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Information Exchange => Reader Comments => Topic started by: Andrew on December 23, 2006, 08:40:57 AM



Title: Buck Rogers
Post by: Andrew on December 23, 2006, 08:40:57 AM
Captain Buck Rogers was frozen inside his shuttle by a freak accident and thawed 500 years later.  He might save Earth from the Draconians, if he takes a break from flirting with Wilma and Princess Ardala.

Click here to go to the Review (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/buckrogers/)


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Shadow on December 23, 2006, 10:38:30 AM
AAAAh! THAT Song! :buggedout: :teddyr:

I saw this in the theater as a kid and loved it. I was devoted to the TV show as well. Recently I got the DVD's and watched this film for the first time in over 20 years. At the time I was always under the impression that the Draconians were aliens, but now part of me wonders if they are not supposed to be an offshoot of Humanity - some colony that prospered and grew into a galactic power while Earth struggled. Ardala sure isn't worried about biological compatibility issues with Buck.


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Yaddo 42 on December 23, 2006, 05:17:40 PM
I always explain (for my peace of mind anyway) Twiki's "beda-beda-beda" as some kind of delay as his computer brain (old style scifi techno speak), processors, or speech software are preparing what he has to say. IRL, my wild-ass guess is whoever came up with that (Mel Blanc, a producer, or someone involved in the sound design) was perhaps inspired by the then new Speak 'N' Spell kid's toy. Then again I'm convinced the inspiration for Dr. Theopolis' design was inspired by the old Simon hand held game.

Boy, that William Conrad sure could sell some narration no matter how cheesy the premise. Even when I went through my phase of loathing the TV series I would still watch the opening just to hear him.

Somehow I see the Draconian emperor marrying off those other daughters as political tools or rewards to loyal conquered rulers, viceroys, figurehead leaders he controls, etc. Considering Ardala's temper, ambitions, and cunning; it would be a bloodbath of infighting to keep her siblings cooped up together, an estrogen timebomb. Even if most of the others are idiots or airheads, it would be a shame to let all that beauty (she can't be the only hottie in the gaggle) go to waste. He probably marries off daughters the way B.B. King gives away versions of Lucille to friends and notable figures.


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Efrem Sepulveda on December 23, 2006, 07:10:12 PM
Right you are Mr. Moto!!  I did have a crush on Erin Gray during the Buck Rogers era.  She and Loni Anderson were my crushes in the late 70s and I thought they were hot!!  Anyway, I got to meet Ms. Gray at a autograph collector's show in North Hollywood five years ago and she looked as beautiful as ever.


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Yannick on December 23, 2006, 07:38:07 PM
I got the whole serie on DVD the first year was very good but the second season was bad, i love the movie amazing


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Greenhornet on December 23, 2006, 09:35:29 PM
OK, I watched the series too and like everyone else, I was anoyed to DEATH by the stupid Star Wars rip-off robots! The second season (With Erin Grey in a mini-dress!) was better.
The moral of this movie is: true evil (Disco) never dies! Gerard looked absolutly IDIOTIC at the dance when he came onto the princess jerking like a spaz to get her to try Disco-dancing.  :bouncegiggle: Odd how she joined him instead of laughing herself sick.

Final word: In the 1930s serial, "Killer" Kane was a "Super Racketeer" and major badass who was his own boss. Here he is the WUSS-LACKY of a spoiled brat whose forces could have been over-powered by a bunch of p**sed-off Girl Scouts!
Pathetic.


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Automan2000 on December 24, 2006, 11:01:04 AM
I loved this series as a kid and I was thrilled to see it available through Netflix.

But then it reminded me that we see things differently as a kid. I could only stand a few eps before I gave up.


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Greenhornet on December 24, 2006, 10:54:36 PM
"He decides to see how Ardala likes old fashion groovin'. She appears to be intrigued."

Buck impressed her just like he impressed the women of HIS TIME by dancing the CHARLESTON or the BLACK BOTTOM.
Sorry to harp on this part of the movie, but it had to be the WORST scene in a movie full of bad scenes.  :tongueout:


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Andrew on December 25, 2006, 12:34:53 AM
"He decides to see how Ardala likes old fashion groovin'. She appears to be intrigued."

Buck impressed her just like he impressed the women of HIS TIME by dancing the CHARLESTON or the BLACK BOTTOM.
Sorry to harp on this part of the movie, but it had to be the WORST scene in a movie full of bad scenes.  :tongueout:

Oh, definitely a low point in the movie.  Still pretty amusing, once you get past the sheer idiocy of the scene.


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Happenstance on December 26, 2006, 07:29:26 AM
The Buck Rogers theme song, as I understand it, is based on The Hopi Questions--basic questions that define one's identity in the grand scheme of things. I once shot a sci-fi parody of sci-fi flicks (long gone now, sadly) that used the song ("Suspension") with these lyrics (sing along!):

Who am I?
What am I?
Where are my pants?
What is my shoe size?
When do I get paid?


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Happenstance on December 26, 2006, 07:34:53 AM
BTW, you can get your very own copy of "Suspension" here:

http://www.clivebanks.co.uk/Buck%20Rogers%20Intro.htm


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Gerry on December 26, 2006, 04:28:24 PM
Ah, Buck Rogers!  A treasure of my youth that has been a joy to revisit as an adult.  I'm about 1/2 through the complete series set.  Most of the eps have been fun, but the mid-first season "flashback" episode was particularly painful, especially considering that it was the 2nd first season episode to feature Gary Coleman!!!!!  Ardala's wardrobe is always a welcome addition, and I think they had to sew Erin Gray into her pants.  I'm not looking forward to season 2 with the dorky Hawkman.  I do have fond memories of the "Satyr" episode though so we'll see how it holds up.

I also captured a version of the pilot episode song in MP3 format -- sans intro narration and a bit better quality than the one at the link above:

http://www.scifilm.org/requests/BuckRogersAlternate.mp3 (http://www.scifilm.org/requests/BuckRogersAlternate.mp3)

I must say I prefer the regular theme for the rest of the episodes though.

BTW, the new forum and site redesign look great, Andrew!  Finally ditched the old Phorum for SMF, eh?  Every looks and works great!


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: JJ on January 03, 2007, 02:17:28 PM
OK, I'm probably going to regret bringing this up, but after seeing that screencap of Twiki, I have to ask.. did anyone else ever think he (it?) looked a bit, um, phallic? No, seriously, look at the "helmet" and tell me you don't see it. And in my admittedly warped adolescent mind, I always thought he was saying "beat-y beat-y beat-y", or sometimes even "beat-it beat-it beat-it".

(I hope this isn't some kind of Rorschach test, because it says some pretty bad things about me if it is..)


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Torgo on January 03, 2007, 10:49:21 PM
I like season 1 of Buck Rogers but season 2 was terrible.


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Torgo on November 30, 2007, 05:12:01 PM
I finally got around to getting this Buck Rogers DVD set. I'm glad I waited as I only paid 15 bucks for it brand new.


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Gerry on November 30, 2007, 06:13:18 PM
That's an awesome deal.  I think I paid around $60 for mine (maybe more).


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Torgo on November 30, 2007, 07:10:46 PM
That's an awesome deal.  I think I paid around $60 for mine (maybe more).

I don't really care for the 2nd season that much so I'm glad I didn't pay that much for it. But it's nice to have everything in one complete set, even though I hate flipper discs.


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Flangepart on March 20, 2008, 11:35:18 AM
Death to Twiki!
Mel Blanc how could you! Did you need a house payment that bad?
Oh, how I, Crow and Tom Servo loathed him...


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: David Radich on April 26, 2008, 03:28:01 AM
Ok, I admit it, Guilty.  This show helped trigger my puberty.  I mean between Erin Gray's spandex outfits and Pamela Hensley Slinking around and acting like the intergalactic space slut from hell, I discovered certain things watching this show.  Things that could make standing up in front of class to do a problem on the chalkboard embarrassing.

I also admit that given a choice, I'd pick Princess Ardalla.  I mean I just like bad girls.  Which brings me to one question I always had since then and it gnaws at the back of my mind to this day.  Ok, there was this episode, where the mean Sexy space slut princess comes to earth with an ultimate planet destroying weapon.  Her ultimatum.  Either Buck Rogers sleeps with her, or she blows the planet to smithereens!

So what does buck do?  Runs away with Twiki!  JEESH!  I mean I think I would make that sacrifice for my planet.   So I wonder.  Was Buck Rogers Gay?


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Jack on April 26, 2008, 07:25:28 AM
Now Amazon's got it of $18, jeez.  I think I paid at least $60 for it as well.  The first season was great, all the campy fun and hot chicks any man could want.  Don't know what the hell happened in season 2, the whole thing just  became a dopey comedy for little kids.  Midgets in every other episode, terrible writing, terrible acting, and they even gave Twiki a smurf voice for one or two episodes. 


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Ben K. on October 25, 2008, 01:31:19 PM
I was a fan of the tv show growing up. So, naturally I'm a fan of the film.


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: yannick on November 20, 2008, 05:02:28 PM
 :hot: Still amazing by today standards, i have the whole buck rogers collection on DVD quit funny lots of things changed during theses 2 seasons.

Twiky voice became more female like then its switch back to the old voice LOL, the second season is not that good when they are on the ship to explore new world.

Hawk was pertty cool, but nothing beats the pilot movie.

Tiger man raw raw raw


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Too Much TV As A Child on June 26, 2009, 04:09:19 PM
You completely overlooked the best line from the theatrical release! Twiki saying, "Beda-beda-beda-beda -- Freezing my ball bearings off." This for some unimaginable reason got cut from the TV release. (Along with the scantily-clad title sequence. What were the censors thinking, man?? Those were ratings grabbers!!!)  :hot:


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: annoymous on August 04, 2009, 05:16:59 PM
Pretty Sad for Henry Silva to play just a lackey thug to some whiny  b***h. Why couldn't of he been the main bad guy.


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: DaveC on December 01, 2009, 02:50:31 AM
Great review! I loved Buck Rogers as a kid,I had all the toys except for Ardala. The Wilma action figure is the 2nd ugliest female toy in all of history. :bouncegiggle:

I love the ship designs from this. The Earth Fighter was originally going to be the Viper in Battlestar Galactica. They changed their minds for some reason but since Producer Gary Larson followed up with this series,he had a chance to use this excellent ship. IIRC,the Galactica shuttle appeas in Season 2 of this show.



Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: Flu-Bird on February 10, 2010, 02:50:29 AM
You have to agree those earth starfighters are the coolist looking ships since the X-WING and Y-WING from STAR WARS


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: JMR3000 on September 25, 2010, 02:38:03 PM
I was 14 or 15 when the series came out.  I refused to watch it.  I thought it was a weak, lame, stupid Star Wars rip-off, and being a huge Star Wars fan, I was not going to subject myself to such drivel.  I caught a few glimpses of Twiki and I hated him.

Now, however, I'm not 14 or 15 and the series is on a local channel during the weekends.  I've been catching some episodes and I find them amusing.  All the space babes are terrific!  And Colonel Deering -- wow!

I never saw the movie, but now I may have to dig up a copy.  Thanks for a great review!


Title: Re: Buck Rogers
Post by: zelmo73 on October 22, 2013, 12:52:57 AM
Ick. This series did not age well. I caught this movie on Netflix a few years ago and yeah, it was pretty bad. Netflix had this movie as the pilot episode, followed by the TV series, all in one movie package which was a pretty neat setup. For some reason, the show looked awful on a high-definition TV, or maybe it was a poor streaming signal that I was getting over my cable Internet. The blu ray or DVD set is probably a lot better quality but I don't see myself investing any kind of real money into it strictly for nostalgia purposes.

I will say that the actress that played Princess Ardala looks even better now than she did when I was a little kid. Hubba hubba hubba! Oddly enough, she seems to have retired after her Matt Houston days, at least according to IMDB. I think she had a small role in that horrible Runaways sci-fi movie with Tom Selleck and Gene Simmons before she quit, but I'll have to look into that.

But yeah, I remember first watching this in the movie theater as a double-feature with the original Star Wars movie back in 1979; it must have been one of the many reshowings of Star Wars in the movie theaters back then, before home video really took off. I wasn't too impressed with it then. It was a lot better on TV for some reason.