Dale Arden

Dale Arden
Publication information
Publisher	King Features Syndicate, Egmont Frew Moonstone and many others
Created by	Alex Raymond
In-story information
Supporting character of	Flash Gordon

Dale Arden as portrayed by Melody Anderson in the 1980 film.

Dale Arden according to Filmation Studios.

Dale Arden in the comic strip.

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^[1][2]. Flash, Dale and Dr. Hans Zarkov fight together against Ming the Merciless.

Profile

Dale is Flash Gordon's constant companion in his adventures, as well as his one true love. The emperor Ming the Merciless is immediately attracted to her and the early strips were basically based on Flash’s heroic efforts to rescue Dale from Ming's many attempts to marry her.

Filmation’s Flash Gordon’s Bible portrayed Dale Arden as follows:

All errant knights have their true love, and in Flash's case it's Dale -beautiful, independent and capable. In most circumstances, Dale is well able to take care of herself and is an ideal companion for the adventuring Flash. Which is not to say that: she i s unfeminine. Ming was only the first af Mongo's heroic -- though, In his case, absolutely evil -- rulers who have sought Dale Arden as their Queen. Dale is sensitive, warm and compassionate -- traits which occasionally lead her to trust the wrong person. Where Flash would gladly lay down his life to save her, Dale would do likewise. And the two of them, united, can face any peril that Mongo has to offer.

Dale Arden in film and television

• Dale was first portrayed by Jean Rogers in the film serials Flash Gordon (1936) and Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938).^[3]

• In the 1940 serial, Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, Dale was portrayed by Carol Hughes. ^[4]

• Irene Champlin took the role for the 1954 Flash Gordon television series.^[5]

• Diane Pershing provided the voice for the character in the 1979 Filmation series.^[6]

• In 1980, Dale was portrayed by Melody Anderson in the film Flash Gordon, produced by Dino De Laurentiis.^[7] In this version of the story, Dale is a travel agent.

• During the course of the 1980s Marvel animated series Defenders of the Earth, Dale (who has become a computer expert after Dr. Zarkov's death) is captured and killed by Ming, but her consciousness is left trapped inside a crystal Flash uses to power the Defender's base on Earth, Monitor. It is due to this that Dale is reborn as the heart of the base, Dynak.

• Gina Holden plays Dale in the Sci Fi Channel's 2007 Flash Gordon TV series. ^[8]

Dale Arden in the SciFi Channel TV series

In this new series, Dale is a television news reporter who dated Flash when they were in high school. Because of his mother's poor health, Flash was unable to go to college with her and they broke up. In the pilot episode, she returns to her home town with her policeman fiancée. She goes to the planet Mongo with Flash by accident and has become heavily involved in assisting Flash, Zarkov, and Baylin ever since. She uses her job as a news reporter to obtain information about open rifts or to hush up sightings of Mongo visitors. Unfortunately, her long absences because of this cause both her job and relationship with her fiance to suffer. She admits that Flash was "the best kisser she ever met" and seems very jealous when Princess Aura slips him a love potion. Later, she tries to force him to tell her whether she or Aura was a better kisser.

Parodies

• In the 1974 adult film spoof Flesh Gordon, the character is renamed Dale Ardor and is played by Cindy Hopkins, aka Suzanne Fields.^[9]

References