Alan Brennert, Anne Collins And John Gaynor: On Writing Buck Rogers In The 25th Century For Gil Gerard

"To me Vegas In Space was the model of what the series should have been: funny, fast moving, adventurous, but with one or two of those serious, poignant moments. After Vegas In Space, Gil suddenly had no interest in doing the funny stuff. I don't know what happened. I don't know what went on in his mind. But he clearly decided he didn't want to do the jokes anymore. He started taking the character more seriously than the character should have been taken.



There was also a communications problem; I don't think we were ever able to quite communicate on the level that we should have. Gil didn't understand that jokes can exist comfortably in the same script as more serious stuff. He was always throwing jokes out on the set. Without that kind of light-hearted spin to our scripts, we just had shows that were essentially melodrama. And to my way of thinking, many of them just sat there. The resulting shows were not anything that I had seen in my head when I was writing them.



Gil was a very good comedic actor. That's not to say he's incapable of doing more serious moments. But I thought his best skills were in that kind of snappy banter with Wilma and the others, when he had that twinkle in his eye. At some point he decided he was above that, or at least that's my interpretation. It was a shame, because he ignored a facet of his abilities that really set him apart, and as a result, I don't think Buck Rogers was nearly as interesting as he could have been. The way we envisioned the character fit him like a glove, but he decided he didn't want the glove to fit.

It has been my experience that writers are paid vast sums of money in this business only partly for their writing talents, but largely to take vast amounts of shit from people."

-Alan Brennert, Starlog Magazine #232 (p.67, 69)- 

"We tried to be faithful to Glen Larson's vision [established in the two-hour pilot], but Gil had his own ideas. Gil became more and more difficult to work with. We didn't trust each other. He thought we were out to sabotage his character, and we didn't know how to deal with that."

-Anne Collins, Starlog Magazine #232 (p68)-



"Gil was getting insecure about the whole situation. Gil could be a very charming man, but somehow he got this insecurity into his head. Gil felt the scripts were being written for women, and not for him. Maybe he felt this way about Wilma, too. He caused a lot of problems.

I just thought he should stop worrying about all this other crap he was concerned about and play Buck Rogers the way he was supposed to be played. Gil was charming and likeable on screen, and I thought it was going splendidly. I don't know why he was getting so upset about it all.

I think Gil felt we were against him. He seemed to be getting a little paranoid about it. He went on about the fact that it was his face up there and we didn't care, which was not true at all---of course we cared! Our reputations were involved as well. It was not a pleasant time."

-Producer John Gaynor, Starlog Magazine #232 (p68-70)-



So Buck Rogers In The 25th Century presents a wonderful example of the writers at odds with a performer. Jonathan Harris had often injected his own dialogue and re-writes into Lost In Space as Gil Gerard did here.

While the two parties in these situations prove there was a significant degree of daylight between them, one could argue there was a certain degree of conflict in the aforementioned applications that made those shows better.

These above excerpts from Starlog Magazine really put into perspective what was in play behind the scenes in the beginning for Buck Rogers In The 25th Century way back in the 20th Century.

Buck Rogers In The 25th Century S1 E5: Vegas In Space

"We were still under the Charlie's Angels influence. I can't remember if it came from the network or the studio, but there was definitely pressure to get lots of women in strange, semi-revealing costumes."
-Anne Collins, Starlog Magazine #231 (p.71)-

"Biddy biddy biddy, what a guy."
-Twiki (voice of Mel Blanc)-





We've all heard of Pigs In Space, a recurring sketch on The Muppet Show (1976-1981), and maybe this is a poor analogy, but Buck Rogers In The 25th Century (1979-1981) sometimes plays like Babes In Space or Babes In The 25th Century. The female quotient feels even more amplified for Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, Season One, Episode 5, Vegas In Space (produced before S1, E3/4 Planet Of The Slave Girls but airing after that installment). And there is no shortage of the kind of skin that seems often absent in today's science fiction. There are legs, arms and cleavage galore in every few minutes of the latest installment. Personally, happy as a pig in shit with an entry like this now and again, but like pigs this episode would unlikely never fly today. Some of the science fiction from the 1960s and 1970s were particularly pleasant on the eyes. This is no exception.



Awakening (S1 E1-2) introduced us to two stunning females that would grace the world of Buck Rogers in Erin Gray and Pamela Hensley.

Vegas In Space continues what promises to be Buck as a kind of Captain James T. Kirk on steroids for 1979. Gil Gerard is indeed surrounded by them as the titular hero in white spandex Buck Rogers.



Actresses for the installment here include Juanin Clay (The Legend Of The Lone Ranger, War Games; take note as Clay was originally cast to play Wilma Deering before Erin Gray decided to take the role), Pamela Susan Shoop (Halloween II, Galactica 1980, The Incredible Hulk) and Ana Alicia (Halloween II, Falcon Crest, Romero, Battlestar Galactica and Galactica 1980). The list of TV credits for the aforementioned ladies is long.

Cesar Romero (The Joker in the original Batman TV series) makes an appearance too.



Vegas In Space is nothing overly substantial but there is a kind of aw shucks likeability and charm about the episode. Gerard also continues to settle into the character nicely as a kind of common sense, street smart American hero less interested in leaning on 25th Century technology and falling back on good old fashion American ingenuity, know how and elbow grease.

Writer John Kenneth Muir accurately dubs Buck, a symbol of "American exceptionalism in space" (John Kenneth Muir's Reflections On Cult Movies And Classic TV).



The general concept for Buck Rogers and company is a rescue mission with 25th Century Buck unabashedly infusing his hero with a good deal of humor making the series, despite its shortcomings, wholly accessible fun. There was a good degree of formula to the series as much as there was for The Incredible Hulk (1977-1982) or The Love Boat (1977-1986). Hey formulas work. And it worked well as a crime series in future space, but not unlike the expensive Battlestar Galactica by Glen A. Larson as well, the series was as ephemeral as Space:1999 (1975-1977), landing itself with a mere two year run.



The escape from the Vegas-like city in space is meant to be a manual thriller as Buck uses his wits to outfly a new brand of fighter called the hatchet fighter, but they aren't that impressive or fast and it is less than thrilling to watch. Biddy Biddy Biddy not exciting Buck.

This was often a problem for the series. Battlestar Galactica's effects may not have excelled by today's standards, but the space battles almost seem superior by comparison to the shortchanged mess of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century (despite attempts at recycling some of the effects work from Battlestar Galactica). These were simply not memorable sequences and are often the least effective aspects of the series. It was definitely about the characters.



Irwin Allen was notorious for recycling material in his series. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson had to take their own liberties as well. Larson does it here borrowing from Battlestar Galactica, but Buck Rogers In The 25th Century may be the greatest casualty of such an application and given Allen's wholesale reuse that's saying something. But what Buck Rogers lacks it more than makes up for in its casting and story fun. The characters and enthusiasm of the show often save the day.

It illustrates how this portion of the series, outer space itself, was less than important in comparison to the story of life in the 25th Century. Fortunately, the bulk of the series is all the better for the character missions and interactions. They are far better and above and beyond the space dogfights. These issues were remedied for fans of these two Larson productions for Ronald D. Moore's reimagined Battlestar Galactica whereby some of the most dynamic screen action in science fiction was created to complement the respective character studies.



As for the writing, not unlike Jonathan Harris on Allen's Lost In Space, Gil Gerard was often inserting his own dialogue throughout the series. Like Dr. Zachary Smith before him the character of Buck Rogers shines as a result of his concern for the role.

You won't feel lucky watching Vegas In Space, but with this cast of stunning women any red blooded male might wish he was, so better luck next time. Great eye candy for a visit forward in time with this step back in time to old school science fiction adventure done fairly well with an eye toward fun over perfection.



Director: Sigmund Neufeld Jr..
Writer: Anne Collins (Wonder Woman).

Craig Buck: On The Incredible Hulk And Buck Rogers In The 25th Century

"Buck Rogers was very formulaic....

When I wrote for The Incredible Hulk, even though it was a big cartoon show, the producers were very concerned with character.

They felt it was important to remember David Banner was a man fighting his own inner demons.

It was really a heavy character show.

They never did anything close to that on Buck Rogers, and I think that's one reason the show didn't last.

One of the reasons Star Trek is so popular and Hulk did well is that those shows were character-based."

 

-Craig Buck, Starlog Magazine #232 (p72)-

Craig Buck was a writer for Buck Rogers In The 25th Century (S1, E19, Olympiad). He also contributed Babalao (S3, E10) to The Incredible Hulk as well as the Season Three opener Metamorphosis for the enduring hulk of a series.

Tim O'Connor: On Buck Rogers In The 25th Century

"Buck Rogers is so less heavy than something like Galactica. While Galactica was essentially a good show, it always took itself so deadly serious and there was little sense of humor. Buck, I believe, has the quality of humor and it makes it so much easier and enjoyable for the audience to digest. The sense of fun makes the show like a light, refreshing drink."

-Tim O'Connor, Starlog Magazine #38 (p.35)-

What's wrong with serious? I would disagree as both series were fun Larson productions with Dirk Benedict as Starbuck running interference with humor to lighten the heavier science fiction aspects of the Battlestar Galactica series.

Buck Rogers In The 25th Century S1 E3-4: Planet Of The Slave Girls

"If you call that interfering there's something wrong with your Funk and Wagnalls."
-Buck Rogers (referencing Star Trek's prime directive)-




"Our story was inspired by events in Iran at the time. We thought of the Shah of Iran running a country that supplied America with a necessity. I was a little shocked they called it Planet Of The Slave Girls... it was really a planet of slaves, rather than slave girls."
-Aubrey Solomon, Starlog Magazine #231 (p.70)-



"I can't believe we called it that! I didn't want my name on it."
-Anne Collins (pen name Corey Applebaum), Starlog Magazine #231 (p.70)-



The cast of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century (1979-1981) was impeccably charming and based on opening entry Awakening, the team appeared to be getting the drama and comedic timing right with the serious overtones of Buck's situation not devolving into the camp. After all, it's a fine line.



Farscape's (1999-2003) writers took the concept and its lead John Crichton, played by Ben Browder, into the wildly outlandish, colorful and ever so alien and really pushed the envelope of the absurdity of Crichton's reality. That series seemed to go for broke and pulled it off almost effortlessly. Farscape owes a bit of debt to a series like Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. The latter was indeed bringing the concept of fun and adventure to science fiction in that manner at the end of the 1970s.



Once upon a time five hundred years away a man named Buck Rogers, played wonderfully by Gil Gerard, was laying down a similar approach to the absurdity of circumstance. The plight that befell Buck Rogers was generating a wonderfully likable adventure series sans the Jim Henson puppet shop but with no lack of imagination in play for its own excursion into alien places.

Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, Season One, Episode 3 and 4, Planet Of The Slave Girls certainly suggests a series heading into the wilds of space. Two decades later and Farscape would launch its own fair share of wildly sexy and creative titles too.



Notable in the episode apart from a few sexy slave girls, is that the late Buster Crabbe (an Olympic gold medal winner for swimming) appears in the entry, the very actor who brought Flash Gordon to life in 1936 and then Buck Rogers in 1939 for television. Crabbe, in his role, declares to buck he's been doing this sort of thing since "before you were born" Wink Wink.



Add to the festivities guest star Jack Palance (City Slickers and more), Don Marshall (Land Of The Giants) and Roddy McDowell (Planet Of The Apes and more) and you have the ingredients for must see TV. This is classic sci-fi at its finest with plenty of scenery chewing from a host of performances. And of course the slave girls of which there really aren't many. Of course who needs slave girls when you have the one and only Erin Gray in a sleek and sexy cat suit.



Truth be told about the entry there are a few slave girls, but there are also slave boys and both are referred to as nomads. It's not as if these are sex slave girls, which somehow that title seems to suggest at least as filtered by my sometimes tiny, dirty little mind. Although, that's not exactly true either as one girl offers herself as a sex slave to Buck for the evening. So you see maybe there is something to this slave girl thing and of course my mind.



Planet Of The Slave Girls was a two part pilot entry in the world of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century and it has an energy and enthusiasm that rivals Awakening with a whole new set of villains. There's a good deal of homage in Buck Rogers including a sequence similar to the Tuscan Raiders in Star Wars. There's also not so much homage as theft of some old Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) footage. Buck also has all of the elements that were appealing about that aforementioned series. A touch of Flash Gordon including the use of Buster Crabbe for good measure is thrown in too.



I've often heard critics at the time deride Battlestar Galactica as too serious while they fawned over the lighter touch of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, but both are worthy science fiction series.

While it's a bit drawn out as a two-parter, there is such a fun and loose vibe to the adventure that it tends to move along at a nice clip. Even the crowd-pleasing attempt at a space dogfight is decent thanks to the writing here.



This series continues to find its voice and remain a solid entertainment along the way.

As sci-fi adventure series go for the small screen Buck Rogers In The 25th Century was incredibly thrilling stuff in its day.



Once again, this Blu-Ray issue of the series is the best option out there for viewing it all over again.

Writer: Corey Applebaum (pen name for Anne Collins)/ Steve Greenberg/ Aubrey Solomon.
Director: Michael Caffey.