I used my new Telecine to capture a new copy of Flash Gordon S01E23 - The Underwater Menace. I think the results are pretty good.
Flash Gordon was a TV series for the 1954-1955 season, produced in west Berlin. The series was direct to syndication throughout many parts of the US, and specifically aired on the east coast on the DuMont Television Network. The show is now in the public domain, and about half the episodes produced are available on home video. Today, I present an episode we captured that is not available on home video.
This episode aired March 25, 1955. It’s the 23rd episode of the show’s run.
It appears that most of the actors spoke little to no English, and much of the dialogue was delivered phonetically. The German accents are wide spread throughout.
Modern reviewers have been pretty rough on the show, comparing it unfavorably with the Buster Crabbe serials of the 30s and 40s, and I can understand that. This show had a much lower budget than those serials. I think that many of the episodes of this show are pretty brilliant, though, and the occasional use of scenes in and around war torn Berlin as set dressing for this far future series gives an air of menace to the show which is welcome.