Bionic Pin-Ups by Jeff Cummins

I'm not sure where these pin-ups of Six Million Dollar Man Steve Austin and Bionic Woman Jaime Sommers by artist Jeff Cummins originally appeared - I'm not familiar with that Sci-Fi logo - but I'm sure one of you will let me know. In any case, I think they're pretty cool.

UPDATE: Sure enough, over on Facebook, Star Kid Glen Mullaly identified the source as the UK magazine Sci-Fi Monthly. I'd never heard of it. Thanks, Glen!

BIONIC WOMAN U.K. Annuals

As with most popular television series of the Seventies, The Bionic Woman (along with its older sibling show, The Six Million Dollar Man) was popular in the United Kingdom, and received the uniquely British "annual" treatment for young viewers. There were two of these hardcover collections of fiction, games, articles and comic strips, published by Brown Watson and with artwork by Ian Gibson, released in 1977 and '78.

Special thanks to Star Kids Scott Weller (for much better cover scans) and Jeremy Briggs (for additional publication info)!

The Bionic Dog!

When The Bionic Woman switched networks in its third year from ABC to NBC, it debuted with the surprisingly affecting tail - I mean, "tale" - of cyborg canine Maximillian, Dr. Rudy Wells' (Martin E. Brooks) first bionic test subject. The million-dollar dog (Max-a-million, get it?) was experiencing psychological difficulty adjusting to his bionic prosthesis, and only Jaimie Sommers' patience and compassion could save him from being put down by an uncharacteristically cold Dr. Wells.

While that week's TV Guide ad makes the episode look like kid-friendly fun and games with a super-powered pooch, the episode is surprisingly emotional, due, in large part, to Lindsay Wagner's usual fine, empathic acting. I really like this one, and was pleased by the addition of Max to the bionic brigade.

(Not coincidentally, my dog is named Max, too.)

News: SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN Season 4 DVDs in October

According to TV Shows On DVD, Universal has announced the wide release of the fourth season of The Six Million Dollar Man DVDs (previously available exclusively from Time-Life as part of a "Complete Series" package) on October 8, 2013.To refresh our aging memories, this is the year that Lee Majors sported that stylin' 70s 'stache!

The set includes all 22 episodes of the Fourth Season, along with three crossover episodes of The Bionic Woman. Episodes include: "The Return of Bigfoot," "Kill Oscar," "Death Probe," and "The Bionic Boy." Guest stars include Lindsay Wagner, John Saxon (Planet Earth), Stefanie Powers, Ted Cassidy (as Bigfoot!), Sandy Duncan, Farrah Fawcett (Logan's Run), Elke Sommer, John Houseman, Jennifer Darling, Carol Jones, Dick Van Patten, Joan Van Ark, Bernie Kopell, Robert Loggia, Ray Walston, Kim Basinger, Pamela Hensley (Buck Rogers), John de Lancie, Nehemiah Persoff, John Hoyt, Heather Menzies (Logan's Run TV), and Yvonne Craig, among others.

As noted above, this penultimate season not only featured the return of the alien Bionic Bigfoot (with Ted Cassidy replacing Andre the Giant in the role) but the inexplicably popular Venus Probe - a Soviet robot tank that accidentally lands on U.S. soil and goes on a rampage of destruction. Considering that the "Death Probe" was nothing but a malfunctioning machine with no personality, it's weird how excited I - and a couple million other kids - were by the damned thing. The "Death Probe" episodes were so highly-rated that the producers even had to bring it back for a rematch with Steve Austin in Season 5!

You can pre-order Season 4 now from Amazon: The Six Million Dollar Man: Season 4

Six Million Dollar DYNAMITE

Seventies cyborg superspy Steve Austin strikes an iconic pose in this terrific Six Million Dollar Man illustration (artist as yet unknown to me) from issue #8 of Scholastic Publishing's Dynamite kids magazine, published in February of 1975.

Steve Austin once again graced the cover of Dynamite a year or so later, battling it out with The Bionic Woman, Jaime Sommers! The November 1976 issue, #29,sported this illustration - which looks to me like it could have been rendered by the same artist. Great likenesses of Lee Majors & Lindsay Wagner (even if - as a commenter points out below - they're wrestling with their non-bionic arms)!

Show of (bionic) hands, Star Kids: how many of you had these issues?

News: THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN Season 3 DVDs Coming in February

As reported over on the indispensable TV Shows On DVD site yesterday, Universal will be releasing the standalone DVD set of the classic middle season of The Six Million Dollar Man to retail outlets on February 19th, 2013. For fans like me, who couldn't afford the exclusive Complete Series megaset from Time-Life, and have been patiently (and often impatiently) waiting for the individual seasons to be released, this is great news!

Season Three features the classic return/resurrection of Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers (and the set includes the relevant Bionic Woman episodes) and the introduction of Steve Austin's most iconic adversary: the Bionic Bigfoor (Andre the Giant)!

Bonus features in this set include audio commentaries by producer Kenneth Johnson on those fan-favorite episodes. The 6-DVD set is priced at $39.98 SRP, and can be pre-ordered from Amazon at a discounted price here:The Six Million Dollar Man: Season 3

I'll try and stay on top of this eagerly-anticipated DVD release; Season Two was available several months before its official release date as a Best Buy exclusive. If that turns out to be the case with this 3rd Season package, I'll try to give Space: 1970 readers a head's up.

THE BIONIC WOMAN (1977) Charlton Comics Cover Gallery

Jack Sparling

Jack Sparling

Jack Sparling

Jack Sparling

Jack Sparling

It's been a while since I last compiled one of these comic book cover galleries, but I thought it was time to showcase the 5-issue, bi-monthly Bionic Woman series published by Charlton Comics back in 1977-78.

Because Charlton comics had spotty distribution in my area in the 70s, I never saw any of these issues on the stands - and, to be honest, I probably wouldn't have bought them if I had. I enjoyed the show on TV, but I don't think I would have wanted to carry a Bionic Woman comic up to the counter of my local general store. I took enough crap from people about buying comics as it was; I sure didn't need to be accused of buying a girl's comic on top of everything else.

It wasn't easy being a geeky kid in the 1970s....

News: THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN (1975) Second Season DVDs Coming in October

For those of us who weren't able to buy (i.e. afford) the "complete" 40-disc Six Million Dollar Man DVD set from Time-Life by mail two years ago, and have had to wait for the individual seasons to trickle out onto retailers' shelves... well, the second season is finally getting a wide release on October 2nd.

 Season Two includes a number of classic episodes, including the two-part "The Bionic Woman," which introduced viewers to Steve Austin's (Lee Majors) childhood sweetheart, tennis pro Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner).

This season also includes D.C. Fontana's "Straight On 'Till Morning," which chronicles Steve's first encounter with extraterrestrials (if I recall correctly), and "The Return Of The Robot Maker," wherein the deadly Doctor Dolenz (creator of "Maskatron" - yes, I know they didn't actually call John Saxon that on the show, but that's who he was, dammit!) unleashes his latest android assassin - an exact duplicate of Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson)! Majors' wife at the time, Farrah Fawcett-Majors, returns in Year Two as well, though playing a different character than the one she played in the first year's awesome "The Rescue Of Athena One."

According to the invaluable TV Shows On DVD website:

The separate release of The Six Million Dollar Man - Season 2 is a 6-DVD set, which includes the episodes "The Bionic Woman - Part 1" and "Part 2"; these were written by Kenneth Johnson (who was the showrunner on the spin-off show, and is also known for TV versions of The Incredible Hulk, Alien Nation and the original V mini-series). Kenny provides Audio Commentary tracks for these two episodes, and the set's extras also include "Season 2 VIPs" (a celebration of the guest stars in these 22 episodes) and the "Bionic Sound Effects" Featurette.

I've been eagerly awaiting this release, and October seems an awful long way away right now...

UPDATE/ADDENDUM: Apparently this Six Million Dollar Man set is already available at Best Buy, where it is currently an exclusive. Of course, they didn't tell anyone - at least, I never heard about it. As if I need another reason to dislike the chain. Anyway, if you want to check out your local Best Buy location, you may find a copy now. It may also be available through their website.

BIONIC WOMAN (1976) TV Guide Cover

The lovely Lindsay Wagner as The Bionic Woman, Jaime Sommers, runs into our hearts (in slow motion, of course) on this vintage TV Guide cover from May of 1976. I know that there was at least one other Wagner TV Guide cover during the run of the show, but I don't have a copy, and couldn't find a good scan online.

THE BIONIC WOMAN (1976) TV Spot

Here's wishing the eternally-lovely Lindsay Wagner, THE Bionic Woman, a very happy 63rd birthday today! Lindsay was our "Space Babe" for May!

May's Space Babe: Lindsay Wagner

May 2012's Space Babe is our favorite bionic beauty, Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers. Kinda mad at myself that I haven't posted a Space Babe since January - but, hey, it's been a rough couple of months here at Space: 1970 headquarters. In any case, I can't think of a better choice to kick off Spring than the lovely Lindsay.

The sexy cyborg's adventures may have been exclusively Earthbound, but as an agent of the Office of Scientific Intelligence, her missions led to several different extraterrestrial encounters. Each week, The Bionic Woman protected America's interests and saved the world with style, charm and humor. Introduced in a two-part episode of The Six Million Dollar Man in March, 1975, as the childhood sweetheart of astronaut Steve Austin (Lee Majors), Jaime Sommers was equipped with bionic replacement parts (an ear, an arm, and both legs) after a tragic skydiving accident. Unfortunately, her body rejected the bionic implants and, well, she died.

Apparently I wasn't the only kid who was crushed by her demise, because the network commanded the producers to bring her back to life, which they did the following season. The character was then spun off into her own weekly series, which lasted for three years (on two networks). Wagner was almost too good an actress for the show, but she treated the role - and the audience - with respect, and brought tremendous heart and warmth to her portrayal. No matter how absurd or far-fetched the plot, she always played it with conviction and a sly sense of humor.

Dancer, actress, activist, model and author, Lindsay Wagner was born in 1949 in Los Angeles. She appeared on many television shows and a few motion pictures throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, and became a regular fixture in made-for-television cable dramas. In the late 80s-early 90s, she reprised her role as Jaime Sommers in three "Bionic" TV reunion films. She still acts, and has a recurring role on SyFy's Warehouse 13.

SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN/BIONIC WOMAN Comic Book Toy Ads

All the EXCITEMENT. All the REALISM. All the BIONIC™ ACTION! 

Any Star Kid who read comic books in the 70s (and I'm guessing that's pretty much all of us) will have these 4-color advertisements for Kenner's Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman action figures and accessories burned indelibly into their brain matter. Hell, I actually remember these ads better than the toys themselves!

THE BIONIC WOMAN Season 3

I picked up the Season 3 DVDs of The Bionic Woman last night, and just finished watching the opening two-parter, "The Bionic Dog." (I'll get to "Fembots In Las Vegas" tomorrow night!) As always, I'm struck by how much heart and humanity Lindsay Wagner brought to the role of OSI agent Jaime Sommers, no matter how far-fetched - or absurd - the scenario.

The Universal DVDs appear to be up to the quality of the previous two season sets - of course, I've only watched two episodes so far - with solid, 1.33:1 "full frame" transfers and mono audio. As with the earlier sets, there's a surprising number of extras, especially writers' commentaries on select episodes.

I'm looking forward to working my way through the episodes over the next week or two, and am genuinely thrilled to now have the entire series - one of my childhood favorites - on my DVD shelves. It's rather remarkable how well the show holds up, and most of that is due to Wagner's sincerity, humor and dramatic ability.

Now I'm waiting for the retail releases of the individual Six Million Dollar Man season packages. I bought Season 1 when Time-Life offered it as a special deal a few months ago, but I simply cannot afford the big, complete series, box set.

News: THE BIONIC WOMAN (1976) Season 3 DVDs in October

According to TV Shows On DVD, Universal Studios has announced that the third - and final - season of The Bionic Woman, starring Lindsay Wagner, will be in stores on October 4, 2011. It will be a 5-disc set priced at $39.98 SRP. The final 22 episodes are presented in full screen video, with English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Sound and English subtitles. No word as yet on any supplemental features or commentaries, although the previous volumes contained both.

This was the year that the series moved from ABC to NBC, so there were no more cross-over episodes with Lee Majors' character from The Six Million Dollar Man. Jaime was instead given a new regular love interest (played by Christopher Stone) and a bionic German Shepherd named Max. Of course, Richard Anderson as Oscar Goldman and Martin Brooks as Rudy Wells both returned (playing the same characters on two different networks simultaneously - has that ever happened again?)

I recall that the episodes got a little more fantastic this season, as well; along with the return of the Fembots (as Las Vegas showgirls!), we had Helen Hunt as an alien princess, and stories revolving around some very 70s subjects like Erich von Däniken-styled "ancient astronauts" and "Pyramid power." Of course, there's all the usual undercover stuff and spy plots, too.

I've really enjoyed re-watching the first two seasons on DVD, and am looking forward to completing the series. Now if only Time-Life would release the rest of The Six Million Dollar Man in affordable, individual season sets, I'd be a very happy man.

Captain's bLog: 0728.11

• Obviously, the big event since my last "Captain's bLog" entry was the arrival (at last) of Shout! Factory's Battle Beyond The Stars and Damnation Alley Blu-ray Special Editions. I reviewed both discs for my DVD Late Show website; if you missed them when I announced them here a few days ago, you can find the complete reviews linked below:

Battle Beyond The Stars Blu-ray Review


Damnation Alley Blu-Ray Review

I've been really looking forward to the HD upgrade of Battle Beyond The Stars since Shout! Factory first announced that they'd acquired it almost two years ago. I'm pleased to say that the new edition doesn't disappoint, and makes a great companion piece not only to the other Roger Corman sci-fi Blu-rays (Galaxy Of Terror, et al), but their Starcrash disc, as well.

• Bionic Woman update: I received my replacement disc from Universal today, replacing the defective Disc Four from the Second Season set. The audio problem has been corrected, and the exchange was easy, painless, and prompt. Kudos to Universal for correcting the problem so quickly.

•  I'm determined that my reviews of Strange New World (the conclusion of Warners' "PAX Trilogy"), the complete Thundarr the Barbarian cartoon series, and the 1978 TV movie, The Bermuda Depths, will be posted in August. I can guarantee that there will be reviews of the Man From Atlantis DVDs, too. I will try and get at least one new essay up. There will also be a new Reader's Poll and - barring unforeseen complications - a second Space: 1970 Podcast, as well.

•  Stats: The site now has over 300(!) "followers" here on Blogger, and the Facebook fan page is up to 636 "likes." Thanks to everyone for your support and loyalty! I also want to thank everyone who have used the Amazon links on this site to make purchases (and the few who've made Paypal donations). Every little bit helps.

•  I've "disapproved" a few comments lately. I don't like doing that, but I want to keep this site a positive place, and free of snobbery and snark. If you think one of the movies or TV shows we celebrate here is crap, well, keep your opinion to yourself, or post it somewhere else. I love this stuff, and this is my blog. You're not welcome here if you're going to insult my tastes, plain and simple. That doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor or can't appreciate some light-hearted goofing on this stuff, but mean-spirited derision is not going to be tolerated.

•  This keeps coming up, so for newer readers: I was born and raised in Maine, in the United States, and this blog is about the sci-fi flicks and television that I grew up with - roughly covering the years between 1969 and 1983 (the original Star Trek slips in because it was really more of a success - and more prevalent - in syndication in the 70s than it ever was when it originally aired in the 60s) . Aside from UFO and Space: 1999, I am woefully unfamiliar with pretty much all other 70s British sci-fi. I've never so much as seen an episode of Blake's 7, Star Maidens, etc., so I cannot write about them with any authority - and I have no personal nostalgia for them. I'm sure it's my loss. (Of course, if anyone wants to send me R1 NTSC videos of those shows...)

As for Doctor Who - I am a fan of the classic series as well as the new, but I didn't see an episode until well into my 20s, so it's not part of my childhood, either. That does not mean that I'll never mention Who or the other shows, but it's why they don't get the same attention as the U.S. programs (or foreign material that was distributed here).

•  People seem to be digging the "Behind the Scenes Pix" - if anyone stumbles across one they think I should showcase here on the blog, please send it along. I'm also open to suggestions for Space Babes (I haven't picked August's babe yet, for example), "Fave Fives," and Poll questions. I always appreciate reader feedback and suggestions.

Thanks for stopping by!

Captain's bLog 0709.10

 

•  Am still struggling to wrap up various writing commitments, so there will continue to be mostly graphics-heavy posts (comic book covers, posters, stills, etc.) here at Space: 1970 for a while yet. I do still  plan on posting DVD reviews of  the Warner Archives discs of The Bermuda Depths, Thundarr the Barbarian and Strange New World over the next month or so, and will obviously be writing about the Battle Beyond The Stars and Damnation Alley Blu-rays that are due from Shout! Factory on Tuesday. I also hope to have the second Space: 1970 Podcast available in August. Stay tuned.

•  Although Universal continues to maintain that the audio problems on their recent release of The Bionic Woman Season 2 DVDs were inherent in the source materials that they had available at the time, they are now offering "corrected" replacements for disc 4, which contained the worst of the problems. I've contacted their Customer Service folks and will be sending my disc in exchange for the replacement next week. Here's the official info:

The initial release of "The Bionic Woman: Season 2" was issued with the best audio elements that the studio had available at the time, which included noticeably imperfect audio from the episode, "Deadly Ringer." Constructive feedback and suggestions since provided from fans has led to the uncovering of additional source material to repair (or improve?) the audio on this specific episode.

Consumers not satisfied with their purchase can send their mailing addresses to Universal Studios Home Entertainment Consumer Relations at: USHE.ConsumerRelations@bydeluxe.com. They will receive information on returning disc 4 which featured the episode, "Deadly Ringer," in exchange for a replacement disc with corrected audio.

•  Filmmaker Sandy Collora, director of the 70s-esque sci-fi adventure film, Hunter Prey, which I was very impressed by, dropped me a line a couple days ago to tell me about his newest project. This one, Shallow Water, appears to be a "rubber suit monster" thriller in the vein of Humanoids From The Deep or Alien... and that sounds cool, too:

Here’s my theory; The industry nowadays seems so focused on genre movies needing a “hook”, that the basic elements so vital to making these films work, seem to go out the window.  Sadly replaced by shaky cam, indistinguishable nonsense, CGI monsters that you never really get a good look at, “found footage”, or the newest 3D technology…  All the iconic films mentioned above that have literally defined the genre, have NONE of those things in them.  Great characters, a compelling, scary story, and a well designed, organic, monster are all you need to make good horror film.  It’s really not that complicated.

Much like my last film; “Hunter Prey”, “Shallow Water” will be a hand made movie, harkening back to all the classic horror films of the 70’s and 80’s, when the creativity and ingenuity of the filmmakers were the tools used to craft a film, instead of gimmicks and marketing hooks.  Join us on this adventure by visiting our kickstarter page and be a part of something that truly embodies the spirit of independent filmmaking.

As noted in the quote from his blog above, Sandy's trying to raise some financing through Kickstarter. Anyone who might be interested in checking it out, should click on those links.
 
•  Finally, today is my 46th birthday. I plan on spending it pantless and watching movies.

Have a great weekend, Star Kids!

THE BIONIC WOMAN (1976) Season 2 DVD Review

The second season of Universal Studio's second "bionic" franchise, The Bionic Woman (1976-77), starring Lindsay Wagner and Richard Anderson, is now available in a 6-disc DVD set, and despite some annoying audio issues that I'll discuss below, it's a fine presentation of one of the most popular genre shows of the Seventies.

This second season kicks off with an uproarious, glorious - and engagingly ludicrous - Six Million Dollar Man crossover, "The Return of Bigfoot" (guest starring John Saxon and Stephanie Powers) and contains the ultimate (literally, as it was the last) Six Million Dollar Man-Bionic Woman crossover epic, "Kill Oscar," which also introduced the fan favorite "fembots." In between, we have Jaime posing as a female wrestler, a country singer, a policewoman, and a nun. In other episodes she trades darkly humorous quips with Vincent Price and faces off with her own, surgically-altered evil "twin."

It's great entertainment, and holds up surprisingly well - which is a testament to the quality of most of the writing and Wagner's extraordinary talents as an actress. She managed to make even the most outrageous situations believable, and could create palpable chemistry with every actor/actress she performed with. Speaking of which, the great guest stars of Season 2 include Lee Majors, Sandy Duncan, Ted Cassidy, Norman Fell, Hoyt Axton, Julie Newmar, John Houseman, James Hong, and Robert Loggia, among many others.

Universal has brought all 22 episodes of The Bionic Woman's second season - plus two crossover episodes of Six Million Dollar Man - to DVD with remarkably good 1.33:1, "full frame" transfers (oddly, the Man episodes are of noticeably lesser quality, but they're not unwatchable, by any means) and 2.0 mono sound.

On a few episodes, most notably, "Deadly Ringer, Part 1," there are severe audio problems, where the dialogue and music are almost inaudible. These problems are annoying, but intermittent, and as the studio provides English subtitles, the stories can be followed. I understand why a lot of consumers have been upset by the problem, but considering all the hours of entertainment available in the 24 episodes in the set, it really is a minor issue. Extra features include Audio Commentaries on select episodes with Lindsay Wagner and creator Kenneth Johnson, a retrospective featurette, and a still gallery.

Fans of the show shouldn't hesitate to pick this set up, despite the audio problems. I doubt that Universal would find it cost-effective to recall and re-issue the set, and the inconvenience really is minor. The episodes themselves are a great deal of fun, anchored and enhanced by the charming and always-appealing Wagner. Recommended. You can buy the set from Amazon here:  The Bionic Woman: Season Two

THE BIONIC WOMAN Season 2 (1977) In The House

Picked up The Bionic Woman Season 2 DVDs last week. Despite widespread Internet complaints about the audio on some episodes, I haven't noticed anything particularly onerous, or, for that matter, unusual, and I'm more than halfway through the season. Some episodes do not sound "crystal clear," but as this is a 35+ years old show from the 70s Universal TV factory, that's to be expected. Too many "reviewers" online today are young tech-heads with no sense of context or perspective; complaining about muffled audio on a 70s TV show is like complaining that a 30's B-movie is in black & white.

As for the shows themselves, this is the season that opened with an uproarious, glorious Six Million Dollar Man crossover, "The Return of Bigfoot" (guest starring John Saxon!) and contained the ultimate (literally, as it was the last) Six Million Dollar Man-Bionic Woman crossover epic, "Kill Oscar," which also introduced the fan favorite fembots. In between, we have Jaime posing as a female wrestler, a policewoman, and a nun, and trading darkly humorous quips with Vincent Price. I'll be posting a full review shortly here and at my DVD Late Show site. Stay tuned.

THE BIONIC WOMAN (1976)

The most popular science fiction adventure series on 1970s television was The Six Million Dollar Man starring Lee Majors as American astronaut Steve Austin, who, after a disastrous test flight, found his legs, right arm and left eye replaced with "bionic" (cybernetic) parts. For five seasons, the heroic cyborg fought the nation's enemies as a secret agent.

In the series' second year, audiences were introduced to his childhood sweetheart, Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner) a professional tennis player. Of course, being the hero's girlfriend rarely works out well, and she suffered her own tragic accident while skydiving. Steve Austin was able to persuade his government boss, Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson) to provide Jaime with her own mechanical parts, and thus was born The Bionic Woman (1976-78).

The character was killed off at the end of that first The Six Million Dollar Man two-parter - can't have your hero tied down, you know - but, much to the network's surprise, public outcry to the death of Jaime Sommers was immediate and unprecedented. Wagner, an exceptionally fine actress, had been so appealing in the role that viewers - especially young ones - were deeply upset by the character's fate, so plans were made to revive the character.

The return of the character (through some clever techno-double-talk by writer Kenneth Johnson) was a ratings phenomenon, so the network immediately demanded that Jaime Sommers get her own spin-off series. The series ran for three years - on two networks - and the first 13-episode season was released by Universal on DVD in October.

The series, which had Jaime Sommers working as a schoolteacher on an Air Force Base and going on missions for the Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI) on the weekends, was a better-than average 70s adventure show, with an extremely likable and human heroine, portrayed with humor and intelligence. The stories themselves varied in quality, but Wagner always brought her game to every episode, making even the most absurd situations palatable. She took her orders from Steve Austin's boss, Oscar Goldman, which meant that actor Richard Anderson pulled double duty as a regular on two weekly series simultaneously. Lee Majors also showed up in cameos fairly often during the early episodes, maintaining another clear link to the parent show.

The production values were up to Universal TV's usual slick, professional standards, and the first season was graced with a number of well-known guest stars like Andy Griffith, Donald O' Connor, Kristy McNicholl, Tippi Hedren, Forrest Tucker and Terry Kiser.

Universal's 4-disc DVD set includes all 13 episodes from the series first year of The Bionic Woman, as well as the five The Six Million Dollar Man episodes that introduced the character, in proper chronological sequence. The 1.33:1 "full frame" transfers are remarkably sharp and free of evident wear or damage. The 2.0 audio is clear. Bonus features include the aforementioned Man episodes, a photo gallery, a vintage gag reel, commentaries on a handful of episodes by writer/producer/creator Kenneth Johnson and others, and a retrospective documentary featuring on-camera interviews with many of the show's principals, including Lindsay Wagner, Richard Anderson and Johnson.

(The Six Million Dollar Man has also been released on DVD in a pricey "complete series" package available exclusively online from Time-Life Home Video.)

If you grew up in the 70s thrilling to the adventures of the bionic duo, this DVD set from Universal is highly recommended. The show holds up surprisingly well, and Wagner really makes those distinctively 70s fashions work. The stories vary in quality, but the character remains a strong, smart, funny, positive role model, and it's no wonder that everyone loved her. The Second Season is scheduled to be released next month, and is available for pre-order online. Here are links to both seasons at Amazon.com:

 The Bionic Woman: Season One

The Bionic Woman: Season Two