Wonder Woman

All woman, all superhero!

When we talk about superheroes on TV we're most likely to think about Marvel Comics The Incredible Hulk  series & of course DC Comics' campy Batman from the 60's but, the relationship between superheroes and the Idiot box goes back a long, long time. Flash Gordon, Shazam, Batman, Superman & Captain America were some of the earliest characters to hit the TV screen between the 1940's & 1960's decades. By the time the sassy 70's began, no one had a thing for superheroes. They were thought to be a product strictly designed for children, so filming a series for kids wasn't the greatest of the ideas, at least in those days, the days before Superman The Movie. 

So, why bother with a new series inspired by a superhero? Well, the 70's were definitely the decade that exploited the most, women beauty. And with all the revolutions going on, there was only one female character that could represent what being a strong self-sufficient woman felt like and look like in the 70's: Wonder Woman!

The super-heroine was created by American psychologist William Moulton Marston, AKA Charles Moulton, it is said the character was based upon his wife and lover (!) Even though Wonder Woman is a 1940's creation which would put women next to the male superheroes capable of nearly everything, it wasn't until 1977 with the release of the first episode of the live action Wonder Woman take, that the heroin would become a cultural phenomenon and an icon on feminism.

Secret Identity.

Steve Trevor, AKA WW's Sidekick.

One of the great things about "Wonder Woman" is that it feels like a real-life, live-action comic book. In fact, shots from each episode closely resemble panels from a comic book. The other thing about "Wonder Woman" is that it doesn't fall into the full-blown camp territory of its obvious predecessor, the 1966 "Batman" TV series that starred Adam West and was responsible for nearly ruining the Dark Knight's reputation bringing back popularity to the comic book world or actually taking to the masses and bringing Batmania into your homes. However, the series it's partially based in the Wonder Woman comic book. Many of the comic book original elements were made to fit a more "believable" series and to reach a wider audience. Examples of this are that WW bracelets are made of "feminum" instead of "Amazonium". Her super powers are not weakened by taking off her bracelets (in the comic book it was by taking off her lasso)  The list goes on BUT it's not that important, since the signature characteristics of Wonder Woman were kept intact.

In case you don't know, the entire "Wonder Woman" series takes place from World War II (1942-1945) all the way up to the modern day (the mid 1970s). During a spectacular aerial battle over the Bermuda Triangle, dashing Air Force pilot Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner) is shot down and lands on Paradise Island, which also happens to be home to the Amazons, beautiful, ageless women of great strength, agility, and intelligence. Princess Diana (former Miss World USA 1972 Lynda Carter) wins the right to return him to "Man's World" (the rest of human society). And thus, Wonder Woman's career as a super-heroine begins as she and Steve take on the Nazis and their various attempts to sabotage the U.S. war effort.

Wonder Girl is also in the series!

With that body, you don't the lasso of truth.

The second season onward moves events up to the present, the mid-1970s, as Diana once again returns to Man's World to battle all manner of evil - terrorists, evil geniuses, your typical crooks, and even Nazi war criminals hiding out in South America. She once again teams up with Steve Trevor, or rather, Steve Trevor, Jr., the son of the lead male protagonist from the first season (who is still portrayed by Lyle Waggoner).

As the lead, the dashing and beautiful Lynda Carter IS Wonder Woman. In her civilian identity, she's bookish Diana Prince. Astute viewers will also recognize that "Diana Prince" is the secret identity, whereas Wonder Woman is the true personality (much like DC Comics' other flagship superhero, Superman/Clark Kent). Carter is an actress of amazing beauty and physicality; she reportedly performed a number of her own stunts including dangling from a flying helicopter in the second episode of the second season. It's a role that she would be forever closely linked to and it remains her most famous role to date.

Yeah! her invisible airplane!

...And the Wonder Camel Toe swimsuit.

Another aspect of the series that I found quite amazing was that it retains the feminist appeal of the original comic book character (Wonder Woman has been accused by social critics since the beginning of encouraging misandry, promoting bondage fantasies, and encouraging lesbianism). Because of the strong feminist appeal of the character, it was often Steve Trevor who was in distress and needed to be rescued, and not the other way around. It's a great role reversal from what is normally seen in most superhero comic book/TV series.

For the third season the show had a few changes in order to keep its audience interested. First, the original theme song was replaced by a more 70's disco funk oriented theme. Secondly, they updated IADC's resources with an AI super computer conveniently placed in Steve Trevor's office. This super smart computer would aid Trevor & Prince(and eventually Wonder Woman) solve mysteries quicker than in the past seasons. The third change, and perhaps the biggest of them all, was that the topics of the episodes were made to  relate to teenagers, as they were the expected new audience the show wanted to reach. This season lasted for 24 episodes and after that the show was canceled due to low ratings and the producers decision to move on to something else (That something else was the premiere of The Dukes Of Hazard)  As for what happened to Lynda Carter, she pursued a singing career and starred in several B-movies.

Are you talking to me?

Wonder Boobs.

Lastly, I'm not ashamed to say that I became a fan of Wonder Woman largely because of Lynda Carter, who is not only striking and beautiful, but also closely resembles her comic book counterpart; I have no doubt in my mind that she might have been cast because of her uncanny resemblance to the character that she plays.

"Wonder Woman" is a classic superhero series in every sense of the word. The first season is the best, in my overall opinion of the series. It is also highly likely that this incarnation of the DC Comics super-heroine will remain the best portrayal of the character anywhere, whether it be on television or in the movies.

My oh my!

Here's the Season 1 opening featuring the signature song we all remember:



Here's the Season 2 opening:



Here's Season 3 opening (the final season) Notice the different song they used:



And as a bonus "Wonder Woman, The Ultimate Feminist Icon"