alexanderdavies-99382
"The Six Million Dollar Man" had to prove it was worthy of being given its own regular series after the opening feature length pilot episode wasn't enough. A further two pilot episodes were made before the actual series was commissioned. The pilot episodes are 73 minutes each, which is long enough to sustain much interest. The first feature length episode is very well made. Lee Majors immediately made the character of Colonel Steve Austin his own and he is the only constant throughout the entire run of episodes. He is the only actor one can associate with the character. Before Richard Anderson came along as Oscar Goldman, Darren McGavin was cast as the Government character. His was more of an antagonistic character to Austin as the tension in their scenes is clearly in evidence. Martin Balsam played the surgeon who helped change Austin's life in the first pilot episode instead of the actor who was cast in the regular series (his name escapes me). The opening episode focuses more on how Steve Austin adapts with the way fate has entered his life. About three quarters of the running time is taken up with this and it works effectively. I like the way in which Austin is portrayed as a human being with feelings and not just as another one-dimensional action hero. The writing is great as each of the main characters in the pilot are given depth. About the last 15 to 20 minutes is taken up with some action scenes and they are exciting. Seeing a man who possesses the ability to be stronger and faster than the average person was the selling point of "Six Million Dollar Man" and it always worked. With the first season being a ratings winner, the creator of "Six Million Dollar Man" Kenneth Johnson, created the spin-off show, "Bionic Woman." That show is for another review. Overall, the best episodes are from the first season til the end of the third one. The fourth and fifth seasons contain some good episodes but the quality had fallen away slightly. However, that can happen with the best television shows. Richard Anderson was well cast as Government man Oscar Goldman. His character was more of an ally to Steve Austin and that was a wise move. I didn't really take to Lee Majors changing his image by growing his hair longer and having that moustache. Neither suited him. I enjoy episodes where characters like Bigfoot are included and evil Robots that square up to Austin. There are some noteworthy supporting actors involved, like William Shatner, Jane Merrow, John Saxon and others. "Six Million Dollar Man" is the kind of show where you find some stories resembling Science Fiction or Fantasy, thanks to the show's inital premise. There are all kinds of plots, including crossover episodes involving Jamie Sommers as the Bionic Woman. "Six Million Dollar Man" will go down as a classic show and one that remains very enjoyable today.
ThePowerToArouseCuriosity
Oh the 1970's, who can forget this era when life was less complicated and we moved at a slower pace. People had face to face conversations when seated at a table instead of staring into a cell phone.Producers in the 1970's could still captivate their audiences without relying upon unrealistic CGI generated explosions and long drawn out finale battles.I'm referring to shows such as Rockford Files, CHiPs, Knight Rider, Charlie's Angels, Bionic Woman, Dukes of Hazzard and of course The Six Million Dollar Man.Filmed in everyday cities in every day buildings, no computer generated effects, these shows riveted youths such as myself. These were shows that the entire family could sit down and watch and of course youths could discuss at school the next day.Today's trashy reality fake-reality shows just don't compare. I am so grateful to the producers of these golden era shows for influencing my childhood.Who could forget the Death Probe episode? This episode scared the crap out of me. For years I've wondered what they used to power it - it moved so fast. And who could forget the Bigfoot episode? Classic television.I recall asking my parents to buy my brother and I the newest Six Million Dollar Man toys. Those toys provided us with hours of playing time.Thank you Harve Bennett, Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner for making our childhood just a little more enjoyable.
ShadeGrenade
Colonel Steve Austin, ex-N.A.S.A. astronaut ( Lee Majors ) is severely injured following a plane crash in Arizona. Hs is 'rebuilt' with bionic parts ( as Freddie Starr said at the time: "He's got everything bionic, hasn't he? Well, almost everything!" ), turning him in the process into a superman. Austin can now run at incredible speeds, see things over a long distance, and with one arm rip off safe doors and punch holes in walls ( a useful ability should one accidentally lock oneself out of the house ). The makeover costs six million dollars ( a lot of money then. Today he would be lucky to get a bionic big toe for that amount ). Keen to get their money's worth, the U.S. Government puts Austin to work for the O.S.I. ( Office of Strategic Intelligence ), headed by Oscar Goldman ( Richard Anderson ).Each week, Austin would be sent round the world on some dangerous mission such as assisting a Russian scientist to defect or recovering stolen microfilm - one that required the use of his extraordinary powers. Beautiful girls including Britt Ekland, Martine Beswick, Michele Carey, Jane Merrow, and Lee Majors' then wife Farrah Fawcett cropped up an awful lot, none able to resist our hero's charms. Bits of him may have required an M.O.T. every now and then, obviously not the bits they were interested in.The villains were by and large foreign saboteurs or evil scientists out to seize power. The late Henry Jones played a robot inventor called 'Dolenz' in no less than three episodes. 'Bigfoot' showed up more than once too; he wasn't the real Sasquatch, of course, but an android used by aliens to guard their secret base. Then there was 'Death Probe', a N.A.S.A. device designed to explore and study alien planets which went berserk after crash landing on Earth.All this was great fun if you, like me, was eleven years old back in '74. The novel 'Cyborg' by Martin Caidin formed the basis for the pilot. Mark Gatiss cited the opening title sequence as one of his all-time favourites. Footage of Austin's crash backed by dramatic music led to an animated version of Austin's rebirth, leading to that famous voice-over: "Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology...the capability to make the world's first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better, stronger, faster!". We would then see him lifting weights and running like the wind, and hear Oliver Nelson's theme in all its glory. Depicting Austin running fast was a problem for the producers. Initially, they sped up the film, but this made him look like Benny Hill, so they went to the other extreme by slowing him down, managing to convey a sense of power without looking too silly.The show was a pop culture phenomenon. Playgrounds the world over were full of children pretending to be Austin, before going home and playing with toys associated with the series. I still have the books along with a pair of Annuals. It captured the imagination of an entire generation in a way that few shows, before or since, have managed. It wasn't an original idea, of course. The British show 'The Champions' also featured superhuman secret agents. The timing for 'The Six Million Dollar Man' was right because in the aftermath of Vietnam and Watergate it reassured American viewers that their country was still a force to be reckoned with.Parodies abounded. Les Dawson became 'The Fifty Pence Man' on his 'Les Sez' show, while Eric Sykes' B.B.C. series featured an episode in which he dreamt he was bionic. As late as 1985, Ben Elton's 'Happy Families' featured 'The Man Who Cost A Lot'.Though not the world's greatest actor, Lee Majors was perfect for the role of Austin ( though his dress sense occasionally left a lot to be desired. And why did he grow that cheesy moustache? ). Richard Anderson made Goldman a likable authority figure. He and Steve did not get along initially but then became friends. Martin Balsam played 'Dr.Rudy Wells' in the pilot, Alan Oppenheimer replaced him, but it is Martin E.Brooks who is best remembered now in the role.In a decade when science fiction was considered passé in the aftermath of the Apollo moon landings, 'The Six Million Dollar Man' defied expectations by enjoying a solid five year run. Like many shows though, it 'jumped the shark' - particularly when it brought in other bionic characters. I did not mind 'The Seven Million Dollar Man', put up with 'The Bionic Woman' ( I rather fancied her ), but when her spin-off started, and 'Bionic Boy' and 'Bionic Dog' came along I used what was left of my bionic strength to switch the television set off. There were a number of 'reunion' movies in the '80's ( one of them guest starred Sandra Bullock ), but for me the original remains the best. I still enjoy reruns. Scientists may perfect bionics someday, and I hope its soon so I can go bounding around the place in my checked jacket and flares, just as Steve used to do.( This review is dedicated to the memory of my friend Kevin William Jones, the number one 'bionic' fan, who passed away on 23rd December 2010, aged 47 )
mcquestion
Well, it holds up to the test of time in SOME ways. This show was one of my favorites as a child and if re-made today with state of the art special effects could still be a top rrated TV show or blockbuster film. It wasn't camp, but it didn't take itself too seriously either. It had action and adventure, romance and espionage intrigue. This is the role Lee Majors was born to play, and he plays it to perfection. To most of us, he will always be the hero called Steve Austin. Other than the sometime wince-inducing special effects, this show is just as enjoyable if you catch it in re-runs today as it was during its original airing.
