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Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979 - 1981)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 11:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

___________________________________

This article is interesting because it was written after Starlog staff writer David Houston conducted an interview with Bruce Lansbury, the “supervising producer” of the first 20 episodes, according to IMDB. The series was still in the planning stage, and Lansbury had high hopes for the series. He also stated that Gil Gerrard was destined for major stardom.

That didn’t quite work out . . .

It’s both funny and a bit sad to read about Lansbury’s plans and know that (unfortunately) the series wasn’t going to measure up to his vision. But the Buck Rogers movie had done pretty well in theaters, so Lansbury’s plans weren’t all just pipe dreams. Landsbury had good reason to believe that the show was going to be entertaining, if not a huge hit.

But the scope of the series was, in Landsbury’s mind, considerably more ambitious than the network executives eventually bankrolled, and when you read the article you’ll already know which concepts were used and which didn’t make the cut.

The second half of the article consists of fairly detailed descriptions of plots for the first eight episodes. They sound good on paper, and I might pull out my Buck Rogers box set to see how well Landsbury’s plans match up with the actual executions.

The fact is, I’ve never watch all of the episodes on the DVD’s, although I did see the whole series on TV back in trhe 1980s, when televisions had cathode ray tubes and dinosaurs rules the earth . . . Very Happy

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Fri Jul 06, 2018 10:42 am; edited 1 time in total
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 3:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The series did indeed have much promise. I remember seeing it on the big screen at my local multi-plex and thinking that it was great fun and did indeed have a lot of promise.

I even bought the Estes model editions of the Thunderfighter and Alien Draconian fighters and assembled them along with my 6 year old son and flown them in battle in a local empty lot!

I had great expectations for this series.

The highlight of it all was the episode where General Gordon (Played by Buster (Larry) Crabbe) joined the Fleet against the evil Draconians!















Whether he's Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, or Tarzan....he will ALWAYS be my image of the perfect "Hero".

AND .. It was the perfect homage into the the Greatest Hero of them all!

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 12:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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Gord, your timing is perfect! Very Happy

I prepared the article below last night, but I didn't want to post it until I gave the members a chance to reply to the article and the piece I wrote about.

Your wonderful post is the perfect setup for the article in Starlog from issue 29.

As usual, click on each page here to see a large, easy-to-read version you can zoom in on. Click on the large version again, and then zoom in as close as you want!

Below each image you'll see this:

Click here to see the original page above, before I enhanced it.

____________________________________



~ Click here to see the original page above, before I enhanced it.




~ Click here to see the original page above, before I enhanced it.




~ Click here to see the original page above, before I enhanced it.




~ Click here to see the original page above, before I enhanced it.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Fri Jul 06, 2018 1:32 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
As usual, lick on each page here to see a large, easy-to-read version you can zoom in on. Click on the large version again, and then zoom in as close as you want!

I kept licking, but nothing happened.....except my screen got sticky!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 1:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Special thanks to Eadie, who sent me a nice PM to tell me that in an earlier post I'd misspelled the name of the author (David Houston) of the previous article.

I thanked her, and I corrected the typo right away. Very Happy

(Hint, hint . . . ) Wink

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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orzel-w
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 3:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
Special thanks to Eadie, who sent me a nice PM to tell me that in an earlier post I'd misspelled the name of the author (David Houston) of the previous article.

Yeah, but "Houson" doesn't lend itself to witty retort.
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 8:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

And it's not as funny either!

Far be it from me...the perfect speller to criticize ANYTHING!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 13, 2018 2:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

The Starlog article above includes everything I’d hoped it would. It starts with a description of an interview with Buster Crabb on the set of the TV series during the last day of shooting, and it paints a great picture of that interesting discussion between the veteran actor and author Alan Brender.



_______


There’s a moment in the interview when Gil Gerad joins Buster and Alan briefly, and the two actors discuss the fact that the special effects for the new series will look as dated in a few decades as the special effects for the old serials look to the current audience of Buck Rogers and the 25th Century.







Well, here we are in the 21st century, and their prediction has definitely come true! Cool

The article then presents a well-written history of Buster Crabb’s early professional years and his place in cinematic history of science fiction.

It was very interesting to learn that Mr. Crabb was actually considered for a cameo in Star Wars (as a cantina patron), and that he had hoped he would be asked to make a guest starring appearance in the 1980 Flash Gordon film, playing the father of Sam Jones’ character.

He also said he was hoping Glen Larson would allow regular appearances of the character he plays in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century — Brigadier Gordon . . . and ya gotta love that little touch! Very Happy.

All in all, a very good Starlog article.

_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:48 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Bud Brewster
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17019
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 12:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

A very nice documentary by the team that makes the "Everything You Need to Know About . . . " videos. Fans of the series will enjoy this 14-minute documentary. Very Happy
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Everything you need to know about Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)


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BONUS FEATURE: Episode 1 of the classic radio show!

__ Buck Rogers, Old Time Radio Show - Episode 01


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 4:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Still, the best thing about this series was the fantastic art design of the ships and props!














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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 5:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gord Green wrote:
Still, the best thing about this series was the fantastic art design of the ships and props!

Agreed! And that's a beautiful gallery of images, Flash Gord(on)!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Here's an enjoyable eight-minute video created by a fan of this show (who as a teenager when it first aired), discussing his enthusiasm for the first season, and (like all of us) his disappointment when the second season made some unfortunate changes.

The video is composed of beautiful images and a pleasant narration by its creator, who presents quite a few interesting facts.

A job well done. Enjoy! _
________________________________


_ Buck Rogers and the Horribly Tragic Season 2 Snafu!


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 2:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________


Enjoy this interesting Starlog article from issue #45, the one whose cover is shown in the video above.

Click on each page here (except for the full-page photo) to see a large, easy-to-read version you can zoom in on. Click on the large version again, and then zoom in as close as you want!

____________________________________








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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Bud Brewster
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17019
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 4:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

After reading the article above, I gained considerable respect for Thom Christopher because of the dedicated way he prepared for the role of Hawk. It must have been a bitter disappointment for him (and the entire cast and crew) when the producers torpedoed the series with their disastrous changes to the show's premise.

On that note, you'll LOVE this witty and well-made thirty-four minute video (in two parts) by a pair of imaginative guys who've created a very entertaining featurette about Buck Rogers!

I was impressed right from the very beginning. Enjoy! _
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___Buck Rogers - Classic TV Review 1979 RetroBlasting 1/2


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______ Buck Rogers - Vintage Toy Review Mego 1979 2/2


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 6:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GREAT VIDEOS BUD!

Thank you for finding and posting them!

I always thought that the character of Hawk was added to be a kind of "Spock like" addition to the series.

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