Was Buck Rogers a movie before it became a popular television show if so what was so different and on top of that who remembers the 1979 movie the circle of iron

I don't know much about Buck Rogers...

For the television series "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" (1979-1981) they released the tv-pilot theatrically in March of '79.

Long before that there was an old Buck Rogers' serial in 1939 called Buck Rogers played by Buster Crabbe.

there was also a short lived series back in the 50s.