Wednesday, December 16, 2009

FLASH GORDON - TV / 1954-5

Welcome again to Wednesday B+W Oldie Bijou Theater Bath and Beyond, today we gots a great little forgotten treasure for everbloody' enjoyment...

Tabonga get a TV in 1953, just in time to have mind boggled by this sci-fi TV series produced in West Germany after WWII. After kid' program like HOWDY DOODY, CARTOONS, LITTLE RASCALS, CAPTAIN KANGAROO, TIME FOR BEANY, ABBOTT AND COSTELLO, WESTERN MOVIES, LAUREL AND HARDY, GUMBY and RIN TIN TIN, FLASH GORDON really made big impression on little brains, seriously!

~ This series was called 'lurid' and was singled out as a bad influence on kids, like comics, during that same era of 'McCarthyism' mania.

Steve Holland only had a few acting credits besides the 39 FG episodes between 1954-5. Big deal though, because, he is considered the greatest illustration male model of all time!! Just look at the character in that face, damn!.. Steve is probably best remembered as DOC SAVAGE from the paperback covers in the sixties, which Eegah!! was a huge fan and collected that title...

Ironic that Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkov go to The Earth's Core instead of outer space, but, Tabonga plan on posting a few more episode before Dec. 22, 2012!!

Music is by German Kurt Heuser and Frenchman Roger-Roger. Series start in West Germany and end up in France, so, all puzzle pieces fit together nicely! Soundclip is a little distorted and photos are blurry, but still definitely worth price of admission!

Piffles the Gnat say he so happy to push big red 'GO' button to start soundclip for one of his favorite show ever, so!.. Hits it Piff!!!.. FLASH GOES UNDERGROUND!

There are problem at the Earth' core, so, Dr. Zarkov have special drilling machine built to travel underground!

Everbloody have sack lunch packed up, so, time to hit the old hole!

But, they being tracked by weird subterranean dudes! This series have absolutely the strangest outfits and attire anybloody ever gonna see anywhere, anytime, anyhow!!

See little light at top of screen, that is drilling machine on way to Earth' core and what dude is looking at.

They getting so deep inside Earth that machine interior starting to smoke from boiling hot temperature outside!!

In fact, it get so hot inside machine that Dale have to cool off Flash' weenie with soothing cooling spray! Ahhhhh!.........

They finally hit rock bottom and get out of machine to stretch legs!

...Only to be followed by... What?!

The gang get captured...

And, are taken to...

This guy here, Fearless Leader!

"Mint?.. What's a mint?!"

That is one crazy wall to be chained to!

Okay... Now what?

Here, let me just heat the tip of this sword up a lil' bit in the lava so that it get all hot, and what not...

But, something always go wrong for bad guy, so, Flash and gang make hasty escape back to machine!

After Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkov head back to the surface, the huge pipe directing the intense heat clogs and causes the whole place to implode!

We finish with two classic paperback covers of DOC SAVAGE, Man of Bronze!

6 comments:

Lionel Braithwaite said...

Great pictures of Doc: I never knew that he'd met aliens from outer space before. Also liked the look back at the Flash Gordon show, although I don't know if I want to see it.

Prof. Grewbeard said...

i had no idea Steve Holland was the model for Doc Savage, now that's impressive!

Eegah!! and Tabonga! said...

I never had those later Doc Savage books, but what classic rip-offs, Bela on one and Gort on the other! Awesomeonic!!!
Eegah!!

Christopher said...

LOL..."only to be followed by..what?!-indeed!

Kez Wilson said...

You can see the rest of the Doc Savage mash-ups at the Doc Savage Fantasy Cover Gallery: www.miscmayhemprods.com/doc

buzz said...

"Frenchman Roger-Roger" is now a world reknown composer of library music.

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??