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11 Facts About Buster Crabbe
He was more than Flash Gordon.
I vaguely remember seeing installments of Flash Gordon on TV as a kid. The picture above pretty well summarizes what I remember about the series. In addition, I remember Buster hawking some kind of TV shirt on TV.
A cursory look at information about Buster revealed he was an Olympic gold medal swimmer. He also starred in a bunch of westerns. Based on that, I would have thought I would have known more about him. So, here are few more facts about Buster Crabbe.
1: Buster’s real name was Clarence Linden “Buster” Crabbe II.
I can see why he was called Buster. Clarence doesn’t sound like an action hero. The fact that there were two Clarence Linden Crabbes is a little disconcerting.
2: He went to USC and was the university’s first All-American swimmer.
The school went on to be known as Swimmer U. Hold on, being told they are actually known as Tailback U.
3: Buster hit the acting trifecta of playing Tarzan, Flash Gordon, and Buck Rodgers.
Some of Shakespeare’s greatest characters. Wait, being told they weren’t works of Shakespeare.
