Wonder Woman

This failed TV movie pilot is a pop-cultural oddity: An adaptation of Wonder Woman based partly on the brief five-year period of the comic when the character temporarily lost her super powers, as well as her classic costume and she was re-imagined as a non-super-powered, mod-dressing Emma Peel-esque adventurer. This pilot is also partly a precursor of the direction that the Lynda Carter series would eventually take in seasons two and three: Diana Prince being revamped into a James Bond-like ace operative of an UNCLE-esque top secret spy organization.

When this pilot TV movie was in pre-production development, Wonder Woman in the comic books was still in her "mod girl adventurer" phase at the time and the producers seemed unsure which direction to take with the character in the pilot, ("Classic" or "Mod"?) so they tried to split the difference and try to give us a little bit of both worlds! For the purposes of this patchwork pilot, the producers transformed & transitioned Wonder Woman from being a "Girl Adventurer" to being a "Spy Girl". A blonde-haired (!) Cathy Lee Crosby tries her level best to make this awkward composite characterization of Diana Prince seem almost plausible. (The problem is with the script, not with the actress!) She even has a couple of witty Bond-esque exchanges; one where she coolly rebuffs the smarmy sexual flirtations of the villain's chief henchman (a wonderfully oily Andrew Prine) and one where she playfully mentions in passing her invisible plane to the main villain (a masterfully silky-smooth Ricardo Montalbán) in a flirty exchange!

Instead of either her traditional classic costume or one of her mod new outfits from the current-at-the-time comic books, the producers once again decided to "split the difference" by outfitting Crosby in a re-imagined costume that looks more like a mod track suit, than a superhero costume. It's functional, plausible, and mundane. It doesn't look awful, just dull. Just imagine if Superman instead of wearing his classic costume, was wearing a blue & red sweat suit with a small red "S" shield on the side of the chest and you'll get the general idea!

In another odd & awkward blending of the "classic" and "mod" directions, there is a new character, Diana's feisty sister, Ahnjayla, (played by Anitra Ford) who seems to be loosely based upon Diana's feisty sister from the comic books, Nubia, who was then-recently introduced into the comic's continuity when Wonder Woman was re-revamped back into her classic costumed super-powered super-heroine persona in the comic books once more. The pilot tries it's best to blend both the classical and modern directions, but never entirely succeeding with either direction. The pilot producers should have chosen either one direction or the other, instead of hedging their bets and trying to blend both, ending-up in giving us neither! One year later, ABC & Warner Brothers tried again with a second Wonder Woman pilot, this time starring a super-powered & a much more traditionally-costumed Lynda Carter. This new "back-to-basics" pilot was a hit and the Lynda Carter series ran for three successful seasons.

So, perhaps this failed pilot's longest lasting legacy is the "Spy Girl" motif: When ABC later cancelled Wonder Woman after it's first season for being a far-too expensive World War Two era period piece, CBS picked-up the show for seasons two and three, with the proviso that the timeline of the show be moved-up to modern day, to keep costs down and so, Diana was re-imagined as an ace secret agent, once again! This cost-effective secret agent makeover saved the series, so at least that aspect of this failed pilot was proven to be right in retrospect. Just put Cathy Lee Crosby in a traditional Wonder Woman costume and a brunette wig, (Or simply re-cast Crosby with Lynda Carter!) and you would have a typical Wonder Woman episode from seasons two and three of the Lynda Carter series!

While this is not vintage classic Wonder Woman by a long shot, it is an interesting time capsule of Wonder Woman in a flux state of transition and of a long-forgotten failed pilot, valiantly trying and ultimately failing to capture the best of both worlds of Wonder Woman.

As the previous reviewer has commented, fans of the "Wonder Woman" comic and the later effort by Lynda Carter will overall be very disappointed. Indeed, this is not the Wonder Woman we are used to (different 70's style "no cleavage" costume, blond hair) but Cathy Lee Crosby is indeed a wonder to behold. Having moved on from semi-pro tennis player with little acting experience, she holds her own well against foe Ricardo Montalban (although this "foe" has to be one of the most charming, non-threatening villains ever portrayed in a Super Hero film). Notable appearance by original "Price Is Right" gal Anitra Ford as a fellow Paradise Island "lady gone bad." Quirky highlights include a "James Bond" type arsenal of bracelets, a "hidden" not-so-magic lasso, and, low and behold, Wonder Woman actually checking in to a hotel (perhaps someone would notice she's really Diana Price?). And who could ever forget Artie Butler's catchy theme that sounds like it uses a Dentist's drill as the main instrument. Believe it or not, I do enjoy this TV Movie as an "alternative" Wonder Woman, but I'm just glad that ABC gave the Super Heroine another chance after this failed Pilot. The world may have never met Lynda Carter.

This compact 90 minute unsold pilot caused quite a stir when it premiered on ABC in 1974. Even then comic book fans bemoaned the new interpretation of the character. It's not really Wonder Woman but, a modernized and scrubbed down version of a short lived incarnation of her from then current issues of the Wonder Woman comic book. In this version, after a short origin sequence, Wonder Woman, as Diana Prince, secret government agent, under Steve Trevor, is given the job of recovering a set of code books in the hands of a blackmailer.

The movie is entertaining. It's structured like an old time movie serial, each act has a cliffhanger ending with some new threat to Diana, who only appears in "costume" near the end. Not the traditional uniform, but a rather mod looking red, white and blue outfit, with a hidden golden lasso.

Providing menace is ace henchman, George. As played by Andrew Prine, who appears to be having a lot of fun, George's wish to kill the Amazon Princess is matched only by his desire to make love to her. (Don't worry, it's not a deep as it sounds).

Abner Smith, portrayed by a very charming Ricardo Montalban is George's boss and a great foil for Cathy Lee Crosby, who is over her head in this role, but tries hard.

As a side note, try counting the number of times, someone uses a telephone during the film.

A new drinking game could come out of this film!

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.