pierce, who played Prince Thun, the Lion Man, was an all-American center, in football, at Indian University. While working as an assistant football coach for the Arizona Wildcats; he became the school's head basketball coach (1921-1923) and compiled a 27 - 5 record. Later, he would coach both Bob Livingston, Jack Randall and John Wayne in football at Glendale CA High School, in California. Pierce was later chosen by Edgar Rice Burroughs to play Tarzan on the radio (364 episodes). Pierce's wife Joan ( Burroughs' daughter), would play Jane during these performances. Later, he would play Tarzan again in 'Tarzan and the Golden Lion'.
Barry Wray
Richard Alexander, who starred as 'Prince Barin' in the first two 'Flash Gordon' Serials, movie career lasted nearly 40 years and almost 200 movies, mostly in westerns. His greatest role, that of Prince Barin, the rightful ruler of Mongo was only one of the many serials in which the 6'3" actor would appear. Rarely did he have a prominent role (Prince Barin, Thorg, El Lobo) in his movie career; but he always made the best of small roles. Many fans will remember him from his appearances on television in 'The Rifleman' or "The Lone Ranger'. Richard also served on the executive board of the Screen Actors Guild as the representative for movie extras.
Barry Wray
Buster Crabbe was a popular and successful pool manufacturer in Scottsdale, Arizona. They built mainly above ground pools. His son Cuffy, helped manage his popular pool manufacturing business. Buster often frequented the 'Valley Art" or the 'Sombrero Playhouse' in Phoenix. These were old movie houses that were then specializing in showing old Woody Allen, Humphrey Bogart, Frankenstein, Dracula and Wolfman movies. Ironically, they also showed the popular 'Flesh Gordon'. At one time, these movie houses had been owned by movie companies to show their films in the Phoenix area; but, were now run down and showing their age. They had been sold off to private owners (1970's and 1980's); who did nothing to restore them to their former elegance and beauty. Every month, they would show one of the Flash Gordon or the Buck Rogers Serials, which were very popular. Buster Crabbe would show up, buy a ticket and watch his movies and observe the reactions by the audiences. Buster Crabbe would remark, the audiences laughed at the rocketships, the dialogue, and the special effects; but they loved the fight scenes. Whenever there was fight scene, the audience was silent and watched intently. That's how I knew we did a good job. After the show ended, the crowd would stand around in front of the theater and talk about the movies for hours.
Barry Wray
Before Buster Crabbe or Sam J. Jones played Flash Gordon on the big screen, Actor Gale Gordon gave Flash his voice on radio. From April 27, 1935 to October 26, 1935, Gale Gordon played our intergalactic hero in a series of radio chapter plays called "The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon". Gordon's time as Flash would be short; only 26 15-minute episodes would be broadcast on the Mutual Radio Network. Gale Gordon is probably best known for his roles on "Our Miss Brooks" as the tyrannical Principal Osgoog Conklin, the exasperated John Wilson on "Dennis the Menace" and as the miserly Banker, Theodore J. Mooney on the "The Lucy Show". Sadly, Gale Gordon, Flash's first voice, passed away on June 30, 1995.
from: Barry Wray
Alex Raymond Trivia
Alex Raymond, the creator of "Flash Gordon", was born in New Rochelle, New York, on October 2, 1909. The stock market crash caused Raymond to lose his position as an order clerk on wall street. As a result, Raymond would attend the "Grand Central School of Art" which lead to his art work on such comic strips as "Tillie the Toiler", "Tim Tyler's Luck" and on "Blondie". The "Flash Gordon" comic strip first appeared on January 7, 1934 as a Sunday comic strip for the King Features Syndicate. Raymond had been inspired by the works of Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer's novel, "When World's Collide". An attack upon the earth by Mongo's Ruler, Ming the Merciless, results in Professor Zarkov, Dale and Flash rocketing into outer space to save the earth. Scriptwriter, Don Moore, soon took over the writing to allow Raymond to concentrate on the art work and his other comic-strip, "Jungle Jim". In June of 1941, Mongo was finally liberated and Raymond's heros returned to earth; but they were forced to return to Mongo in 1942 to fight against a new tyrant, Brazor. In February of 1944, Flash's creator left the strip and joined the Marines. Raymond's final Flash Gordon Strip appeared on April 30, 1944. Austin Briggs and Don Moore would carry on Raymond's work. Captain Raymond was then sent to the Pacific and saw action on the Aircraft Carrier "Gilbert Islands". In 1946, now a major, Raymond came home and promptly worked a new comic entitled "Rip Kirby", about a former Marine, who joined the police force and used science to solve crime. Unfortunately, on September 6, 1956, at the age of 46, the man who taught us to reach for the stars died from complications from an automobile accident. Alex Raymond's achievements in comic strips (Secret Agent X-9 (art), Jungle Jim, Flash Gordon and Rip Kirby) have never been equaled by any comic strip creator in the history of the comic's page. Alex Raymond about his comic art:
"I decided honestly that comic art is an art form in itself. It reflects the life and times more accurately and actually is more artistic than magazine illustration - since it is entirely creative. An illustrator works with camera and models; a comic artist begins with a white sheet of paper and dreams up his own business - he is playwright, director, editor and artist at once."
"I decided honestly that comic art is an art form in itself. It reflects the life and times more accurately and actually is more artistic than magazine illustration - since it is entirely creative. An illustrator works with camera and models; a comic artist begins with a white sheet of paper and dreams up his own business - he is playwright, director, editor and artist at once."
"I decided honestly that comic art is an art form in itself. It reflects the life and times more accurately and actually is more artistic than magazine illustration - since it is entirely creative. An illustrator works with camera and models; a comic artist begins with a white sheet of paper and dreams up his own business - he is playwright, director, editor and artist at once."Barry Wray
It seems that whenever "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars" is discussed byfans of the Flash Gordon Trilogy; one name is always invoked -- Happy Hapgood! Fans either love him, or they hate him. Character Actor, Donald Kerr's greatest role was as the stowaway reporter, Happy Hapgood, who manages to sneak aboard Dr. Zarkov's rocketship in search of a story. As an actor, Kerr was a perennial bit player (often playing taxi-cab drivers, reporters, salesmen or process servers); but his roles were numerous (an amazing 340 films to his credit). Kerr would appear in such films as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "The Big Country", "Oklahoma", "Guys and Dolls", "Jailhouse Rock" as well as some of the Abbott and Costello comedies. You really have to watch carefully, because Kerr's appearance in a film would often be so brief that he might utter only a few words and be gone. Director Ford Beebe, feeling that the first serial took itself too seriously, decided to cast Kerr as the cowardly reporter who, in search of a story, hides in Dr. Zarkov's rocketship and bumbles throughout the Martian adventure. Kerr was encouraged to ad-lib many of his lines in order to add some comic relief to the adventure. Kerr's Hapgood wasn't the great scientist or the daring hero in this story -- he represented the common man who is placed into a situation in which he had no control. Needless to say, there would be no return to outer space by this journalistic ne'er do well.
Barry Wray
Actor Matt Dillon's (The Outsiders, The Flamingo Kid and Crash) Great Uncle was Flash Gordon Creator Alex Raymond.
Dillon is also related to Jim Raymond who drew drew the comic strip Blondie for about 40 years.Barry Wray
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