The Six Million Dollar Man pilot episode (1973)

[GoogaMooga]

SkyShowtime is currently showing the 1973 pilot episode of the hit TV-series "The Six Million Dollar Man", so tonight I gave it a go, as I couldn't find anything else worth watching. I remember that show from back in Brighton in 1976-77. That and the sister show, "The Bionic Woman", were big hits with we kids. There was real life athlete Lee Majors as Steve Austin: half man, half machine, all hero. Six million dollars worth of hero. The voice-over even became a catchphrase: "We can rebuild him; we have the technology..." - oh yes, that intro was cool enough for a thirteen year old; pretty sure it was the first I'd ever heard of cyborg technology. My friend and I were completely drawn in by the blinks and bleeps of the credit sequence, an early glimpse of the computer hell that lay ahead for me. But who thought of such things in 1976...?

Then there were all the spin-off products - comic books, action figures, idol posters. Lee Majors had his biggest hit with this show and became a pop culture icon. However, nothing dates faster than science fiction. As science and technology catch up with and overtake the future predicted on the screen, that whole fascination is lost, and you are left with just mild amusement. In order for a science fiction film to become a designated classic, it has got to extrapolate on an idea with a certain gravitas, offer something more profound or amazing than the creaky science presented in "Six Million Dollar Man". Surprised to learn that the show was nominated for a Hugo Award. But hey, it was the seventies. So, not quite the cult classic I'd secretly hoped for. I'll pass on the box set.

[trans-chigley express]

I loved the series when I was a kid and had the toy action figure with accessories. Lee Majors was a real hero especially when you learnt he was married to Farah Fawcett who was in Charlie's Angels at the time. Unfortunately like a lot of childhood favorites, it probably hasn't aged well and is best left to nostalgia. A few years back I watched a DVD of Jon Pertwee era Doctor Who and was dismayed with how shit it was and I expect something similar with this series too.

"We can rebuild him; we have the technology..."

Yep, still use that now on occassion. Usually when a friend has an accident