series science fiction television series based characters comic strip storyline comics series set flash year agents team travels galaxy ship sky flash battling cosmic villains order commander series filmed west german french american production series aired syndication aired east coast series proved popular american audiences critical response sparse positive garnered little modern critical attention little generally dismisses series critical thought devoted presentation cold war capitalist themes cast commander richards production universal_studios held production rights allowed lapse universal executives struck deal owners produce episodes series series produced writers included episodes directed composers provided original music shooting began abandoned beer hall serving principal shooting location cast crew lead actors director spoke english recall production difficulties caused matter galaxy explored spoke german accent use german actors speak english required use lot close ups stand camera correctly positioned actor look read line actor repeat line mimicking pronunciation emphasis series episode day episode shooting schedule citing salary disputes withdrew project completing episodes production moved direction final episodes preservation status physical copies episodes escape time october witch neptune march held fred collection library congress total fourteen episodes currently available public domain dvd releases websites internet archive episodes episodes critical response themes variety noted series technical standpoint demands script average viewer probably won notice differences quality home grown produce immediately popular united_states continued run syndication early 1960s modern critical reaction series light largely negative production values frequently derided series described bargain basement televised series suffered comparison earlier film television incarnation labeled vastly inferior lacking good concepts scripts lacking positive comment notes portrayal transformed typical distress trained scientist quick saved flash film theorist far series production values finds use stock footage numerous exterior sequences shot ruins bombed metropolis distinctly ravaged look writes international origins series interesting new cultural dimension air split cultural identity quotes german cultural historian writes particular scene episode cultural split scene uses stock footage june demonstration workers east german government soviet tanks opened fire confirming status soviet puppet state minds west germans american viewers baker speculates probably unaware iconic power west_germany images fleeing east illustrate panic neptune noting similarities ideals espoused space operas like american cold war values argues series designed values young viewers writes fellow space operas common theme peace universe achieved dangerous efforts dominance western powers echoes earlier critique soviet writer soviet film journal art cinema accused gordon space characters vanguard new greater american ravaged look series writes real world stage action space operas played
Flash Gordon (1954 TV series)