"The Six Million Dollar Man" (1974) TV series 1974-1978

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Directors:

Richard Donner
Richard Irving

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

18 January 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

After a crippled test pilot is rebuilt with nuclear powered limbs and implants, he serves as a unique intelligence agent.

Plot Keywords:

Bionics | Spy | Cult TV | Cyborg | Number In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Lee Majors	...	Col. Steve Austin (98 episodes, 1974-1978)
Richard Anderson	...	Oscar Goldman (98 episodes, 1974-1978)

Also Known As:

"Cyborg" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

60 min (108 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Harve Bennett Productions

Trivia:

The exterior shots of OSI Headquarters are actually the Russell Senate Office Building as seen from the Senate side of the Capitol, across Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC.

Quotes:

[Opening narration.]
Oscar Goldman: Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Summerslam (2007) (TV)

Best Sci-Fi show ever!

I've loved this show ever since I was a kid in the 70's. I went through 2 lunch kits [the blue one with the various scenes of Steve in action] and three of the action figures, the last of which I still have brand new in the box. I also had the bionic transport/repair set. Sadly, I never did acquire a Maskatron. My Mother still remembers walking into the living room just in time to see me doing a Bionic jump, in slow motion with the ch-ch-ch-ch-ch sound f/x, off the couch, or running in slow-mo down the hall. My best friend in grade 1 and 2 was TOTALLY convinced he was bionic and was, in fact, Steve Austin [and The Fonz, too]. To prove it one day, he jumped off of a 12 foot retaining wall on the school grounds, only to injure himself quite seriously. I remember seeing the ambulance coming right in to the school yard to pick him up [a funny side note, his name was Stephen!]. Anyway, I think season 1 and 2 were the only worthwhile episodes. Things started getting really silly in season 3 with the Bigfoot episodes. It was always better when the stories remained fully human interest, with no aliens, E.S.P, Bigfoot, or the death probe. My favourite episodes are the Robot ones [Day of the Robot and Return of the Robot Maker]. Yes, the androids were a little far-fetched, but they seemed to dove-tail nicely into the whole bionic thing. Plus, the movie Westworld, which had just come out and was excellent, added some credibility. Some of the episodes still stand up well [The 7 Million Dollar Man, for instance], and are very good drama/sci-fi. It's unfortunate the last 2 or 3 seasons were so lame, but like The Night Stalker, the good ideas got used up pretty fast.