Nov 15, 1979 The President of the planet Genesia is no ordinary President. He is 493-year-old child genius Hieronymous Fox. Originally from Earth's 20th century, he developed advanced cryogenics technology and had himself frozen before the nuclear holocaust. After being revived in the 25th century, Fox helped the struggling Genesia colony. 39 years ago today, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century premiered. Also aiding Buck was Dr. Theopolis or 'Theo' (voiced by Eric Server). Including the two-part pilot episode, the first season comprised 24 episodes, with. Of the programs produced by Quinn Martin Productions) delivered the following alternate narrative.
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Buck Rogers is a fictional space opera character created by Philip Francis Nowlan in the novella, Armageddon2419 A.D., and subsequently appearing in multiple media. In Armageddon 2419 A.D., published in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine,Amazing Stories, the character's given name was 'Anthony'.
A sequel, The Airlords of Han, was published in the March 1929 issue. In 1932, theBuck Rogers radio program, notable as the first science-fiction program on radio, hit the airwaves. It was broadcast in four separate runswith varying schedules.
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Initially broadcast as a 15-minute show on CBS in 1932, it was on a Monday through Thursday schedule. In 1936, itmoved to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule and went off the air the same year. Mutual brought the show back and broadcast it three days aweek from April to July 1939 and from May to July 1940, a 30-minute version was broadcast on Saturdays. From September 1946 to March 1947,Mutual aired a 15-minute version on weekdays. 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 him at various times. The beautiful and strong-willed WilmaDeering was portrayed by Adele Ronson, and the brilliant scientist-inventor Dr.
Huer was played by Edgar Stehli. The radio series wasproduced and directed by Carlo De Angelo and later by Jack Johnstone.
Buck Rogers In The 25th Century Sci-fans Presents Buck Rogers In The 25th CenturyIn the future year 1987, at the John F. Kennedy Space Center, NASA launched the last of America's deep space probes. The payload, perched on the nose cone of the massive rocket, was a one-man exploration vessel - Ranger 3. Aboard this compact starship, a lone astronaut - Captain William 'Buck' Rogers - was to experience cosmic forces beyond all comprehension. An awesome brush with death: in the blink of an eye, his life support systems were frozen by temperatures beyond imagination. Ranger 3 was blown out of its planned trajectory into an orbit a thousand times more vast, an orbit which was to return the ship full circle to his point of origin - its mother Earth - not in 5 months, but in 500 years.
Opening narrationUniversal still owned the rights to Buck Rogers when (1977) proved Hollywood was wrong in thinking that science fiction was dead. Two years later the TV-series Buck Rogers (1979-81) hit the air. Buck Rogers (Gil Gerard) blasts off from Earth in a mini-space shuttle 8 years in the future (1987) and is frozen in a cluster of uncharted comets. Their orbit returns to Earth 500 years later according to opening narration by William Conrad, and his body is found by Draconian aliens who are trying to get through the defense field around Earth.He's rescued by Wilma Deering (Erin Gray) and turned over to Dr. Huer, who builds him a cute little sidekick robot named Twiki (voice of Mel Blanc, as a sort of cross between voices of Yosemite Sam and Duck Dodgers)Earth is divided by old nuclear wars into the domed city of New Chicago, and mutants prowling around a devastated landscape outside.
Kane and Princess Ardala suspect Buck of being a spy, but he is able to prove his time travel story while also uncovering a plot by Kane & Ardala to let in the Draconian invaders. The NBC series got so-so ratings, but NBC stayed with it as long as they could, not wanting to be too quick to cancel another. In fact, Marc Leonard (who played Spock's father in the TV and movie series) appeared in a 2-part Buck Rogers story as an alien ambassador who loses his head - at will as I recall.The pilot tv-movie was 88 minutes (without commercials), and the episodes were 60 minute (with ads). The pilot's screenplay was written by the series executive producer, Glen A.
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