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CYBORG: The Retro-Con Cut

geminigod

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one thing I'll pass on is a bionic nose. No good can come of it.

Ps: great job on this edit. It was a fun trip down memory lane to my childhood.
 

bionicbob

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geminigod said:
Ps: great job on this edit. It was a fun trip down memory lane to my childhood.

Glad to hear you enjoyed it!:)
 

njvc

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I enjoyed it too bionicbob, including the cool menu design. The only issue I had was with the old footage itself, which sadly did not live up to my recollections of how good it was as a kid. A fantastic trip down memory lane, but I feel the show has not aged too well... Regardless, that is not your fault. Well done on a fun nostalgic edit :)
 

bionicbob

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njvc said:
I enjoyed it too bionicbob, including the cool menu design. The only issue I had was with the old footage itself, which sadly did not live up to my recollections of how good it was as a kid. A fantastic trip down memory lane, but I feel the show has not aged too well... Regardless, that is not your fault. Well done on a fun nostalgic edit :)

When you say footage, do you mean the video picture quality?

If you do, then I assure you, the picture is practically pristine compared to what has been available for decades through tv syndication. TimeLife did a masterful job cleaning up the picture and sound. For a tv show almost 40 years old, I think the picture quality is amazing. The show as it has aired in syndication is very dark and muddy with lots of artifacts and noise, like very old vhs tape that has been rerecorded over dozens and dozens of times.

But I happy you enjoyed the nostalgia ride.:)
 

njvc

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Sorry, I should have been more specific. The picture quality was excellent, no issues there at all! I meant the show itself - watching it again, it felt very much a product of it's time, but one I remember very fondly from being 8 or 9 and just loving Steve's adventures :) thanks again bob!
 

bionicbob

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njvc said:
Sorry, I should have been more specific. The picture quality was excellent, no issues there at all! I meant the show itself - watching it again, it felt very much a product of it's time, but one I remember very fondly from being 8 or 9 and just loving Steve's adventures :) thanks again bob!

oh! got ya!;-)

Yes it is definitely a product of the 1970s. But you know, a vast majority of the stories I think stand up very well (especially seasons 1-3). Sometimes though I wish networks would bring back a straight forward escapist action adventure show. THE HUMAN TARGET was a good attempt... SEVEN DAYS was a good one. Can't think of anything remotely close currently on tv....:-(
 

geminigod

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Six million dollar nose man sits casually at home surfing the web. His nose twitches. He sucks in a whiff of air in slow motion. Chi-chi-chi-chi-chi-chi. His face crinkles slowly into a wretched look of horror. "Aww man! My neighbor forgot to flush, again! He has got to stop eating so many hot wings!"
 

Neglify

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Six Million Dollar Nose Man lives next to geminigod.
 

bionicbob

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April 23 -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEE MAJORS!!!!!:)
 

bionicbob

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Thanks to TMBTM for posting a review on the main page.
Much appreciated.:)
 

bionicbob

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Hello Bionic Believers!!!

Nothing like some shameless self promotion!!!
I enjoyed writing these articles so much, I thought I would transfer them to the main thread for those who may have missed them the first time around....



CYBORG: THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN
The Retro-Con Edition


Okay, so I have made it no secret that Colonel Steve Austin is probably my greatest boyhood hero!

I discovered both comic books (thanks cousin Kevin!!!) and the SMDM about the same time in my young life. First having my innocent eyes widen with wonder at the epic adventures of modern mythological heros like Superman, Spider-man, Batman, etc. spread out before me in a spectrum of colored tapestry panels and pages. Then, later, discovering such amazing adventures were not confined to just cartoons and comics, but occurred in glorious LIVE ACTION once a week on ABC in the form of the BIONIC MAN -- well, I was a little boy in pure imagination super heaven!!!

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN rocked my little world. Firstly, even without bionics, Steve Austin was already a HERO in my books. As he had the best job in the whole wide world -- HE WAS AN ASTRONAUT!!!! What boy in the 70s (Apollo winding down, Mars landings, start of the Shuttle Program) did not dream at one time or another of being an Astronaut? I know I sure did!

But let's face it, the BIONICS were so Cool! The leaping of tall buildings, super vision, running 60 miles per hour, tossing badguys around with super strength! It really was like a comic book come to life.

And this show was HUGE!!! To some of the younger generation, the show may only be a pop culture reference, one now often mocked and ridiculed. But in its day, the Six Million Dollar Man was the greatest action adventure show on television! It had great ratings, a huge fan following and merchandising like few show ever before it. It rocketed Lee Majors to super stardom. To this day, you all know the classic bionic sound effects, even if you may have never seen a single episode.

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN aired for 5 seasons on ABC from 1974 to 1978. It starred LEE MAJORS as Steve Austin, a Colonel in the US Air Force, the last man to walk on the Moon, and test pilot for NASA. While test piloting the HL-10 (a precursor to the space shuttle program), Steve is horrifically injured losing both legs, an arm and an eye. In steps Oscar Goldman, director of the OSI ( Office of Scientific Information or Investigation, depending what episode you are watching ...LOL!) who authorizes Doctor Ruby Wells, the inventor of Bionics, to save Steve's life by creating the world's first Cyborg. Afterwards, Steve goes on missions for the OSI battling everything from spies, saboteurs, mad scientists, robots and yes, even Bigfoot! The series spawned a very successful spin-off THE BIONIC WOMAN starring Linsday Wagner and 3 tv reunion movies in the late 80s.

But before the SMDM became a tv series it originated as a novel in 1972 called CYBORG by Martin Caidin. I only read this novel a few years ago, and have to be honest that I really did not enjoy it. While the basic plot is the same, the characters are much darker, and Steve is definitely a cold and ruthless killer in the novel.
But the book was enough of a bestseller that ABC bought the rights and turned it into a Movie of the Week.

In March 1973, the first of three TV Movies aired. The first simply called CYBORG: THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN. What is interesting about the first movie is Steve is made a CIVILIAN astronaut/test pilot, not an officer of the Armed Forces. I assume this was because of Watergate and Vietnam, and wanting a non-establishment hero??? Other differences, there is no Oscar Goldman or OSI (even though both appear in the original novel), instead we have a character called Oliver Sempler (played wonderfully by Darrin McGavin) of the OSO. Also, the first tv movie Dr. Rudy Wells (played by Martin Balsam, the first of 3 different actors to play the same role) is clearly Steve's NASA Flight Surgeon, and had no involvement in the creation of Bionics. This movie as a whole still stands up pretty well. The actual crash, aftermath, the bionic surgery and recovery are all masterfully and realistically portrayed. The actual first Mission is actually quite dull and anti-climatic.

But the first movie was a ratings hit, and two more were made. These two movies (WINE, WOMEN AND WAR, THE SOLID GOLD KIDNAPPING) were written/produced by 70s super creator Glen A. Larson. Larson added a very distinct JAMES BOND flavor to the world of the SMDM. He had Steve on epic globe trotting adventures, in slick casinos and clubs, bedding every beauty he met, uttering bad dialogue loaded with sexual innuendo, and killing a few badguys in the process. To say this approach did not work is an understatement. Lee Majors clearly looks uncomfortable in this retooled role, and has gone on the record that he felt the two sequel movies went in the wrong direction in terms of character and action. But what the two movies did do is introduce OSCAR GOLDMAN (played perfectly by Richard Anderson) of the OSI and recast Dr. Wells with actor Alan Oppenheimer.

In January 1974 the SMDM returned as a regular series, this time under the control of producer HARVE BENNETT (the man who would go and save the STAR TREK movie franchise by producing/writing Trek II-V). Bennett wisely retooled the show towards Lee Majors strengths as an actor, making Steve much more of a "down to earth" kind of guy, still brilliant and patriotic -- a quiet man of action. Bennett also grounded the show more in the "plausible" real world. There was no winking at the camera. Everything was played ernest and true. And the new bionic formula worked. The Six Million Dollar Man was a massive super hit with television viewers.
 

bionicbob

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Season One of SMDM began on January 18, 1974.

With Harve Bennett in charge of the show, The Six Million Dollar Man quickly brushed off the debris from the two previous horrible tv movies (WINE, WOMEN AND WAR and THE SOLID GOLD KIDNAPPING) and proved it's self to be one of the best hours of action/adventure entertainment on network television both in the ratings and it the hearts of its fans.

The first season was only 13 episodes long, and there is nary a weak show in the bunch. I have already discussed in length the premiere episode POPULATION ZERO, so nothing more is needed to be said other than stating it perfectly set up the new direction of the series. Among the highlights of the first season were such episodes as...

DOOMSDAY AND COUNTING -- Steve is trapped in a Soviet Base after an earthquake, and must escape before the computer activates the self-destruct mechanism--an atomic bomb!!!

THE RESCUE OF ATHENA ONE -- guest starring Lee Majors real life wife at the time, the extraordinarily beautiful FARRAH FAWCETT, this is a solid episode about the first Female Astronaut in space and a mission that goes very wrong. This is one of many episodes that was produced with the full cooperation of NASA, including shooting on location and in real simulators. It has a very authentic feel to it.

THE COWARD -- one of the few episodes that explore Steve's background and the story of his father, a WWII pilot lost in action.

BURNING BRIGHT -- often on many peoples "worst" lists, I actually really enjoy this particular episode. Guest starring William Shatner who is mutated while on a space walk, he returns to Earth with strange new abilities that are slowly killing him. This episode also has a rather dark ending for television shows of that period.

THE DAY OF THE ROBOT -- this is probably the BEST episode of the first season. John Saxon stars as a friend of Steve who is replaced by a robot and the battle that ensues is EPIC!!!! The evil Mastermind THE ROBOT MAKER would return twice more to lock wits with Steve and the OSI.

SEASON TWO:

After a very successful first season, SMDM returned with 21 episodes for a second season on September 13, 1974.
The tone and style of the first season was continued with some minor improvements.
In the first season, the now classic Bionic Sounds, were almost NEVER used, instead the producers opting just to use slo-mo and the sound of Steve's heartbeat.
But in the 2nd season, these sound effects were being more frequently incorporated until they became a full staple of the show by the 3rd season.
Also in season two, writer Kenneth Johnson joined the staff. He would of course go and produce/write such tv classics like THE INCREDIBLE HULK, CLIFFHANGERS, ALIEN NATION AND V. To the SMDM he brought a bit more "humanity" to Steve, a bit more natural humor.
Again, tons of great adventures in the second season, some of my favorites....

THE SEVEN MILLION DOLLAR MAN -- Played wonderfully by Monte Marham (who was author Martin Caidin's first choice to play Steve in the first tv movie), this episode clearly reveals it is not the Bionics which makes the man the Hero, the character inside the man. Plus, the Bionic fight between Steve and Barney is awesome. It always reminds me of the corridor fight between Arnie and Partrick in T2.

RETURN OF THE ROBOT MAKER -- sequel to the season 1 episode, this time Oscar gets replaced by a robot lookalike. Again, another classic fight sequence!

THE DEADLY REPLAY -- A great character piece episode! Steve is asked to fly the HL-10 again (the plane that nearly killed him in the pilot) and must face his fears and demons. And the final scene of Steve gently resting his hand on the HL is so touching, it like a cowboy telling his horse it is not his fault for throwing him. Great stuff!

STRAIGHT ON TIL MORNING -- Steve meets his first alien, played by Meg Foster. Played completely straight, this episode could have been a disaster, but the writing and performances completely sell it. And is should be noted, this adventure was written by DC FONTANA of TOS fame.

STRANGER IN BROKEN FORK -- Majors really does some great acting in this one. Steve suffers from amnesia and his expression of horror upon discovering he is bionic is amazing and heartbreaking.

OUTRAGE IN BALINDERRY -- on some peoples worst list, I really enjoy this episode. It tackles the situation in Ireland and the IRA with a fairly even hand. It is also one of the very few episodes where you see Steve in his Air Force uniform.

THE BIONIC WOMAN PARTS 1 AND 2 -- Perhaps the best episodes of the season, and definitely the highest rated. Lindsy Wagner is cast as Steve's childhood sweetheart who Steve has made Bionic (Bride of Frankenstien!) after a horrific skydiving accident. The episode is almost perfect in drama, action and heart break. Though Lee Majors sings the love song "Sweet Jaime" in the episode..... well, let's just say it is a good thing Majors already has a day job. An interesting side note, the only reason Jaime (SPOILER ALERT) dies at the end of the episode is because the Network Executives insisted, wanting to cash-in/copy the appeal of the biggest movie at the box office at the time, LOVE STORY.
 

bionicbob

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SEASON THREE:

Premiering September 14, 1975, this is the season where some fans believe the show "jumped the shark".

I tend to disagree.

I think season three the show fell into a comfortable groove, maybe too comfortable at times. There were alot a sequel episodes to previous seasons episodes. The only significant change in season three is Alan Oppenheimer was replaced by Martin E. Brooks as Dr. Rudy Wells. Several big name guest stars, along with many up and comers appeared this season (Chuck Connors, Farrach Fawcett, Sonny Bono, Stefanie Powers, Lou Gossett Jr, Erik Estrada, etc) There was more humor and light heartedness, definitely not as many somber, dramatic episodes as the previous two seasons. But this is not a bad thing. The show still did one very important thing, it entertained. And for this 10 year old, that is all that mattered.

James D. Parriott (later created Forever Knight, Dark Skies, Defying Gravity) joined the writing staff, and along with Ken Johnson, helped bring back the Bionic Woman from death and launch her into her own spin-off tv series. In fact, probably the best thing about season three are the cross-overs and cameos between the two bionic series, as it really created a sense of a shared universe and the star crossed love affair between Steve and Jaime was addicting... would Jaime get her memory back? Would our heroes ever have a happy ending together? Ahhh.... the romance of 1970s televsion! LOL!:p

My favorites of this season....

RETURN OF THE BIONIC WOMAN -- The writer came up with a very clever way to bring Jaime back to life and an even more clever (and cruel) way to keep her and Steve apart.

ONE OF OUR RUNNING BACKS IS MISSING -- Directed by Lee Majors, this guest starred many of the big hero footballers of the day, and was just a fun episode.

THE BIONIC CRIMINAL -- The Seven Million Dollar Man returns and he is up to no good!!! Again, a great throw down fight ensues!

WELCOME HOME JAIME -- This is part one of the two part episode that launched Lindsay Wagner into her own series. A very strong launch with good character moments.

THE SECRET OF BIGFOOT -- okay my absolute favorite of season 3, and the highest rated episode of the season. Andre the Giant played the Sasquatch made bionic by aliens to act as their protector. While the alien angle is a bit hokey by todays standards, the Battle Royale between Steve and Bigfoot is the best fight sequence of the ENTIRE SERIES in my book. I still watch it with my mouth hanging open with stunned shock and amazement. It is the equivalent of the first showdown between Wolverine and the Hulk! Total Giddy Fanboy Fun!!!

THE BIONIC BADGE -- always enjoyed this episode with Steve going undercover as a Police Patrol Officer. This episode would be later remade on the Bionic Woman as the 2 part "Jaime's Shield".

SEASON FOUR:

Launching September 19, 1976, the fourth season saw a few changes, the biggest being Lee Majors showing up on set with a mustache! Love it or hate it, there is was in all its bionic glory for the majority of the season.

During season three, composer Oliver Nelson died of a heart attack, and while most of his already composed tracks were used during the third season, it was not until season four a new composer was found, J.J. Johnson. Though Johnson maintained many of the classic cues created by Nelson, the show never again had that same cool flavour of military jazz fusion that made it so unique.

The cross overs and cameos between the two Bionic Shows continued, resulting in one of best episodes of the series entire run. There were also two attempts to create a new spin-off, The Ulitmate Imposter (an OSI spy who could download info directly into his brain) and the Bionic Boy (need I say more?). During the episode "A Bionic Christmas Carol" (easily the worst of season 4, though I loved it as kid) there is a funny gag, as you can see SMDM merchandise in a toy store.

Here are my picks for the best of the season:

THE RETURN OF BIGFOOT--A 2 part cross over adventure between SMDM and BW, this time Bigfoot is being mind controlled by evil aliens who are building a machine that can destroy the earth. Not as good as Bigfoot's first outing, but still very fun. This time our favorite bionic sasquatch was played by tv veteran Ted Cassidy.

THE MOST DANGEROUS ENEMY--I have a real soft spot for this episode. Rudy gets bitten by mutated chimp and goes evil with super strength. Let the super fight commence!

KILL OSCAR -- One word: FEMBOTS!
This 3 part cross over adventure between SMDM/BW is my all time favorite episode of the entire run of both shows! While pure comic book formula, everything about this episode works perfectly... action, drama, suspense... absolute bionic perfection! In fact, whenever I do my next Cyborg edit, it will definitely be this little epic!

THE DEATH PROBE -- A Soviet space probe designed to explore Venus, malfunctions and crashes in middle America, wrecking havoc. This is an excellent 2 part story. Definitely Steve's last great foe. Strangely, for a machine called The DEATH Probe, I am pretty sure no one died in the episode. LOL!
 

bionicbob

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SEASON FIVE:

Lots of changes happened both on and off the screen for the Bionic Man's final television season.
The biggest being due to internal network politics, ABC cancelled The Bionic Woman at the end of season two. Rival network NBC picked up the show for its third and final season. But due to this change, the cross over/cameos between the two shows ceased and all references to each others characters was discontinued. This greatly hurt the show IMO after 2 amazing seasons of character/relationship interaction. (it should be noted, while on NBC, the BW introduced the last addition to the Bionic Family -- MAX, the Bionic Dog! I LOVE Max!)

Also behind the scenes, Harve Bennett stepped back and took a less hands on role in the production of the show. Executive Producing duties were shared by Richard Landau and the infamous Fred Freiberger -- the man who ran (ruined???) the third season of STAR TREK and"americanized" the second season of SPACE:1999. With these new producers at the helm, the "plausible reality" Bennett worked so hard to maintain quickly began to erode away.:mad:

After a summer of intense contract negotiations, Lee Majors returned to the set noticeably leaner, and with a new shaggy perm mod hairstyle.:cool:

The motto of the last season seemed to be GO BIG, GO EPIC, GO BLOCKBUSTER!!! As this season had more 2 part episodes than any other season, tons of on location shooting and huge production values. It also produced some the worst hours of television -- the 2 parters THE LOST ISLAND and DATE WITH DANGER are true stinkers and almost unwatchable. We also saw a couple more sequel episodes featuring our favorite sasquatch and the evil, new and improved Death Probe.

Season Five began of September 11, 1977 and here are my favorites....

SHARKS -- This season premiere 2 parter was definitely cashing in on the recent hit JAWS, Steve does battle with an evil mastermind who can control the minds of sharks. Steve actually pushes a submarine across the ocean floor bottom! Definitely breaking the previous established bionic strength rules, but still very cool! Guest starring the gorgeous Pamela Hensley (Buck Rogers/Matt Houston).

DEADLY COUNTDOWN -- During its entire run, the SMDM always had amazing cooperation with both NASA and the Air Force, and never was that more apparent than with this episode. Filmed almost entirely at Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida, we see Steve trying to stop the badguys from stealing a rocket in this 2 parter. Lots of cool gags in this one, in particular, I love Steve using the real NASA zip line escape route when they think their rocket is going to explode! Martin Caidin, the novelist who created Steve Austin, plays one of the badguys in the story, though his voice is dubbed by another actor.

BIGFOOT V -- this actually a pretty good and straight forward episode. Ted Cassidy returns as the misunderstood Bigfoot and our Bionic Duo get to have another classic fight sequence.

KILLER WIND -- an average, entertaining story but what makes this particular episode so amazing is the behind the scenes drama. A mountain skytram is stuck half way up the mountain, and our hero Steve has to climb up the cable to the car to rescue the trapped civilians. Well the stuntman scheduled for the scene became dangerously ill and was unable to do the stunt. So rather than delay production, Lee Majors volunteered to perform the very dangerous stunt work himself!!! So that is not green screen my bionic buddies, that truly is our future Fallguy walking that cable hundreds of feet in the air!!!! ;-)

DARK SIDE OF THE MOON -- another 2 parter sees Steve return to the moon to stop an obsessed scientist from drilling and altering the moons orbit, and thus threatening all life on Earth. Lots of really bad science, but the moon scenes are incredibly realistic and makes for a fun story.

The last episode of the SMDM, titled "The Moving Mountain" aired on March 6, 1978. The series was not renewed for a sixth season. And like most shows of the time, there was no real "final" episode to tie things up or give our hero a proper sendoff.

In Herbie J. Pilanto's THE BIONIC BOOK, he interviewed Harve Bennett who said while he was not directly involved in the final season of the show, if he had been informed ahead of time that the series was not going to be renewed,
in the final episode he would have had Steve lift off in a rocket bound for Mars.
Now, that would have been cool!
 

bionicbob

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THE REUNION MOVIES:

I will be honest, I have very mixed emotions about this trio of tv reunion flicks. Part of me, the little kid part, loves them just for the simple fact I get to see my favorite childhood heroes back in action again. Another part of me, the cynical adult, finds them frustrating and disappointing, a fantastic opportunity to tell a great new bionic adventure that was squandered and wasted.:sad:

In the 1980s, tv reunion movies of old television series were extremely popular. Seeing this as an opportunity, actor Richard Anderson courted the executives at NBC, and convinced them the time was right for a Bionic Reunion. In fact, Anderson is the main catalyst for all 3 reunion movies being made, even though he was not directly a producer of the films.

Besides the original actors from both bionic series, no one from behind the scenes (Harve Bennett or Kenneth Johnson or others) was involved in the production of these movies, and it clearly shows. Michael Sloan was hired to executive produce and write the reunion movies. Sloan was mentored under Glen A. Larson, serving as writer/producer on most of Larson's series, and his production style clearly reflects this experience. Sloan's own biggest tv series were probably the rebooted ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, THE EQUALIZER and KUNG FU: THE LEGEND CONTINUES. While Sloan had genre experience, it seemed pretty clear to me he was not really familiar with the original series or what really made them successfully tick. It was almost as though he read the Cole's Notes version, getting the broad strokes but no fine details. While he did give Steve and Jaime some good character dialogue here and there, it almost felt secondary with our main heroes being shuffled to the sidelines so a new bionic character could be introduced for a possible new spin off series. Add to that the bionic gags were limited and poorly executed, and the villains were lame and unworthy, it makes for a mixed viewing experience for the Bionic Fanboy.

RETURN OF THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN & BIONIC WOMAN -- Aired May 17, 1987 on NBC. Steve is retired running fishing boat tours (???), while Jaime works at a Rehabilitation Centre. Neither has seen or spoken to each other in years. A supremist terrorist group called FORTRESS (apparently Steve's arch enemy's for the last 10 years --wtf???) is back and up to no good. Meanwhile, Steve's son (his what....??? talk about retro-cons!?!?!) is graduating from the Air Force and crashes his plane, and Steve begs Oscar to make him bionic! Steve and Jaime reunite, turns out Jaime got her memory back a few years before and all her old feelings for Steve return, and their romance is rekindled.

Okay, so the good -- the Steve and Jaime scenes together are excellent, they still have chemistry and some nice very character moments.
Martin Landeau chews up the scenery as the Big Bad Guy which is cool. This was just a year before his comeback career in movies with Ed Wood.

The rest.... well... I dunno, it's so hard for me to be generous as my expectations were so high.
Lots of annoying things.... the OSI is mistakenly called the OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION, when in the series it was INTELLIGENCE.
The OSI has a secret headquarters! What the..?? The series clearly established the OSI as a publicly known but secretive organizaton like the CIA or FBI.

And yet everyone seems to know, from secretaries to security guards to other agents, that Steve is bionic?!!! What the heck?!!

And why in ten years have there been no other bionic agents created? The tech works, Rudy is still running things, and yet the next Bionic Man is only created because Steve demands his son be saved. Oh and don't get me started on Steve suddenly having a secret son?!?!

Jaime is running/working out in the park and acts all tired and winded when done. Why? She is bionic! It has been clearly established, even running a 60mph, is only like a fast walk for the rest of their organic body.

The badguys are weak and pose no serious threat. There is never any sense of real jeopardy or epicness that all the old 2 or 3 part bionic episodes used to have.

The MUSIC -- the soundtrack from all 3 movies is instantly forgetable. No attempt was made emulate or even used the original material so masterfully created by composer Oliver Nelson. It just never FEELS like a Bionic Adventure, and this has a lot to do with the music.

But the thing that annoyed me the most, there is a scene where the badguys are trying to capture Steve and they have a car chase! A frakking CAR CHASE!!!!
Steve even jumps his car over semi truck. I thought I was watching an episode of THE FALLGUY!::mad2:

I would give it 8 out of 10.:-D

BIONIC SHOWDOWN -- April 30, 1989 on NBC. Steve continually tries to ask Jaime to marry him but keeps getting interrupted by a very lame plot. Oh and Dr. Wells has created a new BIONIC GIRL! And there is a bunch of rubbish about some terrorists disrupting the World Unity Games and a mysterious Bionic Villain.

The good ... Sandra Bullock, this then unknown actress, shines and steals every scene she is in. It is worth watching for her alone! A BIONIC GIRL series starring Bullock would have rocked!
Steve and Jaime still have wonderful chemistry but they feel even more like guest stars than the leads in this second feature.

The bad.... again, very weak badguys.
Special effects not so special.
Geraint Wyn Davies (FOREVER KNIGHT) plays the traitor OSI agent/bionic villain, but his performance is nothing of interest.
This was filmed in winter in Hamelton, Canada, thus the exteriors are limited and everyone looks really, really cold.:canada:

I would give this one 7 out of 10.:D

BIONIC EVER AFTER Aired November 29, 1994 on CBS.
Steve and Jaime are preparing for their wedding, but something is wrong with Jaime's bionics making her ill and Steve goes off on a mission to rescue some hostages.

The Good.... Steve and Jaime get married!!! YAY!:dance:
This is the only movie that was not designed as a back door pilot for a new bionic character, so our stars take the stage front and center, which is excellent.
The lovely Farrah Forke (Wings, Lois & Clark) guests and gives a good performance. Interestingly, she changed her name to Farrah upon coming to Hollywood because Farrah Fawcett (Majors former wife and regular SMDM guest star) was her idol.

The Bad.... this movie had basically NO BUDGET and it shows everywhere. And they shot it in only 20 days, a total rush job. Almost no bionic gags and the few that do exist are very poorly executed. Again, a terrible villain. Once again Jaime is put into distress by having her bionics tampered with.
And more continuity blunders, as ANOTHER co-creator of bionics comes out of the woodwork.

Of the three, I do enjoy this one because our heroes get the most screen time together and it is clear why the original show worked so well. And it was nice to see them finally tie the knot.

I would give this one 8 out of 10.:)
 

bionicbob

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A BIG THANK YOU to [MENTION=28628]Anarchemist[/MENTION] for taking the time to post a review.

Sounds like we had similar childhoods, as my Steve Austin ACTION FIGURE (never say "doll" lol) battled Stretch Armstrong, along with BIG JIM, on many occasions! :):):)

Hope you enjoy the rest of the Cyborg Saga. :D
 

bionicbob

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Anarchemist's review reminded me of this fun piece of art....

g4kGud.jpg


... good old childhood memories. :D
 

Anarchemist

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I started to call it an action figure, but I remember it being fairly huge! At least compared to my Star Wars action figures. I was jealous of a kid across the street who had, I guess it was Maskatron, which I remember coming with a cool Albert Goldman mask and, at least in my memory, a Steve Austin mask which looked cooler than the actual Steve action figure because he didn't have a hole in his eye.
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6a00d83451b52369e2015435e5c11f970c-450wi
 

bionicbob

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEE MAJORS!!!! 76 years young on April 23 :)
 
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