The Six Million Dollar Man is an American science fiction and action film about former astronaut Colonel Steve Austin, played by American actor Lee Majors. Austin has superhuman powers due to bionic implants and is employed as a secret agent by a fictitious US government office titled OSI. The series is based on Martin Caidin's novel Cyborg , which is the working title of the series during pre-production.
Following three television pilot films, all broadcasted in 1973, the television series "Six Million Dollar Man" was broadcast on the ABC network as a regular episodic series for five seasons from 1974 to 1978. Steve Austin became an iconic pop culture of the 1970s.
A spin-off television series, The Bionic Woman, features main female character Jaime Sommers, running from 1976 to 1978. Three television movies featuring both bionic characters were also produced from 1987 to 1994.
Video The Six Million Dollar Man
Plot
Original series
When NASA astronaut Steve Austin was seriously injured in the crash of an experimental plane lifter, he was "rebuilt" in an operation that cost six million dollars (more than 34 million dollars in 2017). His right arm, both legs and left eye were replaced with a "bionic" implant that increased his strength, speed and vision far above the human norm: he could run at more than 60 mph (97 km/h), and his eyes had 20: 1 and infrared capabilities, while its bionic limbs have the power equivalent of bulldozers. He uses his enhanced ability to work in OSI (Office of Scientific Intelligence) as a secret agent.
Novel Caidin Cyborg was best-seller when it was published in 1972. He followed it with three sequels, Nuke Operation , High Crystal , and Cyborg IV , each about the black market in nuclear weapons, the Chariots of the Gods scenario? , and combine Austin's bionic device into a spaceship.
In March 1973, Cyborg was loosely adapted as a movie made for TV titled The Six Million Dollar Man starring Austin as Majors. The first choice of producer is Monte Markham. (When re-edited for the next series, it was again entitled "Moon and Desert, Parts I and II".) The adaptation was done by author Howard Rodman, working under the pseudonym Henri Simoun. The film, nominated for the Hugo Award, modified the Caidin plot, and primarily made Austin a civilian astronaut rather than a colonel in the United States Air Force. Absences are some of the standard features of the next series: electronic sound effects, slow motion, and Oscar Goldman characters. Instead, another character named Oliver Spencer, played by Darren McGavin, is an Austin supervisor, from an organization here called OSO. (In the novel, "OSO" stood for the Office of Special Operations.The CIA did have a Office of Scientific Intelligence in the 1970s.) Lead scientists are involved in inculcating Austin's bionic device, Dr. Rudy Wells, played on the pilot by Martin Balsam, then occasionally in the series by Alan Oppenheimer, and, finally, as a regular series, by Martin E. Brooks. Austin did not use the enhanced capabilities of his bionic eyes during the first TV movie.
The first film was a huge success and was followed by two films made for TV in October and November 1973 as part of the ABC's "Suspense Theater" series. The first is titled The Six Million Dollar Man: "Wine, Woman and War" , and the second is titled Six Million Dollar Man: "Solid Gold Abduction" . The first of both has a strong resemblance to Caidin's second novel Cyborg , Nuke Operation ; the second, however, is the original story. This was followed in January 1974 by the debut of The Six Million Dollar Man as a one-hour weekly series. The last two films, produced by Glen A. Larson, mainly introduced the James Bond flavor to the series and restored Austin's status from the novel as an Air Force colonel; the one-hour series, produced by Harve Bennett, shared with the James Bond-gloss film, and portrays a more humble Austin. (Majors says about Austin, "[He] hates... the whole idea for spying, he finds it disgusting, degrading, if he is a James Bond, he is the most reluctant person we ever have."
The show was very popular during its launch and introduced some elements of pop culture in the 1970s, such as the opening slogan of the event ("We can rebuild it; we have technology," voiced by Richard Anderson in his role as Oscar Goldman), the sequence of slow-motion action , and the "electronic" sound effects that accompany it. The slow-motion action sequence was originally referred to as "Kung Fu slow motion" in popular culture (due to its use in the martial arts television series of the 1970s).
In 1975, a two-part episode titled "The Bionic Woman", written for television by Kenneth Johnson, introduced the main character Jaime Sommers (played by Lindsay Wagner), a professional tennis player who revived old romance with Austin, only to crash skydiving that resulted in him being given a bionic part similar to Austin. Finally, his body "refused" his bionic device and he died. His character was very popular, however, and the following season it was revealed that he was completely saved, having been rescued by experimental cryogenic procedures, and he was given his own spin-off series, The Bionic Woman. This spin-off ran until 1978 when both and The Six Million Dollar Man were simultaneously canceled, although the two series were on different networks when their last season aired.
Television movie reunion
Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers returned in three films made for television: The Return of the Six Million Dollar and Bionic Women (1987), Bionic Battle: Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman (1989) featuring Sandra Bullock in an early role as a new bionic woman; and Bionic Ever After? (1994) where Austin and Sommers finally married. The department prescribed the role of Steve Austin in all three productions, which also featured Richard Anderson and Martin E. Brooks, and Lindsay Wagner repeated the role of Jaime Sommers. The reunion movies addressed to some Amnesia Sommers have suffered during the original series, and all three featured Majors II's son, Lee Majors II, as OSI agent Jim Castillian. The first two films were written in anticipation to create new bionic characters in their own series, but nothing is further visible than the new characters introduced in the resulting. The third TV movie is meant to be a cover.
Maps The Six Million Dollar Man
Cast
- Steve Austin (played by Lee Majors), main character
- Oscar Goldman (played by Richard Anderson), OSI Director
- Dr. Rudy Wells (played by Martin Balsam as pilot; Alan Oppenheimer, season 1 & amp; 2; Martin E. Brooks, season 3-5, as well as on The Bionic Woman and in three films), Austin doctor and the principal supervisor of the medical aspects of bionic technology
- Jaime Sommers (played by Lindsay Wagner - repeating)
- Peggy Callahan (played by Jennifer Darling - over and over), secretary for Oscar Goldman
- Oliver Spencer (played by Darren McGavin), Director of OSO at pilot
Production
Opening the order
The dialogue spoken by actor Lee Majors during the opening credits was based on communication prior to the M2-F2 crash that occurred on May 10, 1967: ("Flight com, I can not help it! He broke up! The pilot of Bruce Peterson's lifter plane touched the ground about 250 mph (402 km/h) and fell six times. But Peterson survived what appeared to be a fatal accident, though he later lost eye due to the infection. In the episode "The Deadly Replay", Oscar Goldman refers to a body-lifting aircraft in which Austin falls as HL-10, stating "We have rebuilt HL-10." In the 1987 TV movie The Return of the Six Million Dollar Men and the Bionic Woman , Austin calls the plane "M3-F5", which is the name used for the plane that falls in the original novel Cyborg >.)
In the opening sequence, a narrator (producer of the Harve Bennett series) identifies the protagonist, "Steve Austin, an astronaut. A man is barely alive." Richard Anderson, in character as Oscar Goldman, then voiced outside the camera, "Gentlemen, we can rebuild it We have technology We have the ability to make the world's first bionic man Steve Austin will be > "The man. Better than he was before. Better... stronger... faster. "During the first season, starting with" Population: Zero ", Anderson, as Goldman, intoned more simply," We can rebuild it. We have technology. We can make it better than him. Better... stronger... faster. "During the operation, when he has his bionics installed, the list of goods and numbers is displayed and his powerplant list as" atom ". Music theme
Dusty Springfield, supported by Ron "Escalade" Piscina, sang the theme song written by Glen A. Larson used in opening and closing credits for Wine, Women & amp; War and The Solid Gold Kidnapping telefilms. The song is also used in series promotions, but when the weekly series began the song was replaced by instrumental theme by Oliver Nelson. The first regular episode, "Population: Zero", introduces a new element to the opening sequence: voiceover by Oscar Goldman stating the reason behind creating a bionic man. The first season narrative is shorter than that used in the second and subsequent seasons.
bionic Steve Austin
To keep the show sense, producer Kenneth Johnson sets a very specific limit on Steve Austin's abilities. He outlines, "When you deal with the field of fantasy, if you say, 'Well, they're bionic so they can do whatever they want,' then it's out of control, so you have to be really, very strict rules. and Jaime] can skip two stories but not three.You can jump three levels but not four. "Austin's superhuman enhancements are:
- A bionic left eye :
- It has 20.2: 1 zoom lens along with night vision function (as well as normal vision recovery). Figure 20.2: 1 is taken from a fake computer chart in the opening credits; 20: 1 pictures are mentioned twice in the series, in episodes "Population: Zero" and "Bigfoot Secret". Austin's bionic eyes also have other features, like infrared filters that are often used for viewing in the dark and also to detect heat (as in "The Pioneers" episode), and the ability to see humanoid creatures move too fast for normal eyes to see (as in the story arc "The Secret of Bigfoot"). One early episode shows the eye as a deadly accurate targeting tool for his hand throw arm.
- In Caidin's original novel, Austin's eyes are portrayed only as a camera (which must be physically removed after use) and Austin remains blind in sight. Later, Austin gained the ability to shoot lasers from the eye. The Charlton Comics comic book spin-off from the series also determined that Austin's bionic eyes could shoot laser light (as shown in the first issues of color comics), but no function was shown on television.
- Bionic feet :
- This allows him to run at incredible speeds and make great jumps. The upper speed limit of Austin is never really established, although a speed of 60 mph (97 km/h) is usually quoted because this figure is indicated on the speed meter during credit opening. The highest speed ever shown in the series on the speedometer is 67 mph (108 m/h) in "The Pal-Mir Escort"; However, the next resurrection films show that he can run about 90 mph (145 km/h). The faster top speed is possible, as the episode of the spin-off Bionic Woman titled "Winning is Everything" shows the female cyborg Jaime Sommers outperformed the race car at 100 mph (161 km/h). In "Secret of Bigfoot" it states that he can jump 30 feet in height. In the next TV movies, Austin is shown jumping what clearly looks far beyond this.
- A bionic right arm :
- It has the power equivalent of a bulldozer; that arms containing Geiger counters were established in "Doomsday and Counting", the first sixth episode of the first season.
Implants have major defects in extreme cold that interfere with their function and can disable them with sufficient exposure. However, when Austin returns to warmer temperatures, the implant quickly regains full functionality. The first season also determined that Austin bionic damage was in the space micro gravity, although the Austin bionics were later modified to correct this. Bionic eyes are prone to ultrasonic attacks, resulting in blindness and dizziness.
To show viewers that Austin is running or using his bionic arm, the sequence with him using this ability is presented in slow motion and accompanied by an electronic "dit-dit" sound effect. (This distinctive sound effect is actually first used in season 1 episode 4, "Day of the Robot", not during the bionic use of Austin but with Major Fred Sloan's robot robot, played by actor John Saxon, during the last bout scene.) bionics are used, the camera will enlarge Austin's face, followed closely by his eyes; his point of view usually includes a crosshair motif accompanied by a beep effect. In the early episodes, different ways of displaying the power of Austin were tested, including heartbeat sound effects that precede electronic sound, and in the three original films made for TV, no sound effects or slow motion were used, with the actions of Austin indicated. with normal speed (except for running, which utilizes photography tricks); slow motion depictions were introduced with the first one hour episode, "Population: Zero."
Episode
The series consists of three TV-movies, five episode seasons, and three more TV-movies.
Novel
Martin Caidin wrote four novels featuring the original version of Steve Austin starting in 1972 with Cyborg . Although some other writers such as Mike Jahn later wrote a number of novelizations based on TV series, in many cases these authors chose to base their characters on an Austin literary version rather than a TV show version. As a result, some novelizations have the whole scene and in one case is a different ending from the original episode, because the cold-blooded killer of Caidin's novel handles things that are somewhat different from his non-killing TV counterpart. For example, Jahn's International Incidents , an adaptation of the "Love Song for Tanya" episode, ends with Austin using a poisoned arrow gun in his bionic hands to kill enemy agents; because the TV version of the character does not have this weapon, the villain was only captured in the episode as a broadcast.
Original novel
(all by Martin Caidin)
- Cyborg (1972)
- Nuke Operation (1973)
- High Crystal (1974)
- Cyborg IV (1975)
(From above, only Cyborg is adapted for television.)
Novelization
- Wine, Women and War - Mike Jahn
- Solid Gold Abduction - Evan Richards
- Trial Error - Jay Barbree
- Rescue Athena One - Jahn
- Bigfoot Pass Secret (English Title, Bigfoot Secret ) - Jahn
- International Incident - Jahn (this book adapts several episodes into an interconnected storyline)
More adaptations
Comics
Charlton Comics publishes colorful comics and black and white picture magazines, featuring original adventures and different adaptations from original TV movies. While this comic book is based on a series, and is intended for younger viewers, it is darker and more violent and seems to be based more on a literary version of the character, aimed at adult readers. Both magazines were canceled around the same time as the TV series ended. Artists Howard Chaykin and Neal Adams are often contributors to both publications. Steve Kahn, who previously published Beatles magazine and FLiP teen fan magazine, works with MCA and Charlton in supervising and publishing these books.
A British comic strip version was also produced, written by Angus P. Allan, drawn by Martin Asbury and printed on the Look-In TV comic. A series of stand-alone comics printed on the packaging of a series of kit models by Fundimensions based on the series. In Colombia, a series of black and white comic books was published in the late 70s, with art and stories by Jorge PeÃÆ'Â ± a. This series is licensed by Universal Studios for Greco (Grupo Editorial Colombiano), later known as Editora Cinco, now part of Grupo Editorial Televisa. In France, a magazine devoted to the comic adaptation of all types of TV series and cartoons also featured the comics of Six Million Dollar Man (at under the French Title, L'Homme qui valait trois milliards ) with artwork by Pierre Le Goff and stories by P. Tabet and Bodis. A tradepaperback reprints several episodes of the magazine was released in October 1980.
In 1996, a new comic book series titled Bionix was announced, to be published by Maximum Press. The comic has become the latest version of both the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman and features a new rendition of two characters. Although the magazine was advertised in comic book trade publications, it was never published in the end.
On August 24, 2011, Dynamite Comics published the first edition of The Bionic Man, an adaptation written by Kevin Smith based on a screenplay he wrote for a 1990s film version never produced. The Six Million Dollar Man . After completing the adaptation in spring 2012, the comic series switched to the original story, as well as re-imagining the original TV series' Secret of Bigfoot storyline. A re-imagination of The Bionic Woman spin-off followed a few months later, and in January 2013 Dynamite launched the mini crossover series, The Bionic Man vs. The Bionic Woman . The artwork in this series, covers and interiors, varies between Austin made in the likeness of Lee Majors and not. When 2014 begins, Dynamite stops the reboot title and replaces it with a new ongoing series, Six Million Dollar Man Season 6 , continuing Austin's adventures from the end of the 1977-78 season and featuring not only the likeness of Lee Majors but also other recurring actors like Richard Anderson, and Darren McGavin as Oliver Spencer of the first TV movie. Jaime Sommers was reintroduced from issue 3, with a spin-off comic series, The Bionic Woman Season 4 , announced in June 2014 with a scheduled launch in fall 2014.
Audiobooks
Peter Pan Records and its twin company Power Records published several recording albums featuring original dramatized stories (including adaptations of the pilot film), some of which were also adapted as comic books designed to be read along with the recording. Three albums were released, one of which featured a Christmas-themed story. Individual stories were also released in other formats, including 7 deep singles (18 cm).
Movies
Universal Pictures developed a scenario in 1995 with Kevin Smith, but the show never materialized. In December 2001, it was announced that Universal had been doing a pact with Dimension Films on the project after President Dimension Bob Weinstein saw his potential as a franchise. Universal retained the movie rights for the original TV show, while Dimension bought the rights to the Cyborg novel , as well as three other Caidin novels in the series: Nuke Operations , High Crystal > and Cyborg IV . Larry Gordon and Scott Faye will produce with Paul Rosenberg's Collision Entertainment.
In October 2002, Trevor Sands was hired to write a new scenario, titled The Six Billion Dollar Man, but Dimension erased it when actor Jim Carrey aired a comedy taking material for him to star in, with Scot Armstrong as author and Todd Phillips as a director/co-writer. Filming is expected to begin in 2004.
In a July 2006 comic interview at Comic Con, Richard Anderson (who plays Oscar Goldman in the series) stated that he was involved with producing the series, but his right at that time in litigation between Miramax and Universal. The Smith scenario was later adapted for The Bionic Man , an ongoing comic book series launched in 2011 by Dynamite Comics.
On November 6, 2014, it was announced that a feature film, while titled The Six Billion Dollar Man , will be produced. Mark Wahlberg is set to play Colonel Steve Austin, and Peter Berg as director. The filming will begin in early 2015, for next year's theater release. On November 2, 2015, it was reported that Berg had left the film and had been replaced by Damian Szifron, who would also write the film. The filming will begin in September 2016 with the release date of December 22, 2017. In December 2017, The Weinstein Company sold the film rights to Warner Bros.. Warner Bros. hoping to start filming the film in Summer 2018. Warner Bros has set an early summer release for the film.
Cultural effects
In Brazil, under a military dictatorship, several important government officials - previously elected through direct suffrage - are appointed by the President, or elected indirectly, from a list chosen by the President. These politicians are called "bionic" (biiÆ''nicos), due to the popularity of the series, and the relationship with the perceived power and influence possessed by the appointed officials. Between 1964 and 1985, Brazil came to have "bionic" senators, governors and mayors. With Brazil's 1988 Constitution, all "bionic" appointments are abolished.
In Israel, the series is titled The Man Worth Millions because "six million" evokes memories of the Holocaust - especially the most frequently quoted estimates of the number of Jewish victims.
Awards
In 2003, Lee Majors won the "Superest Superhero" TV Land award.
Home media
Universal Playback released the first two seasons of The Six Million Dollar Man on DVD in Region 2 and Region 4 in 2005-2006. The first three seasons were also released on the Italian market (Region 2) at the end of 2008. The season 1 release also featured three pilot films that preceded the weekly series.
Release of Region 1 (North America), along with Bionic Women is one of the most eagerly awaited; his release has been held for years due to copyright issues concerning his original novel. In fact, with the exception of several episodes released in the DiscoVision format in the early 1980s and one VHS release of the two parts of The Bionic Woman storyline in the same decade, the series as a whole has never been released in North America in a home video format.
However, on July 21, 2010, Time-Life (under license from Universal) announced the launch of a series of complete series of Six Million Dollar Man series on DVD in Region 1 for the first time on November 23, 2010. Set The 40-disc features all 99 series episodes as well as three pilot films and three TV reunions featuring also Jaime Sommers, along with several episodes of The Bionic Woman which are part of an inter-series crossover (ie part one aired on one series, and part two on the other) to include the full storyline. In addition, the feature set features extensive bonuses including interviews and featurettes with all the main actors and the set comes wrapped up in a collectible pack that includes sound chips, activated when the box is opened, which plays back part of the first season credit opening dialog. This release is available directly through the "6mdm" Time-Life website and through several on-line third party vendors.
In November 2011, Universal Studios Home Entertainment began releasing each series series on DVD, which is available at retail stores. He then released all five seasons. The fifth and final season was released on February 18, 2014.
Some episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man actually saw their North American DVD debut a few weeks before the box set, such as Universal Home Video including three episodes of "crossover" that helped launch The Bionic Woman as a bonus on October 19, 2010, the DVD Season 1 release of The Bionic Woman .
On October 13, 2015, Universal Studios released the retail version of The Six Million Dollar Man-The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.
In Region 2, Fabulous Films secured the rights to the series in 2012 and then released season 3-5 on DVD on October 1, 2012. It also re-released the first two seasons on February 25, 2013. A complete series of 40-disc boxset was released on April 2 2012.
See also
- A Man Called Sloane (Toror cyborg characters)
- Gadget Inspector (franchise)
- Jake 2.0
- Now and More
- RoboCop
- Max Steel
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Footnote
References
External links
The Six Million Dollar Man at IMDb (original pilot)
- The Six Million Dollar Man in IMDb (series)
- The Six Million Dollar Man on TV.com
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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