First viewed : 1 July 1978
This series ticked both the super-hero and jiggle TV boxes for the BBC but as with Petrocelli they were late in picking up the option on the series and we came in at the start of Series Two hence no pilot episode. Wonder Woman was from the DC Universe and her transfer to live action TV series is quite a complicated story. The original pilot starred a different actress in the role and the first series was set during World War Two.
Wonder Woman and her alter ego Diana Prince as we knew them were played by Lynda Carter a former Miss World semi-finalist. Unlike her bionic counterpart she did have a large though slightly saggy pair and an ample behind as displayed in the iconic costume closely based on the original comic book design. Episodes would often feature her running towards the camera for the full bouncing boobs and camel toe effects. Her regular co-star was Lyle Waggoner as her boss Steve Trevor but to be honest I'm struggling to picture him.
Unlike The Incredible Hulk on the other channel Wonder Woman was campy and cheerful , much more akin to Batman than David Banner's gloomy dilemmas. She got to battle aliens and other super-powered vixens with her bullet-deflecting bracelets and golden lasso. I thought it was good fun but I remember both my mum and sister being quite negative about it; something about Carter seemed to rub them up the wrong way.
The show was cancelled in the US in 1979 and shown here until 1980 by which time Carter was trying to re-launch herself as a singer. She was semi-successful in that endeavour but better known for advertising Maybelline cosmetics then starring in another TV series Partners in Crime. She's done a lot of TV movies since then and is still acting and making music.
Looking at it now, it was nice to switch the usual roles by having the male character (Steve Trevor) be the "damsel in distress" needing to be saved by the female lead. Though obviously Steve wasn't prone to Lois Lane levels of screaming.
ReplyDeleteGood timing, on your part, what with the Wonder Woman character making her return in the forthcoming Batman v Superman film. This show, I barely remember anything but the theme tune. But I did recently encounter Carter's work when playing "Fallout 4" in which she voiced a character and wrote/performed a few songs that the role required. Did a good job, I thought.