By Ken Brafman, Image from Ken Brafman Collection

TITLE: FLASH GORDON IN LAKE ARROWHEAD: One of the early, fantastic adventure sound serials was “Flash Gordon,” produced by Universal Pictures in 1936, and starring every young lad’s hero, Larry “Buster” Crabbe. Crabbe was born in Oakland in 1908 and his family moved to Hawaii when he was still a young boy. He learned to swim proficiently and later to surf, building a body that would serve him well as an Olympic athlete, then later as a screen idol. While attending USC Crabbe made frequent trips to Lake Arrowhead to participate in swim meets. This began a life-long love of the mountains, and the frigid waters and high elevation served to enhance his conditioning. At the 1928 Olympics he took bronze in the 1500-meter freestyle. Following his victories in the 1932 Olympics, which included setting a world record and earning a gold medal, offers began to come in from Hollywood. Before responding Crabbe returned to Lake Arrowhead and brought along his old Hawaiian friend and fellow gold medalist Duke Kahanamoku. His signature movie role became that of hero, whether on the dusty plain, in a steamy jungle or in alien out space. Crabbe’s bust out role came in 1936 when he got the part of “Flash Gordon.” Over two years he made 13 20-minute serial chapters of the series, with co-star Jean Rogers as Dale Arden, this week’s image. The serials played in theaters before the feature film was shown and kept audiences of all ages on the edge of their seats. Another 15 episodes were produced in 1938. Crabbe married his college sweetheart Virginia in 1933, and the couple had two daughters and a son. They regularly escaped to their Lake Arrowhead home on the north shore to “escape the lunacy of Hollywood.” The advent of television created a whole new young audience who grew up loving the man that was “Flash Gordon.”