CTVA
The Classic TV Archive - US Sci-Fi series
Flash Gordon Sci-Fi Theatrical Serials (Universal) (1936-40) - Republic Sci-Fi Theatrical Serials (1949-53)
Flash Gordon TV Series (Germany) (1954-55)   Flash Gordon (Animated)

Universal Theatrical Serials (all genres) (1914-46)
Universal Western Theatrical Serials (1916-46)    Universal Sci-Fi /Super-HeroTheatrical Serials (1934-46)

 Flash Gordon (TV Series)
(Germany) (1954-55)
(early episodes) (filmed 1953)
Production Supervision:
An Inter-Continental Films Corporation/ Production Consultant, Joseph Zigman
An Interwest Luedecke Production / Production Manager George Zorer
Produced by Wenzel Luedecke
*
(later episodes)
An InterContinental Television Films Co. and La Telediffusion production
Produced by Edward Gruskin
Filmed at Sainte Marthe Studios
 *
All Rights owned by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
Distributed by Motion Pictures for Television, Inc.
Filmed in West Berlin, Germany
for US syndication

Sci-Fi adventure series 1954-55   39 episodes x 30 min bw
Starring:
Steve Holland as Flash Gordon
Irene Champlin as Dale Arden
With:
Joe Nash as Dr. Alexis Zarkov
*
Henry Beckman as Commander Richards
Tara Birell as The Queen of Cygnii (ep 34)

Comments:
Most of the supporting cast members of this German produced series for the American market were German actors
speaking English (with, of course, German accents). I found this somewhat odd given that the series debuted in
1954, less than 10 years after the conclusion of World War II. Each episode was self-contained and the series
did not employ the cliff-hanger approach utilized in the Flash Gordon serials.

Background:
With the coming of television, many of the old serials were rerun to fill programming time, and one of the
most popular was the 1936 Flash Gordon serial. So perhaps it isn't too surprising to discover that Flash's
renewed popularity gave rise to a television series in 1954. Independently produced in West Germany by
Inter-Continental Film Productions, and broadcast on the DuMont Television Network, the Flash Gordon TV series
starred Steve Holland (perhaps better known to pulp fans as the male model used by James Bama for the Doc Savage
cover illustrations for the Bantam reprints) as Flash Gordon.
Set in the year 2203 (though the year is reported as 3063 in one episode), Flash, Dale, and Dr. Zarkov are all
agents for the Galactic Bureau of Investigation, which operates under the authority of the Galactic Council.
Although the characters are fairly faithful to those created by Alex Raymond, Raymond's storyline has been completely
abandoned and the series is little more than a knock-off of Captain Video. As might be expected for an independent
production, the sets are cheap, the special effects aren't very special, and as an actor Steve Holland makes a pretty
good male model. The series gained some notoriety when a childrens' programming watchdog group singled it out before a
Senate subcommittee as an example of lurid and violent programming. After 39 episodes (some sources say 52), some of which
are available on tape,the show folded and was soon forgotten. It's not great TV, it's Retro-TV—and good fun for cultists.

Theme Music by Kurt Heuser

 ################# Flash Gordon ###############
################# season 1954 ###############
##############################################
Syndicated Program

1.1 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE PLANET OF DEATH
01-Oct-1954 DuMont
InterContinental-Telediffusion prod.
Produced by Edward Gruskin
Directed by Gunther V. Fritsch
Screenplay by Earl Markham & Bruce Elliot
Music Score by Roger Roger
Synopsis:
Professor Gibbon claims that everyone in his party was killed
by the curse of a stone god.

1.2 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): ESCAPE INTO TIME
8-Oct-54 DuMont

1.3 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE ELECTRO MAN
15-Oct-54 DuMont

1.4 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE VENGEANCE OF RABEED
22-Oct-54 DuMont

1.5 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): AKIM THE TERRIBLE   [verfied -RBH]
5-Nov-1954 DuMont

 Credited Cast:
Steve Holland . . . Flash Gordon
Irene Champlin . . . Dale Arden
Joe Nash . . . Dr. Zarkov
Note: All other cast and production credits were cut from the print used on the
DVD. Very likely produced by Wenzel Luedecke.

1.6 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE CLAIM JUMPERS [verfied -RBH]
12-Nov-1954 DuMont
Produced by Wenzel Luedecke
Directed by Wallace Worsley, Jr.
Screenplay by Earl Markham, Bruce Elliot
Credited Cast:
Steve Holland . . . Flash Gordon
Irene Champlin . . . Dale Arden
Joe Nash . . . Dr. Zarkov
Erich Dunskus . . . Pete
Wera Frydtberg . . . Marie
Michael Boyle . . . Fred
Ralph Winkler . . . Hans

1.7 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE DANCING DEATH
19-Nov-54 DuMont

1.8 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE BREATH OF DEATH  [verfied -RBH]
(copyright 1953) 26-Nov-1954 DuMont
Produced by Wenzel Luedecke
Directed by Wallace Worsley, Jr.
Screenplay by Earl Markham, Bruce Elliot
Credited Cast:
Steve Holland . . . Flash Gordon
Irene Champlin . . . Dale Arden
Joe Nash . . . Dr. Zarkov
Note: Remaining cast credits were cut from the print used on the DVD.
Synopsis:
An old enemy, who has escaped from prison, stows away on Flash's spaceship
and then forces him to crash land on a planetoid whose atmosphere is poisonous.


1.9 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE GREAT SECRET
3 Dec 54 DuMont

1.10 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): RETURN OF THE ANDROIDS
10 Dec 54 DuMont

1.11 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE FRIGHTENED KING
17 Dec 54 DuMont

1.12 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE DEADLY DECEPTION
24 Dec 54 DuMont

1.13 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): DUEL AGAINST DARKNESS
31 Dec 54 DuMont

1.14 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE SOUND GUN
14 Jan 55 DuMont

1.15 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE WEAPON THAT WALKED
31 Jan 55 DuMont

1.16 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): MISSION TO MASCA
4 Feb 55 DuMont

1.17 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE LURE OF LIGHT
11-Feb-1955 DuMont
Produced by Wenzel Luedecke
Directed by Wallace Worsley Jr.
Screenplay by Earl Markham, Bruce Elliot
Synopsis:
Queen Prudentia of the planet Diana kidnaps Dale Arden

 1.18 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE RAINS OF DEATH
18 Feb 55 DuMont

1.19 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): RACE AGAINST TIME
25-Feb-55 DuMont
Synopsis:
GBI Commander Richards is authorised to carry Earth's deciding vote
to the Mars conference and asks Flash and Dale to accompany him
in the Skyflash II.

1.20 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE WITCH OF NEPTUNE
4-Mar-55 DuMont

1.21 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE BRAIN MACHINE
11-Mar-55 DuMont

1.22 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): STRUGGLE TO THE END
18-Mar-1955 DuMont
InterContinental-Telediffusion prod.
Produced by Edward Gruskin
Directed by Gunther V. Fritsch
Screenplay by Edward Gruskin
Director of Photography, Jean Isnard
Guest Star:
Marie Powers ....... the mad witch
Synopsis:
Flash Gordon pits himself against the mad witch, who is again trying to
completely dominate the universe.

1.23 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE WATER WORLD MENACE
25-Mar-55 DuMont

1.24 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): SABOTEURS FROM SPACE
orig airdate not known
Synopsis:
Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkov try to discover the source of the mysterious
paralysis ray that has slowed down, or stopped, Earth's machinery.


1.25 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE FORBIDDEN EXPERIMENT
orig airdate not known
InterContinental-La Telediffusion prod.
Produced by Edward Gruskin
Directed by Gunther V. Fritsch
Screenplay by Earl Markham & Bruce Elliot
(no guest cast details on film)
Filmed in the Sainte Marthe studios
Synopsis:
Dr. Prentice has been killed by a lion transmutation of himself; and Dr. Zarkov is made prisoner
by a diabolical inventor.

1.26 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): HEAT WAVE
orig airdate not known

1.27 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE HUNGER INVASION
orig airdate not known

1.28 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): ENCOUNTER WITH EVIL
orig airdate not known

1.29 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE MATTER DUPLICATOR
orig airdate not known

1.30 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE MICRO-MAN MENACE
orig airdate not known

1.31 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE SPACE SMUGGLERS
orig airdate not known

1.32 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE MYSTERY OF PHROS
orig airdate not known

1.33 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE SHADOWY DEATH
orig airdate not known

1.34 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany):  DEATH IN THE NEGATIVE
 orig airdate not known
starring
Steve Holland as Flash Gordon
Irene Champlin as Dale Arden
With:
Joe Nash as Dr. Alexis Zarkov
guest:
Tara Birell as The Queen of Cygnii

1.35 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE EARTH'S CORE
orig airdate not known

1-36 Flash Gordon (Germany): DEADLINE AT NOON
orig airdate not known
InterContinental-Telediffusion prod.
Produced by Edward Gruskin
Directed by Gunther V. Fritsch
Screenplay by Earl Markham and Bruce Elliot
Music Score, Kurt Heuser
Camera, Arnot Rautenfeld
Synopsis:
Flash, Dale and Darkov travel to 1953 in a race against time to find
and deactivate a deadly time bomb that is set to blow up the world.

1.37 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE LAW OF VELORUM
orig airdate not known

1.38 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE SKYJACKERS
orig airdate not known

1.39 [--] Flash Gordon (Germany): THE SUBWORLD REVENGE
orig airdate not known
Produced by Wenzel Luedecke
Directed by Wallace Worsley, Jr.
Screenplay by Earl Markham, Bruce Elliot
Music Score: Kurt Heuser
Camera: Herbert Koerner
Sets: Helmut Zentwig
Film Editor: Heinz Haber
Miniatures: F.W. Wintzer
Sound: Willy Szdzui
Unit Manager: Ernst Liepelt
Synopsis:
Zaldu, leader of the Fire World at the Earth's core is planning another
attack on the Earth's surface.

 ################# Flash Gordon ###############
################## the end #################
##############################################

Have you any comments, corrections, episode titles, air dates, production numbers, directors, writers, story/synopsis, guest stars, cast lists, etc?
Have you any old videos, or tv guides? Dust them off and let us know if you have any information on this series or any other tv series from the
Golden Age of TV, which is missing from any episode guides on the web. Perhaps a certain episode of a particular series coincided with a key
moment in your life, or in world events - and or has left a vivid memory of when it was shown. Let us know. Would you like to see any other
tv series guides on this site? If so please e-mail The Classic TV Archive - see Feedback below.
This guide may be distributed and copied freely, in its entirety, for personal use. All original author and copyright information must
remain intact. Any sales or other uses of this document are expressly forbidden, without the specific consent of the author(s).
Copyright © The Classic TV Archive. All rights reserved.

Return to The Classic TV Archive Home Page
Feedback  -  SciFi Forum