Princess Aura 1 was one of the three main leads of the first
Flash Gordon serial. She was aggressive and sexy. | 
In the third serial, Princess Aura 2 was a supporting character.
She was mostly
passive and ineffectual. |
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| In
both Alex Raymond's strip and Universal's serial, Prince Barin and Princess Aura
couple up in Flash Gordon's madly barbaric early adventures and later reappear
as prim & proper rulers of Arboria, the Forest Kingdom. | The
1940 serial follows the strip's costume changes too. Errol Flynn's popular Robin
Hood movie stuck a feather in everybody's hat. Lady Sonja, nefarious spy,
takes smug Aura 2 riding in the Red (not Black) Forest. |
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| Villainous
Lady Sonja, played by Anne Gwynn, is the spitfire of THIS serial! She kidnaps
Shirly Deane's Princess Aura 2 with the aid of Ming's soldiers. | Ming
brings his wayward daughter back to the imperial palace, where Aura 2 confronts
Sonja and her father, while costumed harem girls swirl around the throne. |
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| When
Princess and Emperor clash, contrasts between Aura 1 and Aura 2 become clear.
Aura 2 is one of the biggest boobs in Ming's palace, and that's saying something! | Aura
1 was truly her ruthless father's daughter, and Ming was wary of crossing her.
If she worked against him, he knew he would lose in some unpleasant way.
|
 |  |  |  |
| Ming
is generally dismissive of Aura 2. He frankly has other things on his mind --
like interplanetary warfare and palace entertainment. Aesthetic relief is welcome! | Aura
2 engages in some minor-league espionage while Ming ignores her, but her efforts
don't amount to much. She DOES get to talk with Barin 2 on a secret radio.
|
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| Looking
every inch the American Home Lady of 1940, Aura 2 greets old rival Dale
Arden in her Art Deco prison. | Ming
is using them to bait a trap for Flash and his allies, but they manage to reunite
and escape anyway. |
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| Before
long, Dale Arden is flying a getaway rocket while Flash Gordon guides an explosive-filled
ship at Ming's headquarters. Aura 2 watches as her father faces the Earthman's
deadly attack. | Flash
bails out in the nick of time, then they all witness Ming's control room blowing
up, and the end of Charles Middleton's great performances. Serials reach their
peak of popularity. |
|
Flash Gordon is the property
of it's copyright holders. All images are used for scholastic purposes ONLY
in the context of this article.
Text and graphic design copyright by
Michael R. Evans 2007 |
