Music Narrative

Flash Gordon | Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars | Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
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Flash Gordon (1936)

     It has been 73 years since Flash Gordon made its debut on the silver screen in America. The first great science-fantasy serial film that was produced by Universal and based on the original comic strip that debuted in 1934. In the summer of 1935, Universal bought the rights to adapt the strip into a screenplay on behalf of Alex Raymond, the creator, who was employed by King Features Syndicate. The comic strip was virtually a moving storyboard that would serve as a guide for making the serial film. They filmed it the last 6 weeks of 1935. It was later released on April 6, 1936 and became an overnight sensation.

     But there was no guide that would serve to make the music score for the serial. Due to the economy of the time, the film editors at Universal would select the music tracks that were composed and scored for previous feature films and serials in the 1930's. In the film business, the correct word is called "tracking" music over from other music scores and editing them together for Flash Gordon. The result is a custom-made film score the serials have as a result of weeks of editing the sound and film together for the final cut and master negative.

     The only music that was originally composed and orchestrated for the Flash Gordon serials was by Clifford Vaughan. He had been at Universal Pictures since 1934, where he served as orchestrator for Edward Ward. In 1936, he left the studio to work as Franz Waxman's orchestrator at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in Culver City. He was born on September 23, 1893 in Bridgeton, New Jersey. He passed away at the age of 94 on November 23, 1987, at his El Monte home in California.

     The main title of Flash Gordon has the brass fanfare that leads to a romantic and weary theme and then returns to its opening fanfare in Vaughan's composition scored by the orchestra. After the first three chapters elapse into play, the remainder of the chapters are edited down with the middle section omitted from Vaughan's main title, along with the cast credits.

     The "narrative" section that Vaughan wrote is simply an extension of the main title. It is heard in chapter two through thirteen of the serial. It is the exotic and haunting theme that is highlighted by the saxophone that culminates with the return of the fanfare that first introduces the theme. It also serves as the "end title" in the serial (with the small exception of chapter thirteen).

     It is possible Constantin Bakaleinikoff conducted the main title to Flash Gordon. He was contracted by Universal in 1935 and conducted Waxman's score for The Bride of Frankenstein. The 1936 serial's main title was most likely recorded as part of a music session for a different film, since it would be too expensive for the studio to set up an orchestra for only a few minutes of music. Universal didn't have a contract orchestra at the time. Abe Meyer was a music contractor at Universal who was hired to take care of the music administrative duties. The memos from the sound department indicate different size ensembles and the need to keep the orchestra size down to a lower number of musicians.

     The first music cue heard after the main title is a fanfare anthem by David Klatzkin that accompanies a scene of the Earth in outer space at the 1:14 mark in the serial. It is heard a second time in chapter two's recap sequence with Flash in the arena at the 1:53 mark in the serial. The cue was composed for use in silent film, going back to the 1929-30 period.

     Inside the observatory is Professor Gordon and Professor Hensley, who are looking at the mysterious planet that is rushing towards the Earth through the telescope. It has broken its orbit and is moving closer to the Earth. This spells certain doom for the planet in a matter of hours. They open a cablegram that declares countries around the world are in "great distress" because of this pending disaster. The interior of the observatory was used in The Invisible Ray (1936).

     One music track from The Werewolf of London (1935) entitled "The Fight" is heard accompanying races seen in other countries that are in a state of emergency, because of the mysterious planet that is looming closer to colliding with the Earth. The latter section of this long fight cue is heard accompanying these scenes at the 2:25 mark in chapter one of Flash Gordon.

     Flash Gordon is returning home on a transcontinental flight to be with his family and prepare for the worst. There he meets fellow passenger Dale Arden on the plane. The music that establishes these scenes was tracked from The Invisible Man (1933). The main title from the horror-film is introduced during the in-flight scenes with its atmospheric-like sound heard at the 3:22 mark in chapter one of the serial. It continues as Flash and Dale bail out of the plane that is destroyed by the atmospheric storm.

     Universal's music director Heinz Roemheld was hired in 1929 by Carl Laemmle, but this was not his first film score that is heard in a Universal film. This brief score that he wrote a main title and finale for served brilliantly for The Invisible Man, that is based on the novel by H. G. Wells and directed by James Whale. The 1933 horror-film starred Claude Rains as a scientist who discovers how to make himself invisible, but goes murderously insane from its effects and is killed at the movie's finale.

     Music tracks from Destination Unknown (1933) composed by W. Franke Harling are first heard in chapter one of the 1936 serial film. Flash and Dale land by parachute in a field and see Zarkov's rocketship. The cue entitled "Storm Scene" is heard at the 4:54 mark in these scenes. The Holy Grail motif from Parsifal is paraphrased by Harling in the score as a religioso. Richard Wagner composed this leit motif for his last music opera he entitled Parsifal in 1882, just a year prior to his death. The music continues with an adjacent section of the cue at the 5:58 mark. The trio quickly decide they should fly to the onrushing planet which is going to collide with the Earth in a matter of hours.

     As they travel between the planets, the Harling cue entitled "Boat Strikes Rocks" is heard at the 8:21 mark in chapter one of the serial. Harling is liberally quoting the motifs Holy Grail and Dresden Amen, interwoven with the theme from Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1, with his own material juxtaposed in the score. A few moments after they land on the planet surface, they seek to find help to stop the impending collision. The score continues with the cue entitled, "Sun Streaming", which is heard at the 10:24 mark in chapter one. The Holy Grail motif is heard in the cue that serves as the finale music for the final scenes in Destination Unknown. The rocky terrain where Flash, Dale and Zarkov first land on Mongo was located on Universal's backlot. The exterior set with the man-made rock formations, made of hydracal, was originally constructed for the Universal film Nagana (1933). It was used numerous times in certain serial films and low-budget Westerns.

     Excerpts of "Storm Scene" can also be heard in other chapters of the 1936 serial film. It is heard at the 15:14 and 16:07 time marks, as the trio are inside Ming's palace and continues as Flash fights the guards in chapter one. In chapter three, the cue is heard again at the 8:54 mark, as Flash is fighting the Shark Men in the waterway. Yet another excerpt of "Storm Scene" is heard at the 18:19 mark in this chapter. It is heard when Flash is locked inside the water tank by Kala's men and can't get out.

     The music cue is heard in chapter four at the 13:51 mark of the 1936 serial. King Kala's palace has been sabotaged by Princess Aura and the sea is about to burst in and flood his underwater kingdom. The air machines are no longer working and they are facing air deprivation. In chapter seven, a fragment of the cue, with the Holy Grail motif is heard, first at the 9:01 mark in the serial. The music cue underscores a portion of the intimate scenes with Flash and Princess Aura in the laboratory. It is heard a few moments later at the 10:07 mark with King Vultan and Dale in the throne room.

     A later section of "Storm Scene" is first heard in chapter nine at the 18:30 mark in the serial. This is right after the High Priest has betrayed Princess Aura, by sounding the sacred gong in the tunnel. The Fire Dragon is approaching the drugged Flash Gordon and the music continues as the High Priest looks on with a crafty smile as Aura calls him a traitor. Prince Barin, Dale, Zarkov, and Vultan find their way in and the cue quickly ends.

     These later sections of "Storm Scene" can also be heard in chapter ten at 2:30 mark, which is the recap for the previous chapter, which takes place in the Tunnel of Terror, with the High Priest and the Fire Dragon. This excerpt is heard in chapter eleven at the 6:12 mark just after the invisible Flash has almost strangled Ming to death in the throne room. It is heard again at the 3:52 mark in chapter twelve of the serial film. Flash is fighting the Tigron in the tunnel as Ming is watching on the televisior. The final use of "Storm Scene" is heard at the 7:25 mark in chapter thirteen of the serial. It is heard as Ming's soldiers enter the door of the laboratory to capture Flash and his party.

     Two music cues heard in The Raven (1935) were tracked from Destination Unknown. A portion of the main title from the 1933 film (the first few bars were cut) served as the title music that opens up the Lugosi-Karloff film. In the beginning of the film, "Storm Scene" is heard in the scenes of the young woman driving her car that lead up to the accident. For the 1933 feature-film, "Storm Scene" was composed in three guises for the music score. The first variation is part of the main title that opens the film and wasn't used in Flash Gordon and Trip to Mars. The second and third guises of this Harling cue were tracked in the 1936 and 1938 serials respectively.

     In the 1933 film, the first guise of the cue underscores a hurricane that wrecks the ship and kills the crew. The second guise is heard about 46 minutes into the film. The third and final guise is heard in the final 7 minutes in Destination Unknown. The final 27 minutes of the 1933 film is continuous music that contains different cue titles, all recorded in one take at Universal. "Boat Strikes Rocks" is the Harling cue that continues after "Storm Scene" in the 1933 film. Harling's paraphrasing of Holy Grail and Dresden Amen are intergrated in the score, along with the theme from Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1, juxtaposed with his own material. Excerpts of the cue are also heard in chapter three at the 9:43 mark. This is where Flash is fighting the Shark Men in the waterway corridor. He and Dale wind up as prisoners and board their undersea vehicle to be taken to King Kala.

     The cue is heard again at the 14:45 mark in chapter four of the serial. Kala is trying to save his palace by communicating with Ming, but his efforts prove useless, as the sea is about to rush in and destroy it. The cue is heard again in chapter five at the 13:44 mark in the serial film. The music underscores the rocket voyage in Prince Barin's rocketship from Mongo to the Sky City, so they can rescue Dale. The last use of "Boat Strikes Rocks" is in chapter twelve at the 8:09 mark in the serial. Ming tells Flash and Barin they are free and may tell the others this news.

     The Harling cue entitled "You Can't Get Away With It", is primarily used in fight scenes in the 1936 serial. Harling is paraphrasing the Holy Grail motif from Parsifal in a different guise in the cue. It is first heard in the recap sequence in chapter three at the 2:37 mark in the serial. Sections of the cue are juxtaposed at the 13:33, 14:10, and 14:25 marks in chapter three of the serial. They underscore the scenes of the Octosac fighting the shark in the underwater kingdom. Later in this chapter, it's heard again as Flash is fighting the Octosac at the 20:11 and 20:30 marks in the serial.

     The cue is heard again in chapter four at the 11:35 mark in the serial. Flash gets into an intense struggle with one of Kala's men in the control room, as Princess Aura blows up the panel that maintains the safety of the kingdom. It is heard again in chapter five at the 7:50 mark of the serial. Flash is fighting off the arriving Hawkmen, who have spoiled their escape from Kala's palace and take Dale prisoner. The cue is tracked again in chapter six at the 14:18 mark in the serial. It undercores the fight in the Atom Furnace when Flash Gordon and the other prisoners defy the Hawkmen and are defeated in battle. The last use of the Harling cue is in chapter seven at the 10:30 and 10:52 marks. It underscores Flash as he is fighting off Vultan's soldiers, but is quickly captured and taken back to the furnace room.

     Destination Unknown has remained unavailable to film collectors for decades. Universal Pictures didn't license the film for television airplay is the reason why. Realart Pictures reissued the film in the late 40's-early 50's, but no one can remember seeing it air on television. On March 8, 2004, the 66-minute film was screened at the film festival, sponsored by the Syracuse Cinefile Society at Lowe's State Theater in New York. On December 18, 2004, the film was shown again at the Wexner Center at Ohio State University. On September 29th, 2007, the 1933 film was screened as part of the Fall Cinesation film festival, sponsored by The Great Lakes Cinephile Society at the Lincoln Theater in Massillion, Ohio. The film was part of the Stony Brook and Long Island Film Festival at Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York. The date of the screening was on Monday evening at 9:45 p.m. on July 21, 2008.

     The Library of Congress holds all the Universal films in their archives that were never released on home video. The library painstakingly restored the original 35 mm nitrate negative and struck off only one reprint of the 1933 feature-film. The library began construction of a new facility that was completed in spring of 2007. The older facilities began to transport all the library's holdings to the new facility the year before. The National Audio-Visual Conservation Center is what it's called today. It's located just 60 miles southwest of Washington.

     The late film historian, William K. Everson might have been the only man that could have acquired a 16mm print of the film. In the early 80's, Destination Unknown wasn't on his list of films, but it was known that he generously loaned out his prints and didn't keep track of them, so it's a possibility that someone has it. Everson died on April 14, 1996 and his widow donated his collection to New York University and it's housed at George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. DVD preserves the life of classic films and collectors keep requesting the studio to release the film, while trying to obtain a print that could be transferred to video someday.

     W. Franke Harling was born on January 18, 1887 in London, England. He entered American film in 1928, scoring at First National Pictures. In his long career, he composed scores for 150 motion pictures through 1955. He was nominated for the Music Scoring Awards in the height of his career. The first was for the 1937 film, Soul of Seas, which he lost. The second was for Stagecoach in 1939, which he won for best score. The third nomination was for Three Russian Girls in 1944, which he lost.

     Prior to joining the film business, Harling was a chapel organist and choirmaster at West Point. He composed "The Corps" for the closing of the old Cadet Chapel held on June 12, 1910 at West Point. On November 22, 1958, Harling passed away at the age of 71 in Sierra Madre, California.

     Another music contribution heard in Flash Gordon is tracked directly from Bombay Mail (1934). This train-mystery film starring Edmund Lowe is set in India, at the time under the rule of the British Commonwealth. The train departs from Calcutta and is destined to stop in Bombay. The Governor of Bengal is poisoned to death and twelve of the passengers are suspected of the murder. This 1934 film is currently unobtainable on home video, so write to Universal and request they issue the film for DVD release.

     Heinz Roemheld's excellent score is at its most colorful with this exciting Oriental music that provides the perfect music accompaniment to the Far East locales and characters in the film. Its use in Flash Gordon makes the overall value of the serial much more enjoyable and exciting in totality. As Flash, Dale and Zarkov are being escorted to Ming's throne room in chapter one, the exotic cue "March Bombay #1" is heard at the 13:50 mark. It segues into the slow and torturous "Xavier" cue at the 14:08 mark, and then segues into "March Bombay #2" at the 14:34 mark in the serial. The "Xavier" theme has rhythm sections that are reminiscent of March Slave (Op. 31). The classic piece was composed in the fall of 1876, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).

     In chapter two, "March Bombay #1" accompanies scenes in Ming's laboratory of the High Priest at the 14:02 mark. He is using the spaceograph to communicate with the Great God Tao, to obtain permission to sanction Ming's marriage to the hypnotized Dale, who has been stolen away from Flash. The first march segues into "Xavier" at the 14:15 mark and then segues into "March Bombay #2" at the 14:41 mark in the serial with Flash and Thun in the laboratory. The stock footage of the Oracle and the erotically-attired female dancers was culled from the sound film, Just Imagine (1930). These shots were superimposed on the spaceograph monitor for these scenes in chapter two of the serial.

     "The Fight" cue from The Werewolf of London is heard again in Ming's throne room at the 16:58 mark, as Aura tells Ming if Flash wins his battle in the arena, that he is hers to marry. As the guards throw Flash in the arena, some of the finale cues from The Invisible Man are heard as the gong sounds the fight with the Monkey Men entering the arena to kill Flash. "Men Approach" is heard at the 17:26 mark, then "Fire" at the 17:36 mark, followed by "Invisible Man Awakes" at the 17:47 mark, and "Shot" at the 18:00 mark, which concludes the use of these cues in chapter one of the serial, that are heard in the last nine minutes of The Invisible Man.

     These brief cues were derived from the main title of the 1933 horror-film. The music in The Invisible Man's finale is one, long continuous segment. However, the cue sheets list fifteen individual cue titles that were composed for one scene or more in the film. Most all of them were used in Flash Gordon, with the exception of the last two cues, in the film starring Claude Rains.

     "The Fight" cue is heard again from The Werewolf of London at the 18:08 mark, as Flash is battling the Monkey Men in the arena. This latter section of the cue is repeated again at the 18:36 mark and the 19:06 mark in the serial. In subsequent chapters of Flash Gordon, other sections of "The Fight" are used and edited down to fit the required scenes in the serial film. The cue is fairly long and runs just under three minutes in length. It was directly tracked from the 1935 horror-film's music score.

     Flash has defeated the Monkey Men in battle as Aura disobeys Ming and runs into the arena to defend his victory. At the 19:40 mark, Ming rises from his throne, and yells out orders to the guards, "Get my daughter out of there!", just as the slow, sinister-like cue entitled "The Prowling Monster" is briefly heard establishing Ming's evil presence.

     The cue juxtaposes back to a latter section of "The Fight" cue at the 19:52 mark in the serial that culminates with Ming ordering his guard to open the pit in the floor to trap Flash and Aura. She shoots down the guard, but his hand is caught on the lever, the pit opens and they fall inside it, just as the main title of Flash Gordon by Clifford Vaughan is heard at the 20:26 mark, that concludes chapter one of the 1936 serial.

     Chapter two marks the introduction of the "narrative" that is an extension of the main title of Flash Gordon at the 1:13 mark in the serial. This exotic and haunting orchestral theme is highlighted by the saxophone and accompanies all chapter forewards in the serial after its inital debut heard in this chapter of Flash Gordon. As the chapter begins with the recap of the previous chapter, the fanfare anthem by David Klatzkin is heard for the second time at the 1:53 mark in the serial. It establishes Aura running into the arena to defend Flash and protest against Ming's evil wishes to get rid of him after his victory against the Monkey Men.

     More cues from The Werewolf of London are heard in this chapter, starting with the cue title known as "The Lost Soul" at the 2:00 mark in the serial. It is heard in the arena as Flash and Aura battle the guards that leads to the pit opening in the floor and they fall inside it. The cue segues into the Werewolf cue entitled "First Sign" at the 2:41 mark, just as Ming orders his guards to make prisoners of them both.

     The early portion of "First Murder" is heard at the 4:04 mark in chapter two of the serial. Flash and Aura are hiding in the caves and Ming's soldiers are looking for them. "The Menace" is juxtaposed at the 4:14 mark, as the two are quietly watching them and converse. "Second Murder" is juxtaposed at the 4:29 mark, as the two of them make their escape from the caves to the planet surface.

     The main title from The Werewolf of London is first heard in Ming's laboratory at the 15:30 mark, as Flash and Thun depart to rescue the hypnotized Dale from the unscrupulous wedding ceremony Ming has arranged for himself, that is located in the underground chapel underneath the palace grounds. "First Murder" can also be heard at the 8:37 mark in chapter nine of the serial. It establishes the High Priest and Princess Aura. It's heard again in chapter ten at the 3:41 mark that establishes Ming's throne room. "Second Murder" is also heard at the 14:52 mark in chapter three of the serial. It establishes King Kala in his throne room. It's later heard at the 9:44 mark in chapter thirteen of the serial. Finally, "The Prowling Monster" is used eleven times, mostly in the last half of the 1936 film.

     "Appassionato" is the enthusiastic and impassionate theme which is first heard at the 17:06 mark of this chapter. This tragic appassionato underscores the wedding of Ming and Dale. The second section of the cue is a written continuation in another guise at the 17:33 mark in chapter two of the serial. In the final chapter, it's heard during the aftermath of Ming's death.

     "Finale" is the cue that is heard at the 17:41 mark in this chapter. It underscores Flash and Thun searching for Dale and the wedding ceremony. This mournful and holy theme serves as a maestoso, which soars as high as the heavens can go. It's later heard in chapter thirteen as Emperor Ming walks to his death in the tunnel. Both of these cues have shades of Richard Wagner in their music composition. Hajos composed them for the final scenes in The Werewolf of London (1935).

     Music selections of other Werewolf cues are heard in various chapters in the serial. The cue entitled "In Despair" is heard one time during a scene in Vultan's sky city at the 15:09 mark in chapter five of the serial. It establishes Vultan and Dale in his throne room, where he attempts to rape her. The beginning of this Hajos cue is a reprisal of "The Old Tale" and it segues into a derivative of the main title from Werewolf in these scenes.

     "The Two Werewolves" can be heard at the 5:45 mark in chapter eight of the serial. It establishes Dr. Zarkov taking Vultan, Ming and the others into the laboratory, so he can use his new ray to save the sky city from destruction after Flash has destroyed the furnace room. It continues as Zarkov declares his friends are now free, but Ming goes back on his word and declares as Emperor of the Universe, there will be a tournament that will decide the outcome of their freedom, pointing to Flash, Barin and their brides, Dale and Aura.

     The beginning of "The Fight" can be heard again at the 16:17 mark in chapter nine of the serial. It establishes Aura and the High Priest with Flash, who is passed out from the drugged wine, at the entrance to the Sacred Underground Palace of Tao. The reprisal of Werewolf's main title is heard in a different guise and segues into a lovely motif in these scenes.

     Aura asks the High Priest, "Are you sure the Fire Dragon will not molest us?" He replies, "Perfectly sure. Your royal highness can trust her humble servant." The High Priest gives Princess Aura the drops of forgetfulness, which she administers to a semi-awake Flash and says, "You must be quiet. Take this."

     The High Priest then tells her, "When he awakes, he will have entirely forgotton the past." They slowly back away from Flash and the cue is juxtaposed to a segment of "The Lost Soul" at the 17:15 mark. It continues and establishes Barin, Dale, Zarkov and Vultan on their way to find Flash in the underground tunnel beneath the palace.

     "The Lost Soul" culminates as the High Priest works the lever that open the doors to the Tunnel of Terror. He explains to Aura, "That is the abode of the dragon. He sleeps, therefore we can pass." Aura questions him, "Are you sure?" He calmly reassures her, "Yes, my princess. Nothing but this gong can awaken him."

     "The Prowling Monster" is heard at the 18:58 mark that establishes Barin, Dale, Zarkov and Vultan running to the entrance of the tunnel, with the Fire Dragon's lethal breath illuminating the tunnel and Flash. It cuts to a close-up of Dale, who screams as it appears the Fire Dragon has consumed the drugged Flash in the final scene of chapter nine. The concluding scenes in chapter twelve has stock footage culled from the silent serial, Tarzan the Tiger (1929). It was edited in and around the shots of the tame tiger with Jean Rogers and her stunt double on the catacomb set.

     "Werewolf Theme" is heard only once at the 3:26 mark in chapter thirteen of the serial. It establishes Flash, Dale, Aura and Vultan walking through the cave after escaping near-death from Prince Barin's ship attacking the turret house. They hear the sound of guards in the tunnel, as Flash asks them, "Do you hear that?" It is briefly revealed a few scenes later, that Prince Barin was never in his ship after all and was taken prisoner by Ming's guards.

     The music from The Werewolf of London dominates the 1936 serial and covers a wide range of dramatic and action scenes over the thirteen chapters that span four hours of the entire serial. Perhaps at times the music is overused, but it does serve its purpose excellently in the serial. Another benefit is many sections of the cues can be heard much better in the quieter storyline that suits Flash Gordon and this music to perfection.

     Karl Hajos was born on January 28, 1889 in Budapest, Hungary. He attended the University of Budapest and the Academy of of Music in Budapest. He wrote scores for several stage musicals in New York including The Black Pierrot, The Red Cat, Natja, White Lilacs, and America Sings.

     He entered the motion picture business in 1927 and joined ASCAP in 1929. Hajos worked at Paramount Pictures for a number of years before turning to free-lance work through 1950. Some of his popular music compositions include Falling Leaves, Beautiful Dawn and Melodies Within My Heart. His moody and sinister score that he composed for The Werewolf of London (1935) is among his best remembered work in the history of film music.

     In his career he composed and directed 46 film scores from 1927 through 1950. He was nominated for Best Scoring Award for the film Summer Storm in 1944 and garnered another nomination for The Man Who Walked Alone in 1945. Karl Hajos passed away at age 60 on February 1, 1950 in Los Angeles, California.

     One contribution heard in Flash Gordon is from the silent film The Midnight Sun (1931). Most of the film's music score was composed by Bernhard Kaun, son of Hugo Kaun. He was one of Roemheld's music teachers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There are no prints of The Midnight Sun that can be found in circulation. The music can only be heard through its reuse in Flash Gordon and subsequent Universal films.

     The non-dialogue version of the film was given a private screening at Universal, but it isn't known if it was ever shown in this country. These silent films were produced as "filler" for overseas distribution because they hadn't yet figured out what to do with exhibiting English dialogue talkies in a non-English speaking country, and produced these versions to fill in an otherwise empty schedule. As a standard practice, they would produce the inter-titles in English as reference, and the new foreign-language inter-titles could be easily produced and cut in.

     Eventually, they signed contracts to produce their films in foreign countries including France. This was considered the equivalent of them producing a Spanish-language Dracula, with the difference that the films were produced in a foreign country and not in Hollywood. This didn't last very long. The Midnight Sun is about the Russian Revolution and the only thing that looked out of the ordinary were the ballet sequences.

     The cue entitled "Orloff" can be heard in chapter two at the 18:52 mark of the serial as Flash battles the Gocko in the Tunnel of Terror. It is heard again in chapter three at the 7:11 mark, as Flash and Dale have fallen into the waterway that leads to the undersea palace of King Kala. It establishes the Shark Men swimming after them and Flash engages in the underwater fight with them. The stock footage of the octopus and marine life featured in segments of chapter three and four was culled from the silent film, The Black Pearl (1928).

     It is heard again in chapter four at the 15:32 mark as Flash is battling the Octosac in the water tank that is being controlled by King Kala. It is heard for the last time in this chapter at the 19:25 mark as Kala's palace is starting to malfunction from Aura, who has destroyed the control room that maintains the safety of his undersea kingdom. Bernhard Kaun was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on April 5, 1899. He passed away at the age of 81, on January 3, 1980 in Baden-Baden, Germany.

     In chapter eight of the serial, a fanfare anthem is heard at the 7:43 mark that preceeds Flash fighting the mighty masked swordsman of Mongo and is heard again at the 13:11 mark right before Flash fights the Orangupoid in the Tournament of Death that takes place at King Vultan's sky city. It was composed by Sam A. Perry and no doubt its origin dates back to the silent film era around 1929-30.

     Chapter five introduces music from The Black Cat (1934). This classic horror-film starred Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and was composed by Heinz Roemheld. His love of the classics is evident in this film's music score, which adds a significant cinematic impact when heard in segments of the 1936 serial. For The Black Cat, an orchestra ensemble of only twenty-eight musicians recorded most of the music in a nine-hour session. Heinz Roemheld conducted and supervised the orchestra for his score. The organist was given an eight-hour session to record the remainder of the music.

      Much of his score is based on the classic works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Fryderyk Chopin, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, with paraphrasing employed in the score. It's a clever way of thinly disguising the music to make it sound a little bit different from the original piece. A good example of Roemheld paraphrasing these classics is heard during the climax of The Black Cat.

     Brahms' Rhapsody in B Minor is first heard in the climax, that was originally a piano arrangement that Roemheld had liberally paraphrased, then segues into Allegro Appassionato, that he originally wrote into the score. The music continues with a liberal paraphrasing of Sonata in B Minor, originally a piano piece that was composed by Franz Liszt (1811-1886). The first 30 seconds introduce the recap section of the Liszt piano Sonata that Roemheld paraphrased in the score. It's heard for another 36 seconds after the initial introduction. The music continues under the title of "Cat Interlude" in the score. Roemheld repeated a section that wasn't repeated in the piano Sonata, with his own climactic bridge in between.

     More bridge material leads to the opening of Tasso, Lament, and Triumph, Symphonic Poem No. 2. It was originally arranged by Franz Liszt in 1849. The classic was paraphrased once again by Roemheld in the score. The climactic sequence continues with "Cat Threat" and it segues into "Cat Love Theme". The Romeo and Juliet love theme is paraphrased in the score. It serves as the finale music that underscores the final scenes in The Black Cat.

     "Cat Love Theme" is listed several times in The Black Cat, but each use is a different arrangement. Many times, cue titles in the early Universal films were used in a generic fashion to identify a theme, even though the specific cue had a different treatment. Roemheld was liberally paraphrasing the Romeo and Juliet overture by Tchaikovsky in the cue to avoid possible copyright infringement on his behalf.

     "Cat Neutral" was a piece that Roemheld composed for act one in The Black Cat. It underscores the introduction of Dr. Poelzig in his bedroom. The intercom announces the arrival of Dr. Werdegast, who has the Alison couple with him. The three of them were involved in the bus accident and Mrs. Alison needs medical attention. Dr. Poelzig adjourns to the main room as the music is in progress.

     Sonata in B Minor starts off the cue and segues into the Romeo and Juliet love theme as Mrs. Alison is being treated by Dr. Werdegast. It continues as the camera zooms in on the married couple. This is when a direct quote from Tasso, Lament and Triumph concludes the scene. These classic pieces were slightly paraphrased in the music score by Roemheld.

     The climactic music from The Black Cat is first used in the chapter five recap of Flash Gordon. It was previously tracked in the climax of The Werewolf of London and The Raven (1935). A latter section of Allegro Appassionato establishes Ming's castle at the 1:32 mark, that fades to the laboratory as Torch summons Ming and Zarkov to the spaceograph. Kala's palace is crumbling from Aura's sabotage and nothing can be done to save Flash, Dale and Thun. The shots of the mine timbers crumbling as the floodwaters rise in Kala's palace was culled from Universal's silent film entitled Perch of the Devil (1927).

     Sonata in B Minor begins at the 1:55 mark, that establishes Flash and Aura on their way to save Dale and Thun from the massive flooding that is about to begin as the sea breaks through the walls in Kala's palace. It continues as the scene fades to the laboratory where Ming has a method to stop the destruction of the undersea palace by using a ray to counteract its magnetic power that maintains it under the sea.

     "Cat Interlude" starts at the 3:02 mark, just as Ming is using the ray in the laboratory to raise Kala's palace above the sea. It continues as Flash, Dale, Thun and Aura are discussing the fate of Kala's palace and which kingdom to take refuge at. The last few seconds of "Cat Interlude" establishes the first glimpse of Prince Barin, who has secretly entered the laboratory in the serial.

     Brahms' Rhapsody in B Minor is first heard at the 12:49 mark in Vultan's sky city as his men are reviving Dale. When she awakens to his towering and laughing presence, she runs in fear of him, but has no means of escape. Just prior to these scenes is the introduction of Les Preludes at the 12:04 and 12:35 marks in chapter five of the serial. Roemheld is doing a subtle paraphrasing of the Liszt classic, which he took a few direct quotes for his score in The Black Cat, that is tracked in chapters five through thirteen in Flash Gordon.

     Les Preludes is heard again at the 15:35 mark in chapter twelve of the serial. Barin's rocketship is in flight to the turret house to meet Flash and his party. The giant lizards are roaming the planet surface. A section of Rakoczy March is heard at the 15:43 mark and segues to The Black Cat's main title at the 15:46 mark in the serial. It's repeated at the 1:44 mark in chapter thirteen's recap sequence. It underscores Flash and his party just arriving at the turret house. In the 1934 film, Roemheld took direct quotes from Liszt's Rakoczy March, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 (1846), for two scenes and employed paraphrasing for both of them in the score.

     The march theme used in chapter twelve of the serial was originally composed for the latter scenes of the bus crash and establishes the home of Dr. Poelzig. The main title of The Black Cat introduces the paraphrased recap section of the Piano Sonata in B Minor. It continues with the love theme from Romeo and Juliet that Roemheld paraphrased in the score.

     Chapter six uses more music from The Black Cat. The cue entitled "Cat Neutral" is heard at the 8:36 mark in this chapter of the serial. It underscores King Vultan's entrance into the laboratory to confer with Dr. Zarkov. Their discussion is about the nature of the Atom Furnace and why a new substitute must be discovered. The supply of raduim will soon be exhausted and the sky city will face complete destruction.

     Sonata in B Minor starts off the cue, with a cut in one section. The Romeo and Juliet love theme is heard, which segues into a somber portion of Liszt's, Tasso, Lament and Triumph. Vultan tells Zarkov that Flash is enslaved in the furnace room and will die from the exposure to the lethal radium. The title "Cat Neutral" is befitting for the neutrality and emotion in the scenes, just as it was in The Black Cat.

     The above theme is also used under the cue title of "Cat Love Theme" in four other scenes of Flash Gordon, with the Tasso section being omitted, enabling it to fit these intimate scenes in the 1936 serial. In chapter nine, "Cat Love Theme" is heard at the 7:57 mark, accompanying a tender love scene with Flash and Dale, after his victory in the Tournament of Death. The jealous and emotionally hurt Aura secretly watches them converse and kiss, as this theme underscores these scenes in the serial.

     It is heard a second time in chapter ten at the 5:36 mark in Ming's throne room. The drugged Flash won't chose his bride and can't remember anyone, with the slight exception of Aura. This appears to a clever trick that she and the High Priest have staged for Flash and she protests Vultan's accusations and appeals to Ming to side with her, as the paraphrasing of the love theme from Romeo and Juliet is heard in these scenes in the serial.

     The third time "Cat Love Theme" is heard is during the scenes in the laboratory as Zarkov, Flash and Dale are communicating with Professor Gordon back on the Earth at the 10:22 mark in chapter twelve of the serial. They are planning to depart back to the Earth and their love for one another is very evident in these scenes, which has Roemheld paraphrasing Tchaikovsky's classic love theme from the Romeo and Juliet overture.

     The fourth and final use of "Cat Love Theme" is heard in a latter section of chapter thirteen at the 14:45 mark in Flash Gordon. The trio are being escorted to their ship by Aura, Barin, Thun and Vultan. As they start to converse and say their goodbyes to one another, the cue begins with the paraphrasing of the love theme from Romeo and Juliet.

     It continues as they board the ship and wave goodbye to Aura, Barin, Thun and Vultan, who repeat this gesture of their love and friendship in return for the trio's. The cue quickly juxtaposes to the main title of The Black Cat at the 15:21 mark as Flash and Dale embrace and speak intimately to each other. The paraphrased Romeo and Juliet love theme underscores this scene in the final chapter of Flash Gordon.

     Chopin Piano Prelude No. 2 is used at the 6:08 mark in chapter six. It begins as King Vultan orders his soldiers to take Flash and Barin prisoner to the furnace room. The piano arrangement was paraphrased by Roemheld in the score for The Black Cat. This classic piece was originally composed by Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849). The prelude continues as the scenes inside Vultan's sky city fades to an exterior shot of Ming's castle, then fading to the inside the palace. Emperor Ming and Officer Torch are quietly conversing about his daughter Aura's whereabouts with the Earth people, revealing they have sought refuge at King Vultan's sky city.

     Heinz Roemheld was born on May 1, 1901 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. By the age of four he was already playing the piano. He was a graduate of Milwaukee's College of Music at age 19. He worked in theaters to earn money for his piano studies in Europe. He went to Berlin in 1920, where he studied with Hugo Kaun, Ferrucio Busoni, and Egon Petri. Two years later he made his debut as guest soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

     In 1925, Roemheld was performing on the piano and conducting the orchestra for the silent film The Phantom of the Opera in his home state of Wisconsin. Carl Laemmle, the president of Universal Pictures was in the audience and noticed him. He was highly impressed and hired Roemheld to manage Universal's theaters, first in Washington D. C. and then in Berlin. He left in 1929 and returned to the United States because of the increasing Nazism in Germany.

     He joined Universal Pictures as a composer and musical director in 1930. He conducted his first score for All Quiet on the Western Front and then composed and conducted his own score for the German silent film Universal acquired, The White Hell of Pitz Palu that year. The score he composed and conducted for The Black Cat in 1934 is one of his best remembered in the history of film music of that era. He worked at Universal through 1936. That year, he composed the score for Dracula's Daughter and left the studio.

     He later worked for Paramount Pictures and spent ten years at Warner Brothers. He then decided to work free-lance for the studios in the mid-40's. One of his most outstanding jobs was for some scenes in Gone With the Wind in 1939, that included the burning of Atlanta, that was filmed at RKO Pictures in Culver City. He won the Academy Award in 1942 for Yankee Doodle Dandy and in 1952, he wrote "Ruby" for the film Ruby Gentry.

     He continued to compose film scores until the late 50's, which included jobs at MGM, Fox and Universal. He contributed scores to their science-fiction thrillers such as The Mole People (1956), The Creature That Walks Among Us (1957), and The Land Unknown (1957). He attempted to write for television and found out he didn't enjoy it. In 1964, he left the business and retired.

     In his retired years, he continued to focus working on his classical compositions that included preludes, sonatinas, quartets, and quintets. On more than one occasion, he conducted his own compositions with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He also took time to visit Hawaii, Majorca, Tahiti and other exotic locales. He passed away on February 11, 1985 in Huntington Beach, California. He was 84.

     During his long career he composed, arranged and conducted music scores for over 600 motion pictures and serials that include: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), Tarzan the Tiger (1929), The White Hell of Pitz Palu (1930), Dracula (1931), The Invisible Man (1933), Bombay Mail (1934), The Black Cat (1934), The Perils of Pauline (1934), East of Java (1935), The Great Impersonation (1935), Dracula's Daughter (1936), The Return of Jimmy Valentine (1936), You Can't Get Away With Murder (1939), Shine On Harvest Moon (1944), Mr. Ace (1946), A Scandal in Paris (1946), It Had to Be You (1947), Gentleman Jim (1947), The Monster That Challenged the World (1957).

     New music selections from Bombay Mail are heard in chapter five of Flash Gordon. The exotic and march-like theme cue entitled "Emergency Brake" is first heard at the 4:22 mark in the serial. It briefly establishes Prince Barin in the laboratory and then cuts to Officer Torch and his men patrolling the caves searching for Flash and his party, then cuts to Ming's rocketship fleet on course to Kala's flood-ravaged palace to discover the whereabouts of Flash and his party. Three other variations of this theme cue are titled "Inspector Theme" for their use in Bombay Mail, that are tracked over in Flash Gordon.

     "Calcutta Suspense" is the exotic theme that is first heard at the 5:03 mark in the serial, as the tall knight in armour makes his presence known to Dr. Zarkov in the laboratory. He asks the doctor if he is concerned about his friends and what would he give to save them. He tells the knight in armour he would give his life to save them. He then reveals his identity as Prince Barin, the real ruler of Mongo, who was dethroned as a child by Ming the Merciless, as his father was killed by the tyrant.

     Barin maintains a scientist of Zarkov's genius can aid him in overthrowing Ming. The doctor asks him in the meantime what about helping his friends. Barin tells him, "I will save them, but we must get to Kala's palace before Ming's party." Zarvok then asks him, "The price?"

     Barin replies, "The allegiance of you and your friends." The two men shake hands in this mutual agreement of their friendship, just as a segment of "Inspector Interlude #2" is first heard at the 5:40 mark, with Barin telling Zarkov, "I've hoped for this moment since I learned of your arrival on Mongo. My rocketship is waiting to rescue your friends, come." They quickly exit the laboratory.

     "Inspector Theme #3" is first heard in the following scene that establishes Barin's ship nestled in the cave entrance at the 5:51 mark of the serial. It continues as Barin's ship gently takes flight, then cut to the next scene of the prehistoric creatures roaming the surface of Mongo, and cuts back to Barin's ship in flight above the planet.

     "Inspector Interlude #1" is first heard at the 6:30 mark that establishes the faces of the giant prehistoric creatures looking up at Barin's ship, and then cuts back to his ship in flight above the planet surface. The theme continues into the next scene, just as Flash, Dale, Aura and Thun discover the cave exit from Kala's flood-ravaged palace, that leads to a rock ledge above the valley floor on Mongo.

     The cue segues into "Shirley's Theme #2" at the 6:53 mark in the serial. It establishes the Hawkman in flight above the landscape and segues into "Inspector Interlude #2" at the 7:22 mark in the serial. It establishes Flash and his party exiting the cave mouth of Kala's palace, down the steps of the rock ledge to the planet surface of Mongo.

     "Inspector Theme #2" is first heard at the 10:48 mark that establishes King Vultan's sky city and fades to his men reviving Dale in his throne room. The theme also marks King Vultan's entrance as he marches into the throne room and inquires about Dale's condition and the fate of the Lion Man who was captured. They tell King Vultan he has been sent to the atom furnace room.

     "Inspector Theme #1" is first heard in chapter ten at the 17:09 mark in the serial. It establishes Flash waking up from his drug-induced condition on the table in the laboratory. Barin calls out to Zarkov that he is awaking. To their amazement, Flash remembers his friends and of course, his lady-love, Dale Arden.

     The "Inspector Interludes" and "Shirley's Theme #2" is one continuous piece of music that are comprised of three themes, each individually titled, all interwoven together for the score in Bombay Mail. In some segments of Flash Gordon, all three can be heard in the same sequence with some editing applied to a certain degree. In other segments of Flash Gordon, the cues have been juxtaposed out-of-sequence by the film editors to fit a required scene.

     This is the same case for the "Inspector Themes" that were composed for Bombay Mail. They are heard in the first 20 minutes of the 1934 feature-film and each one is a different arrangement that was composed and scored by Heinz Roemheld to avoid repetition. The cue title "Emergency Brake" is the fastest variation of the "Inspector Theme" that is later heard in Bombay Mail, but goes under this title to correctly fit the scenes on the train. In Flash Gordon, they are being juxtaposed out-of-sequence by the film editors to fit required scenes in the serial.

     "March Bombay #3" is first heard at the 10:35 mark in chapter six of Flash Gordon. It is the wild and orgy-like march theme that establishes King Vultan's banquet with Dale and Aura as his guests of honor in this segment of chapter six. This lively theme continues to underscore these scenes as they watch his erotically-attributed female dancers entertain him at the banquet.

     Ballet Russe stock shots of Laura La Plante are seen in chapter six that were culled from The Midnight Sun (1926). "March Bombay #3" is accompanying these stock shots, along with the live-action scenes in Vultan's banquet in the sky city. Some of the rhythm sections of this cue are reminiscent of "Scene Finale" from Act III of Swan Lake, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).

     "East Indian Skirmish" is heard at the 12:07 mark that is being juxtaposed in the mix immediately after "March Bombay #3" reaches its conclusion. Vultan's banquet is interrupted by the alarm that indicates there is mutiny in the furnace room on behalf of Flash's disobeying and defying the slavemaster and his men. These cues were originally composed in the same sequence for Bombay Mail and tracked over for some segments heard in Flash Gordon.

     Another music selection from Bombay Mail that is tracked in Flash Gordon is the cue title "Fight in Bombay". In the 1934 feature-film it originally underscores a fight scene outside the train. It is first heard in chapter eight of the serial at the 13:21 mark. The cue title accompanies Ming's officer entering the Arena of Death, who walks up to Ming and Vultan and tells them the Earthman is ready to fight the next tournament match. It is heard later in chapter ten as Ming's guards are barely able to imprison King Vultan in the dungeon cell underneath the palace at the 7:06 mark in the serial. Some of the rhythm sections of this cue are reminiscent of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony classic, Providence Motif.

     Yet another selection from Bombay Mail tracked over to Flash Gordon is the exotic and tense cue entitled "Bombay Tension". It is heard only once in the serial at the 14:00 mark. It establishes Ming sitting at his throne in the palace. He rises from his chair to consult with Torch, who tells him that Prince Barin is preparing his rocketship to depart and will meet Flash and his party at the lake of rocks, by the turret house. Of course, Ming tells his loyal officer that he will have a surprise waiting for them all.

     The last music selection culled from Bombay Mail is its main title, heard at the 16:12 mark in chapter twelve of the serial. This exciting and exotic theme establishes Officer Torch and his men making their way through the caves underneath the palace. It continues as Flash, Dale, Vultan and Aura are exiting the palace grounds to meet Prince Barin at the turret house, by the lake of rocks.

     The final music contribution heard in Flash Gordon is from the feature-film made by Universal entitled The Raven (1935). The dance ballad by the cue title of "Adagio Dance" is heard in the final scenes at the 19:35 mark in chapter thirteen of the serial. It was composed by Clifford Vaughan for the 1935 classic horror-film that starred Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.

     "Adagio Dance" briefly establishes the aerial view from inside Zarkov's rocketship of New York City and cuts to Flash and Dale seated inside the ship, as they are gazing at each other with all their love after the perilous adventures they have survived through on that mysterious planet. Dale passionately embraces Flash and gives him an open-mouth kiss, with the lovely ballad continuing to its final cadence to "The End" title of the 1936 serial.

     The music selections heard throughout Flash Gordon had unarguably set the tone for how it and the characters are still very deeply and fondly remembered by fans and aficionados around the world over 70 years later.

Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938)

     Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars is the second installment of the trilogy. It was filmed the last six weeks in 1937 at Universal Pictures. It was released on March 21 , 1938. This 15-chapter sequel to the 1936 serial proved to be another major hit for the franchise. The main cast of Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Frank Shannon, Charles Middleton and Richard Alexander were more than happy to reprise their original roles in the 1938 serial film.

     New cast additions were in the form of Donald Kerr as comedic newsman "Happy" Hapgood and former New York and New Jersey beauty queen, Beatrice Robert as the ruthless and elegant Queen Azura. In the way of excellent support actors who backed up the main cast, was veteran character actor Wheeler Oakman, who plays Ming's servant, Tarnak. Other serial stars who support the main cast are Kane Richmond, Kenneth Duncan, Jack Mulhall, and Warner Richmond.

     The original title of the film was Flash Gordon and the Witch Queen of Mongo. It was changed to Trip to Mars because the new management wanted to save money when making this serial film. Changing the planet location from Mongo to Mars saved the management from building costly sets and hiring more actors and extras. The studio lot and adjacent backlot at Universal would serve as the main filming location and no other exterior locales were used in the serial film. In fact, more shots were filmed on the outdoor lot, than inside the studio.

     Barney A. Sarecky was the producer who was in charge of these creative decisions. He was into making action serials and this is precisely what Trip to Mars turns out to be. Serial directors Robert Hill and Ford Beebe provide excellent direction in this 15-chapter serial, which includes flashback sequences that tie-in with the original 1936 serial. The return of Prince Barin in chapter seven of Trip to Mars was a sure way of maintaining the continuity of Raymond's 1934 comic strip and intergrating him into the serial film.

     Since the screenplay of Trip to Mars has virtually no tie-in with the 1936 original's characters, situations and settings, this was a wise move on behalf of the screenwriters who authored the story in 1937. Had they not done this, there would have been a greater sense of detachment from the 1936 original's characters that return in Trip to Mars.

     The plot synopsis of the 1938 serial is simple. A deadly ray of light is coming from the planet Mars and is causing massive destruction on the Earth. Meanwhile, Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Doctor Zarkov are just approaching the Earth on their way back from Mongo in a rocketship they stole from Ming's palace. A short time after they land on Earth, they are greeted and cited as international heros. But, they discover a lethal beam of light is coming from Mars and is causing terrible destruction on their home planet.

     Dr. Zarkov suspects it is the work of Emperor Ming and the origin of the beam is coming from Mongo. The quartet depart in his rocketship only to discover the source of the beam is from the planet Mars. The 15-chapter serial chronicles Flash, Dale, Zarkov and Happy in fierce battle with Ming and his ally, the powerful Queen Azura and her legion of Martian soldiers.

     They enlist the aid of the Clay King and his men, who Queen Azura bannished to the remote underground caves on the planet surface. They were once the mightiest race on Mars, but Azura became jealous and used her magic by turning them into clay and they want to regain their form, honor and power to rule Mars peacefully.

     Prince Barin returns, but as a prisoner of the vicious Fire People in their bizarre and remote Forest Kingdom on the planet surface. Just by chance, Barin meets up with the quartet and they manage to escape their wrath. The only way to save the Earth from complete destruction is by engaging in fierce battle with Ming, Azura, and their allies, in what is considered to be the opus of the Flash Gordon Trilogy.

     The music used in Trip to Mars plays a significant role in the overall cinematic effect the serial film achieves, even more than the original space serial could do for itself. Could the film editors do this task just as good as they did for the original Flash Gordon serial in 1936? The music narrative will delve into this extensively and the results will be nothing short of a positive answer.

     The main title from The Black Cat was directly tracked and used for the main title and cast credits in Trip to Mars. It is a variation of Sonata in B Minor being paraphrased in another guise and segues into a paraphrasing of Tchaikovsky's love theme from Romeo and Juliet. The cast credits and cue is abbreviated starting in chapter four, with only Sonata heard and repeated a second time. The love theme from Romeo and Juliet was omitted, with the Sonata juxtaposing into a later portion of "Inspector Interlude #1" from Bombay Mail.

     Music selections from The Black Cat return in Mars and with some new additions that were not used in the 1936 original. The cue entitled "Cat Threat" is used three times in the serial. It is first heard in chapter two at the 2:44 mark of the serial. Zarkov's ship is being targeted by the Nitron Lamp and is hit and spirals out of control. It continues as Ming is watching this on the televisor.

     He says to Tarnak, "That's one of my own rocketships. How's the deflector setting? Where will it land?"

     Tarnak answers, "That speed will carry it to the Valley of Desolation."

     Ming replies, "Order up my Stratosled at once."

     The suspenseful theme is heard again in chapter three at the 4:00 mark in the Clay Caves. The quartet have just escaped from the trap ceiling that almost crushes them to death and look for another way out to escape the Death Squadron pilots. The Clay People quietly sneak up behind them and steal their weapons and run away.

     The third use of "Cat Threat" is heard at the 17:08 mark in chapter five of the serial. Azura is materializing at her throne. The Queen then orders the Airdrome Captain to launch an airstrike against Flash and Zarkov, who have outwitted Ming and his guards and escaped from the laboratory with the paralyzing ray. This prop that Zarkov had was originally made for the Universal serial The Vanishing Shadow (1934), with Onslow Stevens.

     Airdrome Captain: "Your magnificence."

     Azura: "The Earthmen have tricked Ming and his guards."

     Airdrome Captain: "I'll send a detachment of men after them immediately."

     Azura: "They're armed with a machine that can stand off an entire army. There's only one way to get them. Strike from the air!"

     Airdrome Captain: "Yes, your magnificence."

     "Cat Love Theme" serves as the "end title" that is heard at the chapter conclusions in Mars. The paraphrasing of the Romeo and Juliet love theme is once again being employed by Roemheld in the score. It is used in other segments of Mars, too. He originally composed it for the final scenes in The Black Cat that lead to the final cadence of the Karloff-Lugosi film. It was not used in Flash Gordon (1936).

     Tasso, Lament and Triumph is heard at the 18:06 mark in chapter eleven of the serial. Flash locates the heavily drugged Dale through the televisor in the laboratory. She's asleep and under guard in a chamber that is adjacent to Azura's throne room. Liszt's symphonic poem was slightly paraphrased by Roemheld for the climax of The Black Cat.

     The sequence of Brahms' Rhapsody in B Minor, Allegro Appassionato, Sonata in B Minor and Cat Interlude are first heard in chapter two of Mars. They are used frequently in Mars, just as they were in the 1936 serial. In most of the segments of the serial film, they are being tracked with heavy editing applied or have been juxtaposed out-of-sequence.

     The comic-style introductions are part of the chapter forewards in Mars. They are underscored by the main title from The Invisible Man. The atmospheric theme is used heavily in the serial, just as it was for its 1936 precursor. The finale cues that were derived from its main title, heard at the climax of the horror-film are used to a lesser degree in Mars. They can be heard in selected segments in chapters one, five, nine, ten and fourteen of the 1938 serial.

     The exciting and Oriental music selections from Bombay Mail are heard once again in the 1938 serial. "March Bombay #1" is first heard in chapter two at the 3:24 mark as Ming and Azura march outside the palace to board their Stratosled to capture their opponents. The march cue segues into the slow and torturous "Xavier" at the 3:37 mark as Ming declares, "Flash Gordon and Zarkov are on Mars." They continue the discussion of how to dispose of them and win their war against the Clay People as "March Bombay #2" is first heard at the 4:03 mark in the serial. The march theme continues as Azura and Ming board their Stratosled, who instructs the pilot, "To the Valley of Desolation."

     "Governor's March" is introduced in chapter one at the 16:05 mark in Mars. It establishes Tarnak and his men entering Azura's throne room, with the lab worker who tried to blow up the Nitron magazine in the laboratory. This theme cue includes a paraphrase of Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 (Op. 39). It was composed by Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) and is a world-famous piece of classic music. This cue also identifies the character Tarnak and serves in the method of Wagnerian leitmotivs that establish certain characters or locations.

     It establishes Tarnak once again at the 9:15 mark in chapter five during the fight in the laboratory. Zarkov has beat him in the struggle and demands to be told where the rest of the Nitron supply is hidden at. He tells Zarkov where it is, who temporairly disposes of him. Flash returns after disposing the guards he beat in the fight. The march cue juxtaposes into "Sinister Foreboding" during these scenes, at the 9:55 mark in the serial film.

     "Governor's March" is heard again inside Azura's palace at the 15:50 mark in chapter two of the serial. Her and Ming enter the throne room and converse.

     Ming: "Now you understand why I was so anxious to get rid of the Earthmen. My experience with them on Mongo taught me just how dangerous they could be."

     Azura: "Well, I can promise you their life on Mars will be a lot shorter than it was on Mongo. Why, my Death Squadron will..."

     Pilot Captain: "Your magnificence. A message from your flight commander. For you personally."

     Flight Commander: "We've just sighted the Earthmen. Their ship is badly crippled, flying over the land of the Clay People."

     Pilot Captain: "The Clay People?"

     Flight Commander: "I ask your majesty's permission to return."

     Ming: "To return? Is he out of his mind?"

     Azura: "You don't know the Clay People, Ming. To cross their borders is certain death."

     Ming: "But I do know Flash Gordon and I know that he's a greater menace to our plans than all the Clay People. We can take no chances."

     Azura: "You're right. Follow the Earthmen, Captain. See that none of them..."

     Flight Commander: "But your magnificence, it means that none of us will come back alive!"

     "Inspector Theme #3" is first heard at the 17:24 mark in chapter one of the serial. In the laboratory, the cover to the firebox is knocked off and as the flames are shooting out, Ming gracefully walks through them to the other side of the laboratory and turns it off. "Inspector Theme #2" is first heard at the 12:22 mark in chapter eleven of the serial. It establishes the two Martian pilots escorting the heavily drugged Dale from the Stratosled to the controls of the light bridge.

     It continues as they escort Dale across the light bridge and juxtaposes into "Bombay Tension" at the 13:03 mark. It continues to accompany them inside the palace as they enter the doors into Azura's throne room, with Ming at her side and ends after a few seconds. In chapter one of the serial, the main title from Bombay Mail is first heard at the 6:26 mark. It underscores the stock footage which shows the massive destruction that is taking place on the Earth from the Nitron Beam's deadly effects. The stock footage of massive destruction and disasters in the serial was culled from newsreel footage in the films, The Shock (1923) and Looking for Trouble (1934).

     "Fight in Bombay" is used twice in Mars. It is first heard at the 7:23 mark in chapter five of the serial. It underscores the first Clay Car sequence with Flash and Zarkov and is heard a second time at the 9:14 mark in chapter six, where it underscores another Clay Car sequence in the 1938 serial. The exotic "Calcutta Suspense" is first heard at the 17:52 mark in chapter one, just after Ming turns off the firebox in the laboratory and converses with Queen Azura.

     Azura: "Thank you, Ming. How long do you propose to keep the beam burning?"

     Ming: "Until I have taken all the nitron from the Earth's atmosphere."

     Azura: "And kill everything on it?"

     Ming: "And why not? An Earthman named Zarkov and his friend, Flash Gordon once dared to pit themselves against me. Now let us see them save the Earth if they can."

     "Inspector Interlude #1", "Shirley's Theme #2" and "Inspector Interlude #2" are first used during chapter four in Azura's throne room as Flash and Zarkov are brought before her and Ming for punishment. Their planned escape with her on the landing tower was foiled by Ming, who ordered Tarnak to destroy it. The trio of cues from Bombay Mail are later heard in segments of chapters six, fourteen and fifteen in the 1938 serial.

     Chapter three makes use of "Whistling Drunk" at the 8:14 mark in the serial that establish the quartet waking up in the Clay King's throne room. "Shirley's Theme #3" is heard a few moments later at the 9:46 mark as the Clay King converses with the quartet. "March Bombay #3" is heard in chapter six's flashback to the 1936 serial at the 13:44 mark in the laboratory, detailed below.

     Officer Torch and his men are going to execute Flash, but the good doctor renders him invisible to save his life. In another segment of the flashback at Ming's throne, the cue "East Indian Skirmish" is heard at the 15:35 mark, as the invisible Flash has strangled Ming at his throne and is an absolute peril to the Emperor's guards.

     Music tracks from Destination Unknown are used to a lesser degree in the 1938 serial film. The Harling cue entitled "You Can't Get Away With It" is heard at the 19:29 mark in the first chapter of the serial film. Flash and Dr. Zarkov are desperately trying to escape from the Nitron Beam, but their rocketship is struck by it. "Doctor at Wheel" is the cue title which preceeds this at the 18:56 mark, just as the rocketship's direction is heading towards the Nitron Beam and Mars in the serial film.

     A quieter excerpt of the cue was used for its final use at the 12:58 mark in chapter fourteen of the serial. Flash and his party quietly enter the throne room through a secret passage, just as Emperor Ming is being rightfully inducted as King of the Martians. The music continues for a few moments as Flash and Ming converse at his throne, with the onlooking Martians who eventually participate in the discussion. A subtle paraphrasing of the Holy Grail motif from Parsifal is juxtaposed in this piece, which Harling based on Wagner's opera, the Flying Dutchman (1843).

     Chapter six contains the first flashback sequence to the 1936 Flash Gordon serial. The Harling cue entitled "Storm Scene" can be heard briefly at the 15:39 mark as Ming is being strangled by the invisible Flash in his throne room. In chapter twelve at the 3:17 mark is another excerpt of "Storm Scene" heard in the laboratory. Flash confronts Tarnak in regards to obtaining the antidote to revive Dale, as the Holy Grail motif from Parsifal is slightly being paraphrased by Harling as a religioso. It is heard a third time in chapter fourteen at the 17:40 mark, just as Flash has earned the support of the Martians, but Ming has other plans.

     "Misterioso Celesta" is a quiet piece which was heard only once in the 1938 serial and wasn't used in the previous film that was made before it. It can be heard at the 13:44 mark in chapter eleven of the serial film. This quiet misterioso begins right after the Martian pilots leave the throne room, as the drugged Dale is about to converse with Ming and Azura. They are using her to trap Flash and Dr. Zarkov. Harling employed a subtle and graceful paraphrasing of the Holy Grail motif from Parsifal. The tinkling of the celesta bells gives this theme a feeling of otherworldliness and emphasizes Dale's heavily drugged state of mind.

     Azura: "The Earthwoman is obviously under the influence of leethium. And that is only found among the Forest People."

     Ming: "That is quite possible, your magnificence. For as you know, she was found on the edge of the Forest Kingdom by one of your patrols."

     Azura: "Then you brought her here in the hope Flash Gordon would follow?"

     Ming: "More than a hope, your magnificence. I have already been advised that Flash Gordon and his friends are on their way here in a rocketship."

     Azura: "In a rocketship? Order my Stratosled squadrons at once..."

     Ming: "Why risk the lives of loyal soldiers when I have laid a trap that cannot fail?"

     Azura: "Welcome, Earthwoman. You shall be our honored guest until Flash Gordon comes to claim you."

     Dale: "I am no Earthwoman. I serve in the Temple of Kalu. Who is Flash Gordon?"

     The moody and sinister music tracks from The Werewolf of London make a return appearance in Mars. The majority of them were used in the 1936 serial. Mars uses them to a lesser degree, with some of the music tracks omitted from the serial film and includes one noteworthy addition that is entitled "The Old Tale".

     "Werewolf Theme" is used several times that establish Azura's throne room in the serial. It can be heard in chapter one at the 16:02 mark and in chapter two at the 15:48 mark in the serial. The final section of the "Appassionato" is heard at the 5:57 mark, with it continuing into the "Finale" at the 6:09 mark in chapter one. This music first establishes Ming and Azura, who are eulogizing the death of the two Martians that established the Nitron Beam's connection in a remote, mountainous valley on the Earth.

     Azura: "There, old Ming. You've witnessed the death of two of my most faithful subjects, sacrificed to further your plans of conquest."

     Ming: "A touching display of loyalty to their Queen Azura and a cheap price to pay for the annihilation of the Earthfolk and the advancement of this planet towards its conquest of the Universe. We, who shall benefit from your sacrifice, salute you."

     "The Prowling Monster" can be heard in chapter two at the 19:49 mark in the serial. It accompanies the quartet escaping into a safe cave, that turns out to be a deadly trap that intends to crush them to death, which is the final scene in the second chapter of Mars. The cue is also used in other suspenseful segments of the serial film.

     The cue "First Sign" can be heard at the 8:36 mark of chapter seven, that is in the laboratory with Ming, Azura and Tarnak. It is later heard in chapter eight at the 13:56 mark in Azura's throne room when Flash and Prince Barin take her prisoner. It is last heard in Azura's throne room in chapter twelve at the 11:31 mark, right after Flash and Zarkov have beat Ming and Tarnak in a fight. The main title of Werewolf is heard at the 8:41 mark in chapter nine of the serial. It underscores stock footage of many locales that are starting to recover from the Nitron Lamp's harmful effects, as Flash has destroyed it, but not indefinitely.

     "The Fight" is heard at the 14:20 mark in chapter six's 1936 flashback to Ming's laboratory, as the guards are about to excute Flash, who Zarkov saves by making him invisible. "The Lost Soul" can be heard at the 15:00 mark of the flashback in Ming's throne room, as he disbelieves his guards when they tell him Flash has become invisible.

     In chapter three, at the 8:38 mark is "The Two Werewolves", that establishes Flash telling the Clay King who he and his friends are, where they are from, and if the Nitron Lamp's destructive effects aren't stopped, the Earth will become a dead world. The King tells Flash and his party they were once the mightiest race on Mars, but Azura became jealous and used her magic to turn them into clay and bannished them into exile in the caves.

     "The Old Tale" is first heard at the 6:06 mark in chapter four of the 1938 serial film. It underscores part of Flash's conversation with Ming and Azura in the throne room. The cue later introduces Prince Barin in chapter seven, at the 12:31 mark in the 1938 serial.

     Azura: "I could use a brave man like you in my war against the Clay People."

     Flash: "The Clay People never did me any harm."

     Azura: "Does your bargain with the Clay King mean more to you than your life?"

     Flash: "Your magnificence, a bargain's a bargain."

     Ming: "So, you're allies of our enemy, the Clay King. Your magnificence, that fact alone demands their death. I've known them before on my own planet Mongo. And as long as they live, they'll be a constant menace to your plans."

     Azura: "Very well. Take them away."

Buck Rogers (1939)

     Buck Rogers was created in the form of a newspaper strip by Phil Nowlan and Dick Calkins in 1929. The comic strip was syndicated by John F. Dille Company across America. It had no tie-in with Flash Gordon, created in 1934, by Alex Raymond. In fact, the Buck Rogers strip was considered to be a rival and was science-fiction, compared to the science-fantasy of Flash Gordon.

     In 1938, Universal decided to acquire the rights to Buck Rogers and make a filmed movie serial, based on the comic strip. The success of Flash Gordon was the deciding factor for their decision and they wanted to create another successful franchise at the time. The studio cast Buster Crabbe in the role of Buck Rogers. His recent fame in portraying Flash Gordon was the reason for him getting the part. By this time, his hair color had reverted back to its natural brown, with a subtle hint of blonde in his hair, having it dyed to play Flash Gordon.

     The 12-chapter serial is considered among film aficionados to belong in the quartet of space serials that Universal produced. Co-starring in the film was Constance Moore as Wilma Deering, Jackie Moran as Buddy Wade, Anthony Warde as Killer Kane, and C. Montague Shaw as Dr. Huer. The film also co-starred serial stars such as Jack Mulhall as Captain Rankin, Philson Ahn as Prince Tallen, Guy Usher as Aldar, Henry Brandon as Captain Laska, and Wheeler Oakman as Lieutenant Patten.

     The screenplay was written by Norman S. Hall and Ray Trampe. Ford Beebe and Saul A. Goodkind provided good direction, with Barney A. Sarecky serving as producer of the serial. Location shooting took place at Red Rock Canyon, three hours northeast of Hollywood. Filming of the serial began on September 6th and concluded on October 21st, 1938. The final budget of the serial was approved at $185,000. Previously unused stock footage culled from Just Imagine (1930) appears with the large futuristic cityscapes that depict Killer Kane's super-city in the serial.

     Buck Rogers premiered in movie houses on April 11, 1939. However, many in the audience had a jaded opinion of the science-fiction serial and considered it to be a second-rate Flash Gordon. The obvious reason for the objections and disapproval of the serial film was Buster Crabbe's affinity and appeal as Flash Gordon, and the audience could not see him playing Buck Rogers in the same time period. But, the 1939 serial does very well for being science-fiction in nature.

     This shot down the success of Buck Rogers quickly and Universal had to decide if they were going make a sequel or abandon the project and return to making a third Flash Gordon serial. The latter decision of having Flash and his party return was appealing to them, so Buck Rogers was no more. Forty years later, Buster Crabbe made a special appearance in the television adaptation of "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century". He played Brigadier Gordon in the first season episode, "Planet of the Slave Girls". It was aired on September 27, 1979.

     The serial opens with Colonel Buck Rogers and Buddy Wade piloting the dirigible over the Arctic wastelands. They are carrying a new invention called Nirvano gas onboard, and they are instructed to inhale it, just as the blizzard becomes too severe to fly in. Little do they know, the Nirvano gas will put them to sleep until help arrives. The dirigible crashes in the wastelands and help never makes it, even after a search is called into effect.

     Buck and Buddy are found 500 years later by two Hidden City pilots in the year 2440 on Earth. They two servicemen take them to a secret underground stronghold that is apparantly organized by a group of rebels who are seeking refuge. There, they meet the brilliant Dr. Huer, who is a scientific genius that has an incredible laboratory, complete with fantastic weapons and inventions. The reason for this clandestine operation is because of a manical tyrant named Killer Kane. He is often referred to as "the leader Kane" by his legion of super gangsters and councilmen.

     Buck and his party travel to Saturn to seek the help of Prince Tallen, so they can join forces and dispose of the tyrant. But the leader Kane has already deployed Captain Laska and his men to manipulate Prince Tallen in siding with them against Buck and the rebels. Buck and his party must endure several perilous adventures with the Zugg men, not to mention fighting off Kane's crafty soldiers, led by Captain Laska. They safely return to Earth, only to be shot down and captured by Kane's gangsters once again. They are finally rescued and take part in a great air battle to wrestle away Kane's power and control from the universe.

     The practice of tracking music scores was legally halted by the American Federation of Musicians in April 1938. The reason for this move was due to a lack of employment among the musicians. This legality would guarantee them steady employment at the studios. The entire library of existing music scores at Universal Pictures were all re-recorded that year.

     Subsequent music scores would be re-recorded as per request, but in most cases, they were junked and discarded. This would result in tracking the previously re-recorded scores at the studio. Since the music department initially re-recorded all of the music scores, they would be allowed to track them, in the case of poorly done scores that could not be used for a film production.

     Charles Previn is credited as the musical director in the opening credits of the 1939 serial film. He arrived at Universal in March of 1936, just as Heinz Romeheld completed his score for Dracula's Daughter and left the studio. He was an excellent composer and conductor who had previously worked in Broadway and radio in New York City. He loved classical music and was of great value to the staff at the studio. Shortly after his arrival, new sound equipment was installed in Universal's music department.

     Previn is credited as musical director for Buck Rogers, but it was a common method to give department heads screen credit in film. He didn't conduct the re-recordings for Buck Rogers in December 1938 and no one really knows who did. It's possible that it could have been Hans J. Salter or Frank Skinner. In any case, it remains unknown and no studio documents and memos exist to say who the conductor was for the serial film's music score.

     The music tracks used in Buck Rogers were previously heard in Flash Gordon and Trip to Mars, but those were the original music soundtracks culled from Universal's library. In the event of re-recording older music scores with newer equipment, with the orchestra kept to a minimum number of musicans, is going to result in many of them sounding fresher than the originals, but in some cases, the body of the music is lost.

     The downside of this is that many of the rescores do not have the same fullness and tone the original scores had. In some cases, some music tracks sound even better than the originals, but this is heard with a lesser frequency in Buck Rogers. In making them sound newer, the conductor is going to have the orchestra speed them up or slow them down. On the other hand, some music tracks appear to sound identical to their original counterparts.

     Subtle changes heard in the music scores could be the result of using newer musical instruments and to avoid repetition in order to keep them sounding fresher. The latter would certainly be a stronger reason, as when it comes to rescoring previous music tracks, they can't sound identical to their original counterparts. In the end, it is up to the conductor and what he thinks is best suited for the changes in the music during the re-recording sessions.

     Buck Rogers's main title is a re-recording of the title music from The Great Impersonation (1935). It was originally composed by Roemheld for the feature-film. It is a grand and colorful melody that has a faster tempo than the original. It is juxtaposed very nicely with Roemheld's main title from Dracula's Daughter (1936). After the third chapter elapses into play, the second title and the expanded cast credits are edited down for running time.

     The chapter forewards of Buck Rogers use the scrolling foreward that travels up the screen. This excellent visual technique is later seen in Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940). A new re-recording of a Bride cue entitled "Monster Breaks Out" accompanies the forewards in chapters two, four and five of the serial. The main title from The Invisible Man is a more lively re-recording that accompanies the forewards in chapters six through twelve, but somehow ended up accompanying the foreward in chapter three of the serial.

     The music used for every chapter conclusion is a re-recording of the "Finale" music from The Werewolf of London. One small exception is heard in chapter ten, which favors to use "Shirley's Theme #3" from Bombay Mail for the "end title" in the serial. How this switch of music occured during post-production of Buck Rogers appears to have no explanation at hand.

     Newly re-recorded tracks from Bombay Mail, The Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula's Daughter, The Invisible Man and The Werewolf of London are used to an equal degree in the 1939 serial. In the case of Bombay Mail, the theme cue entitled "Governor's March" has the Pomp and Circumstance segment cut out of the track, where it was heard in Trip to Mars. A new re-recording from the 1934 film is the exciting and colorful "Station Bombay" theme cue. This exotic Oriental piece is used eight times in the 1939 serial and heard in two variations. "Shirley's Theme #3" is the romantic and sentimental ballad that is used seven times in the serial. The first variation is entitled "Shirley's Theme #1", which is used twelve times in the serial. These musical additions in Buck Rogers do provide to be fitting to the characters and locales in the serial.

     New music selections from The Bride of Frankenstein are used in the serial to a good degree. "The Creation, Pt. II" is used twenty-six times, but the organ, piano, strings, and timpani drum were not used for the re-recordings. Parts of the cue were changed in the score, resulting in the theme cue sounding too thin in quality. In the case of "Female Monster Music", the organ and strings were omitted from the score and replaced by the xylophone. This makes the theme sound more lively in turn.

     "Monster Breaks Out" has the "Chase" written on the end of it, to create a new music cue. It is heard twenty times in the serial. The strange "Pretorius' Entrance" is used eighteen times and has been sped up in the scoring, but this great Waxman cue sounds good in the serial film, no matter how you hear it. "You Will Need a Coat" retains its flavor, even though the pizzicati strings were replaced with the xylophone for a more lively effect. Lastly, the "Processional March" is used three times, and still holds up well in the serial film.

     The main title from The Invisible Man is used for the in-flight sequences in Buck Rogers. This re-recorded version of the Roemheld cue has a faster tempo than the original, but still sounds great in the serial. The ominous and dark cue from Dracula's Daughter entitled "Transylvania" is used nine times in Buck Rogers. It is primarily heard underscoring fight scenes and some cliff-hanger endings in the serial film.

     Music selections from The Werewolf of London are heard in Buck Rogers. Its main title is used three times, along with "The Fight" being used seven times in the 1939 serial. The "Appassionato" and "Finale" theme cues are used a good number of times in the serial film as well. They do sound thinner than the original 1934 score, but do the film justice in the scenes that required them.

     New music selections are introduced in various chapters of Buck Rogers. One cue entitled "London Arrival" is from Great Expectations (1934). Its first section can be heard in the first scene located in chapter one of the serial. The other several uses have the main theme heard, that was used in sentimental scenes in Buck Rogers. "The Chase" is a fast-paced agitato used nine times to underscore chase and action sequences in the serial. It was written by Roemheld for The Great Impersonation (1935).

     One of the best theme cues used in the serial film was from the Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935). The cue is entitled "Death Storm". This fast, turbulent and grandiose theme was composed by Edward Ward. He wrote it to underscore a storm scene in the 1935 film. It is used twelve times in Buck Rogers, mainly to underscore fight scenes. Its first use is in chapter one of the serial. It underscores the storm moving out from the Arctic wastes, with the squadron of bi-planes searching for Buck and Buddy in the missing dirigible. The stock clip of the bi-planes was taken from The White Hell of Pitz Palu (1930).

     Two music selections from The White Hell of Pitz Palu are used in the 1939 serial and they sound just as good as the original 1930 score by Roemheld. The first cue is entitled "Lyrical Suspense" which is a brief, colorful and mournful theme used eleven times in Buck Rogers. The other cue is the playful, energetic and dance-like "Scherzo" theme, that is used nine times in the serial. These music tracks from the 1930 silent film were re-recorded by Charles Previn in 1938. They are higher quality recordings than the 1930 originals that were scored by Roemheld.

     The feature-length version of the serial was released in 1939 under the title of Planet Outlaws. The serial was condensed to 71-minutes, but contained the same music tracks and it was seen in theatrical re-release during the 1940's and early 50's. In 1953, the feature version was licensed for television distribution on independent stations under the Filmcraft and Goodwill banners. Changes were made in the way of adding extra footage and voice narration. In all versions, the flow of the music tracks was the same as in the serial version, but a good deal of the music score was cut, while the prints were edited for running time.

     In 1966, another version was prepared from the serial, with a longer running time of 91-minutes and re-titled Destination Saturn. In the late 1960's, all three Flash Gordon serials and Buck Rogers were released to television by A.B.C. Films, Inc. They were seen in their original release form with no alterations made to the prints. One slight exception was the re-made main title cards read Buck Rogers vs. the Planet Outlaws.

     Shortly after Star Wars was released, Crystal Pictures acquired Buck Rogers and released the serial film in revival theaters. It was distributed once again for television under the Filmcraft banner, but the prints were second generation 16mm film stock of lesser quality. This is the print that was later used for the DVD version distributed by VCI Entertainment.

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)

     Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe was the final installment of the space serials that was released on April 9, 1940. Its music score is unlike the two prototype serial films that preceeded it in 1936 and 1938. Many acclaim this to be the best of the three serial films made. As with all facets involved in the motion picture business, there are things that are subject to change, which is the essence of how all things evolve over time. Universe is the most different of the three Flash Gordon serials, and its music score is one good example. But does this make the film better or worse in quality?

     Perhaps to the critical and narrow-minded it serves as the latter of the two, but the serial does contain original elements that are combined with new ones, that give the film a diversity to the casual viewer or even to a die-hard fan that is more discriminating, but both will come to agree it's enjoyable. In short, the opinion of one versus the other is a pointless issue in the case of Conquers the Universe.

     The 1940 serial film has the best look in the trilogy. In chapter four, the medieval sets from Tower of London (1939) have been re-used to a good deal. Frigia is seen in chapters two, three and four and the exterior set on the studio's backlot made for Nagana (1933) was re-used. Snow, ice and silver paint was added to the rocky terrain to simulate the Frigian landscape. Chapter nine contains re-used stock shots from Perch of the Devil (1927) of the mine timbers, when the floodwaters rush into the dungeon at the end of the chapter. Chapter ten used sets from Green Hell (1940) before James Whale's production team begun using them in his film. Stock footage was re-used from Just Imagine (1930) to depict the Oracle in the serial.

     Some of the music scores heard in Universe were previously used in its two predecessors and Buck Rogers. The main title music of The Invisible Man is a 1940 re-recording that was used in the serial. Its usage heard in Buck Rogers was a 1938 re-recording to differentiate it from the cue used in Conquers the Universe. The music tracks from Bombay Mail and The Bride of Frankenstein are used in the serial. They're 1940 re-recordings conducted by Charles Previn at the studio and higher in sound quality than the originals.

     "The Creation, Part II" is used four times in the film and the rescored track sounds more like Waxman's original 1935 score. The female bride's "heartbeat" was restored by the muffled timpani drum used during the rescore of the music tracks. The cue is first heard in the pit room where Ming's scientist is explaining how the Death Dust will kill the man of high intellect, where it will render the man of low intellect harmless at the 14:20 mark in Universe.

     Jenda: "This man of low intellect has the type of mind that is easily controlled by a superior will. And this man has a type of thinking brain that exercises a will of its own. A type we must destroy."

     Man of High Intelligence: "Sire! There is no dictator in the universe, powerful enough to destroy human thought."

     Ming: "Place them in the dust chamber."

Film and Video History

     The original 35mm nitrate negatives of the Flash Gordon serials were housed at a storage facility owned by King Features Syndicate in New York. In the early 1970's, a fire broke out inside the building and they were destroyed. Nitrate-based film stock is highly flammable and once a fire of this nature starts it is nearly impossible to stop it. The 26 reels that made up the 1936 serial were consumed in the fire, along with the 30 reels that made up the 1938 serial, and the 24 reels that made up the 1940 serial. The original 35mm nitrate negatives of Buck Rogers still exist, but it has never been optioned to be restored at the time of this writing. Flash Gordon (1936) was inducted in the National Film Registry and housed at the Library of Congress in 1989. This ensures the preservation of the film in its original form. The decision was based on the serial film's historical, cultural and aesthetic significance in American cinema.

     In 1950, Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers premiered on national television stations across the country. The serials were presented with their original titles and aired several times that year. In 1951, the ownership of Flash Gordon reverted from Universal to King Features Syndicate. They had a 15-year lease with Universal which expired that year. The rights and trademark of Flash Gordon went back to them, because they were making a new television series, with a production company in West Germany. It aired in 1953 and had a short-lived run into the next year. King Features had to redistribute the serials with alternate titles to avoid any confusion and conflict of interest associated with the new television series.

     The original titles on the 16mm reprinted film stock were replaced with alternate ones for TV reruns. The retitling resulted in the 1936 serial as Flash Gordon: Space Soldiers. The 1938 serial was retitled Space Soldiers' Trip to Mars and the 1940 serial was retitled, Space Soldiers Conquer the Universe. This created confusion among many viewers in the 50's, who weren't sure just what film they were viewing with alternate titles replacing the originals.

     King Features made other alterations for the TV reruns of the serials in the 1950's and 60's. The chapter forewards in all four serials had voice-over narration that was dubbed in by game show host, Jack Narz. The reason for this was the viewers weren't able to read the title crawling up the small TV screen in that era. The original end title that indicated the "next chapter" was replaced with an alternate one that said, "The End". The replacing of the title was because the television stations could not guarantee weekly airplay of the serials. By the late 1970's, the serials and feature versions were redistributed with their original titles intact.

     King Features Syndicate also prepared the cut-down feature versions of the serials for television distribution in the early 1950's. Rocketship, Spaceship to the Unknown, Mars Attacks the World, The Deadly Ray from Mars, The Purple Death from Outer Space, The Peril from the Planet Mongo, Planet Outlaws and Destination Saturn were purchased and telecast by independent television stations from the early 50's through the late 70's. The same titles were used for subsequent video releases of the feature versions of the serials on VHS and DVD formats.

     The television and home video distribution of the serials and feature versions utilized 16mm film stock that was struck from the 35mm composite prints. This would result in the 16mm reprints of being second-generation in quality. The consequences would be image reduction and graininess resulting from the size reduction of the film. The audio soundtracks weren't the best in quality either.

     When the films began appearing on home video in the 1980's, these inferior 16mm prints were used and the results weren't pristine. The third serial, Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, lost its copyrights in 1989. This fiasco allowed public domain companies to acquire second and third generation prints and transfer them to low-resolution analog tape masters for video release.

     In 1988, King Features Syndicate located 35mm theatrical release prints that were struck from the original nitrate film negatives. This would serve as the first official video release of the serials from first-generation film prints to VHS home video. Bridgestone Multimedia Group acquired the exclusive rights and did the film-to-tape transfers of all three serials over to D 1 digital videotape. They restored the films with digital technology and the results were excellent. They were issued on VHS format for retail sale, but weren't widely available during the time.

     In 1994, Hearst Entertainment acquired the exclusive rights to the serial films. They took the D 1 tape masters and did a tape-to-tape conversion and obtained better audio and visual quality. They were issued on VHS format again and were priced at $29.95 per set. As with the previous video release, the Hearst editions had the serials on two tapes per film title. On another note, viewers may remember seeing the serial films telecast by AMC TV on October 31, 1996. They were aired that evening for the cable network's annual Halloween festival.

     Image Entertainment acquired the exclusive video rights to the serials films in 1997. The company made them available only for the laserdisc format that year. The digital 1 tape masters were digitally restored once again for the tape-to-disc transfers. The audio and video quality of the serial films surpassed all previous VHS editions issued in past years. The high price of $79.95 per title was due to the costly manufacturing of the laserdiscs. That didn't hinder their sales to laserdisc collectors. They sold well for six years until the format was made obsolete by the new DVD video format.

     Image converted the serials to DVD format in fall of 1999. The films were originally released in individual snapper cases. Flash Gordon was issued on January 11, 2000. The sequel, Trip to Mars was issued on March 28th, and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe was issued on April 18th. Subsequently, a box set of all three films was issued on October 3, 2000. The same D 1 digital masters were used, but the final results surpassed the laserdisc quality far and wide. The video image is the best obtainable and more film-like in nature. The soundtracks were remastered in Dolby Digital 1.0 mono and are excellent in audio quality.

DVD Review
Flash Gordon (1936)

     The 1936 Flash Gordon serial looks surprisingly good for a 1930's film. The print quality is fair, with its share of dust, dirt and physical damage one would expect for an older piece of film. Few missing frames and scratches here and there. None of it really distracts and the video is totally watchable. The contrast is generally good and there's a little bit of edge enhancement visible, but far less digital compression artifacting visible. The audio is in Dolby Digital 1.0 and it's pretty good, with clear dialogue and only occasional defects due to age.

Film Rating: A-

Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras):
B-/C+/D-

Specifications and Features:

245 minutes, NR, B&W, full-frame (1.33:1), single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at 1:55:58, at the start of chapter 7), plastic keep case packaging, film-themed menu screens, chapter access (13 chapters), languages: English (Dolby Digital 1.0 mono), subtitles: none, region 1

DVD Review
Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938)

     Trip to Mars has improved visual quality over the previous serial. The print seems to be in better condition with improved contrast as well. There's very little in the way of analog or digital artifacts visible. What's interesting is that program material of this age is almost always preserved on analog videotape, which is usually loaded with edge enhancement the DVD's MPEG-2 compression struggles with. Not in this case- Trip to Mars looks clean and clear. The audio is once again presented in Dolby Digital 1.0 mono and slightly improved over the previous serial, since it's been somewhat better preserved.

Film Rating: A+

Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras):
B/B/D-

Specifications and Features:

299 minutes, NR, B&W, full-frame (1.33:1), dual-sided, single-layered, plastic keep case packaging, film-themed menu screens, chapter access (15 chapters; 1-7 on side A, 8-15 on side B), languages: English (Dolby Digital 1.0 mono), subtitles: none, region 1

     Note: Chapter three has 1 minute, 45 seconds of film that was excised during a Stratosled aerial fight due to physical damage on the print. It's at the 13:01 mark in this chapter of the serial. Chapter seven has the original end title and stock footage excised at the 20:43 mark because of physical damage to the film print.

     It's replaced with a new end title that is generated in the final scene where Flash's prostrate body is laying on the ground from the deadly effects of the tree-man's destroying ray. Image has stated if they plan on doing a reissue of the serial, these excised segments will be reinstated in a future DVD edition.

DVD Review
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)

     Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe is the final DVD installment by Image and again is improved over the previous titles. The picture and sound quality is much better. The contrast is very good with very nice blacks. There's much less dirt, dust and print damage visible, and very little film grain can be seen. There's little in the way of edge enhancement or digital artifacting. The audio is once again presented in Dolby Digital 1.0 mono and sounds as good as the picture.

Film Rating: A+

Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras):
B+/B+/D-

Specifications and Features:

234 minutes, NR, B&W, full-frame (1.33:1), single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at 1:59:40, at the start of chapter 7), plastic keep case packaging, film-themed menu screens, chapter access (12 chapters), languages: English (Dolby Digital 1.0 mono), subtitles: none, region 1

DVD Review
Buck Rogers (1939)

     The DVD edition of Buck Rogers is by VCI Entertainment. It was issued on September 19, 2000. Unlike the above releases by Image, this company wasn't able to obtain a 35mm release print of the film. They had to settle for a second-generation 16mm print available through Filmcraft. While there is a noticeable reduction in visibility, the print quality is very good for this DVD issue of the 1939 serial film. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 1.0 mono and sounds as good as the picture. Extras include a photo gallery and serial trailers.

     The DVD editions of these serial films offer the best quality for continued enjoyment of them and will last 100 years if taken care of properly. With that said, the immortality of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers will continue well past the 21st Century.

Film Rating: A

Disc Ratings (Video/Audio/Extras):
B-/B+/C

Specifications and Features:

241 minutes, NR, B&W, full-frame (1.33:1), single-sided, RSDL dual-layered (layer switch at 38:44, at the start of chapter 7), plastic keep case packaging, animated film-themed menu screens, chapter access (12 chapters), languages: English (Dolby Digital 1.0 mono), subtitles; none, extras: serial trailers and photo gallery, region 0

     Click the film titles on to read a comprehensive listing of the musical contributions heard in the serials:

Flash Gordon | Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars | Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe
Buck Rogers