Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe

Plot synopsis:
A deadly plague is ravaging the Earth, known as the Purple Death because of a purple spot left on victims' foreheads. Flash Gordon and Dr. Zarkov learn that Ming the Merciless is behind the plague, when they spot one of his spaceships spreading the "Death Dust" in the Earth's atmosphere.
Flash Gordon, along with Dr. Alexis Zarkov and Dale Arden, return to the planet Mongo to find a possible cure, first seeking the assistance of their old friend Prince Barin. The trio continue to battle Ming and his allies, led by henchman Captain Torch, who has been charged with stopping the Earthlings by any means.
The three eventually find an antidote, called polarite, in Mongo's remote northern Kingdom of Frigia. They must now get the cure back to Earth in sufficient quantities to stop the ravaging plague.
Flash and Zarkov are able to successfully distribute the antidote by rocketship, the very same way the original Death Dust was first spread. Ming sends in an army of robot bombs after the three, and he succeeds in capturing Zarkov for a short time before Flash is able to set Zarkov free.
Before Flash, Zarkov, and Dale leave Mongo, they are finally able to triumph over Ming and his henchmen, who by accident have become locked in the highest tower of Ming's castle. Flash is able to parachute away from the rocketship he is piloting just in the nick of time. His spaceship is loaded with volatile Solarite, and its rapid momentum carries it forward directly into the tower, where a large explosion ends Ming's tyrannical reign. Shortly thereafter, Prince Barin takes his rightful place as the ruler of Mongo.
Ming's last words to Flash were "I am the universe!" Zarkov observes that with Ming's death "Flash Gordon has conquered the universe".

Tags: good versus evil, cult

Review:
There were many very fine heroes and villains of the serials, but clearly, Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon, and Charles Middleton as Ming the Merciless were the tops in their respective fields.
These fine performers, plus the return of our old friend Frank Shannon as Dr. Zarkhov, help make this an entertaining and appealing serial.This is the most polished and opulent of the Flash Gordon serials, although it lacks the passion and visceral excitement of the 1st serial.
However, the gal who replaced the wonderful Jean Rogers as Dale is not sufficient to the role, and in one chapter when she was pleading for Flash to save her, I kind of wished Flash had just left her.This serial is not as sexy as the 1st Flash Gordon (which somehow seemed to have been sneaked completely past the Hayes Office), but while the actresses all appear to be wearing bras, there are thankfully a few bare midriffs here and there, and we have the welcome addition of a genuine femme fetalle, in the person of the wicked Sonia, played by Anne Gwynne.While the 1st serials were characterized to a large extent by activities involving the various diverse peoples and monsters of Planet Mongo and Mars, the Lion Men, the Shark Men, the Hawk Men, the Clay People, Azura Queen of Magic, the Forest People, dragons, octosacs, beast men, etc., this serial is more preoccupied with technology and warfare.
There are chapters wholly concerned with strategic materials, incendiary bombs, robot bombs, torture of political prisoners, poison gas, and there are more aerial dogfights than in the previous Flash Gordons.Also, Ming is referred to as Dictator Ming, rather than Emperor Ming.
There is perhaps a bit of unconscious insight into the geopolitical future in the fact that Flash, whose initial mission was to stop Ming from becoming Conqueror of the Universe, ends his mission when he is declared to be the Conqueror of the Universe.This is entertaining to fans of serials, of B-Movies, of old comic strips, and other aficionados of old school and low budget cinema.
Universal's 46th sound-era film was the third and last of their serials...From the ALEX RAYMOND newspaper feature owned and copyrighted by King Features Syndicate...starring Buster Crabbe as "Flash Gordon." All featured loose adaptations of their Sunday comic page continuities but this one stayed pretty close to the long-running segment devoted to Prince Barin's Kingdom of Arboria and the Ice Kingdom of Frigia ruled by The Ice Queen, both on the planet Mongo.This one takes off when the Earth is visited by a deadly epidemic known as the Plague of the Purple Death, easily diagnosed as it leaves a purple spot on the foreheads of its victims.
Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe), Dale Arden (Carol Hughes) and Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon) zoom out in Zarkov's rocket ship and make a straight-space bee-line for Mongo, where the ruthless ruler, Ming the Merciless (Charles Middleton) is spreading death dust in Earth's atmosphere as part of his plan to CONQUER THE UNIVERSE.
Actually, he had two kingdoms on his own planet he didn't rule, but Ming had a severe case of the hots for Dale Arden from Day One, and he probably figured he could take care of the rebel kingdoms after he made the lured-back Dale his bride and, thusly inspired, take care of Arboria and Frigia in one fell swoop along with the remainder of the Universe.
The man knew how to set priorities.Upon arriving on Mongo, Flash, Dale and Zarkov visit their old friends Prince Barin (played by Roland Drew, and two Roland Drews weren't equal to Dick Alexander's Prince Barin) and his wife Aura (Shirley Dean, formerly of The Jones Family at TC-F), who was also Ming's daughter, who has been reformed by Barin's love and the realization that her father is one stark-mad, raving lunatic...and horny to boot.The family touches and relationships between the primary characters---Flash may have had a little thing going on with Aura back in the early days of the strip when she was the total spoiled-rotten daughter and supporter of her father, and they were still exchanging Sunday glances for years even after she married Barin--- and the creation of a Queen Glenda of Frigia (Clarice Sherry) ruling over an Ice Kingdom (that one strike any chords with a 2005 film) show that Alex Raymond's plot-writing skills were on par with his top-flight illustration abilities.
Glenda The Ice Queen, on Sundays for certain, also had an eye on General Lupi (William Royle), the commander-in-chief of her army, or he was until he ended up in one of Ming's dungeons, and wasn't doing much in the way of commanding when Flash & Company showed up.
This, clearly, posed a threat for all the citizens of Earth with all the population doomed to become slaves, but Ming wasn't a man who liked to take chances, except where Dale Arden was concerned.
Somewhere toward the end, Zarkov defies Ming by informing him that his and Flash's mission is to not only save the world (Earth) but the Universe as well.
I AM THE UNIVERSE!" Charles Middleton's eyes probably lit up when he saw that line in the script.(Those of you who don't know how this one ends might want to move on to something else, now)....as they fly back to the safety of Arboria and then back to Earth, Prince Barin tells Flash: "By destroying Ming, you have saved the universe." and Flash replies..."In his mad ambition, Ming declared that HE WAS the universe." And Zarkov says, "Then, since you are the conquerer of Ming, I shall radio your father: Flash Gordon conquers the universe!" And Dale, not knowing an exit line when she hears one adds..."And saves the Earth." We thought he saved the Earth several chapters back when he deposited the Polarite atop of Mt. McKinley.
Buster Crabbe was made to play the heroic Flash Gordon and Charles Middleton is the perfect Ming.
Maybe its because if they were to show any footage from the first two, the audience would definitely see that there are different actors playing Dale, Barin and Aura.
The heroic theme music strikes up, the chapter number and the 'story so far' prologue scroll up the screen and into the distance, and we are thrust into a new adventure where our hero and his companion, now disguised as Imperial Guards, having entered the stronghold of their enemy by spaceship, are about to rescue the beautiful Princess from his evil clutches!
Seriously though, FLASH GORDON may be ropey but I challenge anyone to fault their enthusiasm and the whole is weirdly compelling and great fun.Shamelessly grabbing any spare backlot sets, props, sound effects and costumes available, a trend the much later STAR TREK original series, and others, continued, we are treated to such sights as Imperial officer's uniforms that appear to have been delivered by mail order direct from Ruritania; Prince Barin's 'treemen' clad in medieval castellated Lincoln Green (we assume) skirts and tights straight out of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD ('38), and backstreets of Mongo that could have equally been trod, and no doubt were, by both Errol Flynn and Frankenstein's Monster.
Fin-accessorised bullet shaped spaceships buzz around (again to a FRANKENSTEIN laboratory's electrical hum) with sparks falling downwards and smoke drifting up (an amazing thing the vacuum of space), and, no matter the destination, they always land, spirally, in the same scenic valley.All 'dynamic' twelve chapters are presented in this boxed set with irresistible titles like 'The Purple Death', 'The Palace of Terror', 'Freezing Torture', 'The Destroying Ray' and 'Walking Bombs' (these particularly are a hoot), complete with the necessary cliff-hanger endings and opening and closing credits for each, but sadly, and a bad oversight, there are no special features.
I know that perhaps this is difficult given the age of the material, but some accompanying old movie newsreels, as on the DVD release of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, might have put it into some kind of historical perspective.In this age of CGI effects where anything is possible, it's nice to look back and see where it all began, and I've no doubt that in 1940 it was equally as enthralling as any SFX blockbuster claims to be today.
Get some beers in, some friends around and have some fun as FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE!
Trivia Note: Although FGCTU was Buster Crabbe's final appearance as Flash in the old Universal serials, he did make one final cameo appearance as the character in season one of the 1979 TV series BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY which starred Gil Gerard as Buck, a character Crabbe had also played 40 years earlier in 1939.
In the two-part episode 'Planet of the Slave Girls' (a typical old Gordon/Rogers chapter title in itself) Crabbe appeared as 'Brigadier Gordon', a former space fighter pilot called out of retirement, and there's a pointed piece of dialogue toward the end of the episode where the new Buck (Gerard) is, in fact, talking to the old (Crabbe):Buck: That's pretty good shooting.
Gordon: Colonel, I know so.Only four years later Clarence Linden 'Buster' Crabbe had passed away, making this a nice and timely touch in an otherwise unmemorable series..
The success of the 2 prior Flash Gordon serials and the continued and ever expanding popularity of the Newspaper Comic Strip no doubt were the prime movers behind the filming of the third installment.
Universal Pictures had done well with the production of many other titles belonging to Hearst's King Features, so they were given the go ahead for the new project.Buster Crabbe was brought back for his powerful, faithful characterization.
This was after he had time out to portray rival Spaceman* in the title role of BUCK ROGERS (Universal 1939).Also returning were Charles B.
Middleton (Emperor Ming) and Frank Shannon (the good Dr. Zarkov).Replacement for Miss Jean Rogers was Carol Hughes, a dark haired beauty of a starlet, who had a lot of success in the '30's and '40 in many supporting roles and Female leads, mostly in 'B' Films.Prince Barin(Roland Drew) and Princess Aura(Shirley Deane)** were also played by newcomers to the roles.
Baron, himself, and his soldiers often sported the green costuming of a Robin Hood and his Mery Men.They were armed with long bows and swords in addition to their ray guns.The frozen land to the north was called Frigia and was the Domain of one Queen Fria.
In short, the comic page and serial now mirrored developments in Western Europe and the rest of the World in that period of time between World Wars.The story line in this FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE is most action filled and loaded with a load of new developments.
There is a sort of back and forth series of battles in which combatants from either side are captured and subsequently rescued or ransomed.Maybe I'm being a little too critical here, as we must remember that these Serials were meant to be seen a chapter a week, not all at once in one or two sittings.There is one point thus far overlooked in this review, and that is the general look of the production.
The cinematography is as beautiful as any in a serial, ever.As a kid growing up in Chicago one could identify with this last of the FLASH GORDON Trilogy.
They were real competitors in the market place,for "Box Office"(more newspaper subscribers),if you will.NOTE: ** The evolution of this Royal Couple also was effected by the 1938 Waener Brothres' Film, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, as Barin's appearance morphed from looking like a Power Lifter in Roman garb to a sort of 'Road Show' Errol Flynn.
Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe), Dale Arden (Carol Hughes) and Dr. Zarkov go to the planet Mongo and fight the evil emperor Ming (Charles Middleton) who is shooting "death rays" at the Earth.I haven't seen the previous two serials so I have nothing to compare it to--but this was pretty good.
It moves quickly and there's lots of action: Flash is thrown into a fiery pit; he's trapped in an avalanche; fights silly-looking robots that explode when hit; is zapped by the "Destroying Ray"; has aerial battles with Ming's warships; is caught in a fierce explosion (twice); falls down a huge mountain AND is almost drowned!
Dale isn't just a timid female waiting for Flash to save her--she holds her own in fights and takes over the spaceship a few times when he's wounded.
Crabbe looks tired a lot--but he was probably sick of playing Flash again and again.
Some of the sets are VERY elaborate (probably used from another movie) and the score is wonderful--until you realize you're hearing the same thing over and over.The best way to see this is one a day or (like I did) three a day.
Previously, I had really enjoyed Buster Crabbe's presence in the post-Weissmuller era of Tarzan, and I have had the DVD of Hodges' 1980 'Flash Gordon' for eons, but wanted to first get to the root of the phenomenon by checking out the serials.
Fortunately, in purchasing a 50-film pack, 'Nightmare Worlds' from Mill Creek, it was included.The 12 episodes of the 220-minute serial were well-edited into the fine flow that this version I saw had, and the special effects and production values were quite decent--you could tell it had been made both by a high-quality studio, in Universal, and by directors quite used to the serial format, in Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor.There are some goofs (for example, when Ming's henchmen are looking at a mountainside for the four protagonists, and five are shown), but it's action-packed, with interestingly stylized wipe-edits, and I can see how it later influenced the likes of both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.As well, it's very interesting how the filmmakers were subtly able to use the film to offer social commentary to the growing Nazi/Fascist movements worldwide that were wreaking havoc across the globe in the Axis of Evil.
But if you watch it, especially if you watch it as it was meant to be watched, one chapter at a time with a break in between, you'll probably find yourself getting into the cliff hangers, and occasionally dazzled by the occasionally sumptuous production values (huge pile of writhing dancing girls, snow mountain photography) and the sometimes ingenious special effects (those mud men always make me jump).The rest of the time, sit back & laugh.They must have known that they were stretching the premise when they made this, the third and last Flash Gordon serial, but the plot pretty much hangs together if you choose to pay attention to it (which can be hard, a lot of explanations are pretty rushed), and the performances are mostly good..
This was by far the weakest of the three Flash Gordon serials.
This time, we get a brunette Dale and some nice scenes in Frigia, the snow kingdom.Each episode features a title crawl, recapping events from the previous episode.
The idea was so good it was "borrowed" for a later sci-fi series by some guy named Lucas.The whole Purple Death thing is pretty hokey and the villains don't quite rise to the occasion, but Queen Fria is a nice addition.Personally, I would look for the feature version of this one and skip the serial.
Obviously shot in haste, but given a bit of class in the earlier eps by the use of vast amounts of stock footage, including snips from the previous serials.
There is no final fight between Flash and Ming, the emperor being disposed of by a wayward rocket ship.The writers don't mind repeating some of their action ideas from time to time, and of course we do see those same shots of the miniature space ships in flight, taking off and landing in exactly the same locations endlessly.
Fitting Wrap Up to the Flash Gordon Serials!.
"Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" is the third and final serial in the Flash Gordon Trilogy.
In this instalment we have a new Dale Arden (Carol Hughes), Prince Barin (Roland Drew) and Princess Aura (Shirley Deane).
Returning are the ever blond Flash (Buster Crabbe), brilliant scientist Dr. Zarkoff (Frank Shannon) and of course Ming the Merciless (Charles Middleton).
The one-seater tin lizzy space ships also return.Ming has returned to Mongo where he once again rules and revives his efforts to destroy the earth.
When a plaque called "The Purple Death" threatens the earth, Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov are pressed into service once again in order to save the earth.
The meaning of the title is explained in the final fade out.A fitting end to the Flash Gordon serials..
But unlike all of these other distinguished personages, Flash Gordon is known by name only--NOT by recent cinematic "make overs," "resets," and "reboots." (The only halfway successful reboot I'm aware of was a Triple-X feature film from the late 1900s, which of course I've never seen.) So when I had an opportunity to view some of Flash Gordon's original source material, namely episode one--"Purple Death"--of FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE, I decided to give this Legend of Yesteryear 20 minutes of my time.
last and weakest Flash serial is still great fun, at least for a while.
This is the last and least of the three Universal Flash Gordon serials staring Buster Crabbe.
Less in the way of interesting races & peoples (rock people, oooh), less excitement, even cheaper (if possible) and more-often-reused special effects, and a promise of slightly more interesting female characters (a new Dale who seems at first a little less girlish) that largely is unfulfilled make this interesting mostly for Flash/serial completists.
And as to the serial as a whole -- Ming (Charles Middleton, whose hamminess is probably the most fun element in the series) is still into Flash's love, Dale Arden, and still (for no apparent reason) wants to destroy the earth.