Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe, Volume 1

They tried to make a TV series out of it in the late 50's; then a movie in 1980 - but there's still nothing like the original!!!

Flying spaceships emitting sparks! Clouds in space - stars that don't sparkle! Ships buzzing towards the stratosphere and beyond! Winged men, clay people, Ming the Merciless (better than Darth Vader any day!), Dr. Zarkov, Dale, Princess Aroura, Prince Baron, and of course, Flash. Remember that lobster monster that was in the cave? Remember the one horned gorilla? Remember the death ray sucking out all of the life in Earth's atmosphere? C'mon, admit it - isn't it better than Obi-wan waving his light saber against Darth? Hail Buster Crabbe!

This is the third (and final) Flash Gordon foray into Serial-Land and, some would argue, the best (at least as far as continuity). The effervescent Frank Shannon, who's acting ability runs the gamut from A to B (to steal one of Dorthy Parker's quips) reprises the role of my favorite character, Dr. Zarkov. Baran's kingdom is now called Arborea, and everyone is dressed like Robin Hood's merry men. There's another "kingdom" called Fridgia (not to be confused with Frigidaire) and atop it all schemes Ming the Merciless, played by bit-part badman Charles Middleton. My favorite Flash Gordon serial is TRIP TO MARS (not available from Alpha), but this one is a close second. Ming has another great Universal Pictures mad-scientist laboratory. You might recognize Ming's chief scientist as the actor from FRANKENSTEIN who carried his drowned daughter through the village street. Small world, isn't it? While, in reality, Flash does not conquer the entire universe, it's good clean fun and a great example of what our grandparents or parents wasted their dimes on every Saturday at the movies.