The Six Million Dollar Man 

After a severely injured test pilot is rebuilt with nuclear powered limbs and implants, he serves as an intelligence agent.

Stars:

Lee Majors, Richard Anderson, Martin E. Brooks

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Lee Majors	...	Col. Steve Austin 99 episodes, 1974-1978
Richard Anderson	...	Oscar Goldman 99 episodes, 1974-1978
Martin E. Brooks	...	Dr. Rudy Wells 45 episodes, 1975-1978

Storyline

When ace test pilot Colonel Steve Austin's ship crashed, he was nearly dead. Deciding that "we have the technology to rebuild this man", the government decides to rebuild Austin, augmenting him with cybernetic parts which give him superhuman strength and speed. Austin becomes a secret operative, fighting injustice where it is found.

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Plot Keywords:

superhero | bionics | spy | supernatural power | super strength | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cyborg

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harve Bennett Productions, Silverton Productions, Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (108 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

The aircraft seen crashing in the show's opening sequence was an M2-F2, a "lifting body configuration" built by Northrop. The audio sound effects are from a crash that occurred on May 10, 1967, at Edwards Air Force base in California (although the dialogue heard was recorded by Lee Majors). The test pilot, Bruce Peterson, hit the ground at two hundred fifty miles per hour, tumbling six times. He lost use of his right eye following an infection, and had to stop flying, ending his career. Understandably, Peterson has said that he hated reliving his accident, week after week, courtesy of the show.

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Goofs

Although Austin's legs and right arm are bionic, nothing was done to reinforce his back and spine. As a result, most of his displays of bionic strength (lifting and throwing heavy objects, etc.) would either be impossible or would have caused crippling if not fatal injury.

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Quotes

[Opening narration, version 1]
Harve Bennett: Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive.
Oscar Goldman: We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better, stronger, faster.

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Alternate Versions

Several early episodes, now syndicated as two-part stories, were original broadcast as 90-minute TV movies. Most retain their original titles, except for the first two episodes of the series, "The Moon and the Desert," which were originally part of the original Six Million Dollar Man TV-movie. Several later two-hour episodes of the series have also been reedited into two-parters, such as "Lost Island."

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Connections

Referenced in The Brady Bunch Variety Hour: Episode #1.7 (1977)

User Reviews

One of my favourite TV Shows of my childhood!

I loved The Six Million Dollar Man, I watched it every week if possible and actually wanted to be Bionic when I grew up! I even had Steve Austin Action figures including Oscar Goldman with his exploding Briefcase and Maskatron too. I was a big fan and still have a soft spot for the show and would happily watch it if it is being re-run on TV. It has dated badly in some ways, especially the clothes and hairstyles, but most shows from the 70's have anyway.

It was corny in places too and I wonder why objects such as rocks and steel bars made a whistling noise when Steve threw them! Also the androids were bad especially when their face came off and an actor had a mask with wires and lights on it over his/her face which meant realistically they would have had a side profile like E.T.!

But on the whole I loved it and have fond memories of watching it! It is a classic 70's show!