Buck Rogers

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This entry is for the science fiction character Buck Rogers. For other uses, please see the Buck Rogers disambiguation page.

Buck Rogers began in 1928 as Anthony Rogers, the hero of two novellas by Philip Francis Nowlan published in Amazing Stories. Buck is best known from the long running newspaper comic strip. He also appeared in a movie serial, a television series, a computer game, and in many other formats.

The adventures of Buck Rogers, whether in comic strip form, movies, radio or television, became an important part of American pop culture. This pop phenomenon paralleled the development of space technology in the twentieth century and introduced Americans to space as a familiar environment for swash-buckling adventure.

It has been said that Robert Goddard invented rocket science, but arguably it was Buck Rogers who first popularized the concept of space exploration, following in the footsteps of H.G. Wells (From the Earth to the Moon and other tales) and other writers as well.

Amazing Stories

The character first appeared as Anthony Rogers, the central character of Philip Francis Nowlan's novella Armageddon 2419 A.D., which first appeared in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine Amazing Stories.

While exploring a cave, Rogers, a United States Army Air Corps officer, falls into a coma after exposure to leaking gas, and awakes in the twenty-fifth century. Together with his new comrades, the beautiful Wilma Deering and the intrepid Dr. Huer, he struggles to rid the world of evil warlords and "Mongol" hordes.

Armageddon 2419 A.D.'s sequel, The Airlords of Han, appeared in the March 1929 issue of Amazing Stories. The story's enemy force, the Han, were later renamed Mongols.

In the 1960s, Nowlan's two novellas were combined by editor Donald A. Wollheim into one paperback novel, titled Armageddon 2419 A.D. [link] The original 40-cent edition featured a cover by Ed Emshwiller.

These stories include racist stereotypes of the "yellow peril" variety. America is occupied by cruel invaders from China. Buck Rogers and his fellows not only free America of their rule, but also destroy their cities, kill their populations wholesale, and pursue them back to China. The stories include explicit reference to "the White Race" and "the Yellow Race" fighting it out for possession of America.

A passage near the end of the second story seems to be an effort to soften the racism, as the "Chinese" invaders are revealed to be of mixed blood, part human and part space alien.

Comic Strip

The story of Anthony Rogers in Amazing Stories caught the attention of John F. Dille, president of the National Newspaper Service syndicate, and he arranged for the author, Philip Francis Nowlan, to turn it into a comic strip for Dille's syndication company. The comic strip was named "Buck Rogers", and this name stuck in all later reworkings of the story. Dille assigned staff artist Dick Calkins to the project.

Some have suggested that Dille coined the nickname "Buck" based on a 1920s cowboy character named Buck Rogers.

On January 7, 1929 Buck Rogers, the first science fiction comic strip, debuted. Coincidentally, this was also the date that the Tarzan comic strip began. Comic strip historians note the beginning of the golden age of adventures strips as beginning with the debut of these two influential comics.

On 30 March 1930 a Sunday strip joined the Buck Rogers daily. There was, as yet, no established convention for the same character having different adventures in the Sunday strip and the daily strip (many newspapers carried one but not the other) and so the Sunday strip at first followed the adventures of Buck's young friend Buddy Deering, Wilma Deering's younger brother. It was some time before Buck made his first appearance in a Sunday strip.

Like many popular comic strips of the day, Buck Rogers was presented in Big Little Books, illustrated text adaptations of the daily strip stories, and in a collectible Buck Rogers Pop-Up Book.

The strip ran continuously for 38 years, with the final installment being published on July 8, 1967.

The comic strip was revived in 1979 by Gray Morrow and Jim Lawrence. The strip was retitled Buck Rogers in the 25th Century in 1980, and longtime comic book writer Cary Bates would sign on in 1981 until the strip's ending in 1983.

See also List of Buck Rogers comic strips.

Radio Show

In 1932, the Buck Rogers radio program, notable as the first science fiction show on radio, hit the airwaves. The radio program aired 4 times a week for fifteen years, from 1932 through 1947.

The radio show again related the story of our hero Buck finding himself in the 25th Century. Actors Matt Crowley, Curtis Arnall, Carl Frank, and John Larkin all voiced Buck at various times. The beautiful and strong-willed Wilma Dearing was portrayed by Adele Ronson, and the brilliant scientist and inventor Dr. Huer was played by Edgar Stehli.

The radio series was produced and directed by Carlo De Angelo and later by Jack Johnstone.

Note: Johnstone recalled in 1988 how he worked with the sound effects of Ora Nichols to produce the sound of the rockets using an air-conditioning vent. [link]

Film and TV adaptations

World's Fair

A ten-minute Buck Rogers film premiered at the 1933-1934 World's Fair in Chicago. John Dille Jr. (son of strip baron John F. Dille) starred in the film, which was called Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: An Interplanetary Battle with the Tiger Men of Mars.

Department Store Promotion Movie

Accrording to Robert Lesser's 1975 book "A celebration of Comic Art and Memorabilia" ISBN 0-8015-1456-8, a special movie short was produced in 1936. This was designed to be shown in department stores to promote Buck Rogers merchandise. This live action short, presented" a series of exciting scenes and is complete with sound effects." "A special cast was employed to produce the picture which was filmed in the studios of the Action Film Company, Chicago, under the personal direction and supervision of Dr. Harlan Tarbell." The characters in the short include Buck, Wilma, Dr. Huer, Killer Kane, Ardala, King Grallo of the Martian Tiger Men and Mechanical Robots. Unfortunately, this film has not been shown since the 1930s. Perhapes it has been lost. A few stills from the production were included in Lesser's book.

Movie Serial

A twelve-part Buck Rogers movie serial was launched in 1939. In this version Buck Rogers and his young friend Buddy Wade are involved in a dirigible accident in a remote place. Immediately afterwards they somehow get into suspended animation waiting for rescue. When they are finally discovered and revived, they learn that 500 years have passed. A tyrannical dictator named “Killer Kane” and his henchmen now run the world. Buck and Buddy must now save the world, and they do so with the help of Lieutenant Wilma Deering and Prince Tallen of Saturn.

The serial starred Buster Crabbe, who had previously played the role of Flash Gordon, a role he was later to reprise as "Brigadier Gordon" in the Buck Rogers television series — the only crossover between the two characters. Constance Moore played Lieutenant Wilma Deering, the only woman in the film, and Jackie Moran was Buddy Wade, a character who did not appear in other versions of the Buck Rogers franchise, but who was clearly modeled on the Sunday strip character Buddy Deering. Anthony Warde played "Killer Kane", Buck Roger's enemy; this was the only time that Warde, who usually portrayed evil underlings in serials, played a lead villain.

Korean-American actor Philson Ahn, younger brother of noted actor Philip Ahn, played Prince Tallen, a Saturnian native who befriends Buck Rogers. As was typical for the times however, all other Saturnians were played by Caucasian actors. There are some racist undertones in the film. For example, workers on the planet Saturn, who are called Zugs, are portrayed as ugly, dark, hulking brutes (played by Caucasians in makeup) who are unable to think for themselves and who worship and attend to a catatonic brainwashed human.

The noted actor and "crown prince of stuntmen" David Sharpe, who appeared in over 4,500 films over the course of a seven decade career, also appeared in the Buck Rogers serial in several roles: as a Kane pilot, a Hidden City sentry, and a Saturnian lieutenant.

The serial had a small budget and saved money on special effects by re-using material from other stories: background shots from the futuristic musical Just Imagine (1930), as the city of the future, the garishly stenciled walls from the Azura palace set in Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, as Kane's penthouse suite, and the "Strato-Sleds" of Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, as mock-ups of the flying machines.

In 1953, the 1939 movie serial was re-edited and re-released as a motion picture entitled Planet Outlaws. This reissue was subsequently edited again and retitled Destination Saturn for broadcast on television in 1965.

1950–1951 ABC Television Series

The first version of Buck Rogers to appear on television, debuted on ABC on April 15, 1950 and ran until January 30, 1951. Its time slot initially was on Saturdays at 6:00 P.M., and each episode was 30 minutes in length. Later, the program was rescheduled to Tuesday at 7:00 P.M. where it ran against the popular Texaco Star Theater hosted by Milton Berle which trounced Buck Rogers in the ratings, and led to the series' cancellation.

There were a number of changes to the cast during the show's short duration. Three actors played Buck Rogers in the series: Earl Hammond, Kem Dibbs and Robert Pastene. Two notable actresses portrayed Wilma Deering in the series, Eva Marie Saint and Lou Prentis. Two actors would also play the role of Dr. Huer: Harry Southern and also Sanford Bickart. Black Barney was played by Harry Kingtson.[link]

The series was directed by Babette Henry, written by Gene Wyckoff and produced by Joe Cates & Babette Henry.

The series was broadcast live from station WENR-TV, the ABC affiliate in Chicago, Illinois. There are no known surviving kinescopes of the first Buck Rogers television series.

Motion Picture and 1979–1981 NBC Television Series

Main article: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)

In 1979, Buck Rogers was revived and updated for a prime-time television series for NBC Television. The pilot film was first shown in cinemas in Spring 1979. Good box-office returns led NBC to commission a full series, which started in September 1979.

The series starred Gil Gerard as Capt. William "Buck" Rogers, a US Air Force pilot who commands Ranger 3, a space shuttle that is launched in 1987. Because of a freak combination of gases, he is frozen in space for 500 years and is revived in the 25th century. There, he learns that the Earth was united following a devastating nuclear war in the late 20th century, and is now under the protection of the Earth Defense Forces.

Co-starring in the series were Erin Gray as crack Starfighter pilot Col. Wilma Deering, and Tim O'Connor as Dr. Elias Huer, head of Earth Defense Forces. New characters added for the series included a comical robot named Twiki (voice provided by Mel Blanc), who becomes Buck's personal assistant, and Dr. Theopolis (voice by Eric Server), a computer brain Twiki carries around. Black Barney did not appear as a character in the series, although there was a character named Barney who appeared in a single episode.

The series ran for two seasons on NBC. Broadcast of the second season was delayed until 1981 due to an actor's strike. When the series returned it had been revised with Buck and Wilma being assigned to a deep-space exploration vessel, the Searcher, which is tasked with tracking down the lost colonies of humanity. The retooled series was cancelled at the end of the 1980-1981 season, but remains a cult favorite 25 years later.

Role Playing Games

Buck Rogers XXVC

Main article: Buck Rogers XXVC

In 1988, TSR, Inc. created a game setting based on Buck Rogers. There were many other products that were set in this universe.

Buck Rogers also featured in a role playing game from TSR, Inc. and associated books published from 1988-1995. It is set in the XXVC scenario. In it the player characters were allied to Buck Rogers and NEO (the New Earth Organisation) in their fight against RAM (a Russian-American corporation based on Mars). The games also extensively featured "gennies" (genetically enhanced organisms). The gameplay dealt with token movement and resource management. There was a single expansion called the Martian Wars Expansion.

XXVC Graphic Novels

From 1990 to 1991, eight graphic novels set in the XXVC universe were published, entitled Rude Awakening #1, #2 and #3, Black Barney #1 and 2. and Martian Wars #1 and #2. There has been speculation that two more stories were printed but not widely published.

XXVC Novels

In 1990, ten paperback novels set in the XXVC universe were also published: Arrival, The Martian Wars Trilogy, Rebellion 2456, Hammer of Mars, Armageddon off Vesta, The Inner Planets Trilogy consisting of First Power Play, Prime Squared and Matrix Cubed and The Invaders of Charon Trilogy consisting of The Geness Web, Nomads of the Sky and Warlords of Jupiter.

XXVC Video Games

In addition there was a video game made available for the Commodore 64, IBM PC, Sega Genesis, and other platforms. It was published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1990. It was set in TSR, Inc.'s XXVC game setting. See Countdown to Doomsday for more information.

In 1992, a second video game was made available for the Commodore 64, IBM PC, and other platforms. It was published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1992. It was set in TSR, Inc.'s XXVC game setting. See Matrix Cubed for more information.

High-Adventure Cliffhangers

In 1995, TSR created a new unrelated version of the Buck Rogers RPG, called High Adventure Cliffhangers. This was a return to the themes of the original Buck Rogers comic strips. This game included biplanes and interracial warfare, as opposed to the space combat of the earlier game. There were only a few expansion modules created for High Adventure Cliffhangers. Shortly afterward, the game was discontinued, and the production of Buck Rogers RPGs and games came to an end. This game was not widely advertised, and thus was not very popular. There were only two published modules: the box set, and "War Against the Han".

Planet of Zoom Video Game

Sega released the arcade video game Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom in 1983. The user controls a spaceship that must destroy enemy ships and avoid obstacles; Buck is never seen, except assumedly in the illustration on the side of the game cabinet, and its only real connections to Buck Rogers are the use of the name and the outer space setting. Home versions were released for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari XE, Colecovision, Intellivision, and Sega Master System video game systems, and the Commodore VIC-20, Commodore 64, Texas Instruments TI-99/4A, and ZX Spectrum computers. A version for IBM PC using CGA graphics was also available.

Later novels

Sequels to Armegeddon 2419 A.D. were written in the 1980s by other authors. The novels include:

Mordred by John Eric Holmes (Ace, January 1981 ISBN 0-441-54220-4 )

Warrior's Blood by Richard S. McEnroe ( Ace January 1981 ISBN 0-441-87333-2 )

Warrior's World by Richard S. McEnroe (Ace October 1981 ISBN 0-441-87338-3 )

Roger's Rangers by John Silbersack (Ace August 1983 ISBN 0-441-73380-8 )

Numerous novelists have "reinvented" the Buck Rogers mythos over the years, including:

M.S. Murdock who wrote a trilogy of novels in the early 1990s

Martin Caidin, who wrote a stand alone novel retelling the original story. ISBN0-7869-0144-6

Future adaptations

As of 1997, the film rights for Buck Rogers belonged to the Walt Disney Company, but as of 2006 no new film or TV adaptation has emerged, and it is not known if Disney still owns the rights. An announcement in the summer of 2004 that a new Flash Gordon film was in the planning stages suggests a new Buck Rogers film may follow eventually.

Changes in ownership

Ownership of Buck Rogers and other works later passed into the hands of the Dille Family Trust. Flint Dille was John F. Dille's grandson. Today, TSR owns both the character Buck Rogers and the magazine, Amazing Stories, in which he first appeared.

Influence on Language

Buck Rogers' name has become proverbial in such expressions as "Buck Rogers outfit" for a protective suit that looks like a spacesuit. For many years, all the general American public knew about science fiction was what they read in the funny papers, and their opinion of science fiction was formed accordingly. Another phrase in common use before 1950 was "As crazy as flying to the moon," and serious science fiction fans were often asked, "Do you really believe that crazy Buck Rogers stuff?"

The rock band Feeder wrote a song called Buck Rogers, one of their biggest hits to date.

Satire

Such was the fame of Buck Rogers, that it became the basis for one of the most fondly remembered science fiction spoofs in a series of Daffy Duck cartoons. The first of these was Duck Dodgers in the 24-1/2th Century, which was directed by Chuck Jones in 1953. There were also two sequels to this cartoon, and ultimately a Duck Dodgers television series.

References

• Strickler, Dave. Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, CA: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0970007701.

External links

• [Buck-Rogers.com]
• [SCIFI.COM | Buck Rogers In The 25th Century]
• ["Buck Rogers" (1950) TV-Series]
• [Buck Rogers soundboard] - humorous dialogue samples
• [Wings Over Tomorrow: A collection of Phil Nowlan's original science fiction including the original Anthony "Buck" Rogers novellas]
• [Erin Gray At Bionicon] Bionicon Conventions
• [A list of Buck Rogers books]

 

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