Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Happy Birthday, Buck
TV Flash files “Happy Birthday, Buck” as hour 15 of 37 in the TV Flash guide — Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979–1981) on NBC, season 1, episode 15, aired 1980-01-10, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E15: listed hour 15 of 37 in the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century guide, hour 15 of 24 in season 1. It aired 1980-01-10 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Space Vampire” (S01E14). Next is “A Blast for Buck” (S01E16).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Buck has been moping about, pining for the Earth he once knew and can never know again. So when Twiki suggests a surprise birthday party, Dr. Huer and Wilma agree. Their problem then becomes how to get Buck out of his apartment while they set it up. That proves easy enough when the Security Directorate sends a courier for Dr. Huer's itinerary: they ask Buck to escort her back to the Directorate, which is concerned about a possible threat to Huer's life. But the threat is very real and the source of it a very bitter and dangerous man, who has been cooped up in prison underground for nearly fifteen years - and blames Huer for it!
Viewer FAQ
Where does Happy Birthday, Buck sit in the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century guide?
S01E15 is listed hour 15 of 37 — hour 15 of 24 in season 1, season 1 episode 15.
When did Buck Rogers in the 25th Century S01E15 air?
Happy Birthday, Buck aired 1980-01-10 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Pilot movie first?
Yes if you want the slickest gloss. The 1979 theatrical/TV feature launched the series; Gerard, Gray, and Twiki follow into the weekly hour.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Gil Gerard thaws a twentieth-century flyboy into disco-era space, with Erin Gray's Col. Wilma Deering as the actual command presence and Twiki as comic sidekick. Post-Star Wars network sci-fi with a slick pilot movie and toyetic charm. Lasers, jumpsuits, and a wink aimed at the merch aisle.
Open on a thaw. Twentieth-century astronaut Buck Rogers awakens in the 25th century to help Earth defense forces battle galactic threats: NBC's Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979–1981), from Glen A. Larson and Leslie Stevens, began as a 1979 theatrical/TV pilot feature. Gil Gerard's thawed flyboy, Erin Gray's Col. Wilma Deering as the actual command presence, Felix Silla and Mel Blanc's Twiki, Tim O'Connor's Dr. Elias Huer. Twiki and Dr. Theopolis added kid-friendly robot banter. Part of Larson's late-1970s…
Open the Buck Rogers in the 25th Century package · Season 1 hub
Filed against
- Gil Gerard as Capt. William 'Buck' Rogers
Gil Gerard thawed a twentieth-century flyboy into disco-era space as Capt. William 'Buck' Rogers — Erin Gray's Col. Wilma Deering as command presence, Twiki as comic sidekick, post-Star Wars network sci-fi with toyetic charm. TV Flash…
- Erin Gray as Col. Wilma Deering
Erin Gray’s Col. Wilma Deering made Buck Rogers in the 25th Century the actual command presence — 1970s catalog disco-era space, jumpsuits, a flyboy thawed into toyetic charm, then Silver Spoons stretching the steel into 1980s mansion…
- Felix Silla as Twiki (body)
Felix Silla wore Twiki on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century — disco-era space, Gil Gerard thawed into jumpsuits, Erin Gray's actual command presence, and a comic robot whose body had to walk the gag. Post-Star Wars network sci-fi, toyetic…
- Mel Blanc as Twiki (voice)
Mel Blanc’s Barney Rubble gave The Flintstones its next-door giggle — 1960s catalog Bedrock, a laugh-track sitcom in stone, the pal Fred could not do without. The Jetsons and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century kept the most famous voice in…
- Tim O'Connor as Dr. Elias Huer
Tim O'Connor briefed Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as Dr. Elias Huer — disco-era space, a twentieth-century flyboy thawed into jumpsuits, toyetic charm, lasers with a wink aimed at the merch. Post-space-opera network sci-fi. TV Flash…