Jean Rogers
Encyclopedia
Jean Rogers was an American
actress. She portrayed Dale Arden
in two of the three Flash Gordon
serials
.
. Her father was an immigrant from Malmö
, Sweden
. Originally, she had hoped to study art. However, as a teenager in 1933, she won a local beauty contest
sponsored by Paramount Pictures
, which helped launch a career in Hollywood
. Rogers starred in a number of serials for Universal
from 1935 to 1938, including Ace Drummond and Flash Gordon
.
in the first two Flash Gordon
serials between 1936 and 1939. Buster Crabbe
and Rogers were perfectly cast as hero and heroine in the first serial (Flash Gordon
), and Rogers' fragile beauty, long blonde hair, and revealing costume endeared her to thousands of moviegoers during the late 1930s. She was lusted after by "Ming the Merciless
" (Charles B. Middleton
) and most of the male audience as Flash Gordon rescued her from one life-threatening situation after another in the serial.
In the first serial, Dale competed with Princess Aura
(Priscilla Lawson
) for Flash Gordon's amorous attention. Rogers and Lawson were two completely different types of character actress. Rogers was fragile, small-chested, diminutive and totally dependent on the all-powerful Flash Gordon for her survival. Lawson, on the other hand, was domineering, independent, voluptuous, well endowed, conniving, sly, and determined to take Flash for herself. The competition between the two women for Flash Gordon's attention is one of the highlights of the film. In the second Flash Gordon Serial (Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
), Jean Rogers sports a totally different look. She has dark hair and wears the same full length, modest costume in each episode. Rogers matured both physically and mentally after the first serial, and there are no sexual overtones in Trip To Mars as there were in Flash Gordon. Rogers told author Richard Lamparski that she wasn't keen on doing the second Flash Gordon serial and asked her studio to exclude her from the third one.
, and shortly before retiring in 1951, she moved on to working for MGM
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress. She portrayed Dale Arden
Dale Arden
Dale Arden is a fictional character, the fellow-adventurer and love interest of Flash Gordon and a prototypic heroine for later female characters, including Princess Leia Organa and Padme Amidala in Star Wars. Flash, Dale and Dr...
in two of the three Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
serials
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
.
Early life
Jean Rogers was born Eleanor Dorothy Lovegren in Belmont, MassachusettsBelmont, Massachusetts
Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
. Her father was an immigrant from Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Originally, she had hoped to study art. However, as a teenager in 1933, she won a local beauty contest
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
sponsored by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, which helped launch a career in Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
. Rogers starred in a number of serials for Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
from 1935 to 1938, including Ace Drummond and Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon (serial)
Flash Gordon is a 1936 science fiction film serial. Told in 13 installments, it was the first screen adventure for the comic-strip character Flash Gordon, and tells the story of his first visit to the planet Mongo and his encounter with the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. Buster Crabbe, Jean...
.
Flash Gordon
Rogers got her biggest assignment when she played the role of Dale ArdenDale Arden
Dale Arden is a fictional character, the fellow-adventurer and love interest of Flash Gordon and a prototypic heroine for later female characters, including Princess Leia Organa and Padme Amidala in Star Wars. Flash, Dale and Dr...
in the first two Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
serials between 1936 and 1939. Buster Crabbe
Buster Crabbe
Clarence Linden "Buster" Crabbe was an American athlete and actor, who starred in a number of popular serials in the 1930s and 1940s.-Birth:...
and Rogers were perfectly cast as hero and heroine in the first serial (Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon (serial)
Flash Gordon is a 1936 science fiction film serial. Told in 13 installments, it was the first screen adventure for the comic-strip character Flash Gordon, and tells the story of his first visit to the planet Mongo and his encounter with the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. Buster Crabbe, Jean...
), and Rogers' fragile beauty, long blonde hair, and revealing costume endeared her to thousands of moviegoers during the late 1930s. She was lusted after by "Ming the Merciless
Ming the Merciless
Ming the Merciless is a fictional character who first appeared in the Flash Gordon comic strip in 1934. He has since been the main villain of the strip and its related movie serials, TV shows and film adaptation.- First appearance :...
" (Charles B. Middleton
Charles B. Middleton
Charles B. Middleton was an American stage and film actor. During a film career that began at age 46 and lasted almost 30 years, Charles Middleton appeared in nearly two hundred films as well as numerous plays...
) and most of the male audience as Flash Gordon rescued her from one life-threatening situation after another in the serial.
In the first serial, Dale competed with Princess Aura
Princess Aura
Princess Aura is a fictional character in the Flash Gordon comic strips and serials. She is the daughter of the series' villain, Ming the Merciless, and the lover of Prince Barin, the rightful heir to the throne of Mongo, and is banished with him to the forest world of Arboria.In 1936, Princess...
(Priscilla Lawson
Priscilla Lawson
Priscilla Lawson , born Priscilla Shortridge, was an American actress known for her role as Princess Aura in the original Flash Gordon serial ....
) for Flash Gordon's amorous attention. Rogers and Lawson were two completely different types of character actress. Rogers was fragile, small-chested, diminutive and totally dependent on the all-powerful Flash Gordon for her survival. Lawson, on the other hand, was domineering, independent, voluptuous, well endowed, conniving, sly, and determined to take Flash for herself. The competition between the two women for Flash Gordon's attention is one of the highlights of the film. In the second Flash Gordon Serial (Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars
Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars is a 1938 serial film of 15 episodes, based on the comic strip Flash Gordon. It is the second of three Flash Gordon serials made between 1936 and 1940....
), Jean Rogers sports a totally different look. She has dark hair and wears the same full length, modest costume in each episode. Rogers matured both physically and mentally after the first serial, and there are no sexual overtones in Trip To Mars as there were in Flash Gordon. Rogers told author Richard Lamparski that she wasn't keen on doing the second Flash Gordon serial and asked her studio to exclude her from the third one.
Feature films
Fearing that she was becoming a "serial queen," she asked the studio to allow her to do feature films, which they did. She eventually left Universal and started working for 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, and shortly before retiring in 1951, she moved on to working for MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
.
Later life
Rogers and Buster Crabbe were reunited in 1975, 39 years after the first Flash Gordon serial was filmed in 1936. She died in 1991 at age 74 in Sherman Oaks, California, as a result of complications from surgery.Selected filmography
- Eight Girls in a Boat (1934)
- Manhattan Moon (1934)
- Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air MysteryTailspin Tommy in the Great Air MysteryTailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery is a Universal movie serial based on the Tailspin Tommy comic strip by Hal Forrest. It was the 96th of the 137 serials released by the studio .-Plot:...
(1935 serial) - The Adventures of Frank MerriwellThe Adventures of Frank Merriwell (serial)The Adventures of Frank Merriwell is a Universal movie serial based on the Frank Merriwell books by Gilbert Patten.-Production:The Adventures of Frank Merriwell is set in 1936 instead of the 1890s of the source material....
(1936 serial) - Flash GordonFlash Gordon (serial)Flash Gordon is a 1936 science fiction film serial. Told in 13 installments, it was the first screen adventure for the comic-strip character Flash Gordon, and tells the story of his first visit to the planet Mongo and his encounter with the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. Buster Crabbe, Jean...
(1936 serial) - My Man GodfreyMy Man GodfreyMy Man Godfrey is a 1936 American screwball comedy film directed by Gregory La Cava. The screenplay was written by Morrie Ryskind, with uncredited contributions by La Cava, based on "1101 Park Avenue", a short story by Eric Hatch. The story concerns a socialite who hires a derelict to be her...
(1936) - Ace Drummond (1936 serial)
- Night KeyNight KeyNight Key is a science fiction crime film starring Boris Karloff. It was released by Universal Pictures in 1937.-Plot:The inventor of a burglar alarm attempts to get back at the man who stole the profits to his invention before he goes blind...
(1937) - When Love is Young (1937)
- Secret Agent X-9Secret Agent X-9 (1937 serial)Secret Agent X-9 is a Universal film serial based on the comic strip Secret Agent X-9 by Dashiell Hammett and Alex Raymond.-Cast:* Scott Kolk as Agent Dexter * Jean Rogers as Shara Graustark* David Oliver as Pidge...
(1937 serial) - Always in Trouble (1938)
- Flash Gordon's Trip to MarsFlash Gordon's Trip to MarsFlash Gordon's Trip to Mars is a 1938 serial film of 15 episodes, based on the comic strip Flash Gordon. It is the second of three Flash Gordon serials made between 1936 and 1940....
(1938 serial) - Heaven with a Barbed Wire FenceHeaven with a Barbed Wire FenceHeaven with a Barbed Wire Fence is a 1939 drama film starring Glenn Ford and directed by Ricardo Cortez-Plot:Joe Riley , who owns a shop, saves enough money to buy a piece of land in Arizona. Unable to buy a car , he has to travel to his new home by hitchhiking...
(1939) - Charlie Chan in PanamaCharlie Chan in Panama-Cast:*Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan*Jean Rogers as Kathi Lenesch*Lionel Atwill as Cliveden Compton*Mary Nash as Miss Jennie Finch*Victor Sen Yung as Jimmy Chan *Kane Richmond as Richard Cabot*Chris-Pin Martin as Sergeant Montero...
(1940) - Viva Cisco Kid (1940)
- Design for Scandal (1941)
- The War Against Mrs. HadleyThe War Against Mrs. HadleyThe War Against Mrs. Hadley is a 1942 American The War Against Mrs. Hadley is a 1942 American The War Against Mrs. Hadley is a 1942 American [[drama film\\ directed by Clifford Odets, starring [[Edward Arnold |Edward Arnold]] and [[Fay Bainter]]...
(1942) - Swing Shift MaisieSwing Shift MaisieSwing Shift Maisie is a 1943 romantic comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod. It is the seventh in a series of ten films starring Ann Sothern as Maisie, preceded by Maisie Gets Her Man and followed by Maisie Goes to Reno...
(1943) - Whistling in BrooklynWhistling in BrooklynWhistling in Brooklyn is the third and last film starring comedian Red Skelton as radio personality and amateur detective Wally "The Fox" Benton. Wally prepares to marry his girlfriend, but gets sidetracked when he is mistaken for a serial murderer...
(1943) - Hot Cargo (1946)
- BacklashBacklash (1947 film)Backlash is an American crime film noir directed by Eugene Forde. The drama features Jean Rogers, Larry J. Blake, John Eldredge and Richard Travis.-Cast:* Jean Rogers as Catherine Morland* Richard Travis as Richard Conroy...
(1947) - Speed to Spare (1948)
- Fighting Back (1948)
- The Second WomanThe Second WomanThe Second Woman is a black-and-white film noir melodrama directed by James V. Kern-Plot:This psychological thriller tells the story of Jeff Cohalan . He's a successful architect who is tormented by the fact that his fiancée was killed in a mysterious car accident on the night before their wedding...
(1951) - Spaceship to the Unknown (1966, edited serial)
- Deadly Ray from Mars (1966, edited serial)