Superhero Movies and Television Shows

Wonder Woman (1975-1979)

Premise:

Princess Diana of Paradise Island travels to the Outside World to fight the forces of Evil as Wonder Woman.


Cast:

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/Diana Price
Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor


Review:

Lynda Carter looks perfect in the costume, but freely admits she was not the best actress in the world. Lyle Waggoner is competent as Steve Trevor, and seems comfortable playing second banana to a female star thanks to his stint on Carol Burnett. The plots are simplistic but straightforward, and except for a few two part episodes the story is revolved by the end of the show. The first season on ABC takes place in 1942 and has better villains and World Building. The second season on CBS moved the show to modern (1977) times and Diana's secret agent adventures never developed an interesting long term villain. There is minimum violence and Wonder Woman is all but invulnerable to everything except sleep gas and chloroform.


Stand Out Episodes:

New Original Wonder Woman (1975) (TV Pilot Movie) - Closely based on the Wonder Woman comic book origin story is more comic then the rest of the series, and has 1970s TV Guest Stars (Stella Stevens, Cloris Leachman, Henry Gibson, Kenneth Mars, Eric Braden, Red Buttons). Lightweight fun.

Wonder Woman Meets Baroness Von Gunther - Wonder Woman's greatest enemy from her first year in the comics makes her one and only appearance in the form of Christine Belford (Carlie Kirkland on Banacek), and proves to be a worthy opponent. Except for the addition of a kid detective hanging around a Federal Prison the show is pretty solid.

Fausta, Nazi Wonder Woman - Loosely based on a Wonder Woman comic story, Olympic Athlete and Nazi Spy Fausta Grables (Lynda Day George from Mission Impossible) is sent to capture Wonder Woman. Fausta manages to lure Wonder Woman into a trap, but her Male Chauvinist Superior makes a mistake allowing Wonder Woman to escape. Then Wonder Woman has to go back to get Steve who was captured trying to save her. This episode was close to being along the lines of the comic in the 1940. Wonder Woman is captured, she escapes, saves someone, and reforms a female opponent.

The Feminium Mystique Parts 1 and 2 - The Amazon Queen (Carolyn Jones from The Addams Family) sends Diana's sister Drusilla (Debra Winger!) to America to bring her sister back to Paradise Island. Both Sisters get involved in a Nazi Plot to steal an experimental American fighter plane, and Drusilla becomes Wonder Girl just in time to get captured. Worst, she's tricked to reveal the location of Paradise Island to Nazi Captain Radl. Great fun.

Wonder Woman in Hollywood - Diana Prince goes to Hollywood because Steve is going to be in a movie, and Drusilla joins her. Wonder Woman and Wonder Girl team up to save war heroes who the Nazis are planning to kidnap. more fun, and my favorite episode.