Wonder Woman
One Bad Ass Superhero
Before Xena, Buffy, or the amazing Lara Croft there was Wonder Woman, the hottest superhero ever to grace my television.
Some of you probably watched the show during its three-year run on ABC. Based on the 1940s "Wonder Woman" comic books, the TV series was born in 1976. Set during World War II, the show found Wonder Woman working undercover as mild-mannered Diana Prince, a War Department employee.
Wonder Woman sprang into action, whenever duty called. Diana would spin to transform into Wonder Woman, and being armed with a magic belt giving her tremendous strength, bullet proof bracelets, a tiara that could be thrown as a returning weapon, and a lasso that could force the strongest willed individual to tell the truth. To top it all off she would proceed to kick some serious villain ass.
I grew up watching the show and was in absolute awe of Wonder Woman. She was a true role model for girls in the '70s. Back then; everyone wanted to be Wonder Woman on Halloween. Actually, kids… not to mention adults (both men and women) still dress up as the all-American superhero to this day. Sadly, I couldn't get my hands on a Wonder Woman costume as a child, and my mother was so not a skilled seamstress to be able to make me one, so I had to settle for some rag tag bum outfit. Sad, isn't it?
Anyway, all the memories and feelings I have associated with that astounding show, it's interesting to watch again "Wonder Woman" as an adult. While I took the stories to be oh-so-true as a kid, they seem pretty silly now. Case in point: Episode #6, entitled "Wonder Woman vs. Gargantua!" Wonder Woman battles a powerful circus ape that's been secretly trained by the Nazis to nab a highly valued United States informant. The series special effects… particularly the sequences in which we see Wonder Woman flying in her invisible plane… just can't compare to what's possible now.
Having said that, "Wonder Woman" still totally… beyond a shadow of a doubt is way kick ass after all these years. The key to the show's enduring appeal is the actress at the heart of it all: Lynda Carter. Carter who was a former Miss USA with very little acting experience when she was cast in the title role, and watching the show again all these years later, you come to love and respect what a great job she really did. Even though the situations were often somewhat outrageous and the special effects were unconvincing, the charismatic and charming…not to mention gorgeous… Carter somehow made it all believable. Wonder Woman had to have at least a 30 charisma.
It's pretty hard to imagine any other actress playing the role of Wonder Woman. That would probably explain why a big screen movie has only been discussed and yet to be made, any despite talk about the potential project over the years. There was a "Wonder Woman" TV movie made in 1974 with Cathy Lee Crosby in the lead role, but it was awful (no offense to the lovely Cathy Lee Crosby). It’s just that no one plays Wonder Woman like Lynda Carter. Long may the memory of Wonder Woman always live on, in the hearts and minds of those who will remember and those who will discover the LEGANDAY…WONDER WOMAN!!!
Before Xena, Buffy, or the amazing Lara Croft there was Wonder Woman, the hottest superhero ever to grace my television.
Some of you probably watched the show during its three-year run on ABC. Based on the 1940s "Wonder Woman" comic books, the TV series was born in 1976. Set during World War II, the show found Wonder Woman working undercover as mild-mannered Diana Prince, a War Department employee.
Wonder Woman sprang into action, whenever duty called. Diana would spin to transform into Wonder Woman, and being armed with a magic belt giving her tremendous strength, bullet proof bracelets, a tiara that could be thrown as a returning weapon, and a lasso that could force the strongest willed individual to tell the truth. To top it all off she would proceed to kick some serious villain ass.
I grew up watching the show and was in absolute awe of Wonder Woman. She was a true role model for girls in the '70s. Back then; everyone wanted to be Wonder Woman on Halloween. Actually, kids… not to mention adults (both men and women) still dress up as the all-American superhero to this day. Sadly, I couldn't get my hands on a Wonder Woman costume as a child, and my mother was so not a skilled seamstress to be able to make me one, so I had to settle for some rag tag bum outfit. Sad, isn't it?
Anyway, all the memories and feelings I have associated with that astounding show, it's interesting to watch again "Wonder Woman" as an adult. While I took the stories to be oh-so-true as a kid, they seem pretty silly now. Case in point: Episode #6, entitled "Wonder Woman vs. Gargantua!" Wonder Woman battles a powerful circus ape that's been secretly trained by the Nazis to nab a highly valued United States informant. The series special effects… particularly the sequences in which we see Wonder Woman flying in her invisible plane… just can't compare to what's possible now.
Having said that, "Wonder Woman" still totally… beyond a shadow of a doubt is way kick ass after all these years. The key to the show's enduring appeal is the actress at the heart of it all: Lynda Carter. Carter who was a former Miss USA with very little acting experience when she was cast in the title role, and watching the show again all these years later, you come to love and respect what a great job she really did. Even though the situations were often somewhat outrageous and the special effects were unconvincing, the charismatic and charming…not to mention gorgeous… Carter somehow made it all believable. Wonder Woman had to have at least a 30 charisma.
It's pretty hard to imagine any other actress playing the role of Wonder Woman. That would probably explain why a big screen movie has only been discussed and yet to be made, any despite talk about the potential project over the years. There was a "Wonder Woman" TV movie made in 1974 with Cathy Lee Crosby in the lead role, but it was awful (no offense to the lovely Cathy Lee Crosby). It’s just that no one plays Wonder Woman like Lynda Carter. Long may the memory of Wonder Woman always live on, in the hearts and minds of those who will remember and those who will discover the LEGANDAY…WONDER WOMAN!!!
posted by Logan at 7:36 AM
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