This circa 1954 outfit from Jason Wu has special meaning for me. It is very evocative of the 1930’s Flash Gordon serial which my father introduced me to. They were a particular favorite of his when he was a young boy and I got to watch them on TV 40 years later. The special effects were not so special, but I still loved watching them! My dad and I used to laugh at the evil Emperor Ming. Anyway...instead of putting Madra in this outfit, I thought Gene should have a chance to play the evil character instead. From the studio archives:
“Distant Venus” started as a Broadway play of the same name. It premiered in 1952 and was a reflection (as much theatre is) of the current manias of the general public. Basically a comic romance, “Distant Venus” combined America’s obsessions with science fiction and the newly emerging media influence of Television. The plot was slight and fantastic. An advanced civilization on planet Venus has begun to observe us through their superior technology and analyze the television broadcasts being sent into the distant airwaves. Their understanding of Earth’s inhabitants it based entirely on American popular culture as filtered through the warped lens of the television and old telvised movies they watch. When visiting Earth they dress in the styles they see in the old movies shown on TV as well as speak like depression era movie gangsers. Venus, as the spoiled princess of this soceity is traditionally named, watches TV and becomes enamored of thehost of a popular New York City based news broadcast. Being pressured by her father, the ruler of their society, and an equally insistent stepmother to marry an air-headed prince of Venusian nobility, our princess rebels and through teleportation follows a TV signal back to its source.
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