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Juvenile SF serial · Mutual

The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon

April 27, 1935 – February 6, 1936 · 100 broadcasts

Fifteen minutes of Saturday afternoon, and the first time Flash Gordon existed anywhere but on paper. Mutual put Alex Raymond's Sunday comic page on the air in April 1935 -- a full year before the Buster Crabbe movie serials -- and adapted it almost week for week: Flash, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov are thrown by rocket onto the wandering planet Mongo, where Ming the Merciless rules and no chapter ends without somebody in mortal trouble. Gale Gordon plays Flash, two decades before he became television's favorite exasperated authority figure; Maurice Franklin is Zarkov and Bruno Wick is Ming. The producer was a young Himan Brown, later of Inner Sanctum and the CBS Radio Mystery Theater. The show never hid what it was for -- every installment opened by reminding listeners that these adventures were pictured each Sunday in Hearst's Comic Weekly. Twenty-six weekly chapters ran to 26 October 1935, ending with Flash and Dale married in the jungle -- a wedding the comic strip never staged -- so the timeslot could be handed to another Raymond property, Jungle Jim. Two days later a daily sequel picked the story up in Atlantis and ran to February 1936. Almost none of it survives.

Collection status: 26 of 100 held (26% complete)
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Episode Spine

Grouped by year. Jump to the full list below, or open a season on its own page.

1935

April 27, 1935 On the Planet Mongo Listen (MP3)
A rogue planet named Mongo is falling toward Earth, and the only plan anyone has is to fire a rocket at it before the collision wipes out everything below.
May 4, 1935 Befriends Lion Men and Stops a Wedding Listen (MP3)
Taken by the king's soldiers, Flash owes his life to Princess Aura once more -- and when the proud princess throws herself from a cliff rather than be held, a constrictor plant catches her instead.
May 11, 1935 Imprisoned by Hawkmen Listen (MP3)
Held prisoner, Flash makes allies of Prince Boon of the Lion Men and of Prince Barron, once of Ming's own court; with Zarkov the four come within reach of toppling the emperor before Ming's soldiers retake them.
May 18, 1935 Death Battle Won by Flash Listen (MP3)
Flash and Dale bolt through Voltan's collapsing palace, but the winged king drops on Flash out of the air and sets about finishing him bare-handed.
May 25, 1935 Rules over Cave World Listen (MP3)
A tournament to the death wins Flash the Kingdom of the Caves, and the rocket carrying him, Dale and a company of Voltan's hawkmen turns toward the open mouth of Kira.
June 1, 1935 Blue Magic Men Capture Flash Listen (MP3)
Drugged into devotion to Queen Azura, Flash no longer knows his own friends. Dale and Khan mix poison for her, then have to ruin their own plan: she has Flash served ahead of herself, and Dale sends the tray to the floor.
June 8, 1935 Dr. Zarkoff to the Rescue Listen (MP3)
Word of the captives reaches King Voltan, who sends Zarkov out with an army, while Dale and Khan play the obedient prisoners in hope of winning the run of the palace.
June 15, 1935 Aide Tal, Plants Seeds of Doubt Listen (MP3)
Zarkov blasts open the sealed entrance to the Blue Magic land, finds his face-o-graph useless for locating the others, and sends a spy into Azura's palace instead.
June 22, 1935 Flash Charges Ice Barricade of Hawkmen Listen (MP3)
As the Blue Magic army rushes the hawkmen's barricade, Thorl -- bitter at losing his command to Flash -- shoots Flash's horse out from under him.
July 6, 1935 Dr. Zarkoff Is Thawed Out Listen (MP3)
Drugged by Azura, Flash has turned on his own side and left Zarkov's army frozen where it stood -- the predicament the doctor is thawed out of.
July 13, 1935 Dr. Zarkoff Shoots Crooks with Electrodes Listen (MP3)
Thawed and questioned, Zarkov learns that Flash is held by the queen's potion of forgetfulness, is reunited with Dale in the palace kitchen, and takes the electric whip as his cue to break out.
July 20, 1935 Flash Regains Memory Listen (MP3)
July 27, 1935 General Tal Rescued Azora Listen (MP3)
An antidote gives Flash his memory back, and he walks in on Azura -- who no longer knows him -- to claim her throne and review her army, until General Tal comes over the balcony with a sword.
August 3, 1935 General Tal Attacks Flash Behind a Hugh Door Listen (MP3)
August 10, 1935 Dr. Zarkoff Builds Invisible Ray Machine Listen (MP3)
Flash works his way down the tangled vines one-handed with Dale held against him, while above them Zarkov watches for the pursuers, a ray pistol in his free hand.
August 17, 1935 Flash, the Avenging Shadow Listen (MP3)
Zarkov's newest machine has made Flash invisible. Whether the Avenging Shadow can take the Blue Magic land is the question this chapter leaves hanging.
August 24, 1935 Azora Regains Memory Listen (MP3)
August 31, 1935 Flash, Still Invisible, Escapes Listen (MP3)
Flash throws his defiance at the witch queen and goes out through the window; her captain of the guard is sent after a man nobody can see.
September 7, 1935 General Tal Tries Capturing Dr. Zarkoff Listen (MP3)
September 14, 1935 Pit of Peril and Death Dwarfs Listen (MP3)
September 21, 1935 Pit of Fire Listen (MP3)
September 28, 1935 Trapped Behind the Iron Door Listen (MP3)
October 5, 1935 Flash, King of Cave World Listen (MP3)
October 12, 1935 General Tal Seizes Azora's Throne Listen (MP3)
October 19, 1935 Flash, Dale & Dr. Zarkoff Crash in Rocket Listen (MP3)
October 26, 1935 Flash and Dale Married in the Jungle Listen (MP3)
October 28, 1935 Flash Gordon
October 29, 1935 Flash Gordon
October 30, 1935 Flash Gordon
October 31, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 1, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 4, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 5, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 6, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 7, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 8, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 11, 1935 Flash Gordon
Clear of the crocodile queen -- and one giant reptile the poorer -- Flash reaches Zarkov aboard the submarine Neptune, only for both men to be taken prisoner by Raoul Dufarge.
November 12, 1935 Flash Gordon
A machine gun holds Queen Nylanda's soldiers off the submarine long enough for Flash and Zarkov to dive to the wrecked Belgrovia, after plans for a ray that can stop aircraft in flight -- and something down there attacks them.
November 13, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 14, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 15, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 18, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 19, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 20, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 21, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 22, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 25, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 26, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 27, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 28, 1935 Flash Gordon
November 29, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 2, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 3, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 4, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 5, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 6, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 9, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 10, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 11, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 12, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 13, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 16, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 17, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 18, 1935 Fake Attack
Emperor of Atlantis now, Flash comes through the Destructo Cannon's bombardment of his fortress -- and sets out on the dangerous road to the land of the Titans.
December 19, 1935 The Mole
Held prisoner among the Titans, Flash's party is in trouble when Prince Neron corners Dale Arden -- who settles the matter with a Dissolvo Pistol.
December 20, 1935 The Titans
December 23, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 24, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 25, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 26, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 27, 1935 Flash Gordon
December 30, 1935 Showdown Taurock
Held at the pit of molten iron with Grego, Flash is pulled clear when Zarkov turns up leading Atlantean warships -- and is then left to face King Taurock alone. What the Feast of Poseidon demands is the question the chapter hangs on.
December 31, 1935 Sacrifice for Poseidon
One of Flash's friends has to go to Poseidon, and the choosing is left to him. Zarkov is the one named for it; the priests want somebody else.

1936

January 1, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 2, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 3, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 6, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 7, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 8, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 9, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 10, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 13, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 14, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 15, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 16, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 17, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 20, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 21, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 22, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 23, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 24, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 27, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 28, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 29, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 30, 1936 Flash Gordon
January 31, 1936 Flash Gordon
February 3, 1936 Flash Gordon
February 4, 1936 Flash Gordon
February 5, 1936 Flash Gordon
February 6, 1936 Flash Gordon
The Story

Fifteen minutes of Saturday afternoon, and the first time Flash Gordon existed anywhere but on paper. Mutual put Alex Raymond's Sunday comic page on the air in April 1935 -- a full year before the Buster Crabbe movie serials -- and adapted it almost week for week: Flash, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov are thrown by rocket onto the wandering planet Mongo, where Ming the Merciless rules and no chapter ends without somebody in mortal trouble. Gale Gordon plays Flash, two decades before he became television's favorite exasperated authority figure; Maurice Franklin is Zarkov and Bruno Wick is Ming. The producer was a young Himan Brown, later of Inner Sanctum and the CBS Radio Mystery Theater. The show never hid what it was for -- every installment opened by reminding listeners that these adventures were pictured each Sunday in Hearst's Comic Weekly. Twenty-six weekly chapters ran to 26 October 1935, ending with Flash and Dale married in the jungle -- a wedding the comic strip never staged -- so the timeslot could be handed to another Raymond property, Jungle Jim. Two days later a daily sequel picked the story up in Atlantis and ran to February 1936. Almost none of it survives.

Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
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