Buster Crabbe

Buster Crabbe’s chief claim to fame, aside from his Olympic gold medal (for the 400-meter freestyle event in 1932), rests in the trio of movie serials in which he played the popular science-fiction hero Flash Gordon. Crabbe was the only actor to play the roles of Tarzan (in one movie), Flash Gordon, and Buck Rogers, the top three pulp action heroes of the 1930s. Crabbe carved out a career that would also include more than 100 B–movies and program Westerns, a television adventure series, and a successful physical fitness enterprise. All of this and more is detailed in this book, which includes a complete filmography providing cast and crew information for each of his 103 feature films and serials.

Writer Jerry Vermilye is an actor and lives in New Jersey.

Jerry Vermilye
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 208
Bibliographic Info: 76 photos, filmography, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014 [2008]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9570-2
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5180-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vi
Preface      1
The Biography      3
The Films      49

(in order of release)

Good News      49
The Maker of Men      50
Huddle      50
The Most Dangerous Game      51
That’s My Boy      51
King of the Jungle      51
Man of the Forest      54
To the Last Man      55
Tarzan the Fearless      57
Sweetheart of Sigma Chi      59
The Thundering Herd      61
Search for Beauty      63
You’re Telling Me      66
Badge of Honor      67
We’re Rich Again      68
The Oil Raider      70
She Had to Choose      71
Hold ’Em Yale      72
The Wanderer of the Wasteland      74
Nevada      75
Drift Fence      77
Desert Gold      79
Flash Gordon      81
The Arizona Raiders      84
Lady Be Careful      86
Rose Bowl      88
Arizona Mahoney      89
King of Gamblers      91
Murder Goes to College      92
Forlorn River      94
Sophie Lang Goes West      95
Thrill of a Lifetime      97
Daughter of Shanghai      99
Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars      101
Tip-Off Girls      104
Hunted Men      105
Red Barry      107
Illegal Traffic      109
Unmarried      110
Million Dollar Legs      112
Buck Rogers      114
Colorado Sunset      116
Call a Messenger      118
Sailor’s Lady      119
Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe      122
Jungle Man      124
Billy the Kid Wanted      126
Billy the Kid’s Round-Up      127
Billy the Kid Trapped      128
Billy the Kid’s Smoking Guns      130
Jungle Siren      131
Law and Order      133
Wildcat      134
Sheriff of Sage Valley      135
The Mysterious Rider      136
The Kid Rides Again      137
Queen of Broadway      137
Fugitive of the Plains      139
Western Cyclone      140
The Renegades      141
Cattle Stampede      142
Blazing Frontier      143
Devil Riders      144
Nabonga      145
Thundering Gun Slingers      146
Frontier Outlaws      147
Valley of Vengeance      149
The Contender      150
Fuzzy Settles Down      151
Rustlers’ Hideout      152
Wild Horse Phantom      153
Oath of Vengeance      153
The Drifter      154
His Brother’s Ghost      156
Shadows of Death      156
Gangster’s Den      157
Stagecoach Outlaws      158
Border Badmen      159
Fighting Bill Carson      159
Prairie Rustlers      160
Lightning Raiders      161
Gentlemen with Guns      162
Ghost of Hidden Valley      163
Prairie Badmen      164
Terrors on Horseback      165
Overland Riders      166
Swamp Fire      167
Outlaws of the Plains      168
Last of the Redmen      169
The Sea Hound      172
Caged Fury      174
Captive Girl      176
Pirates of the High Seas      178
King of the Congo      179
Gun Brothers      181
The Lawless Eighties      182
Badman’s Country      184
Gunfighters of Abilene      185
The Bounty Killer      186
Arizona Raiders      187
The Comeback Trail      189
The Alien Dead      190
Swim Team      191

Bibliography      193
Index      195

“a complete filmography…photos are terrific. If you love Buster, you’ll enjoy browsing this book”—Classic Images; “a welcome addition”—Western Clippings; “Vermilye’s book is a respectful, thorough, interesting and enjoyable chronicle of this veteran movie performer’s career. Recommended”—Examiner.com.