Buster Crabbe portrayed the iconic Flash Gordon as a man obsessed, giving the legendary film series its high-octane action and frantic speed.
He didn’t expect help when he faced certain death and jumped into action. Somehow, the rescue always came after the cliffhanger that ended each episode.
Similarly, the creators of the then high-cost production wasted no time in making sure that all the scientific details matched the reality or potential possibilities of the space-time theory. They created sets complete with electric arcs, surreal noise, and large machines with concentric circles of flickering lights. They discussed the details when it comes to power sources, transportation, and various high-flying technologies. The floating city of the bird men comes to mind.
Doctor Zarkov in his introduction to the dungeon-like palace laboratory immediately discovered the nuclear power source that allowed Ming the Merciless to rule all of Mongo and threaten the hapless planet Earth. The things that make you go, “Hmmmm,” to quote Arsenio Hall, found no answers in the script.
Society could use such enthusiasm and blind faith now. The debate on climate change has been removed from the presidential campaign. And energy independence is coming to mean relying on burning coal and natural gas. But the sordid, particulate-filled air will soon be determined to be the costliest disaster in human history.
We could use a hero.
mongo and climate change
The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson criticizes the president and his rival on climate change, saying “neither has brought it up in the debates.”
That is a problem. The nations of the world are racking up a huge debt in the form of carbon emitted by everything from campfires to aging diesel trucks to coal-fired power plants. Most scientists warn of dire consequences if the increasing rate of their production is not reversed.
Author and climate activist Bill McKibben says we don’t have much time to deal with this enemy. In an article for Rolling Stone, McKibben says that the Earth’s average temperature may only rise another 2 degrees Celsius before it succumbs to the significant effects of climate change. He says that is equivalent to 563 gigatons of carbon dioxide.
More piercings, really?
Robinson notes that President Obama stoked his fossil fuel credentials in the second presidential debate, saying, “We’ve increased oil production to the highest levels in 16 years.” Meanwhile, he quotes Republican challenger Mitt Romney as saying, “I’ll do it with more drilling.”
The “it” Romney refers to is energy independence. But energy, at least from fossil fuels, is controlled by world markets. To say that all fuel produced in the country should be used only in this country would be contrary to the free market beliefs espoused by Romney. In other words, increased domestic fossil fuel extraction won’t matter much.
The presidential campaign “is an opportunity with complicated implications for global prosperity and security,” says Robinson. “Unfortunately, Obama and Romney have chosen to see this more as an opportunity to pretend that the light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming train.”
Or Ming the Merciless.
Danger Will Robinson
As in the inaugural episode of Flash Gordon, meteorites (metaphorically) cascade over the planet. Only in this case we don’t have Flash to go out and look for solutions. It has to be achieved through slow and methodical investment in alternative energy solutions. Sure, it will cost money. No?
Director Frederick Stephani created those initial episodes of Flash Gordon, using what was then the best technology of the day. The suspension of disbelief and the story allowed the viewer to disappear into Mongo along with the Flash, Princess Aura, and Dale Arden. Never mind that the entire alien population of a marauding planet speaks perfect, albeit strained, English. As for the fact that the planet has an atmosphere and perpetual daylight even though it doesn’t orbit a star… big deal. Not everything needs an explanation.
Stephani uses scenarios like today’s science fiction directors employing armies of workers to create computer graphics. Many scenes look like stage productions. The same caves appear over and over again. The interiors of all the spaceships look the same, and some of the characters, a bearded James Pierce as Prince Thun, look as if they’ve grabbed the first Los Angeles beach bums to play minor roles. “Who are you? The beard looks good. You will,” is how I imagine Stephani playing the role of prince.
In other words, he made it work. We could do the same with alternative energy.
scene stealer
Stephani and the producers certainly recycled sets. Imdb.com reports that “despite its large budget (about three times that of its contemporaries), this series used many sets from other Universal movies, such as the lab and crypt from ‘Bride of Frankenstein’, the interiors of the castle from ‘The Daughter of Dracula’, the idol from ‘The Mummy’ and the interiors of the opera house from ‘The Phantom of the Opera'”.
However, with the exception of Crabbe, most of the people involved in the original Flash disappeared from the spotlight. I initially thought that Priscilla Lawson was somehow related to “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”. Perhaps a tribute like “To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar” was to her namesake.
There is no such luck. Despite the buzz, especially among young theatergoers, created by the cast of Flash Gordon, Lawson, Charles Middleton (who played Ming), Jean Rogers (who played Dale Arden), and others quickly disappeared from celluloid view. .
Princess Aura returns
Here’s a little bit of Priscilla Lawson, one of the most mysterious mystery women in Hollywood. Her film career peaked for her with Flash Gordon.
Roy Kinnard, author of the book “Science Fiction Series,” says Lawson’s career was too short. “She immortalized herself and endeared herself to generations of movie fans who, after seeing her, wanted to know more about her,” he says in a post on Tony LoBue’s Flash Gordon website.
Maybe that’s what happens to early players in a trend. Perhaps many of those who pioneered clean energy will be forgotten until the mainstream realizes its importance and the meaning of its message. Then you can be sure that the posts and tweets will start to burn your image.
Or maybe not. It would be nice to see Flash Gordon jump into battle unarmed and stand in front of the enemy. Oh, that’s right, Daryl Hannah did just that in Northeast Texas in October 2012, blocking construction crews working on the Keystone XL pipeline.