Flesh Gordon

Plot synopsis:
Distinguished Professor Gordon (John Hoyt) explains that Earth is being tormented by periodic "sex rays" which send people into a sexual frenzy. When one of the rays hits the Ford Tri-Motor passenger aircraft carrying Flesh Gordon (Jason Williams) and Dale Ardor (Suzanne Fields), the pilots abandon the controls and everyone aboard has manic sex. When they finish, Flesh and Dale escape the imminent crash by parachute. They land near the workshop of Flexi Jerkoff (Joseph Hudgins), who has a plan to stop the sex rays at their source.
They then travel to the planet Porno in Jerkoff's phallic rocket ship, and are briefly hit by a sex ray, resulting in a frantic three-way orgy. They crash land after being shot by the minions of Emperor Wang (William Dennis Hunt), and are attacked by several one-eyed "Penisauruses" before being taken prisoner by Wang's soldiers. They are brought before Wang, who is presiding over an orgy of more than a dozen men and women. Jerkoff is sent to work in Wang's laboratory, while Wang announces his intention to marry Dale, and Flesh is sentenced to death, but is saved when Queen Amora (Nora Wieternik) takes him to be her sex slave.
Wang shoots down Amora's ship, and Flesh is the only survivor. He is reunited with Jerkoff, and they resume their efforts to defeat Wang, now with Amora's Power Pasties. Wang and Dale's wedding is interrupted when Dale is kidnapped by Amazonian lesbians, whose leader, Chief Nellie (Candy Samples), attempts to initiate Dale into their cult. Flesh and Jerkoff save her, unexpectedly aided by Prince Precious (Mycle Brandy) of the Forest Kingdom. With help from their new ally, Jerkoff builds a weapon to destroy the sex ray. They confront Wang and trick his "rapist robots" into turning on him, but Wang escapes, seeking the aid of the towering idol of the Great God Porno. Porno comes to life and captures Dale as they flee, blandly commenting on his actions. Jerkoff shoots the living idol, freeing Dale and causing the god to fall on Wang and the sex ray. Flesh, Dale, and Jerkoff are celebrated as heroes, and return to Earth.

Tags: pornographic, cult, adult comedy

Review:
I still remember Dr Jerkoff unveiling his spaceship shaped like a giant erect phallus with the words "Fortunately I was able to complete the design before the Sex-ray took effect".
The filmmakers of Flesh Gordon spent so much effort lovingly recreating the look and feel of the original Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s that they actually created a soft porn movie with real (if very modest) cinematic worth.
In fact, it's in some ways superior to the original Gordon flicks - particularly its special effects - with an extensive and surprisingly good use of stop-action animation.Fortunately, sub-par acting is common in both porn and the old serials and this adds to the authentic feel of this parody.
It's a voice that reminds me of Bing Crosby, which makes the scene just plain weird.What makes this film work is that instead following the usual porn formula of using the plot as a mere device to show sex, Flesh Gordon uses sex as the fundamental source its humor, enthusiastically blending the rather banal soft-core porn of the seventies with the hackneyed storylines of the thirties.
Be aware, it's a low budget flick with cheap effects indeed and some stop motion monsters but it's the story that makes it really great.
The campiness just drips from every scene and if you're an old fan of the Buster Crabbe serials, there is much to laugh at here as old cliches get "blown" away.One thing I rarely see mentioned is the Harreyhausen-esque special effetcs..the skeleton soldiers were a delight, albeit lifted from the old Jason and the Argonauts film (at least stylistically).The climax (sorry) with the stop-motion monster parodies both Flash and King Kong.Dig through the credits to find Rick Baker and contemplate on how far he has come and, for SF fans, the early Bjo Trimble, long associated with the original Star Trek series and SF Fandom (Hiya Beej..grin).Watch this back to back with the (other) modern Flash Gordon movie for a riotous evening with friends who like cheesy (but way fun) films..
Hey, I like good, sleazy fun, so I thought I couldn't go wrong with renting Flesh Gordon, which I have heard about for years without really knowing much about.
The Movie We open with a LONG title about how this is a tribute to the adventure serials of the 20s and 30s we find out on the commentary that this was added to avoid a lawsuit, because they were unaware that their writer had taken an episode from Flash Gordon and reproduced it nearly exactly.
For a while the director is followed by the police until they locate the set, then the police confiscate the film, and then the director has to prove in court that the film is NOT pornographic, which helped determine why this movie came out as a softcore comedy "tribute" to the old serials, instead of a real porn film as was originally intended.
I think I saw this flick in drive-in theaters about six different times.You get to the point where you are lip-syncing all the words of Dr. Flexi Jerkoff and warning people to watch out for the Penisaurous's lurking outside the snack bar.The settings of the film were somewhat reminiscent of Jane Fonda's "Barbarella." The acting is "stiff" as it should be.
Many images are indelible, The black swan spaceship of the lesbian queen, the great claymation monster saying "My AAAsss!", robin hood seducing flash gordon (those aren't the character names but you get the idea...), oh yeah, and emperor Wang's cheerleaders.Not a great movie by any means, but really odd.
I would also like to commend this movie on its "liberalism", due to the fact that the original owners of Planet Porno are all gay, and the writers aviod the temptation of gay bashing...there was even a very brief scene with Flesh and one of the "merry men of the forest."  So, as an overview, I would say that this is a MUST SEE for anyone who loves campy and cult classics, or anyone who still believes that porn can be more than just sex-If you do not fall one of these two catogories...stay away from it!
It's very interesting how this is a porn movie, but the main characters are trying to stop a Sex-Ray on planet Porno that is causing mass sex hysteria on earth.
A "must see" for those who enjoyed the original Flash Gordon cartoon film many years ago..
Its main appeal lies in the clever way that the episodes of the original Flash Gordon film (which were featured in some cinemas as a serial) are reproduced, with a relatively small degree of parody, so as to create a very amusing sex comedy that exactly parallels the original teenage thriller.
Dr Zarkov is closely mimicked by Dr Jerkoff, and there are of course many other parodies the keen film-goer will appreciate - for example in a well made step motion animation sequence, Emperor Wang's giant metal monster captures Dale Ardor (nee Arden) to mimic the famous sequence in which Fay Wray was captured in the 1933 version of "King Kong".In principle this film is a pure fantasy which is fairly timeless - the space travel theme is of course a feature of the original Flash Gordon series that dates back to a time when space travel was regarded as only achievable in some very distant period far into the future; whilst the name penisauraus, given to one of the stop motion creations, is clearly intended to convey a close link to the distant past.
Everything from ROBINHOOD to KING KONG gets a whack from this early 1970s parody of the 1930s FLASH GORDON serial, which has a story line in keeping with the sexual revolution of the times.
As a parody the film is actually quite funny with genre parody with lots of elements from the original comic strip but also plain slapstick and silliness.
Flesh and Dale Ardor with Dr. Felix Jerkoff (ho ho) go to the planet Porno (where else?) and face off against the evil Wang and try to get...something.
For years, I've read of this soft-porn parody of Flash Gordon since it was advertised as one of several midnight movies listed as being at the (now defunct) Cinema 8 at the (also folded) Bon Marche Mall.
Originally, these would have been seen in Comic Books and Newspaper Comic Strips, and then Hollywood grabbed them with both hands and turned them into Movie Heroes.These Heroes were based on Goodness, Honesty and Freedom for the People, which would force it's way through the impotent Evils, Dangers and Repressive failures of the Antiheroes, everything the Superhero stood firmly against.Among these newfound Superheroes came Flash Gordon, who to be honest, was first drawn up to compete with Buck Rogers.
With these newfound profits, they brought their own movie theatres, so they could show their own movies.Being a little more adventuress and confident due the extra funds pouring in, they wanted to make a film of great length, the idea of a Sci-Fi parody then came to seed, this idea grew into what is now known as Flesh Gordon.
Filming began in the winter of 1971, and with an expected budget of around $25,000, at the time the most expensive porno movie budget ever; they began to enlist a cast and crew.This highly original piece of work starts of with a Rolling Text, a prologue if you like, to the past innovators of the original Superheroes, and the people that have adored their stature.
What is new here is the first porn movie to use non-porn professional Actor's, in a non-sexual part, such as William Hunt, who plays Emperor Wang for example.Being your typical FLASH Gordon story line, planet Earth is at peril by an Evil member of the Wang Dynasty, on a far reaching Planet called Porno, and with his Evil Sex Ray, he intends to penetrate the Earth and destroy us all.
Only Flesh and his two companions can save the day, It's as simple as that.Go Flesh Go.The thing that makes Flesh Gordon stand out over most Porno movies, (remember, the hard core sex movie Deep Throat, starring the late Linda Lovelace, had come out during filming of Flesh, in 1972), was not, ironically, the porn, but the direction of the script, storyline and the special effects that Flesh Gordon showed off.
Sadly, and with much irony, it looks like the anti sex industry that was the Law of that time, in the end, had made its own sex movie.However, was Flesh Gordon ever meant to be a sex movie, hard core or other wise?
When they first solicited this movie, after completion, in New York, no theatre would offer their services, this movie was just too long for it's own good.There was one theatre in New York that would give them their break; the rest is history, Messer's Ziehm and Osco, who when first started out in this business were out of their depth, totally naive and inexperienced, had now flourished into Cult Movie making status.Flesh Gordon, with its well-made effects, costumes and well-earned respect, is a movie of originality, irony, bravery and determination.
Anyway, the film, like many sex movies, aims for camp.
The two land near the workstation of Dr. Flexi Jerkoff (Joseph Hudgins), who is working to try and defeat the sex rays, which are powered by the evil Emperor Wang the Perverted (William Dennis Hunt) and his army of "Penisauruses." Flesh, Dale, and Dr. Jerkoff and his "assholiness" must find a way to stop Emperor Wang while combatting the forces of the manipulating sex rays.This is precisely the kind of film where intense critical analysis and discussion fails it.
Sex spoof based on the comic strip character of Flash Gordon, made in the seventies, a good example of why many seventies films are not highly regarded.
Flesh Gordon is probably one of those films you have to see, just to say you've seen it.Apparently some versions of the movie are soft porn; the video release I saw certainly wasn't, and was just basic titillation.
The film itself has better effects and direction than you'd probably expect, though for a sex comedy it's neither sexy nor funny, so fails in both its attempted genres.Some bits amuse, though there's a tastelessness that borders on the offensive.
i remember seeing this at my fathers shop when i was about 6 and always wanted to see it, of course he would not let me watch it knowing full well what it really was but me as a little kid thought it was all about flash Gordon, ha, i wish, anyway after years and years of not seeing it i finally decided to rent it out and oh my lord, what a disaster, not only is it not good its not sexy either, it has a stupid plot, stupid characters, Wang in particular, and the whole thing is just campy and lame, i suggest that nobody on this fair planet ever watch this heaping pile of dung, i certainly wish i hadn't, i should have just lived with the illusions that i had of it as a child.
The spaceship that looks like a penis...the sex ray...bad acting....The Tribe of Sexually Frustrated Men....the boffo "Clash of the Titans" special effects...or the infamous line, after the good doctor took a whiff, "There is oxygen here, we can breath the air." Maybe porn should stop trying to be titilating and start making fun of itself.
Wang himself seems somewhat miffed when Flesh complains about the sex-rays destroying morality :"Why, you should THANK me!" The pantomime plot has side-splitting moments and good fun, but at the end of the day it all bubbles down to one word: Sex. This is, effectively, a porn movie, with most of the porn removed (at least in this version), and a mixture of ludicrously funny sight gags and some elaborate special effects thrown into the mix.I enjoyed "Flesh Gordon", because it never stops moving and is always funny.
Emperor Wang of the Planet Porno has unleashed a sex ray on Earth that needs to be stopped.
This film (BTW, the extended DVD version) has some pretty good stopmotion effects, which represent the beasts that Flesh and company have to battle.
If you're looking for a fun blend of soft-core sex, sci-fi and comedy, look no further than Flesh Gordon..
Amongst these tempting (but ultimately rather disappointing) titles was the legendary Flesh Gordon, a movie I had heard about from school pals (whose parents were obviously a little more lax in policing their kids' viewing than my own), but one that I found it impossible to see myself (try as I might, the shop owner wouldn't let me rent it!).Now, nearly 30 years later, I have finally caught up with this elusive soft-core sex comedy, and whilst it's hardly shocking or particularly titillating to a man of my advancing years, I found it to be a very entertaining piece of trash.
Made in the sexually liberated 70s, this knowingly daft take on the cliffhanger serials of the 30s is silly, saucy fun featuring plenty of full-frontal nudity, some pretty good effects (considering the limitations of the budget), loads of smutty humour, and a shed-load of phallic imagery.In a story that bears many similarities to that of the major Flash Gordon movie of 1980, nasty dictator Emperor Wang attacks earth with a deadly sex ray that turns the population of Earth into uncontrollable nymphomaniacs.
Hunky Flesh Gordon (Jason Williams), accompanied by beautiful sidekick Dale Ardor (the gorgeous Suzanne Fields) and scientist Dr. Flexi Jerkoff (Joseph Hudgins) travel to the planet Porno to try and destroy the ray and free its people from the tyranny of Wang.With such delights as one-eyed stop-motion monsters called Penisauruses (or is that Penisauri?), rapist robots, an animated bug-creature, a tribe of lesbian warriors, several orgies (which look rather racy from a distance, and lend credence to the rumour that this was originally a hardcore movie), a penis shaped spaceship, and a huge, but rather erudite beast at the end of the film, Flesh Gordon is a hoot from start to finish.6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb..
Perhaps the biggest surprise of this film is that the deleted scenes have allowed this film to reach a much broader audience and has led directly to its status as a cult classic.Jason Williams plays Flesh Gordon who along with Dale Ardor (played by adorable porn star Suzanne Fields) get kidnapped by Flexi Jerkoff and together they zoom across the galaxy to stop the evil emperor Wang's sex ray from bombarding the earth.The goofy names and the sex ray subplot make in pretty clear where the humour is directed.
It is a glowing tribute to Ray Harryhousen although it is given dialogue that none of his creatures would ever think to say.Sure this film is not for the timid but it can present a fun evenings viewing for any open minded adult but you may want to ignore the long after the fact sequel Flesh Gordon meets the cosmic cheerleaders.
I've learned Flesh Gordon started out as a hardcore porno film, but somewhere along the line it was decided to make it a softcore romp.
The plot of the movie is about Flesh Gordon's attempts to save the world from a sex ray that has been putting the earth in carnal chaos.
Flesh learns the sex ray is being sent from the planet Porno, & he rockets off with girlfriend Dale & a scientist to save the earth.
Planet Porno's Prince Precious helps Flesh in the attempt to stop Wang & his sex ray.
The special effects in this movie are very good for a 1972, low-budget feature!
I recall hearing about this movie once upon a time as I saw it advertised on a billboard and wanted to see it then, and did not let a little thing like 'cronology' stop Me; but it was not until now when a VHS tape was recently excavated during the Lair relocation that I became reminded of its existence, and decided I had to watch and review it.A mysterious "Sex Ray" bombards earth, causing those subjected to be overtaken in orgiastic impulse, until it finally makes contact with an airplane carrying one "Flesh Gordon" {Jason Williams} and "Dale Ardor" {Suzanne Fields} who are also momentarily overwhelmed by its libidonous effects, until the plane is doomed to collision due to the preoccupation of all of the passengers inclusive of the pilot and crew; so he takes Dale in his arms and proceeds to parachute out into the cold night.
Plenty of nudity to whet the pallet, but because of the "soft-porn" content, ends up more of an erotic "B-movie" with typical porno parody dialogue and amateur acting, which should have really gone into the actual sex acts, which could have made it a legendary pornographic film in the mode of the immortal Caligula, but instead is relegated to obscure B grade fare, although it still makes for naughty laughs and salacious comedy.
This leads me to believe that the true X-rated version of this movie is still out there.Notwithstanding those complaints, I have given this movie a higher rating than most other people for two reasons: 1.) I really, really like Flash Gordon, and I think this spoof was written and produced by people who did also.2.) The 3D camera work and animation is almost as good as Harryhausen in my opinion.
Good fun, especially if you say the original Flash Gordon series.
A porn film, sort of anyway, with a plot, some character development, good humor, and great animation.
The SFX so closely duplicate the effects of the 30's SF films, and are a delight for any adult who remembers seeing Flash Gordon save the Universe in 13 episodes.
Originally, it got an X rating, and they trimmed it down a bit to give it an R.Basically, it parodies the Flash Gordan serials of the 1930's, with stop-motion animation monsters and cheap space ships.