SYNOPSIS | REVIEW | PRODUCTION NOTES | TRIVIA | PRESS | QUOTES | KIM NEWMAN ARCHIVE | MEDIA

Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars (1938)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1938
Running Times: serial, 15 parts, 30 reels (also 82 mins feature)
Format: black and white / tinted sequence
Ratio:
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Universal Pictures
Associate Producer: Barney A. Sarecky

SCRIPT
Script / Story: Ray Trampe, Norman S. Hall, Wyndham Gittens, Herbert Dalmas
Dialogue: Sarah K. Haney
Comic Strip: Alex Raymond

DIRECTION
Directors: Ford Beebe, Robert F. Hill, Frederick Stephani (footage from Flash Gordon (1936) - uncredited)

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Jerome Ash

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Joseph Gluck, Saul A. Goodkind, Louis Sackin, Alvin Todd

MUSIC
Music: Karl Hajos (from Werewolf of London (1935) - uncredited); W. Franke Harling (from Destination Unknown (1933) - uncredited); David Klatzkin (from Call of the Savage (1935) - uncredited); Sam Perry (uncredited); Heinz Roemheld (The Invisible Man (1933), The Black Cat (1934), Bombay Mail (1934) and Dracula's Daughter (1936) - uncredited); Clifford Vaughan (uncredited); Edward Ward (Great Expectations (1934) - uncredited); Franz Waxman (from Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and The Great Impersonation (1935) - uncredited)

SOUND
Dialogue Director: Sarah K. Haney

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Ralph M. DeLacy

CAST
Buster Crabbe (Flash Gordon)
Jean Rogers (Dale Arden)
Charles Middleton (Emperor Ming)
Frank Shannon (Dr Zarkov)
Donald Kerr (Happy Hapgood)
Beatrice Roberts (Queen Azura)
Richard Alexander (Prince Barin)
C. Montague Shaw (Clay King)
Wheeler Oakman (Tarnak)
Kenneth Duncan (palace airport commander)
Warner P. Richmond (Zandar)
Jack Mulhall (Stratosled pilot)
Anthony Warde (King of the Forest People)
Lane Chandler (death squad commander)
Ben Lewis
Earl Askam (Officer Torch in flashbacks - uncredited)
Hooper Atchley (Dr DuNord - uncredited)
James Blaine (Professor Richter - uncredited)
Thomas Carr (Captain Rama of the Forest People - uncredited)
George Cleveland (Professor Hensley - uncredited)
Al Ferguson, Fred Kohler Jr, Glenn Strange (soldiers - uncredited)
Priscilla Lawson (Princess Aura in flashback - uncredited)
Jack 'Tiny' Lipson (King Vultan in flashback - uncredited)
James Pierce (Prince Thun in flashback - uncredited)
Stanley Price (lab worker turned to clay - uncredited)
Kane Richmond (pilot captain - uncredited)
Edwin Stanley (General Rankin - uncredited)
Ray Turner (Zarkov's servant - uncredited)
Wheaton Chambers, George De Normand, Earl Douglas, James Eagles, Jerry Frank, Jerry Gardner, Herbert Holcombe, Reed Howes, Louis Merrill, Eddie Parker, Tom Steele, Bud Wolfe (bit parts - uncredited)

EPISODES

1. New Worlds to Conquer
2. The Living Dead
3. Queen of Magic
4. Ancient Enemies
5. The Boomerang
6. Tree Men of Mars
7. The Prisoner of Mongo
8. The Black Sapphire of Kalu
9. Symbol of Death
10. Incense of Forgetfulness
11. Human Bait
12. Ming the Merciless
13. The Miracle of Magic
14. A Beast at Bay
15. An Eye for an Eye

SUMMARY

Ming the Merciless, ruthless ruler of the planet Mongo returns with a death ray that he aims at the Earth. Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr Zarkov must again head for Mars where Ming has built a base and do battle with Queen Azura who turns people to clay.

CAPSULE REVIEW

The extra three chapters do little to help this tedious follow up to Flash Gordon (1936). There are still plenty of low-tech effects (those spaceships are still wonderful!) and the Clay People are memorable monsters, but overall it's a drag and not a patch on the first film.

AVAILABILITY

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Universal Pictures
Video Distributors: Cable Video; Nostalgia Video; Questar Video Inc; Sinister Cinema; VCI Home Video

TIMELINE

1938
February

8: USA - Chapters 1 and 2 copyrighted (copyright numbers: LP7796, LP7797)
14: USA - Chapter 3 copyrighted (copyright number: LP7822)
25: USA - Chapter 4 copyrighted (copyright number: LP7851)

March
11: USA - Chapter 5 copyrighted (copyright number: LP7880)
17: USA - Chapter 6 copyrighted (copyright number: LP7888)
21: USA - Chapter 7 copyrighted (copyright number: LP7902)
24: USA - Chapter 8 copyrighted (copyright number: LP7910)
29: USA - Chapter 9 copyrighted (copyright number: LP7917)

April
7: USA - Chapter 10 copyrighted (copyright number: LP7940)
12: USA - Chapter 11 copyrighted (copyright number: LP7948)
21: USA - Chapter 12 copyrighted (copyright number: LP7978)
22: USA - Chapter 13 copyrighted (copyright number: LP7979)
29: USA - Chapters 14 and 15 copyrighted (copyright numbers: LP8018, LP8019)

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Deadly Ray From Mars - feature version title
Flash Gordon: Mars Attacks the World - video title
Space Soldiers' Trip to Mars

LINKS

SEQUEL TO
Flash Gordon (1936)

SEQUEL TO
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)

SEE ALSO
Flesh Gordon (1972)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Look 15 March 1938 pp.59-61 (USA)
illustrated preview

Look 29 March 1938 pp.42-45 (USA)
illustrated preview

Look 12 April 1938 pp.54-56 (USA)
illustrated preview

Monthly Film Bulletin November 1950 pp.171-172
credits, review

Motion Picture Herald 19 February 1947
review

Radio Times 13-19 August 1988 p.66
credits

BOOKS

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991 - 1992 p.137
credits, review

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.142
credits

KEYWORDS

spaceships; space travel; aliens; other planets; sequels; mars; death rays


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