The Power Within (TV 1979)

A daredevil pilot becomes a human dynamo after being struck by lighting and is then persued by enemy agents determined to find out the secret of his superhuman strength.

Director:

John Llewellyn Moxey

Writers:

William Clark, Edward J. Lakso

Stars:

Art Hindle, Edward Binns, Joseph Rassulo

Cast

Cast overview:
Art Hindle	...	Chris Darrow
Edward Binns	...	Gen. Tom Darrow
Joseph Rassulo	...	Bill Camelli (as Joe Rassulo)
Eric Braeden	...	Stephens
David Hedison	...	Danton
Susan Howard	...	Dr. Joanne Miller
Dick Sargent	...	Capt. Ed Holman (as Richard Sargent)
Karen Lamm	...	Marvalee
Ysabel MacCloskey	...	Grandma
K.C. Martel	...	Small Boy
Chris Wallace	...	Guard #1
Bill Sorrells	...	Guard #2
John Dennis	...	Rancher

Storyline

A young man (Art Hindle) suffers a lightning strike on a dark and stormy night. Instead of dying, he absorbs the lightning's electrical energy into his body, losing consciousness. He awakens in a hospital, only to learn that the accident changed both his body and his life, as he knew it, forever. Now he can discharge electricity from his body at will. The government coerces the young man into becoming an operative, and his handler gives him a wristwatch that is not really a wristwatch, but rather is a device that allows him to control precisely his electrical discharges. The hook is that now that the lightning strike "charged" his body, he has no choice but to re-charge the electrical energy stored in his body on a regular basis, or he will die.

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Plot Keywords:

lightning | wristwatch | electricity | pilot | superhero | 

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Genres:

Fantasy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Power Man

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aaron Spelling Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

It Was Okay

I remember this film. I was a Senior in High school. It was an okay pilot. With a little polish, I think it would have made a pretty good series. The real star of the show was Art Scholl's (RIP) Super Chipmunk stunt plane. I suspect that Mr. Scholl performed the stunts for the show. Since the show was on ABC, it seems that he may have done some contract work for them as the plane also appeared in an episode of the Six Million Dollar Man at about the same time.

The premise was a bit weak, but I believe in time it could have shaped up. It seems that ABC did a number of pilots in this fashion hoping for audience approval, I guess. Charlie's Angels was one of the few that sold, as did Starsky and Hutch.

I gave it an 8 because it had one of the best stunt planes ever built and did demonstrate some good stunts.