TV MovieScience FictionActionAdventure

Spaceship to the Unknown

A heavy condensation of the original serial compresses the original thirteen episodes into an efficient 97 minute feature. Disaster seems imminent when scientists discover that the planet Mongo is about to crash into Earth. Luckily, heroic young Flash Gordon is on hand to lead an investigative mission into outer space and onto the speedily approaching planet. There, he and his best girl, Dale, who is along for the ride, learn that Ming, the devious ruler of Mongo, has purposely put the planet on a collision course with Earth, and only Flash can stop him.

Release Date : 1966-01-01

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Hearst Entertainment ProductionsUniversal PicturesKing Features Syndicate

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Flash Gordon (archive footage)

Original Name : Buster Crabbe

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dale Arden (archive footage)

Original Name : Jean Rogers

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Hans Zarkov (archive footage)

Original Name : Frank Shannon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ming the Merciless (archive footage)

Original Name : Charles Middleton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Princess Aura (archive footage)

Original Name : Priscilla Lawson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Prince Barin (archive footage)

Original Name : Richard Alexander

Gender : Male

Character Name : King Vultan (archive footage)

Original Name : Jack 'Tiny' Lipson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prince Thun (archive footage)

Original Name : James Pierce

Gender : Male

Character Name : Officer Torch (archive footage)

Original Name : Earl Askam

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prof. Gordon (archive footage)

Original Name : Richard Tucker

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prof. Henson (archive footage)

Original Name : George Cleveland

Gender : Male

Character Name : The High Priest (archive footage)

Original Name : Lon Poff

Gender : Male

Character Name : Atom Furnace supervisor (archive footage)

Original Name : Charles McMurphy

Gender : Male

Character Name : Priest #2 (archive footage)

Original Name : Theodore Lorch

Gender : Male

Character Name : (scenes deleted) (archive footage) (as Duke York Jr.)

Original Name : Duke York

Gender : Male

Character Name : Transcontinental airplane pilot (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Lynton Brent

Gender : Male

Character Name : Telescreen monitor (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Al Ferguson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Robot / Ming soldier (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Fred Kohler Jr.

Gender : Male

Character Name : Monkey-Man (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Bull Montana

Gender : Male

Character Name : Monkey-Man (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Constantine Romanoff

Gender : Male

Character Name : Robot / Ming soldier / Gocko (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Glenn Strange

Gender : Male

Character Name : Captured soldier (archive footage) (uncredited)

Original Name : Harry Wilson

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2022-05-30

If you've seen the superbly hammy "Flash Gordon" remake from 1980, then you will recognise this as the base for most of that film. This version is a rather clunkily bolted together edit of the cracking 1936 serial and features the hunky Buster Crabbe in the title role, trying to keep his gal "Dale" (Jean Rogers) safe from the merciless "Ming" (Charles Middleton) whilst trying to keep himself safe from the preying eyes of Princess "Aura" (Priscilla Lawson). Although I did enjoy this, I much preferred the original serialisation. Each episode had that slight moment of peril at the end which we miss out on here, and the reduction from over 4 hours to just over 90 minutes does mean we lose quite a bit of the fun and drama of the story. Ever since I first saw these 40 years ago, I have wanted one of the rocket ships. They looked like flying irons with sparklers attached; but that was part of the charm. The acting was as wooden as the sets and the story was all about an wholesome derring-do with an inevitability to the ending that probably instilled in me my prevailing wish that the baddies should always win. (What did "Darth Vader" or "Jaws" do do deserve their comeuppance?). It's a great adventure film this, there is plenty of action and bearing in mind it is all but 90 years old, I really did find it flew by.