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What's up with Charles Middleton as Ming?
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Re: What's up with Charles Middleton as Ming?
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gorgozilla
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Sep 19 11 10:59 PM
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Middleton was great as Ming because, first of all, he just looked exactly like him. When I saw him in a Laurel and Hardy comedy (the French Foreign Legion one), I instantly recognised him as Ming even though I didn't know the actor's name. Second, he was utterly convincing as the absolute ruler of an entire planet. His accent never interfered with his portrayal. Midddleton was that good as an actor.
In fact, the casting of the first and second Flash Gordon serials was excellent. Everyone did a great job with their roles. OK, so Dale had the wrong hair color in the first serial, and Barin looked more like a pro wrestler than the bald Robin Hood of the comics. But Jean Arthur's hair got fixed by the 2nd serial. And Richard Alexander was so believable as a heroic and loyal ally that I missed him in the 3rd serial, even though his replacement looked a lot more like the comic character. John Lipson's acting as Vultan rivaled that of Brian Blessed for the obvious enjoyment he was getting out of the role.
Still, I've had some ideas as to possible alternate casting choices for some of the characters in both the serials and the 1980 remake:
Ming-Walter Pigeon, Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone, Christopher Lee, Christopher Plummer
Flash- Herman Brix, Richard Denning (but wrong age, maybe?), Reb Brown
I think Lugosi could have been good as either Ming (bald with stringy goatee makeup) or Zarkov (bushy beard and minor aging makeup). He already had the kind of accent you'd expect from a guy named "Zarkov".
Having just finished watching the first Flash Gordon serial followed by the 1980 movie, I would have to say that the serial has the FEEL of the comic down pat, while the movie best captures the LOOK of Alex Raymond's art. Ideally, the next time somebody tries to do a new Flash Gordon movie, it will combine these 2 things. The recent Sci-Fi channel series falls into the same category as the Steve Holland series from the 1950's. It's FINO: Flash In Name Only.
Last Edited By:
gorgozilla
Sep 19 11 11:09 PM. Edited 1 times.
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CHFB TURNS 20!
Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards
Universal Horrors
The Universal Monsters Blu-Ray Collection
Golden Age Horror
Kong - 8th Wonder of the World
Silent Horror
Poverty Row
The World of Sherlock Holmes
Murder and Mystery
Thrills and Chills
'50s Horror and Sci-Fi
'60s Horror and Sci-Fi
'70s Horror and Sci-Fi
Hammer Horror
The Psycho Ward
Foreign Horror
Japanese Giants
Horror and Sci-Fi of Recent Decades
Current Films
Second Takes on Films of the 2000s
Independent Films and Documentaries
Coming Soon
TV Terrors
Classic Horror on DVD, Blu-Ray and Streaming
Stream and Stream Again
Horror Film Books and Magazines
Horror by Candlelight
Horror Comics and Fantasy Art
Monster Toys and Collectibles
Classic Horror Movie Memorabilia
Horror Music
Old Time Radio and Audio Horror
Classic Horror Online
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Our Favorite Horror Hosts
Classic Disney Scares
Horror Film Stars
Men Behind the Monsters
Monster Kid Memories
General Horror and Sci-Fi
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Movie of the Day
Off Topic Discussions
Classic Horror News and Events
Birthdays and Holidays
DVR / TiVo Alert
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Monster Kids Helping Monster Kids
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What's up with Charles Middleton as Ming?
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