Plot Wonder Woman (TV series)

1 plot

1.1 pilot

1.1.1 synopsis


1.2 season 1
1.3 season 2
1.4 season 3

plot
pilot


lynda carter wonder woman

though not successful @ first attempt, abc still felt wonder woman series had potential, , within year pilot in production. keen make distinction last pilot, producers gave pilot rather paradoxical title new original wonder woman. scripting duties given stanley ralph ross, instructed more faithful comic book , create subtle high comedy. ross set pilot in world war ii, era in original comic book began.

after intensive talent search, lynda carter, had had handful of minor acting roles , had been 1972 miss world usa , bob hope uso cast member, chosen lead role. role of steve trevor, producers chose lyle waggoner, despite dark brown, almost-black, hair not matching comic s blond trevor, @ time better known comedic actor after several years co-starring in carol burnett show. known ross having been 1 of leading candidates play batman decade earlier, instead adam west signed. waggoner considered pin-up hunk, having done semi-nude pictorial in first issue of playgirl.

although pilot followed original comic book closely, in particular aspect of wonder woman joining military under name diana prince, number of elements dropped. omitted diana s origin, including birth on paradise island. comic book diana obtains credentials of look-alike nurse. although pilot shows diana briefly nurse @ 1 point, diana takes on identity of navy yeoman petty officer first class.

one change, later become synonymous show, transformation of diana prince wonder woman spinning. during filming of pilot, producers trying figure out way show how diana prince became wonder woman, when carter suggested spin.

unlike earlier pilot, comic-book origins of character emphasized retention of character s traditional uniform (the design of interpreted , executed donald lee feld, credited donfeld ) original setting , through use of comic book elements. series s title sequence animated in form of series of comic book panels featuring wonder woman performing variety of heroic feats. within show, location , exposition handled through comic book-style text panels. transitions between scenes , commercial breaks marked animated starburst sequences.

synopsis

in 1942, during second world war, american pilot major steve trevor (waggoner) bails out during air battle on bermuda triangle, location of paradise island. island home amazons: beautiful, ageless women great strength, agility, , intelligence. amazon princess diana (carter) rescues handsome trevor , helps nurse him health. mother, amazon queen (cloris leachman; succeeded carolyn jones , beatrice straight in later episodes), decrees olympic-style games shall held select 1 amazon return trevor america. forbids own daughter diana, princess, participate. diana states since not allowed participate, not want present games , take retreat other side of island. games held participants wearing masks , numbers, shown roman numerals in triangles on white sleeveless short tunic-dresses. among contestants blonde amazon. during events, blonde amazon shows exceptional skills , ties first amazon. break deadlock, bullets , bracelets event decided tiebreaker, wherein each of women takes turns shooting @ other; 1 being shot @ must deflect bullets bulletproof bracelets. blond woman wins event, superficially injuring opponent s arm. when pronounced winner, removes mask , wig , reveals diana. mother, though shocked, relents , allows go america.

diana s uniform wonder woman, designed queen hippolyta, features emblems of america, land returning steve trevor. golden belt source of strength , power while away paradise island. has bullet-deflecting bracelets , receives golden lasso unbreakable , forces people obey , tell truth when bound it. shown later in flashback, hippolyta teaches diana how transform clothes magically uniform.

diana, wonder woman, flies washington, d.c. in invisible plane. after dropping trevor off @ hospital, heroine stumbles upon bank robbery, stops. theatrical agent sees in action offers make bullets , bracelets act stage attraction. diana hesitant, needing money in new society, agrees.

meanwhile, trevor s civilian secretary marcia (stella stevens) double agent nazi fifth columnists. seeks aid top spies in killing trevor , opposing new threat, wonder woman. first attempt arranging accomplice fire machine gun @ wonder woman during stage act. later, spy activities increase, trevor leaves hospital gets in fight , captured, prompting nurse diana come rescue. wonder woman defeats marcia in extended fight sequence in war department. having defeated marcia, wonder woman thwarts nazi pilot had plans bomb brooklyn navy yard using invisible plane, , rescues trevor. marcia , spy ring defeated, film closes trevor , brigadier general blankenship talk trevor s new secretary whom blankenship selected not outstanding clerical test scores, decidedly plain appearance in contrast marcia: bespectacled yeoman first class diana prince usnr(wr), wonder woman in disguise.

season 1

the pilot film aired on november 7, 1975, ratings success, , abc authorized production of 2 one-hour specials aired in april 1976. these 3 productions later considered part of show s first season. episodes scored strong ratings, , abc ordered additional 11 episodes new 1976–77 tv season. network began airing episodes every few weeks apart @ beginning of tv season in september 1976. after mid-december 1976, episodes aired on weekly basis until mid-february 1977.

a few cast changes made between specials , series. former happy days recurring actress beatrice colen joined cast corporal etta candy waac, general blankenship s secretary, thereby providing yn1 prince subordinate. 3 episodes featured debra winger diana s younger sister, drusilla, a.k.a. wonder girl, in 1 of earliest acting roles.

one of memorable aspects of show developed during first season transformation sequence changed diana prince superheroine alter ego. sequence in original specials employed slow fade between 2 synchronized shots, both filmed overcranked camera create slow motion effect. twirling diana prince s hair fall loose shot transitioned twirling wonder woman holding diana clothes, stow nearby in closet or locker. (how changes diana never shown, although presumably must return location retrieve clothes.) ensure both segments transitioned smoothly camera locked off (secured in place) while carter s clothing, make-up, , hair altered between identities, process carter said on dvd commentary typically took 45 minutes. spinning transformation later incorporated comics , animated appearances such justice league unlimited. (prior series in carter starred, transformation depicted in comics way of diana spinning magic lasso around body, lasso changing clothes, or changing @ super-human speed.)

the iconic explosion overlay associated tv show introduced after third episode mask cut point between diana , wonder woman clips, meaning no longer needed aligned. allowed them shot without locked off camera @ more convenient points in production schedule, when carter in appropriate costume. slow motion aspect of sequence dropped, , wonder woman no longer left holding diana prince clothes. thunderclap sound effect accompanied explosion effect; both explosion flash , sound apparently non-diegetic (only heard audience, not within narrative world), demonstrated diana changing unnoticed in dormitory of sleeping women, in adjoining office spaces, etc. audience never sees wonder woman change diana prince, although there 1 occasion when shown: wonder woman reveals secret identity little sister drusilla turning on spot, actual moment of transformation masked cut-away reaction shot of drusilla (no thunderclap heard)

during season one, wonder woman has ability impersonate s voice, came in handy on telephone. did not use ability during seasons 2 , three.

the series began @ time when violence on television under intense scrutiny. result, wonder woman less seen punching or kicking people way did in episodes. shown pushing , throwing enemies or using creativity them somehow knock out (such jumping high air cause pursuers collide). despite wartime setting, never resorted deadly force. exception occurs in pilot episode when sinks german u-boat crashing airplane it, presumably killing aboard. wonder woman herself overpowered chloroform , poison gas, came in second half of show save day. in episodes, enemies learn secret of superhuman strength – magic belt – , temporarily steal it, leaving average human strength. indestructible lasso , bracelets stolen or taken away in 1 episode (leaving defenseless against gunfire), wonder woman recovered them end of episode. (in comics, wonder woman s bracelets welded onto forearms, , lose of strength if men join them forcibly metal.)

with backdrop of world war ii, diana pontificated on need preserve morally supreme ideals of democracy threat of nazis, in private sister. when doing so, made no attempt reconcile democratic sentiments amazonian system of hereditary monarchy, diana herself heiress apparent. likewise, in each of first 2 one-hour episodes, diana asserted nazis had no regard women, ignoring vastly lower value own people placed upon men. common nazi , war events carter complained it, explaining: yelled when scripts bad. week after week, nothing...would change except names of villains. made noise. men don t dealing women make demands.

in story, wonder woman remained active 1942 1945 , honored franklin d. roosevelt work against axis attacks.

season 2

despite ratings series, abc stalled on picking show second season. because wonder woman period piece, being set in 1940s, made set, clothing, automobiles, etc. more expensive produce. while abc had not yet committed, show s production company warner bros. listened offer rival network cbs. while abc continued make mind, cbs agreed pick series on condition setting changed world war ii (the 1940s) modern day (the 1970s). changing title new adventures of wonder woman, series moved away international intrigue more conventional police/detective action-type show more common in 1970s.

princess diana, aging because of amazon nature, returns paradise island after 35-year absence (looking virtually same) become agent inter-agency defense command (iadc), cia / fbi-type organization fighting crime, criminal organizations , occasional alien invasion.

strictly speaking, lynda carter cast member character continued second , third seasons (aside brief cameo appearance of major trevor (lyle waggoner) in diana s flashback when first encountered son , framed photograph of him seen on younger trevor s office credenza in season 3). original steve trevor revealed have risen rank of major general , died in 35-year interim between first , second seasons, although lyle waggoner remained series, portraying trevor s son, steve jr.

as child, steve jr. had heard late father s stories of adventures wonder woman during world war ii. confirmed in second season première father never introduced him wonder woman , had never seen photographed. implied , yn1 diana prince unaware of each other. diana taken aback younger steve s existence, implying father had never spoken of boy either wonder woman or yn1 prince. particularly striking when spoke steve jr. knowing father well, j-shaped burn scar on right shoulder, 20mm shell casing used paperweight.

despite (or perhaps because of) fact wonder woman had fallen in love first steve trevor, producers chose drop suggestion steve jr. , wonder woman more friends. indeed, when impostor posing steve jr. attempted seduce diana, made quite clear had no sexual interest in him. executive producer douglas s. cramer noted difficulties in maintaining long-term romantic tension between leads, because resolution of romantic tension results in cancellation of series.

since waggoner returned in technically new role, diana s mother hippolyta other first season character seen or mentioned, though played new actress, beatrice straight, succeeding carolyn jones , cloris leachman in role. post-war fates of general phil blankenship, etta candy, , drusilla / wonder girl never revealed.

diana, steve , joe atkinson (norman burton), weathered iadc agent, received orders charlie s angels-like character heard never seen. diana , steve go out , work field while joe assisted office. atkinson character dropped after ninth episode of season, , steve given promotion, becoming iadc director, , diana s boss, in process. promotion steve trevor meant lyle waggoner seen less in subsequent episodes remainder of series run. in season, computer irac (information retrieval associative computer), more informally known ira, introduced: first appearance in season 2, episode 1, diana introduces diana prince identity records, on irac s protests. ira iadc s super-intelligent computer, deduces diana prince wonder woman, although never shares information anyone, except diana herself. saundra sharp joined cast eve, steve s assistant (the job held diana @ start of season). towards end of season, in episode irac missing, small mobile robot called rover added comic relief. offshoot of irac performs duties such delivering coffee , sorting mail, rover speaks high-pitched voice, makes beep beep sounds and, irac, aware wonder woman s secret identity diana prince.

the theme song re-written remove references axis, reflecting series new present-day setting, , action depicted in opening s animated comic book panels updated. beginning episode man made volcanoes, opening title sequence changed again instrumental , more traditional action scenes opening. animated stars used before , after commercial breaks dropped.

the producers of wonder woman maintained no-kill policy, although there exceptions: in episode anschluss 77 forced destroy clone of adolf hitler. episode made reference villain believed drowned following previous unseen encounter diana/wonder woman.

unlike in first season, wonder woman s sources of power (magic belt, bracelets, golden lasso) never removed , stolen villains during 2 years series set in 1970s.

other changes in season 2 included slight redesign (again donald lee feld, still credited donfeld ) of wonder woman s uniform. bustier more flexible, featured less gold metal in eagle wings in favor of red cloth background, , cut lower highlight carter s décolletage , cleavage. star-spangled bottoms cut higher in thighs, number of stars reduced, stopping below hips, , rearranged in more symmetrical starburst pattern. bracelets changed dull silver-grey bright gold, , noticeably smaller , thinner. tiara, appearing unchanged when on wonder woman s head, flatten become boomerang, , ruby star functioned communications link paradise island , mother queen.

feld introduced multiple new variants on wonder woman s uniform beginning in season two. still wore red-white-and-blue cape special events or appearances first season, without skirt. (this variant described wonder woman s full-dress uniform. ) diving uniform introduced—this consisted of navy-blue lycra body suit matching gloves, gold bracelets, flat boots, , flexible tiara; featured whenever aquatic activity required. same uniform, low-heeled boots , gold helmet, used ride motorcycles. @ first, wonder woman switch these newer uniforms performing extended spin in first changed diana prince clothes wonder woman s standard uniform, continued spin until second light explosion occurred , appear in 1 of newer variants. however, extended spin device dropped expediency , diana able change of wonder woman s uniforms in single change.

wonder woman s invisible plane appeared couple of times in season two, , not @ in season three. plane s shape updated change in temporal setting, losing rounded fuselage , modestly curved wings evocative of world war ii-era pursuit-fighter, in favor of dart-like, delta winged jet.

season 3

with beginning of third season, further changes made target show @ teenage audience. title theme re-recorded again give disco beat, use of robot rover increased comic effect, , episodes began revolve around topical subjects skateboarding, roller coasters , environment. (feld gave wonder woman skate-boarder s uniform, capable of use training in extreme sport in participated.) teenagers or young adults commonly used main characters in plot lines. eve disappeared cast although mentioned once or twice. episodes during season showed diana on assignments herself far more (particularly outside of washington dc), , steve trevor had become diana s boss , seen less.

wonder woman allowed become bit more physical in third season , seen throwing occasional punch or kicking. writers came several unusual ways diana execute spinning transformation, notable instances occurring in episode stolen faces in diana makes change while falling off tall building, , season 2 episode pied piper in changes while strapped spinning chair.

diana exhibited other powers, particularly in episode deadly dolphin, in shown communicating telepathically animals (reminiscent of mental radio comics, never shown on series) , generating bursts of unknown form of energy scare away killer shark.

in final episode produced, writers attempted relaunch of sorts having diana reassigned los angeles bureau of iadc new supporting cast. though done in anticipation of fourth season, revamp seen single episode ( man not die ), set assortment of new supporting characters. these included dale hawthorn, diana s new iadc boss, bret cassiday (bob seagren), genetically enhanced man indestructible (the titular character of episode), streetwise youngster named t. burton phipps iii inexplicably allowed hang out @ iadc. added cast chimpanzee who, bret, indestructible. episode last produced , should have ended third season, shown out of sequence two-parter phantom of roller coaster. these final 3 episodes aired in august–september 1979, months after broadcast of rest of season three, creating mini-season, though remain grouped part of season 3 opposed being considered abbreviated fourth season.

cbs decided move incredible hulk friday 8:00 hour 9:00 introduce new series dukes of hazzard, no further episodes of wonder woman produced due lack of new cast members fourth season , low ratings. after first musical television special, carter gave role focus more on musical career.