Juvenile Science Fiction serial (1932 -
47)
 Buck
Rogers was a comic strip that appeared in the America's
newspapers, so it was a natural for radio action, too. It
had several time slots and sponsors on radio during the
1930's, and the shows from 1938-39, running on Mutual, re-tell
our hero's beginnings to get us kids ready for action as
Buck blasts off on more exciting space adventures in the
incredible future of the 25th Century. After his 1930's
adventures, Buck Rogers was "lost in space" until
a return to Earth radio in 1947. Many actors played the
parts throughout the decades. Buck
Rogers was a man of our time who got trapped in a cave-in
in an abandoned mine, and was subjected to a mysterious
gas that held him in suspended animation until he was discovered
in the 25th century. He was resusitated by the good inventor
and scientist Dr. Huer. The Doctor had an assistant who
was a Lieutenant in the Space Corp, Wilma Deering. Buck
catches on to the marvelous inventions and ways of the future,
and sets off on adventures against space baddies with the
help of Wilma and other space friends such as Black Barney,
a dense Martian pirate turned sometimes sidekick. Buck and
his friends from the future battle evil forces led by Killer
Kane and Ardala Valmar, who like to steal new technology
and generally work at getting themselves a piece of the
action, regardless of the means. In the 25th Century, dedication
to the work at hand was still a hallmark of the successful,
whether good or evil. This battle of good vs. evil might
have meant much more in the fall of 1939 as the War
officially began throughout Europe, and threatened America.Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was one of the earliest
of the juvenile adventure serials of the 1930's, and kids
of that decade also listened to the serials Tarzan,
and The Air Adventures
of Jimmy Allen. In the 1940's, there were many shows for
kids, both in the fifteen minute serial and regular half-hour
formats.
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