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By
SCOTT CHAMBERLAIN
In many respects, "Wonder
Woman" needs no introduction. As soon as it
debuted in 1975, the show exploded into popular
consciousness. We of a certain age will fondly
remember the lunch boxes, Halloween costumes,
Colorform books... and quite possibly our first
crush. But similar to the "Batman" show,
overexposure and increasingly indifferent writing
killed the show after three short seasons. Even
so, it never really went away, showing up as
repeats on various cable and local TV stations
ever since.
For the uninitiated, the show began as a series of
TV movies on ABC. A previous, disastrous special
starring Kathy Lee Crosby that had nothing to do
with the comic book had recently aired, and
producer Douglas Cramer decided to start from
scratch, basing his new movie more directly on the
DC Comics heroine. This accounts for its somewhat
bizarre title, "The New, Original Wonder Woman."
It was a ratings hit, which prompted two more
movies before ABC picked it up as a series in
1976. Two things made the show unique: First, it
was set during the height of WWII. Second, it
played clear homage to its comic book origins,
particularly in the opening credits and its use of
handwritten "narration blocks" with each change of
scene ("Meanwhile, at a top secret Nazi base in
Germany...").
The "Wonder Woman - The Complete First Season" set includes
the 2-hour pilot, the first 2 specials, and the
rest of the 11 episodes from its ABC years, all
set in WWII. These episodes have tended to be the
most popular, and "wonderfully" illustrate the
show's weaknesses and considerable strengths. On
the negative side, it is clear, particularly in
the first few episodes, which everyone was making
everything up as they went along. Special effects
are somewhat haphazard, acting can be uneven, and
characters aren't fully developed. Fortunately,
all these improve as the season goes on. On the
positive side, Lynda Carter is perfect in the
role. She pulls off an extremely difficult trick,
to run around in an outrageous costume and be both
natural and believable. You do not doubt her for a
second. Its also interesting to note that many big
stars fought for bit parts in the series, giving
various spies, senators, and saboteurs an extra
degree of heft (or deliciously hammy acting!).
Most importantly, the show has, even after all
these years, a considerable charm. You can't help
but smile when the great theme song with its
chorus of "Wonder Wo-MAN!" comes in at climatic
moments. It has the right amount of camp, adding
fun without overpowering everything else.
The DVD set has few, but worthy extras. Lynda and
producer Douglas Cramer provide commentary for the
pilot, and there is a short retrospective with
Carter, Cramer, Alex Ross, and other notables. The
transfers are crisp, and the '70s sound is fine.
Best of all, we can finally watch these episodes
in their unedited glory. Sit back and enjoy!
Its not surprising, given ABC's hesitation with
the show, that "Wonder Woman" was canceled after
its first half season. But its popularity was such
that CBS swooped in and bought the rights to the
show, retooling it in the process. The second
season, therefore, is radically different from the
first. Hoping to make it more "hip," the producers
did away with the WWII settings and gave the show
a more "sci-fi" feeling. Apparently, Wonder Woman
retired back to Paradise Island after WWII, but
when the world was again threatened by the forces
of evil, she took up her magic lasso one more
time.
in "The "Wonder Woman - The Complete Second Season"
Lyle Waggoner is back as the son of the original
Steve Trevor, and a new voice-activated computer
named IRAC became a recurring character. In some
ways, the second season is a marked improvement
over the first. Carter is much more comfortable in
the role, which really carries the show. The
special effects are cleaner and more consistent.
Generally the production values are higher all
around. Still, something was lost when the show
moved into modern times -- there was an
earnestness and even playfulness in the WWII
episodes that the second season lacks. And in all
honesty, the scripts are wildly uneven. But who
cares! No one is expecting Ibsen here! Great fun
all around -- get some popcorn and enjoy!
The second season has only one extra, a short
documentary about bringing the comic book to life,
featuring Carter and comic artist Alex Ross. |
