Wonder Woman

When this first aired, I didn't like it. It wasn't the Wonder Woman I had seen in the comics. Not even close. A few more viewings over the years didn't change that opinion. But now, after a long break and forty years after its premiere, I can be a bit more objective and less hard-nosed. It really wasn't as bad as I used to think.

A lot of people preferred the Lynda Carter version, but seriously, aside from being somewhat more faithful to the comic, it wasn't that much better. That was just as campy, if not more. Nor was it completely faithful. The familiar twirling costume change was unique to that show, just a shortcut to avoid showing the character having to find a place to change or stash her clothes and costume. Early episodes didn't even have the "explosion," just a fade between wardrobe. And seriously, how many times can one watch Six Million Dollar Man-style leaps, which were also not from the comic? This Wonder Woman seemed to use her wits to get out of jams more than the better-known one did.

I did get a little bored with the constant parade of perils in this movie. Seems she was under attack every ten minutes. Just in time for a commercial break, of course. These Amazons were also annoying. Every time they spoke to each other, they were spouting stilted fortune cookie platitudes rather than sounding like actual dialog.

Ricardo Montalban as Abner Smith was probably the best part of the movie. Suave, classy, charismatic, charming and quite possibly the most honorable, least violent villain in TV history. Definitely not the clichéd murderous adversary trying to kill the hero by whatever means necessary. He never even lost his temper and yelled at his henchmen no matter how many times they disobeyed orders or failed. This was a proto-Roarke, a wise, imaginative, level-headed boss who was intelligent and anticipated almost every contingency. (The white suit didn't hurt, either, although even Mr. Roarke sometimes displayed a darker side not seen here.) And he never lost his composure even in the face of defeat and incarceration. He would have been splendid as her arch-enemy had this series been ordered, that rarest of animals, the likable villain that one could almost root for. Not to be confused with anti-heroes who were flawed but had good intentions. This was a selfish person who maintained his dignity, civility, principles and manners even toward his foes.

I saw this movie when I was a kid and was very disappointed that Cathy Lee Crosby looked nothing like Diana Prince, not even the costume! But I did like her portrayal of the Amazon Princess. She was strong, warm and really endearing. And I really liked the rivalry storyline between Diana and her "corrupted" sister who was lured by the things she could get for herself now that she was away from Paradise Island. That was very interesting because it wasn't resolved, her sister denounced how she was raised and Diana kept firm to her own beliefs. They agreed to disagree and there was still a mutual sisterly respect in the end. A little bit of depth in an otherwise shallow attempt at a pilot with a charming lead actress.

Diana Prince is sent into the world of men as Wonder Woman (Cathy Lee Crosby). In disguise, she becomes the assistant to government agent Steve Trevor who is battling evil super villain Abner Smith (Ricardo Montalban). Smith has his viscous minions, George and former Amazon Angela.

This is an early live-action superhero TV movie. After Superman and Batman, this is probably the most important early comic book character on live-action TV. Cathy would be later replaced by Lynda Carter in the TV show. In addition to the lead actress, other things have been changed again and again. The most obvious is the costume and the level of her power. I have no problem with her costume although the one on Lynda Carter is so much hotter. The level of power has varied over time in the comics. This one has her as super athlete but not really super human. Cathy Lee Crosby is closer to an athlete trying her hand at acting rather than a real actress. She has good looks but her acting lacks range. Her athleticism is useful in this show but she is generally stiff. She's functional as a presenter but she can't really emote. As for the plot and writing, it is a mess of broad comic book silliness. It doesn't have any realism but it doesn't have any fun in its outrageousness. There's a burro in a crate and a snake which is drawn to a saucer of milk for some reason. I'm not convinced at all that the burro is the best supervillain transport. It's all very lame and silly and cheesy. The cheesiness has some value if Cathy Lee Crosby can only project some sense of fun. When Montalban ends up paddling his rubber dingy, I couldn't take the overall cheesiness. It's good to move on to Lynda Carter who has longer lasting Wonder Woman legacy. This is a TV curiosity which WW fans may find some joy in and maybe worthwhile to check out.

I can remember watching this as a 12 year old and being quite exited by seeing Wonder Woman on TV. In fact, this was more like a spy thriller than a Super Heroine film. Cathy Lee's costume certainly was more modest than Lynda Carters. Also, Diana Prince seemed equally as strong as Wonder Woman, despatching the villains with ease, although Wonder Woman only just escaped when trapped in a room with slime dripping down the walls (never quite sure what that was supposed to do). There was added interest with Anitra Ford playing the role of an amazon 'gone bad'. I always thought it might have added a bit to the film when the two fought toward the end of the film if she had defeated Wonder Woman before handing the unconscious Wonder Woman over to the villain. Ricardo Montalban was possibly the most gracious villain of all time and looking back now, the film was a bit 'cheesy'.

When I first saw this film, I was like many others and wanted to see Wonder Woman in her traditional garb and as a brunette. What we got was Cathy Lee Crosby, in her pre-That's Incredible! days. She wasn't the super heroine I had heard about, what she was was a "Girl From Uncle" rip-off.

Also of note, this was made during the period when D.C. Comics, the publisher of the "Wonder Woman" comic book had taken away her powers and made her into a non-super powered woman with the explanation that all the amazons had left Paradise Island for another dimension to replenish their immortality, leaving Diana behind. Within a year, the Amazons returned to Earth and Diana had regained her powers.