The OSI Files podcast

John S. Drew
  • 4.8 (18)
  • TV & Film
  • Weekly

A monthly look at The Six MIllion Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman with two fans of the show and through the eyes of someone who made it happen.

  1. 2h ago

    FILE 083 - THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN - "Kill Oscar, Part Two"

    Part II of "Kill Oscar" first aired on Halloween night, October 31, 1976, just four days after Part I, and moved the crossover to Steve's series. Jaime is down with possible bionic rejection, Oscar has been rescued (or has he?), and Steve has to work out which of his closest friends are still human. John and Jerry Lange open the file with guest Billy Flynn of Geek Radio Daily. Liz Goddard joins between storm-driven internet outages. Meet Our Guest: Billy previews Geek Radio Daily's Halloween riff of the public-domain Horror Express (Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing), which is based on John W. Campbell's Who Goes There? Along the way: Lee's regret at turning down Dr. Loomis in Halloween. OSI Historical Data Bank: The world on October 31, 1976: the final days of Carter vs. Ford and the campaign buttons that went with them ("The Grin That Will Win," "Don't Settle for Peanuts"), the dental-drill thriller still #1 at the box office, and Chicago still at the top of the charts. On TV, Sonny & Cher welcomes Jim Nabors and the Hudson Brothers, and NBC presents a three-hour Life Goes to the Movies. The TV Guide Report: John's issue includes a casting note for a new ABC TV movie called Fantasy Island. The story is again by Arthur Rowe and Oliver Crawford, but the teleplay is by W.T. Zacha, an actor familiar for his villain roles and one of John's favorites. That may be why this is John's favorite of the three parts. Barry Crane directs. The returning cast includes John Houseman, Corinne Michaels, Jennifer Darling, Jack Ging, and Janice Whitby (her name is misspelled in the listing). Jack Colvin's Baron, however, simply disappears. Was it a budget decision on the Six Mill side? The Long Recap: The unusually long "previously on" segment gets a defense: this story had more to explain than most, and the series was handing off a Bionic Woman story to a Six Mill audience. Billy points out that it also means Part II can work as a standalone episode. Rejection, Revisited: Liz (in her survey) and Billy both feel the bionic rejection plot doesn't hold up. Jaime seemed to be in a coma at the end of Part I, but now she's sitting up and talking with Steve. Liz also notes that the episode never shows how the OSI figured out that Franklin was behind the kidnapping. Oscar's Desk: Hanson has already taken over Oscar's office, complete with the built-in TV. The hosts wonder whether the desk is still sitting in a Universal prop warehouse somewhere. Tension in the Lab: Billy's childhood memory: Steve triangulating Franklin's signal while the Lynda fembot stands right behind him, watching. Listener Tim Salter checks the coordinates and finds they point to the middle of the ocean, far beyond helicopter range. What If? Franklin's remark about wanting to see what other "surprises" Steve has inspires the hosts' own ideas. John pitches a Barney Hiller rescue. Jerry suggests making robot-maker Dr. Dolenz Franklin's secret partner, as a season-four cliffhanger that could have launched season five. The Rescue Debate: John loves Steve's raid on Franklin's island base: the music, the Callahan decoy, and Lee Majors's springboard leap. Jerry sees a fight that looks like "playing footsie" with poles, with no slow motion, no sense of power, and no struggle against supposedly superior fembots. Liz and Alan suggest the producers may have avoided the image of Steve beating up women. A sharp-eyed viewer notes that Steve lifts the Callahan fembot down easily, yet the Lynda robot weighs over 400 pounds. Also discussed: why Franklin kept the real Callahan, and a spare Oscar in one of the fembot tubes. Same Clothes, Day Three: Grandma Connie and Laura notice that Oscar never changes his rumpled outfit, though it somehow gets cleaner, while Steve gets a fresh wardrobe. Liz's Memorable Moment: Steve and Jaime: The quiet hospital scene with Steve and Jaime, scored with "Sweet Jamie." Liz calls it their best scene together since the original two-parter, which made it all the harder that it led nowhere. The hosts wonder whether a February sweeps crossover was ever planned, and what a Steve-and-Jaime wedding could have done for both series. The Pencil: Steve quietly crushes a pencil on the carpet to test the returned Oscar, a small moment the panel loves. Why do Franklin's monitors show fembot-eye views but not Oscar-bot views? On the Run: John's guilty pleasure: Steve's escape from the NSB, with the green shirt, the Geiger counter, Lee's leap from a moving van, and Hanson wiping his hands. The hosts admire how calmly Steve responds compared with Jaime, and wonder why a Geiger counter can register Steve's radiation if he's properly shielded. Memorable Moment: Steve vs. Oscar: John, Jerry, and Billy all pick the hospital fight. The setup has Rudy telling the robot Oscar that Jaime is in the bed, with Liz admitting it fooled her. Then comes the destruction: drywall, nursing stations, a desk smashed straight through "Kool-Aid Man" style, Richard Anderson's ferocious expressions, the building electronic sounds, and the cartoonish power-down. Along the way: a suspicious mountain of paper towels and an Oscar-bot face that's oddly small and wrinkle-free. Security Clearance Confusion: Hanson's NSB team is Level 9, Rudy is only a 7, Steve is a 6, and last week's breathing device was Level 12. Jerry explains why security would rank high. Nobody can explain Rudy. Was "Kill Oscar" the Right Title? Mike Murphy asks, and the panel agrees it isn't really about killing Oscar. Calling it "Fembots" would have spoiled the reveal, but it would have been more accurate. Alternatives from the chat include "Oscar the Grouch" and "The Road After Nashville." The panel also suggests Quinn Redeker would have made a good Secretary of State in Hanson's place. Would You Show This One First? John holds off until Part III, but Billy says yes to all three parts watched together as one movie: tight, fun, and everything people expect from the bionic shows. Jerry previews a controversial opinion: he likes "Fembots in Las Vegas" better. The Ratings Report: Billy guesses #9 and Jerry guesses #6 or #7. "Kill Oscar" Part II placed #7 for the week, down from Part I's #3. The audience poll for favorite part: Part I 44%, Part III 36%, and Part II (John's favorite) 20%, from 25 votes. Collectibles Corner: John's Kenner Fembot is now in her dress, with a mysterious gun that the chat calls a prototype phaser. His robot Oscar figure has been wearing its faceplate in the background all episode, and nobody noticed. The chat compares the faceplate to Cobra Commander's. Where to Find Our Guest and Co-Host: Billy is at geekradiodaily.com and youtube.com/geekradiodaily, where the full Horror Express riff is available. Jerry's prints, commissions, and upcoming crowdfunded graphic novel are at geraldlange.com and on Facebook and Instagram as Gerald E. Lange. His pick of the week: The Art of José González, the definitive Vampirella artist. Coming Up Next: The Bionic Woman, "Kill Oscar" (Part III): The trilogy concludes as Steve and Jaime take an atomic sub to Franklin's island while the weather machine threatens to unleash a hurricane. Author Bobby Nash joins John, Liz, and Jerry, and the hosts finally give their verdicts on the whole trilogy. The Six Million Dollar Man, "The Bionic Boy": A two-hour story starring Vince Van Patten as a young athlete given bionic implants, with Joan Van Ark and Frank Gifford. Todd Wiedemann joins John and Jerry. Hashtags: #SixMillionDollarMan #SteveAustin #LeeMajors #KillOscar #Fembots #JohnHouseman #DrFranklin #RichardAnderson #OscarGoldman #MartinEBrooks #TheBionicWoman #LindsayWagner #JaimeSommers #Crossover #Halloween #Kenner #OSIFiles #ClassicTV #70sTV #Bionics #50thAnniversary #1976 #BionicBoy

  2. 4d ago

    FILE 082: THE BIONIC WOMAN - Kill Oscar - Part 1

    The big one is here. John, Liz Goddard, and Jerry Lange all come together to open the file on "Kill Oscar," the three-part crossover between The Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man. Part I first aired October 27, 1976. Dr. Franklin, a brilliant and bitter former OSI scientist, starts replacing key OSI secretaries with perfect robot duplicates as part of a plan to steal a weather control machine, and Oscar Goldman is his real target. Liz calls it The Bionic Woman's answer to Bigfoot. Joining them is returning guest Sarah Wiedemann, a student, stylist, and graphic designer who has been watching the bionic shows since she was two. Musical Chairs: Skype keeps dropping one host after another during the opening minutes, but the panel gets settled in time for the fembots. Sarah's Take on the Fembots: Sarah prefers the fembots to the earlier robot Oscar because they're better at espionage: they blend in, and nobody gives them away by gulping scalding coffee. As a writer, she thinks Franklin was thinking too small. He should have used them to learn every secret the OSI has. The robots never scared her as a kid. The only thing in either series that did was the close-up of Bigfoot's face. Jerry remembers the creepy face reveals and the fembots' whooshing sound effect, and the group remembers other 1970s TV robots disguised as humans, from Westworld to Logan's Run. OSI Historical Data Bank: The world on October 27, 1976: Argentina's ousted president Isabel Perón under house arrest, the dental-drill thriller still #1 at the box office, and Chicago at the top of the charts. On TV, J.J. struggles with endorsing a shady politician on Good Times, and Danny Thomas treats a difficult patient on The Practice. The TV Guide Report: The episode was written by Arthur Rowe and Oliver Crawford and directed by Alan Crosland Jr. The guest cast: John Houseman as Dr. Franklin. Nobody else could have played the role, with his weary, condescending manner. John notes that Lee Majors and Houseman both later appeared in Scrooged. Jack Colvin as Baron Constantine. He chews the scenery with an accent that sounds more Transylvanian than anything else. Jennifer Darling, returning as Peggy Callahan. Sarah and Liz defend her nervous, stuttering Callahan, which makes her flat, monotone fembot double easy to spot. Corinne Michaels as Lynda Wilson. Rudy's first and only secretary. Jack Ging as Hanson. A long way from his easygoing role in "The Deadly Replay." Janice Whitby as Katy. Her short shorts don't help her get taken seriously. Jerry's Eagle Eye: In Franklin's lab, one file drawer is labeled "Bionic Feedback Results." What did Franklin take with him when he left the OSI? This is where the idea for the show's name comes from: Kevin Lauderdale suggested on Cyborgs that there should be a spinoff called The OSI Files. Appreciation: Liz focuses on the episode's central theme: Callahan feels Oscar doesn't value her, and Franklin is consumed by resentment toward the OSI. Jaime's awkward, kind talk with Oscar about his staff ends with a well-intended "Secretary Appreciation" lunch. Franklin takes a much darker route. Weather Control and the Continuity Connection: John links Oscar's line about being under pressure to make the weather project work to last week's failed breathing device. Jerry adds that maybe that's why the Baron is so short-tempered: he bought the fake. Handball and Hidden Meanings: Jaime and Steve's bionic handball game, which returns in a later reunion movie, gets a lot of love. Sarah only recently learned from her dad what the innuendo in the conversation afterward actually meant. Oscar Is Taken: John's favorite sequence from the DVD set: Jaime figuring out what's happening, her shout of "No!", and her punching through the side of the van just before the gas knocks her out. Liz traces Oscar's later praise of Jaime's instincts back to this scene. Jerry is pleased the writers didn't rely on a bionic-ear shortcut. Script Snags: The timeline wobbles around Lynda's abduction, and nobody in the scene seems to know why Jaime is in Washington, or how she pays for an apartment there. Jaime's "51 mph" treadmill test looks a lot like a brisk walk. Callahan wanders in, stares, and wanders out "like a buffering Sim." The hospital that's supposedly in Washington is the familiar one from Ventura, and Jaime has no medical staff with her until Rudy arrives. And how did she even get there? Maybe the fembots called 911. Memorable Moment: The Callahan Reveal: Sarah's pick, with Jaime's leap from the building a close second. It's the coffee trap, the Newport bluff, the fight, the face torn away, and Jaime's line, "I'm not that bionic." The hosts consider this Jaime's first real fight. They debate whether the leap that damages her bionic legs was a fair way to sideline her when they've seen her land higher jumps before. Nobody seems very worried about the "bionic rejection" warning. Viewers also catch a Bigfoot sound effect during a fembot attack, and an alternate Bionic Woman theme that's used only for these episodes. The Room Against Jaime: Liz and Sarah both single out the scene in which Hanson questions Jaime in Oscar's office. Everyone, including Rudy, doubts her, and Jaime silently glares when Lynda puts a hand on her arm. Sarah points out that no real investigator would question a key witness in front of a room full of biased people. "Kill Me": Jerry praises Richard Anderson's pre-recorded order to kill him if he's ever captured. It brings the episode back to reality and may explain why Oscar has never married. The chat brings up the "nephew" from Bionic Showdown. Would You Show This One First? Sarah says no: a newcomer would have too many unanswered questions about who Steve, Rudy, and Oscar are and how bionics work. The other hosts will give their verdicts after Part III. The Ratings Report: John narrows it to the Top 5. Sarah guesses #2, Liz guesses #4, and Jerry hits it exactly: "Kill Oscar" Part I placed #3 for the week, outdoing "The Road to Nashville" (#6). When the trilogy was rerun, Parts I and II aired together on a Sunday night. Collectibles Corner: Sarah recently rediscovered her first autograph, a candid photo of Lindsay Wagner with Max, signed at C2E2 in Chicago in 2008, the same day she also met Richard Anderson. John brings out his Kenner Fembot, complete with her own face, a Jaime Sommers mask, and a mysterious tiny gun. Coming Up Next: The Six Million Dollar Man, "Kill Oscar" (Part II): The crossover moves to Steve's series, and Oscar Goldman may no longer be Oscar Goldman. Billy Flynn from Geek Radio Daily joins John, Liz, and Jerry. The Bionic Woman, "Kill Oscar" (Part III): The trilogy concludes with an atomic sub, an attack on Franklin's island, and a weather control machine at full power. Hashtags: #TheBionicWoman #BionicWoman #LindsayWagner #JaimeSommers #KillOscar #Fembots #JohnHouseman #DrFranklin #JackColvin #JenniferDarling #RichardAnderson #OscarGoldman #MartinEBrooks #SixMillionDollarMan #LeeMajors #Crossover #Kenner #OSIFiles #ClassicTV #70sTV #Bionics #50thAnniversary #1976

  3. Oct 26

    FILE 081: THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN - H+2+O=Death

    John and Jerry Lange are back on Sunday night with "H+2+O = Death," which first aired October 24, 1976. The international spy ring Omega steals the plans for a revolutionary underwater breathing device. Steve goes undercover as a scientist willing to sell out, with the device powered by his own bionic arm, to draw out the buyers. Guest star Elke Sommer plays the scientist who knows more than she lets on. Their guest is Jeff Andrews, founder and editor-in-chief of Second Union and host of the weekly 70s TV Detectives watch parties on Facebook. Jeff says he's more excited to talk with John and Jerry than about the episode, and he's not the only one. OSI Historical Data Bank: The world on October 24, 1976: a young solo sailor goes missing partway through an attempt to sail around the world, the dental-drill thriller is still #1 at the box office, and Chicago starts a two-week run at the top of the charts. On TV, Sonny & Cher welcomes Ruth Buzzi, Alex Karras, and Donny & Marie, and NBC airs the second half of Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The TV Guide Report: Linda Lavin of Alice is on the cover, and the issue includes an essay on the "nymphs of children's television" with a line about Isis that John reads for his Shazam!/Isis podcast fans: "Take a hike, Bionic Woman." The episode was written and directed by Star Trek veteran John Meredith Lucas, who will return in season five. TV Guide's description promises a more interesting episode than the one that aired. An Underused Cast: Elke Sommer plays Ilsa, and the hosts can't quite tell whether she invented the breathing device, its power source, or both. They agree she's given almost nothing to do. John van Dreelen ("Dr. Wells Is Missing") is equally underused, without a single chance to ham it up. TV Guide misspells Omega, and Omega himself wears a fisherman's hat (the chat compares him to a Jaws extra and to Gilligan). The hosts suggest Omega could have been a master of disguise, played by a different face each time he returned. Robert Hogan, a familiar face from 1970s detective shows, is recognized from Batman '66. The Opening Heist: Jeff's highlight is the Mission: Impossible-style safe-cracking, though he points out that both the laser and the freezing gas would have destroyed the documents inside. Omega's burned-in calling card gets its share of laughs. Jerry's theory is that the expensive optical laser effects, along with Elke Sommer's salary, used up the episode's budget, and the chat names other laser scenes from the series. Oscar Under Pressure: Jerry finds Oscar strangely relaxed while offering his resignation to the Secretary, which is one of the few times Oscar is shown under pressure from his superiors. The hosts note the parallel with his faked resignation in Bionic Showdown. Level 12? John points out that the series has never mentioned anything above Level 6 before Ilsa suddenly claims Level 12 clearance. Does working with a Level 12 device make Steve a Level 12 too? There's also the scene where Rudy modifies Steve's arm to power the device, and the question of why splitting hydrogen is only treated as a way to breathe underwater. Memorable Moment: The Hillside Chase: John picks his favorite: Steve running down the hillside alongside Ilsa's car to a funky score, a scene he remembered from childhood long before he knew which episode it came from. The hosts discuss how the shot was staged, the ravine Steve never jumps, and the motorcycle cop who notices nothing unusual about a man running as fast as a car. They also hear Steve's reply: "That's the way I learned it back on the farm." Under the Sea: Jeff loves Steve repairing his own arm. Jerry wonders why water pouring through the puncture doesn't short out the bionics, and he wishes the underwater fight showed bionic speed or sent a frogman flying out of the water. The aquarium location is Marineland of the Pacific, where "Burning Bright" was filmed in season one, right down to the shot by the fish tank. The location's later film credits run from Pirates of the Caribbean to a Batman film. The Ending, and the Omega That Wasn't: Steve lets Omega escape with a worthless device, which takes care of the threat in one scene. The hosts see a missed chance for a season-long nemesis. Jerry suggests Ilsa could secretly have been Omega, and Jeff brings up the Hydra-inside-S.H.I.E.L.D. idea. They also discuss whether the episode suffers from a writer-director who couldn't edit his own script, as well as Lee Majors's surprising hairstyle after he was locked up. Behind the Scenes: A new live-streaming app fails mid-show, and for a while the broadcast reaches only Twitter. Jerry calls it the cursed episode. Would You Show This One First? Absolutely not. Jerry says it wouldn't make his top 99 out of 99 episodes, and Jeff leaves disappointed. The Ratings Report: Jeff guesses #19, and Jerry deliberately goes high with #6, betting on an "Elke effect" like the "Sonny effect." Chat regular Michael Hawk nails it at #14 for the week, a respectable result for an episode nobody on the panel wants to watch again. Collectibles Corner: Jeff shows his pandemic-era finds: the Charlton Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman comics, The Secret of Bigfoot Pass, and the Bionic Berserker mini-LP he owned as a kid. He also shows a "Better, Stronger, Faster" button from artist Darrell Young's Etsy shop. John answers with Ron Braun's bionic artwork and a Kenner Steve Austin figure with a Critical Assignment underwater breathing arm, which is a good fit for this week. Where to Find Our Guest and Co-Host: Jeff's site is Second Union. His 70s TV Detectives watch parties run Thursday nights at 5 p.m. Pacific on the group's Facebook page. Jerry's prints, sketch covers, and commissions are at geraldlange.com and on Instagram and Facebook as Gerald E. Lange. Coming Up Next: The Bionic Woman, "Kill Oscar" (Part I): Dr. Franklin returns with his fembots, the perfect women: programmable, obedient, and as deadly as he chooses to make them. Liz, Jerry, and John are joined by guest Sarah Wiedemann for the start of the crossover trilogy. The Six Million Dollar Man, "Kill Oscar" (Part II): The saga moves to Steve's series as the OSI discovers that the Oscar Goldman in front of them may not be the real one. Hashtags: #SixMillionDollarMan #SteveAustin #LeeMajors #ElkeSommer #H2ODeath #JohnMeredithLucas #RichardAnderson #OscarGoldman #MartinEBrooks #Omega #Marineland #Kenner #CharltonComics #OSIFiles #BionicWoman #ClassicTV #70sTV #Bionics #50thAnniversary #1976 #KillOscar #Fembots

  4. Oct 22

    FILE 80: THE BIONIC WOMAN - "The Road to Nashville"

    John and Liz Goddard are back on Wednesday night, after a power failure postponed things, to open the file on "The Road to Nashville," which first aired October 20, 1976. When an OSI agent disappears in Nashville, Jaime puts on rhinestones and a cowgirl hat to go undercover as an up-and-coming country singer, looking for the leak that's sending secrets overseas. John admits up front that he's never been a big fan of this fan favorite, but he's ready to have his mind changed. Joining them from the UK is JP, webmaster of the long-running Lee Majors fan site Cyborg: Lee Majors Online and the man behind @bionic_tweets. JP's Instant Six: For a young viewer in Britain, it was the glamour, the exotic American locations, and the science fiction that hooked him. Nothing on English TV looked anything like it. JP shares some favorites, including the "Kill Oscar" trilogy and "Doomsday Is Tomorrow." He admits to a soft spot for Max, the bionic dog (the two-parter, not the solo episode). The conversation turns to the 2007 Bionic Woman reboot: its heavy use of CGI, its mid-season change of direction, and the relaunch two-parter that was planned before it was cancelled. OSI Historical Data Bank: The world on October 20, 1976: New York hopes for a World Series comeback, the dental-drill thriller holds the top spot at the box office, and the disco duck still rules the charts. On TV, Michael Evans falls in love on Good Times, and NBC counters with Game 3 of the World Series. The TV Guide Report: The credits feature two big names: writer James D. Parriott and director Alan J. Levi. The guest cast includes Hoyt Axton as Buck Buckley, Johnny Carson's bandleader Doc Severinsen as Muffin, Fionnula Flanagan (later Data's "mother" on Star Trek: The Next Generation) as Tammy, and Bert Kramer as the very classic villain Penn Mathers. Everyone agrees Doc's country accent and comic timing hold up. Listener Laura shares drafts of the script that show a much darker Tammy, who originally held a gun on Buck. That leads to a discussion of whether the final Tammy was really a dupe. Script Secrets and Scene Studies: Topics include: The mysterious red-and-black boots in the cold open Why the agent calls Oscar from a phone booth A deleted opening scene of Jaime milking a cow in Ojai, which in the end calls back to "Beyond the Call" The awkward classroom extras, older now that Jaime's teaching grades seven through nine The rumor that Lindsay's sister is in the scene The submarine-red lighting in the recording studio, which JP finds odd Memorable Moment: "It's Good to Be Alive": All three hosts pick Jaime's audition performance. Lindsay sings live on camera, at Alan J. Levi's insistence, and is far more at ease than she was with "Feelings" in "Bionic Beauty." The hosts discuss the song's possible personal connection to Michael Brandon, and how Jaime manages to listen in bionically on a conversation in another room without missing a beat of the chorus. No Wasted Scenes: All three hosts agree the episode is unusually tightly paced. Even Jaime's long, switch-flipping struggle with the mixing board builds tension. Other highlights include Muffin in his pajamas, a lasso turnabout, six-shooters, cow horns on the car hood, Buck's "it happens all the time" justification for selling secrets (which echoes Carlton Harris), and a stock-footage audience that looks very familiar. The Ending: Liz has no sympathy for Tammy and Buck, saying they knew exactly what they were doing. JP finds the final stretch, with Jaime standing in the wings, the episode's one slow spot. Laura's script shows an earlier ending in which Jaime goes on stage to sing with Buck. Liz praises Jaime's warm way with her shy student in the classroom bookends, and the hosts discuss why the school scenes faded out. Glen Campbell Almost Sang: John's newspaper digging turned up a 1976 report that Glen Campbell turned down a role on The Bionic Woman. If that role was Buck, it would explain why the episode is built around country music. JP thinks Hoyt Axton works better than a stunt-cast superstar would have. That segues into Evel Knievel's season three episode, which John defends. Would You Show This One First? JP loves it but admits he's too close to it, and with so little Oscar and no Rudy, he'd hold it back. Liz would move it into the back half of season one as a strong, well-rounded entry. John remains the holdout, though he promises to rewatch it soon. The Ratings Report: Liz guesses #14 and JP guesses #8. In fact, "The Road to Nashville" placed #6 for the week, a strong rebound after "Assault on the Princess" became the first episode of the season to fall out of the Top 10. John hints that "Kill Oscar" will do even better. Where to Find Our Guest: JP's unofficial Lee Majors fan site is at www.leemajors.co.uk, with more than 20 years of clips, interviews, and material, some of it now shared by Faith Majors. On Twitter, he's @bionic_tweets. Coming Up Next: The Six Million Dollar Man, "H+2+O = Death": Steve goes undercover as a doctor, Elke Sommer guest-stars, and a dangerous piece of underwater gear threatens to shut down his bionics. Jeff Andrews joins John and Jerry. The Bionic Woman, "Kill Oscar" (Part I): The fembots arrive in the first chapter of the series' first crossover trilogy. Hashtags: #TheBionicWoman #BionicWoman #LindsayWagner #JaimeSommers #RoadToNashville #HoytAxton #DocSeverinsen #FionnulaFlanagan #RichardAnderson #OscarGoldman #CountryMusic #Nashville #GrandOleOpry #OSIFiles #SixMillionDollarMan #LeeMajors #ClassicTV #70sTV #Bionics #50thAnniversary #1976 #KillOscar #Fembots

  5. Oct 19

    FILE 79: THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN - "The Most Dangerous Enemy"

    John and Jerry Lange are back on Sunday night with "The Most Dangerous Enemy," which first aired October 17, 1976, and is one of John's all-time favorites. Steve and Rudy fly to a remote island research station after a primate researcher stops checking in. When Rudy is bitten by one of her test subjects, he gains incredible strength, and he isn't willing to give it up, even if it means turning on the man he made bionic. Joining them for his first on-camera appearance is longtime bionic fan and regular chat participant Keith Lewis. Welcome Back: Jerry returns after a two-week break and shares a tribute to Aki, his feline companion of almost 20 years and a familiar presence on the show. He also previews a new co-star. Keith's Instant Six: Keith remembers the bionic toys more clearly than the first-run broadcasts: a Christmas morning Six Million Dollar Manfigure from Dad as Santa, followed by Oscar's office, the rocket capsule, and Bigfoot. Like John, he really got to know the series in syndication on New York's Channel 5. The group remembers the after-school bionic double feature and their surprise at seeing all the restored footage on the DVDs. OSI Historical Data Bank: The world on October 17, 1976: Carter and Ford trade sharply worded telegrams about taxes and the budget, a Dustin Hoffman thriller with an unforgettable dental scene starts a three-week run at #1 at the box office, and a Memphis DJ's disco novelty record tops the charts. On TV, Sonny & Cher welcomes Charo and Wayne Rogers, and NBC's Disney anthology offers a boy-and-his-bird-dog story. The TV Guide Report: John's World Series issue lists two new bionic episodes that week. The credits for this one: writer Judy Burns, a Star Trekalum who also wrote "The Last Kamikaze" and "Wolf Boy" and one of the best Wonder Woman episodes, and director Dick Moder, a Jerry favorite. The hosts aren't impressed by the listing, which credits Ina Balin by her character's name and promises a Rudy with "the urge to destroy." John renews his open invitation for Judy Burns to come on the show. Billy the chimp gets a special shout-out. Rudy in the Field: This is Martin E. Brooks's first real field assignment as Rudy, and he shows up for a jungle island wearing a powder blue suit and yellow shirt. The hosts discuss why Oscar's office only bookends the episode, the thrill of Oscar calling "Get me Rudy Wells and Steve Austin," and whether the opening primate lab was a Universal backlot set or a zoo exhibit. They also note how differently 1970s TV treated animal research than television would today. Controlled Power: Rudy carefully adjusts his new strength, from tearing off a door handle to gently turning one, which supports John's long-held position that bionic power can be dialed up and down. Keith praises the show's tradition of giving every super-strong character a signature sound effect, and the group recalls how strange the early seasons sounded without them. A detour into the Wonder Woman spin follows, with credit to Lynda Carter, who never relied on stock footage. Memorable Moment: "I Made You": Keith picks the scene in which Rudy uses magnetic polarization to freeze Steve's legs and leaves him hanging upside down. Rudy's line, "I made you, and only I know how to stop you," turns the confrontation into something personal. John gives equal credit to the action, including the boulder dodge and Lee Majors doing his own upside-down stunt work in both the magnet scene and the quicksand scene. That leads into a discussion of Lee's athletic background and his Colt Seavers side. Rudy's Dark Side: Jerry sees jealousy at the heart of the episode: Rudy has built and repaired Steve for years while Steve gets all the glory. The hosts connect this to Oscar's character in the pilot, and Jerry chooses Rudy's angry "I'm always thinking!" as his own memorable moment. The group notices the moment when Rudy crosses a line, with "You're bargaining for your life," and the thrown propane tank that would have been deadly without Steve's infrared vision. Questions from the Island: Did Steve really need to leap that ravine? Why does Steve claim Rudy is too strong and fast for him, when nothing in the episode shows that? Why is there no showdown between the two of them? The hosts also catch a stunt double without his mustache, hear that the show's slow motion makes Steve's human hand move as slowly as his bionic one, consider the episode's unusually rich color palette, and give a sharp look at how often Dr. Osborne is called a "girl." The 1970s quicksand trope gets the attention it deserves, including a Mel Brooks-style parody idea. The Farrah Cameo: Keith points out the most blatant cameo in bionic history: a magazine full of Farrah Fawcett-Majors, only weeks into Charlie's Angels. The group pitches better ways it could have been explained. What Could Have Been: Jerry suggests linking this episode's research to the adrenaline formula from The Bionic Woman, and the hosts imagine Steve facing off against Lisa Galloway. Would You Show This One First? No, though both guests rank it highly. Jerry calls it the second-best episode of season four after "Death Probe," and Keith would make it a centerpiece of a Rudy Wells marathon. That leads to the idea of a "Happy Rudy-giving" watch party, Oppenheimer versus Brooks. The Ratings Report: Keith guesses #7 and Jerry guesses #8. Jerry nails it: "The Most Dangerous Enemy" placed #8 for the week ending October 17, 1976. Apart from "Double Trouble," the fourth season had been placing in the Top 10 every week up to this point. Collectibles Corner: Keith shows his Rittenhouse trading card sets. The first set covers the first two seasons of Six Mil, with two cards per episode and special OSI "top secret" file cards. A later set covers every episode of both series in air-date order. The group wonders why the cards have so few guest stars, and they agree that a full bionic soundtrack release is still what fans want most. Where to Find Our Guest and Co-Host: Keith is on Facebook and is a regular on the OSI Files page. Jerry's illustration work, prints, sketch covers, and commissions are on his website, Instagram, and Facebook. Jerry also previews an upcoming crowdfunded graphic novel project. Coming Up Next: The Bionic Woman, "The Road to Nashville": Jaime goes undercover as a country singer to find out how OSI secrets are getting to foreign interests, with JP from the UK joining Liz and John. The Six Million Dollar Man, "H+2+O = Death": Steve goes undercover as a doctor and faces an underwater threat to his bionics, with Elke Sommer guest-starring. Jeff Andrews joins John and Jerry. Hashtags: #SixMillionDollarMan #SteveAustin #LeeMajors #MartinEBrooks #RudyWells #TheMostDangerousEnemy #InaBalin #JudyBurns #RichardAnderson #OscarGoldman #FarrahFawcett #OSIFiles #BionicWoman #Rittenhouse #TradingCards #Kenner #ClassicTV #70sTV #Bionics #50thAnniversary #1976 #RoadToNashville

  6. Oct 7

    FILE 078: THE BIONIC WOMAN - "Assault on the Princess"

    John Drew and Liz Goddard set sail with "Assault on the Princess," which first aired October 6, 1976. Jaime goes undercover as a blackjack dealer aboard the Princess Louise, a floating casino run by a charming rogue named Lucky. Her mission is to find a double agent known only as "the Iceman" and recover a stolen energy cell that could turn the ship into a floating bomb. Their guest is John Champion, co-host of Mission Log: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast, ocean liner enthusiast, and the man behind Lido Deck: A Love Boat Podcast (and its now-legendary April Fool's 200th episode). He's the right person to sort out which ship is which in this one. OSI Historical Data Bank: The world on October 6, 1976: worries about fallout from a foreign nuclear test reaching the East Coast, a haunted house horror film taking the top spot at the box office for one week, and a certain funky song finishing its run at #1. The Bionic Woman aired half an hour early that night so ABC could carry a presidential debate, which put it up against local programming instead of the usual competition. The TV Guide Report: John's issue of TV Guide is back, and the previous owner was consistent: an X next to The Bionic Woman and another next to that week's Six Mil. The hosts agree the second one, "Double Trouble," at least deserved it. Writer Wilton Denmark, a regular on Six Mil, wrote what appears to be his only Bionic Woman script, and Alan Crosland Jr. directs again. The listing credits a long cast, and the hosts point out that not one other woman is in it. The Guest Cast: Ed Nelson plays Lucky, and Liz is not a fan: the name, the necklace, and the earring make three strikes. Vito Scotti returns as Romero from "Fly Jaime," and this time he's playing the same character, not a new one. Steve Kanaly appears years before he became Ray Krebs on Dallas. The hosts also get to Creighton's eye-catching plaid blazer, Romero's fellow gambler, and a card-dealing instructor who may have been a real-life sleight-of-hand man. One Ship, Three Ships: John Champion explains why this fictional ship never quite looks like the same ship twice. The production cut between three vessels: A retired liner working as a restaurant ship near Los Angeles Exterior shots of a real Princess cruise ship much like The Love Boat's Pacific Princess Interiors filmed aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach He points out the Queen Mary's original woodwork and Bakelite handrails, identifies the suite used for Lucky's cabin, and explains why the intimate casino room couldn't have been filmed on the much larger liner. He also praises how quickly Universal's TV production crews could shoot a show on location. Lucky: Rogue or Creep? Lucky gets a lively debate. Liz finds nothing redeemable about him and wants no romance anywhere near Jaime. John Champion sees him as a classic rogue who is better than the crew around him and gets a redemptive moment because the story needs one. A comparison to Han Solo doesn't go over well with Liz. They also discuss the moonlit deck scene and the convenient searchlight that interrupts it. Memorable Moment: Romero Under the Moon: John picks this one himself: Romero's moonlit serenade on deck, which gives Jaime the chance to slip away. The hosts note that the scene is cut from the syndicated version, and they discuss why recurring guest characters like Romero make the bionic world feel more connected. The talk extends to John de Lancie's upcoming return in Six Mil and to Farrah Fawcett's two different roles. Questions from the Bridge: How does Jaime know the ship is exactly 15 degrees off course? Remember the celestial navigation from "Deadly Missiles." Why won't Lucky let the police search his ship when he has to come back to that port? Why doesn't he lock up his crew once Jaime tells him about them? John Champion also explains why a ship at sea is such good territory for drama: it's a self-contained world where everything has to be accounted for, which makes it a lot like a starship. The Ending: All three hosts are surprised by Jaime's emotional final scene with Lucky. Listener Laura shares the original script draft, and its version of the farewell is even more of a stretch. The hosts are relieved when the final dockside goodbye brings back the Jaime they know. Would You Show This One First? Liz and John Champion both say no, though both praise Lindsay Wagner's natural comic touch and the scenes with Vito Scotti. John admits he enjoyed this one more than they did, and he would have loved a Romero trilogy. The Ratings Report: Liz guesses #17 and John Champion goes with "lucky" #13. In fact, "Assault on the Princess" placed #16 for the week. That same week, The Six Million Dollar Man's "Double Trouble" missed the Top 20 entirely. Collectibles Corner: John Champion talks about his collection of Queen Mary deck plans and paper ephemera. He shares two favorite details about the ship's corridors: the curve of the deck, which you can see down the length of the hallway, and the handrails that were added after the maiden voyage. Where to Find Our Guest: Mission Log, Mission Log Live, and the daily Sci-Fi 5 are at podcast.roddenberry.com. John is also on Twitter at @DVDGeeks, where he talks about spies, Bond, U.N.C.L.E., food, ocean liners, and vintage '70s TV. Hashtags: #TheBionicWoman #BionicWoman #LindsayWagner #JaimeSommers #OSIFiles #AssaultOnThePrincess #EdNelson #VitoScotti #SteveKanaly #RichardAnderson #OscarGoldman #QueenMary #OceanLiners #LongBeach #LoveBoat #MissionLog #Roddenberry #ClassicTV #70sTV #Bionics #50thAnniversary #1976

  7. Oct 4

    FILE 077: THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN - "Double Trouble"

    John and co-host Jerry Lang are back on Sunday night to open the file on "Double Trouble," which first aired October 3, 1976. Comedy star Flip Wilson guest-stars as Billy Parker, a small-time nightclub comic who happens to look like a visiting African prime minister. A brain implant turns him into a remote-controlled pawn in an assassination plot. Guest Rob Silva rescheduled twice to be here, which meant watching this one three times. That's either true fandom or masochism. He'll let you decide. Ranking the Guest Stars: The hosts start by placing this episode in the series' history of celebrity guest stars. Rob says Sonny Bono did better in "Song and Dance Spy" than Flip does here. Jerry suggests a best-and-worst guest star countdown and nominates George Foreman for the top spot. The chat has some nominations of its own, including a comparison to a certain infamous Star Trek brain episode. OSI Historical Data Bank: The world on October 3, 1976: a presidential campaign roiled by the Secretary of Agriculture's offensive remarks, a familiar R-rated film still at the top of the box office, and the same funky song holding #1. On TV, Sonny & Cher welcomed Barbara Eden and the Smothers Brothers, and NBC wrapped up the two-night broadcast premiere of Earthquake. Flip on Carson: John plays a clip of Flip Wilson on The Tonight Show that same year. Flip talks about filming his Six Million Dollar Manappearance, and he tells Johnny the "prejudiced parrot" joke that he keeps teasing but never finishes in the episode. The hosts discuss how edgy that material is for what was by then basically a kids' show, and how Flip himself already called the joke dated in 1976. The TV Guide Report: In John's issue, the previous owner checked off Sonny & Cher over Six Mil that night. Rob says they chose well. The cover leads to a detour into lookalikes: Waylon Jennings, B.J. and the Bear, and Jerry's own story of meeting Greg Evigan. That same week also saw the premieres of Serpico and Quincy. Behind the Script: Writer Jerry Devine also wrote "Song and Dance Spy." This was his final script for the series, and the final script of his career. Phil Bondelli directs. The supporting cast includes Simon Scott as a doctor who seems to need medicine explained to him by his own assistant, and the TV Guide somehow found room to credit the doorman. Memorable Moments: Billy Parker, Live at the Club: Both of Billy's stand-up sets get played back and examined. Did he ever actually finish a joke? Was the nightclub audience real, a staged set, or stock footage? What's going on with the canned laughter? The hosts agree that a comedian's guest spot should show off his talent, the way Sonny Bono's episode let him sing, and that this script gives Flip almost nothing to work with. Rob draws some uncomfortable parallels to Joker and The King of Comedy. Plot Holes and Missed Opportunities: The hosts discuss the extra lab sequence that feels like padding, and how a chip with two wires could take over a man's whole nervous system. Billy's gambling debts get mentioned and then dropped, though they could have led to a three-way showdown with the mob. Rob suggests a mid-broadcast signal glitch in the style of Marlon Brando's earpiece. Other questions: where did Billy get a nun's habit in the middle of the night, and could it be a nod to Flip's character Geraldine? Why plant the device in a lookalike instead of in the prime minister himself? And why does an international plot feel like low-level street crime, with the Soviets barely mentioned? Bionic Business: The bionic highlights include Steve's cue ball crush, done twice and straight out of Adventures of Superman, plus Steve's sharp three-piece suits, his dive into the construction pit, and the "Kenny Johnson sparks" in the final fight. The hosts also come back to an unanswered question from the bionic shows: where exactly is Rudy's lab? Speed It Up? The episode's sped-up training scenes lead to a look at an IMDb trivia claim that slow motion cost the series its European audience. The hosts aren't convinced, pointing to Italy's custom opening credits and the long-running UK Look-In comic strip. Jerry suggests the slow motion came from NFL Films, which may have made it a uniquely American visual language. Would You Show This One First? It's a unanimous no. Rob says he'd show it only if he wanted to scare people away from the series. John ranks it below both "Lost Love" and "Song and Dance Spy." Jerry and Rob suggest alternative casting that might have worked: John Ritter, John Denver, or Richard Pryor. The Ratings Report: "Double Trouble" missed the Top 20 for the week, the first miss in quite a while for The Six Million Dollar Man. The hosts' best guess is that viewers chose Sonny & Cher and NBC's Earthquake instead. Collectibles Corner: Jerry and Rob share The Art of Atari, which includes some Atari box art with a surprisingly bionic look to it. The discussion covers the photo-referenced illustration style of the '70s, and what might have happened if Steve had made it to the video game era. Where to Find Our Guest and Co-Host: Rob is a moderator of the Office of Scientific Intelligence Facebook group, posts music as Clever Engine on SoundCloud, and is @MightyRobSilva on Twitter. Jerry's illustration work, prints, and commissions are at geraldlang.com and on Facebook and Instagram as Gerald E. Lang. Coming Up Next: The Six Million Dollar Man: "Task Force": John and Jerry are back for an episode with a lot more promise and plenty of mustaches. The Bionic Woman: "Assault on the Princess": Jaime sets sail with an iceman to watch out for. Hashtags: #SixMillionDollarMan #SteveAustin #LeeMajors #FlipWilson #DoubleTrouble #OSIFiles #BionicMan #TheBionicWoman #RichardAnderson #OscarGoldman #MartinEBrooks #JohnnyCarson #TheTonightShow #CelebrityGuestStar #ClassicTV #70sTV #TVGuide #ArtOfAtari #Bionics #50thAnniversary #1976

  8. Oct 1

    File 076: THE BIONIC WOMAN - In This Corner, Jaime Sommers

    The OSI Files relaunch continues as John and co-host Liz Goddard open the file on the second episode of The Bionic Woman's second season, originally airing September 29, 1976. Just one week after tangling with Bigfoot, Jaime trades the forest for the canvas when Oscar sends her undercover into the world of women's professional wrestling at a rough Washington, D.C. arena. Joining them is writer, editor, pro wrestling announcer, and DragonCon American Sci-Fi Classics Track co-director Joe Crowe. He's the man behind the classic track's Lindsay Wagner and Lee Majors appearances, and he brings some ringside expertise to the table. Joe's Instant Six: As a first-time guest, Joe shares how he discovered bionics as a kid during the original run, from schoolyard buzz and the TV Guide listing to the action figure and slow-motion playground runs. He also recalls leading a DragonCon crowd in the Six Million Dollar Man theme. OSI Historical Data Bank: A look at the world on September 29, 1976: a heavyweight title bout at Yankee Stadium, a very adult take on a children's classic topping the box office, the song holding down the #1 spot on the charts, a landmark night for Good Times, and Lee Majors facing off against himself with a serious TV-movie role on rival NBC. The Credits: John pulls out his New York Metro TV Guide to walk through the episode's credits. Series creator Kenneth Johnson co-wrote the script with Robert McCullough. John points listeners to the Cyborgs podcast interview where McCullough tells the story of how he broke into the bionic shows. Alan Crosland directs for the fourth episode in a row. The guest cast is headed by Norman Fell, who will forever be Mr. Roper no matter how serious the role, along with Marcia Lewis and Marj Dusay. Liz's Memorable Moment — Jaime Says No: Liz singles out the opening briefing as a turning point. For the first time, Jaime genuinely pushes back on an assignment. The hosts note that she is now coming to Washington rather than Oscar coming to Ojai, and that she is growing into the role of a working agent who has opinions about her missions. There is also a fun look at Oscar's newly upgraded command-center desk. How Real Is Real? — Wrestling 101 with Joe: Joe explains how much of pro wrestling is scripted and how much is improvised, and how accurately the episode portrays a newcomer walking in off the street and getting "tested" in the ring. He also covers where women's wrestling actually stood in the mid-'70s compared with what the episode depicts, and how gimmicks and characters have changed since then. Along the way, John explains his GLOW-inspired cold open, and the group talks about Fighting with My Family. Viewing It in 2020: All three hosts address the elements of Jaime's in-ring persona that have not aged well. They talk about how to appreciate the story while acknowledging what would never make it to air today. They also revisit a running bionic tradition: how does nobody recognize Jaime Sommers on local television? The Villain, Rudy, and the Mystery of the Lab: Liz gives high marks to one of the season's more clever and funny antagonists. The group feels Rudy is underused and arrives late in the story. The discussion spins off into a long-running fan question: where exactly is Rudy's Washington lab relative to Oscar's office? Joe's Memorable Moment — The Main Event: The climactic ring sequence gets the spotlight. The hosts discuss how Jaime handles the physical action while staying true to her anti-violence character. Joe gives his announcer's critique of the fight choreography, and he explains why a formal-wear ring announcer is completely accurate. Listeners should also keep an ear out for a name-check of a certain rarely seen OSI agent. The Real Spider Lady: Joe tells the true story of a masked wrestler who appeared in the WWF nine years after this episode aired, an infamous real-life incident with an eerie resemblance to the episode. A listener in the chat helps fill in the names. Jaime's Big Heart: Liz highlights a pattern that sets Jaime apart from her TV contemporaries: she keeps using her influence with Oscar to help the people she meets. The hosts also discuss the respectful Oscar–Jaime–Rudy dynamic, and why the closing scene's Washington massage joke still gets a laugh. Would You Show This One First? Joe and Liz both say no, and explain why the episode works better as a solid mid-season outing than as an introduction to the series. John respectfully dissents; this one is a personal favorite of his. The Ratings Report: Joe guesses #11 and Liz guesses #8 (with chat regular Jack Daly also going with #8). In fact, "In This Corner, Jaime Sommers" landed at #5 for the week, following "The Return of Bigfoot, Part II" at #4 the week before. By contrast, the Six Million Dollar Man episode that closed out the same ratings week, "Double Trouble," failed to crack the Top 20, its first miss in quite some time. Bionic Merch Corner: Joe points listeners to a fan-made line of face masks featuring vintage bionic toy packaging art. Coming Up Next: The Six Million Dollar Man — "Double Trouble": John and Jerry Lang are joined by Rob Silva to take on Flip Wilson's guest turn, and to try to figure out how the episode fell out of the Top 20. The Bionic Woman — "Assault on the Princess": Liz and John set sail with Mission Log: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast co-host John Champion, who brings background on the Queen Mary, one of the episode's filming locations. Hashtags: #TheBionicWoman #BionicWoman #LindsayWagner #JaimeSommers #OSIFiles #InThisCornerJaimeSommers #SixMillionDollarMan #KennethJohnson #NormanFell #RichardAnderson #OscarGoldman #MartinEBrooks #ProWrestling #WomensWrestling #GLOW #SpiderLady #DragonCon #AmericanSciFiClassics #ClassicTV #70sTV #Bionics #50thAnniversary #1976

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4.8
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

A monthly look at The Six MIllion Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman with two fans of the show and through the eyes of someone who made it happen.

Information

  • Creator
    John S. Drew
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    82
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2015, Lucky Shot Productions
  • Show Website
    The OSI Files podcast

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