BUSTER CRABBE
February 17th, 1907 -- April 23rd, 1983

Above: The great Buster Crabbe, King of the Serials, in a publicity still for BUCK ROGERS (Universal, 1939).

We serial fans owe the tough, cheerful, and dependable Larry "Buster" Crabbe a great debt of gratitude. Not only was he one of the best serial heroes of all time (indeed, serial historians Alan Barbour and William Cline consider Buster the king of the serials, and I agree with them), but we also have him to thank for the continued existence of the old cliffhanger serials in this day and age. Crabbe’s heroic persona was singularly appealing, in that he was tough and resourceful but also more of an “everyman” than any of the other cliffhanger leads. His characters usually had a bit of a temper and weren’t always intellectually acute, but they came out on top by virtue of determination and sheer “guts.”

Crabbe was born Clarence Linden Crabbe in California, but his parents moved to Hawaii when he was two years old; growing up in the islands, he learned to literally "swim like a fish." He was a champion boxer in high school, and went on to become a champion swimmer in the Olympics. Like his friend Johnny Weissmuller, Crabbe's swimming success gained him the attention of Hollywood and led to his entrance into films. Although Buster originally intended to become a lawyer and only took up acting to get enough money to enter law school, he quickly became a popular action star when he took the lead role in Paramount's KING OF THE JUNGLE, a big-budget rip-off of MGM's TARZAN series. Crabbe starred as Kaspa, the Lion Man, but to all intents and purposes he was playing Tarzan. Sol Lesser, an independent producer who used the Paramount lots, had recently gained the rights to do five Tarzan films of his own, and, recognizing Crabbe as a natural for the part, he signed him up. Unfortunately, the 12-chapter TARZAN THE FEARLESS (Principal, 1933), was a pretty weak effort, merely a cheap attempt to capitalize on the Tarzan legend--and Crabbe's superb physical prowess--by slopping together a mish-mash of jungle action. Crabbe himself, in his autobiography, put his finger on the cliffhanger's main weakness: "Lesser's...Tarzan...was an ignorant brute who spoke halting English--a loincloth leviathan..." While a variation of this approach worked in the MGM films, Crabbe's Tarzan was also sabotaged by a weak script, which made the King of the Jungle seem like a self-interested savage rather than a heroic figure. Again in Crabbe's words: "no amount of promotion could save it."

Above: Crabbe (together with his elephant) is looking alert in his first starring serial role, that of TARZAN THE FEARLESS (Principal, 1933).

After the Tarzan serial, Buster was signed to a contract by Paramount. The studio insisted on changing the first part of his screen name from "Buster" (which had been his nickname since he was a boy) to "Larry" but Crabbe persuaded the studio to let him keep "Buster" as part of his billing. After this contract expired, Buster filled several roles at several studios till 1936--a year of destiny for Crabbe, cliffhangers, and serial fans everywhere. For, in 1936, Crabbe landed the title role in the most famous serial of all time, beating out many other applicants, including future star Jon Hall. The serial was Universal Pictures' FLASH GORDON, based on the comic strip by Alex Raymond, and it marked a turning point in serial history as well as Crabbe's career. FLASH GORDON may well have saved the entire serial genre from extinction by giving serials a new direction--comic strip style fantasy/high adventure--and a new audience--kids. The plot of the serial dealt with young athlete Flash Gordon (Crabbe), his girlfriend Dale Arden (the lovely Jean Rogers), the scientific genius Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon), and their efforts to save Planet Earth from domination and/or destruction by the evil dictator of the planet Mongo, Emperor Ming the Merciless (great serial villain Charles Middleton in his most legendary role). The serial started off on Earth but quickly switched locations to Mongo, where Flash encountered such outer-space denizens as the Lion Men and their ruler Thun (James Pierce, also a former Tarzan), King Kala (Duke York Jr.) and his Shark Men, and Vultan (John Lipson), King of the Hawk Men. Flash also battled assorted monsters, including Tigrons, Gockos, Orangapoids, and Octosacs, as well as Ming and his devious daughter Aura (Priscilla Lawson), who quickly fell in love with Flash. Flash and his friends, with the aid of Prince Barin, rightful heir to the throne of Mongo (Richard Alexander), finally managed to save the world and bring about the downfall and (apparent) death of Ming. FLASH GORDON was the highest-grossing serial ever made, and it captured the public's imagination more than any serial before or since. Buster Crabbe was now firmly established as the king of the sound serials.

Above: A somewhat roughed-up Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe far right) confers with Thun, ruler of the Lion Men (James Pierce, far left). Dale Arden (Jean Rogers) clings to Flash while Prince Barin (Richard Alexander) looks on in this still from FLASH GORDON (Universal, 1936).

Crabbe's next serial was a sequel to FLASH GORDON: FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS (Universal, 1938). Crabbe was Flash again, and Rogers, Shannon, Middleton, and Alexander reprised their 1936 roles as well. This time, Flash, Dale, Zarkov, and a reporter called Happy (Donald Kerr) journey to Mars, where Ming, still alive and well, has formed an alliance with the Martian Queen Azura (Beatrice Roberts) that threatens the universe. Flash once again defeats Ming, and Ming is once more (apparently) destroyed. TRIP TO MARS was almost as popular as FLASH GORDON, and just as good, replete with amazing sets such as the Forest Kingdom and Azura’s palace, and full of good performances, not the least of which was Crabbe’s own. As in the first serial, he made Flash a genial, tough, athletic hero, but this time around he gave the character an added element of prudence and skill in planning strategies, without sacrificing his Everyman quality in the slightest.

Above: Flash (Buster) and his friends are trapped in a ring of fire in FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS (Universal, 1938). Flash is carrying the unconscious Dale (Jean Rogers), nearby on the ground are Happy (Donald Kerr) and Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon, with beard).

Crabbe was finally back on Earth for his next serial, RED BARRY (Universal, 1938). Based on the comic strip by Will Gould, the serial followed the adventures of tough guy police detective "Red" Barry (Crabbe) in his quest to recover valuable stolen savings bonds. Crabbe has to deal with a gang of Russian crooks (headed by Edna Sedgewick and including Stanley Price), a group of Chinese agents (headed by Cyril Delevanti) and a bunch of American/Chinese racketeers (headed by Frank Lackteen and including Wheeler Oakman and a young Tom Steele), as well as an antagonistic police commissioner (William Gould; no relation to the strip's creator) and a bumbling British sleuth named Valentine Vane (Hugh Huntley). Despite all the conflicting gangs, Crabbe manages to come out on top with the help of female reporter Mississippi (Frances Robinson) and Police Inspector "Scotty" Scott (Wade Boteler). Crabbe was ideal as Barry, an unshakable and unconventional cop who didn’t let protocol or “due process” mess up his investigations, and who was in constant conflict with the windbag police commissioner (William Gould).

Above: Buster Crabbe (left) in a life-and-death grapple with stuntman/thug Tom Steele in a lobby card for RED BARRY (Universal, 1938). Buster is also shown in the card's right-hand border.

In his next serial, Buster was in outer space again. BUCK ROGERS (Universal, 1939), chronicled the adventures of Buck Rogers (Crabbe) and his young friend Buddy Wade (Jackie Moran), who were placed in suspended animation following a dirigible crash, not awaking until the twenty-fifth century. They discover the world has been dominated by the evil Killer Kane (Anthony Warde) and they set out to dethrone the dictator with the help of Wilma Deering (Constance Moore) and Dr. Huer (C. Montague Shaw).

Above, from left to right: Constance Moore, Reed Howes, Buster Crabbe, Jackie Moran, Carleton Young, Wheeler Oakman, and Henry Brandon in BUCK ROGERS (Universal, 1939).

Crabbe's final Universal serial was FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE in 1940. "The Universe" was the new title affected by Ming, still around and planning to dominate the entire galaxy. Buster was still Flash, and Middleton and Shannon were still Ming and Zarkov, but Roland Drew replaced Richard Alexander as Prince Barin, while Carol Hughes became the new Dale Arden. Ming's daughter Aura, missing from FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS, returned, but she also was played by a different actress, Shirley Deane. Flash defeated Ming once and for all this time, and the evil dictator was destroyed forever.

Above: Carol Hughes as Dale Arden and Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon are attacked by a robot on the planet of Frigia in FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE (Universal, 1940).

Crabbe now took some time off from serials to star in a long-running series of B-westerns at PRC (Producer's Releasing Corps). When he returned to cliffhangers, Universal had closed their serial department, so he wound up at Columbia as comic book hero Captain Silver in THE SEA HOUND (Columbia, 1947), doing battle with a piratical mastermind known only as the Admiral (Robert Barron) over a lost Spanish treasure. Pamela Blake was the leading lady, and Hugh Prosser, Jack Ingram, and Buster’s good friend Pierce Lyden were all among the supporting cast. Thanks to the performances of Buster, Barron, and the others, the serial emerged as a very entertaining cliffhanger adventure.

Above: Ralph Hodges and Buster Crabbe in THE SEA HOUND (Columbia, 1947).

Crabbe's next serial was basically a sequel to THE SEA HOUND, except for the fact that he sported a different character name. As Captain Jeff Drake, Buster fought the evil machinations of veteran villain Eugene Roth and his PIRATES OF THE HIGH SEAS (Columbia, 1950). Lois Hall was the leading lady and Tommy Farrell the sidekick in this complex, colorful, and very entertaining South Seas mystery/thriller, which involved a fortune in stolen diamonds, an ivory cigartte case that held the key to the cache, and a mysterious war criminal trying to recover the ill-gotten gems. Crabbe was at the top of his form as the rough-and-tumble sea captain and helped to make the serial one of the best of the later Columbias. Reportedly, PIRATES was Buster’s favorite serial, since it was the only one in which he played an original character and not a comic-strip hero, thus allowing him to play the role according to his own ideas and not have to worry about “measuring up” to fans’ preconcieved ideas of the part.

Above: Terry Frost, left, is about to clobber Buster Crabbe with a chair in this fight scene from PIRATES OF THE HIGH SEAS (Columbia, 1950). Marshall Reed lies unconscious on the ground in the bottom left hand corner.

With his last serial, Crabbe's career came "full circle," as Alan Barbour says. He had begun his career as a jungle hero in TARZAN THE FEARLESS, and now he finished up as a jungle hero: Comic book hero Thunda, the KING OF THE CONGO (Columbia, 1952). Thunda's real name was Roger Drum; he was a US Air Force officer who crashed in the jungle and was rescued by a primitive tribe called the Rock People. They dubbed him Thunda, and he became their champion as they battled foreign agents and their enemies the Cave People.

Above: Buster Crabbe has the upper hand as he battles a bad guy in KING OF THE CONGO (Columbia, 1952).

After KING OF THE CONGO, Buster journeyed to Morocco with his son Cuffy to star in CAPTAIN GALLANT OF THE FOREIGN LEGION, an adventure television show that was shot on location and ran two seasons, from 1955 to 1957. Following the show’s demise, Crabbe took on a few starring roles in westerns like GUN BROTHERS and THE LAWLESS EIGHTIES, and a great co-starring role (as Wyatt Earp) in BADMAN’S COUNTRY, before semi-retiring from acting. He opened a swimming pool corporation and also served as an athletic director at a New York hotel. Buster also became much in demand at serial conventions, as the TV networks started to run the old FLASH GORDON serials, leading to their “discovery” by a new generation. It was the showing of the Gordon serials, in fact, that aroused interest in serials again and got the wonderful cliffhangers put out on videotape when the VCR arrived.

We serial fans can never be grateful enough to Buster Crabbe. As we have seen, his FLASH GORDON rescued serials from oblivion in the 1930s and in the 1950s and 1960s.We might not be even of aware of the existence of cliffhangers today if not for Crabbe and Flash Gordon.

Thanks again, Buster!