Synopsis
Lynda Carter is Wonder Woman, the Amazon from Paradise Island who dons large glassesto disguise herself as Diana Prince, secretary in the war department during WWII. Love interestis Major Steve Trevor (Lyle Waggoner), and together the two battle one Nazi plot after another.The pilot sees the arrival of Wonder Woman in the US, and thereafter we have such adventuresas the Nazis seeking Paradise Island and the mysterious element Feminum (groan) that gives ourheroine her powers… and so on.
The tone is very much along the lines of the 1960s Batman series. Though perhapsnot quite as over the top, Wonder Woman is full-on camp, with Carter keep andadmirably straight face through all the silliness. Most memorable of all, of course, is the songthat accompanies the animated opening credits. If the series has a period setting, it is also aperiod piece itself, about as 1970s as you can possibly imagine.
Audio
Cheese and funk mix to delightful effect in the title song, and the mono soundtrack conveysthat pseudo-classic bit of pop culture in perfectly acceptable fashion. The sound is clean anddistortion-free, though the volume level is rather low.
Video
There is some grain and damage to the print. Not much, though, and the more visibly badshots are more because these are badly inserted stock footage to begin with. The colours arestrong and very rich, and the image is sharp. By and large, a pretty solid TV transfer, better thana fair number out there.
Special Features
Carter and exec producer Douglas S. Cramer provide commentary on the pilot episode, andflesh out their memories of the production with discussion of their attempts to find the rightbalance of camp. Disc 3 has a 20-minute documentary: “Beauty, Brawn and BulletproofBracelets: A Wonder Woman Retrospective.” Many of the creators are interviewed, and someof the character’s comic book history is touched on. The menu’s main screen is scored.
Closing Thoughts
Silly stuff all the way to the bone, and that costume defies belief, but there is a certain dumbappeal to the whole exercise.
Special Features List
- Audio Commentary on Pilot
- “Beauty, Brawn and Bulletproof Bracelets: A Wonder Woman Restrospetive”
