Flash Gordon Conquers Universal Pictures: The 3rd Serial
Ch. 6: Captures, Escapes, and Rescues GALORE!
 

Michael's Nerdy Notes:
The 1940 Flash Gordon serial prominently featured Alex Raymond's name, and borrowed many large and small ideas from his syndicated comic strip.
After the chapters played in the theaters on Saturdays during the summer, the Hearst news-papers ran an episode of The Powermen of Mongo on Sunday, which would finally conclude a year later, with the dethroning of Emperor Ming, and the return of Flash and his friends to Earth. However, all three serials ended with Ming's apparent finish!

The summer of 1940 was the one and only time period when the movies and newspapers ran even vaguely concurrent plots about Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, and Dr. Zarkov.
It is certain that Raymond's episodes were written and drawn several months before they were printed.
My guess, right or wrong, is that early unpublished elements from The Powermen of Mongo were incorporated into the serial, which was filmed in late winter of 1940 -- when the adventure in Frigia was still in the papers. There were too many similarities to ignore.
 

 

Ming has both Zarkov and Dale in his power on Saturday!

 Ming had more complicated plans for Dale on Sunday.


 

Flash had to hitch-hike in various vehicles on his long trip across Mongo to rescue Dale in the newspapers.

Ming sends Torch back to Frigia so Flash can steal his ship, uniform, and infiltrate Ming's palace easily.

 

Dr. Zarkov refuses to co-operate with Ming in any way
and is condemned to a ritualized death in 1940.

Ming attempted a public execution of Flash in 1938,
but was thwarted by one ethical citizen.


 

Dale Arden took drastic action to save Flash Gordon
from a trap set by Ming the Merciless.

Dale Arden strikes out -- saving Flash Gordon's
life as he tries to rescue Dr. Zarkov.

 

Flash has to flee in the serial to fight another day --
Zarkov's chains are unbreakable, but Ming's ray is kaput.

 Flash had to fight and run away in the comic strip --
Dale's chains were unbreakable, but the fire was dying.

Zarkov was allied with Mongo's Powermen on Sunday.

Saturday's Zarkov joins Ming's other unhappy scientists.

"We can use those uniforms ..." they say in the movies.

Flash stole many disguises in the newspapers.

Ming used a servant as a stand-in for Dale in the comics.

A captive lends Dale her clothes in the movies.

 

Flash, Dale, and Zarkov get away clean in the serial.

The Earthpeople barely got away in the comic strip.

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