FRANK SHANNON
July 27th, 1874 -- February 1959

Above: Frank Shannon (left) is one of the most famous of all serial sidekicks, due to his portrayal of Flash Gordon's (Buster Crabbe, right) loyal ally Dr. Zarkov in Universal's three Flash Gordon serials.

Whenever serial supporting characters are discussed, one name is recalled before all the others. It is Dr. Zarkov, scientist associate of the interplanetary adventurer Flash Gordon, and the man who played Zarkov--no less than three times--is nearly always placed first on the honor roll of sidekicks in serials. The man is none other than Francis Connolly Shannon, or Frank Shannon, as he was billed in his classic cliffhangers. In fact, it would probably be inaccurate to describe Shannon’s Zarkov as merely a “sidekick;” if anything, he was more a co-hero in the FLASH GORDON serials, functioning as the wily and ever-resourceful brain to back up Flash Gordon’s (Buster Crabbe) athletic muscle.

Shannon was born in Ireland, as his name and accent suggest. According to his co-star Buster Crabbe, Shannon was a member of the Dublin Players, and came to America sometime around 1913. After some distinguished work on the New York stage, he relocated to Hollywood. For further information on Shannon’s stage career, follow this link.

Tall, distinguished, and gifted with a stern dignity, Shannon was almost always cast in films as some kind of scientist or dignitary, and was thus a perfect choice when it came time for Universal to cast the part of Dr. Zarkov in their upcoming serial based on Alex Raymond's popular comic strip. At the beginning of FLASH GORDON (Universal, 1936), the Earth was on a collision course with a large, unknown planet and seemed faced with destruction. Only one man, Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon), had a plan to try and do something about it; he was determined to rocket to the planet and find a way to prevent it from colliding with Earth. Before beginning his trip, Zarkov encountered young athlete Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe) and his girlfriend Dale Arden (Jean Rogers), who had been stranded near Zarkov's observatory following a plane crash. At first believing them sent to wreck his project, the scientist took them prisoner, but when they learned of his goal the pair resolved to join him in his heroic effort, and the three of them set out for the planet of doom. They safely landed on Mongo, as the planet was named, and found themselves locked in a life-and-death struggle against Ming the Merciless (Charles Middleton), ruthless alien dictator. Flash, Dale, and Zarkov were captured by Ming, and the wily Zarkov managed to convince Ming to try and enslave the world rather than destroy it, as the despot had planned. This stall tactic worked, as it led Ming to put Zarkov to work in his laboratory, giving time for Flash, who had escaped after being sentenced to death, to try and rescue his friends and put a stop to Ming's threat once and for all. A richly imaginative serial, FLASH GORDON was a colossal hit, and its stars--Crabbe, Rogers, Middleton, and Shannon--became legends among serial fans almost overnight for the complete conviction which they brought to their roles. Shannon in particular conveyed intensity and energy, as in the scene where he saved Flash and the other good guys by threatening King Vultan of the Hawkmen (John Lipson) with the destruction of his city unless he released Flash in exchange for a device of Zarkov’s that would save the Hawkman capital. This was but one of the instances in the serial of Zarkov coming to the rescue of Flash through strategic utilization of some incredible gadget; the general pattern of action in FLASH GORDON became that of Flash getting into a situation and Zarkov extricating him.

Above: Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon, left) comforts Dale Arden (Jean Rogers) while their ally Prince Barin (Richard Alexander) looks on in FLASH GORDON (Universal, 1936).

The success of FLASH GORDON naturally called for a sequel, and FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS (Universal, 1938) filled the bill. Shannon was Zarkov once again, and again played opposite Buster Crabbe as Flash, Jean Rogers as Dale, Charles Middleton as Ming, and Richard Alexander as Prince Barin, rightful heir to Ming's usurped throne. This time the action took place on Mars, where Ming had joined forces with Azura, Queen of Magic (Beatrice Roberts) for another shot at the destruction of the Earth. Regarded by many as the best of the Gordon trilogy, the serial again gave Shannon a good showcase, although his part was a bit smaller than it had been in FLASH GORDON, since the writers gave Flash more smarts in planning and executing strategy than they had allotted him in the first serial--it was still Zarkov’s function to support and counsel Flash, but he was not needed to extricate him from as many pickles as in the first serial.

Above: The Clay King (C. Montague Shaw, seated on throne) confers with Queen Azura (Beatrice Roberts, with her arms outspread) while Prince Barin (Richard Alexander), Dale Arden (Jean Rogers), Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon) and reporter Happy (Donald Kerr, between the King and Azura) watch along with the Clay Men in FLASH GORDON'S TRIP TO MARS (Universal, 1938).

Frank played Zarkov one more time for a third, and equally well-done, Flash serial, FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE in 1940. Shannon’s screen time was increased again in this serial, as the cliffhanger placed the opposing sides on an almost military total war basis and not on the small guerilla-raid footing of FLASH GORDON’S TRIP TO MARS; Zarkov was thus required to formulate several strategies in the struggle with Ming and at times seemed like the commander-in-chief of the good guys’ forces, with Flash as field commander. Crabbe, Shannon, and Middleton were the only returning cast members this time, as Jean Rogers was replaced by Carol Hughes and Richard Alexander by Roland Drew. This time Flash, Zarkov, and Dale stopped Ming's attempt to become supreme ruler of the Universe (Ming affected the title of "the Universe", which explains the odd title of the serial), and the power-mad dictator was finally destroyed thanks to Flash's pluck and courage and Zarkov's canny know-how.

Above: Prince Barin 's aide Roka (Lee Powell), Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe), Dale Arden (Carol Hughes), and Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon), flanked by the Rock Men, prepare for action in FLASH GORDON CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE (Universal, 1940), the last of the Flash Gordon serials.

Frank Shannon never again got as challenging and unusual a role as the part of Zarkov; his only other major serial part was as Professor Davidson, the heroine's uncle, in Columbia's excellent 1943 cliffhanger THE PHANTOM, which starred Tom Tyler as the jungle hero. Even though his part was limited, Shannon, by this time nearly seventy years old, gave a stellar performance that in no way disgraced his earlier fame as Zarkov. He made two more cliffhangers, both in bit roles--the part of a zombie in THE BATMAN (Columbia, 1943) and another uncredited walk-on in THE DESERT HAWK (Columbia, 1944).

Above: Jeanne Bates as Diana Palmer, Tom Tyler as the Phantom, and Frank Shannon as Professor Davidson in THE PHANTOM (Columbia, 1943).

Shannon continued a steady if unremarkable career as a character actor in major and minor movies, his only other important part being the role of police chief McTavish in Glenda Farrell's "Torchy Blane" movies at Warner Brothers. He died in Hollywood in 1959, ten years after his retirement from film work. His filmography only numbered some fifty-plus movies, but the soft-spoken, dignified old Irish gentleman had achieved an immortality that comes to very few actors in their entire careers. He had become an icon of the cliffhanger world; an actor who had defined one of the most memorable supporting characters in serials. Even today, through the undying fame of the Flash Gordon serials and through his own fine work in them, that grand old man Frank Shannon continues to be remembered.

Above: The most famous serial protagonists of them all: Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon, Jean Rogers as Dale Arden...and Frank Shannon as Dr. Zarkov.