Wonder Woman (TV series)
Lynda Carter stars as the Amazon princess in a 1970s TV adaptation.
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The first season is set in the 1940s during World War II, while the later seasons shift to the late 1970s.[1] The show is based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name.[1]
Making and release
ABC did not pick up that pilot despite "respectable but not exactly wondrous" ratings.[2] This second film was directed by Leonard Horn and starred Lynda Carter, more closely matching the original comic character.[3] Lynda Carter was chosen for the lead after a talent search that included Joanna Cassidy and Jaclyn Smith.[4] Season 2 dropped romantic tension between Steve Jr. and Wonder Woman, as executive producer Douglas S. Cramer noted the difficulty of maintaining such tension.[5]
A TV movie called Wonder Woman, helmed by Vincent McEveety and featuring Cathy Lee Crosby, was broadcast by ABC in March 1974 as a pilot attempt.[2] That film's version of Wonder Woman bore minimal similarity to the classic character in either outfit or powers.[2] She had previously won the 1972 Miss World USA title and performed as a member of Bob Hope's USO troupe.[4] Lyle Waggoner was selected to play Steve Trevor even though his dark brown hair differed from the comic character's blond hair.[4]
The pilot featured the spinning transformation, a technique Carter proposed while the pilot was being shot.[5]
What the cited sources add
The St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture notes that Waggoner was known as a comedic actor from The Carol Burnett Show and had been a leading candidate to play Batman a decade earlier.[4]
References
- Wikipedia, "Wonder Woman (TV series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Wonder Woman S03 DVD Extras The Ultimate Feminist Icon", April 16, 2014; "The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, vol. 3: Themes, Works, and Wonders", Greenwood Press, 2005 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wonder Woman (TV series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shales, "Wonder Woman Back in Action", The Washington Post, November 2, 1975, p. 5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wonder Woman (TV series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Joby, "Cathy Crosby turns down 'Wonder Woman' offer", May 12, 1980 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wonder Woman (TV series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pendergast, Tom and Sara, "St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, vol. 4", St. James Press, 2002, p. 72 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wonder Woman (TV series)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The New Original Wonder Woman commentary" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Wonder Woman (TV series) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Wonder Woman (TV series) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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