"The Six Million Dollar Man" (1974) TV series 1974-1978

Directors:

Richard Donner
Richard Irving

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

18 January 1974 (USA)

Genre:

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

Plot:

After a crippled test pilot is rebuilt with nuclear powered limbs and implants, he serves as a unique intelligence agent.

Plot Keywords:

Bionics | Spy | Cult TV | Cyborg | Number In Title

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Lee Majors	...	Col. Steve Austin (98 episodes, 1974-1978)
Richard Anderson	...	Oscar Goldman (98 episodes, 1974-1978)

Also Known As:

Cyborg (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

60 min (108 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Harve Bennett Productions

Trivia:

The characters Steve Austin and Jamie Sommers (from "The Bionic Woman" (1976)) were ranked #19 in TV Guide's list of the "25 Greatest Sci-Fi Legends" (1 August 2004 issue).

Quotes:

[Opening narration.]
Oscar Goldman: Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world's first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Metal Mickey: Metal Mickey Lives (#1.1)" (1980)

I Wish I Was Him

The Six Million Dollar Man was one of my favourite TV shows, a show that I enjoyed without fail each week.

Lee Majors played Col. Steve Austin, an astronaut who suffered an accident and was rebuilt by government agency, the OSI (I think it stood for Office of Strategic Intelligence). Austin was the world's first bionic man (well, not really because it later transpired that there was a seven million dollar man but that's another story). He had a bionic eye which could see for miles; he had a bionic arm and two bionic legs to help him run fast.

The show was very entertaining. The sound effects as Austin used his bionic body parts were great. The sound of the bionic eye looking miles ahead-FANTASTIC! The sound of the bionic arm breaking a door down-FANTASTIC! The sound of bionic legs running faster than any normal man-FANTASTIC! Whenever Austin jumped or ran fast, it would be done in slow motion which worked a hell of a lot better than if the scene had been speeded up.

Richard Anderson played a good role as Oscar Goldman, chief of OSI (perhaps not the big chief but some kind of chief). He had good chemistry with Lee Majors on screen and it showed.

There was also Martin E. Brooks who played Dr. Rudy Wells, the man responsible for Steve's bionic body parts. A great character who had his fair share of great storylines.

The episodes were pure 70's fantasy. Austin took on spies, robots, aliens and even Bigfoot himself (my favourite episode). The music was great, the sound effects were great. The whole show was great. Definitely worth checking out on video or DVD.