LARRY "BUSTER" CRABBE?

LARRY "BUSTER" CRABBE (1907-1983), born Clarence Linden Crabbe, won an Olympic medal for swimming in 1932. In later years, he concentrated on his swimming pool business and a boys camp in New York, only accepting roles on occasion.




Haven't you seen Flash Gordon (1936)? Based on the comic strip by Alex Raymond, this is one of the best serials made. It was later edited into a feature called Rocketship. This is a lot of fun to watch. It was followed by Flash Gordon's Trip To Mars (1938) and Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe (1940).

Watch this and then see these other four films.


Buck Rogers (1939) This serial was based on a story that first appeared in "Amazing Stories" magazine in 1929 and then adapted into the first Science Fiction comic strip. Not as good as the Flash Gordon serials, it's still lots of fun.
Border Badmen (1945) At PRC, the cheapest of the low budget studios, Crabbe starred in a series of "Billy The Kid" serials. Not the real Kid, but a fellow named Bill Carson. His sidekick Fuzzy Q. Jones was played by silent comic Al St. John. There is a lot of fun in this one with a cloaked killer and secret passages.
Pirates Of The High Seas (1950) Back in the 60s, I used to go to the neighborhood theater every Saturday for the special matinees. The bill of fare included cartoons, a serial and a feature, often a classic. This was the first serial I ever saw all the way through and it's a lot of fun.
Tarzan The Fearless (1933) Sol Lesser hired Crabbe to compete with the other Olympic swimmer Tarzan, Johnny Weismuller. Crabbe was good in the part, but on the whole, the film is a mess. Given better material Crabbe could have been THE Tarzan of the 1930s.


*Contributed by: "Eric Jamborsky" Date: Sun, Jul 23 2006 / 11:32:13 PST

Autographed publicity still provided by: Eric Jamborsky
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ERIC WITH BEST
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REGARDS
BUSTER CRABBE