Yeah, I loved the first season the most, or at least anything pre-Bigfoot (that's when they officially ran out of ideas). Especially the more natural sound effects, like that satisfying metallic WHUMP! when Austin deflected a falling I-beam, or scored a palpable hit on the Saxon-bot. Population: Zero was the first SMDM I ever saw, since my folks wouldn't let me watch the pilot movies. That whole scene of him stumbling across the landscape after his deep-freeze ordeal, then gradually warming up and breaking into the classic slo-mo run (with the sound of his steady heartbeat) for the first time is still the best example of Lee Majors' excellent running abilities (on account of his track & football background). I see other action stars run in movies, like Clint, and they just seem to take these short bouncing steps, while Majors had these long, smooth strides, with his eyeline following a straight horizontal path through space. Hell, I dunno how to explain it. Anyways, another detail I liked in that sequence was how his shirt had sweat stains on the left side, but the right side was bone dry. (Y'know, cuz, bionics don't sweat!) My favorite episode in the second season was The Deadly Replay, where Austin has to re-fly the HL-10. If you look close, you'll see the former American Airlines 747 that would later be converted into the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft sitting on the tarmac as Steve arrives at Edwards! Also, there's a really touching moment at the end, when it's learned that Steve's near-fatal crash had also been the result of sabotage, and Steve walks over to the bird and lays his hand on her nose, as if it were a horse that'd thrown him. You can almost hear him say, "It's okay, girl. It wasn't your fault."
I would just like to point out that my wife was catching up on her Grey's Anatomy Sky-plussed shows and Lee Majors was in it as a patient. I asked if he was in getting an artificial leg, arm or eye connected. Nope, he wasn't. He was getting a heart operation and was worried about the scar, because it might ruin his appearance (his character was ageing but vain). I asked if he had said anything like 'I look like a million dollars. I look like SIX million dollars.' He hadn't. In disgust, I left the room. What a waste of a wink to the audience!
Yeah, I remember that. Cold was Austin's kryptonite. Great scene. And I think it was in the same episode where he was in a jeep with Rudy Wells and had to jump off to take care of the bad guys; as he moved to go, Wells put his hand on his arm and said, "No, Steve." A nice, understated expression of concern.
Or even a - "Nick, Jarrod, there's a fire in the barn!" (Lee Majors of course played Heath in The Big Valley in the mid 1960ies )
I started watching the pilot on DVD last night and I had forgotten that Spencer made it kind of clear that the entire project would cost six million dollars, so I have to wonder just how much Steve's bionics cost.
For what it's worth, the original novel priced him at four million dollars for initial parts and labor, plus half a million dollars a year for testing and follow-up for an indefinite number of years. Six million is what was granted the project out of the starting gate, based on that estimate.
Thanks I was wondering about the novel it's been ages since I've read it and I do remember not liking Oscar in the book.
I know absolutely what you mean by "the run", and this was the first episode I saw as a kid, too. I was so impressed by this episode when I saw it recently as an adult, particularly Lee Majors' athleticism.
I first began watching SMDM when I was about 5. I think the first episode I can remember watching was "The Bionic Woman." In any event, what I truly became hooked on was THE BIONIC WOMAN series. Watching it today it still holds up beautifully, for the most part, mainly because of Lindsay Wagner's incandescent acting. But I have been enjoying rewatching and more often watching SMDM episodes for the first time on the Time Life set. I used to find Lee Majors wooden and dull, but now I find him perfect--iconic yet human, witty, even, in his deadpan low-keyness. The show is really hit or miss, but it's always fun. Sometimes it's quite touching, too. And is there anything more galvanizing than Bionic Action in all of its forms? I quite like "Burning Bright," and I think Shatner is, while as ever Shatner-esque, quite believable in the part. The climax high on the scaffold is quite stunning.
^^^ When I was 10 years old - that was the first scene I saw from The Six Million Dollar Man as I had heard about the series at school - but kept forgetting when it was on; so one Sunday I finally remembered; and flipped to channel 7 to see Austin fighting the robot; and made it a point to write on my calendar to remember to tune in at the start of the show the next week.