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| "The New Original Wonder Woman" | ||||
| Season 1, Episode 0 | ||||
| Air date | November 7, 1975 | |||
| Written by | Stanley Ralph Ross | |||
| Director | Leonard Horn | |||
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American war hero Steve Trevor is downed over the Bermuda Triangle and lands on "Paradise Island," home of the Amazons. The Amazons hold a contest and choose a champion among them - Wonder Woman - who will return with Steve Trevor to America and remain there to fight the Nazi threat. In the pilot episode, there is a Nazi plan to destroy a new bomb site to ruin America's war effort. The Nazis have a mole in Steve's office who is sabotaging him, and only Wonder Woman can stop this catastrophe.
Recap
During World War II, Major Steve Trevor bails out during an air battle over the Bermuda Triangle, location of Paradise Island. The island is home to the Amazons, beautiful, ageless women with great strength, agility, and intelligence. Amazon princess Diana rescues Trevor and nurses him back to health. Her mother, The Queen (Cloris Leachman), decrees that games shall be held to select one Amazon to return Trevor to the United States, but she forbids Diana to participate. Diana enters the contest in disguise (a blond wig), and ties for first. The contest is decided through "Bullets and Bracelets," where each of the two take turns shooting at the other, who must try to deflect the bullets. Diana successfully deflects all the shots at her, but her opponent is injured by one of Diana's shots. Diana removes her wig and reveals her identity, and proclaims her loyalty and love to her people, her queen and mother. Her mother agrees to send her with her blessing.
Her costume is designed to feature American emblems in the hope that she will be accepted in her new home and her golden belt will be her source of strength and power. She retains her bracelets, which deflect bullets, and also receives a golden lasso, which is indestructible, and forces people to obey and tell the truth when bound. Diana is now known as "Wonder Woman," and flies to Washington, D.C. in an invisible plane. After dropping Trevor off at a hospital, the heroine stumbles upon a bank robbery, which she stops. A theatrical agent who sees her in action invites her to take her Bullets and Bracelets act on the road as a theatrical attraction. Diana is hesitant, but she needs money in this society, so she agrees.
Meanwhile, Trevor's civilian secretary, Marcia (Stella Stevens), is revealed as a double agent for the Nazis. She seeks to aid top spies in killing Trevor and opposing the new threat, Wonder Woman, although her first attempt — arranging for an audience member to fire a machine gun at Wonder Woman during her stage show act — backfires when the Amazon easily deflects the multiple bullets. Later, at the hospital, Diana disguises herself as a nurse in order to keep an eye on Steve. As spy activities increase, Trevor leaves the hospital and is captured, prompting his "nurse" to do a spin in the hall where she slowly peels off uniform parts and replaces them with her Wonder Woman costume, before heading off to rescue him. Wonder Woman defeats the villainess and the spies, breaking up the spy ring. The film closes as Steve meets his new secretary, Yeoman Diana Prince (Wonder Woman in disguise).
Cast
- Lynda Carter as Princess Diana/Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
- Lyle Waggoner as Major Steve Trevor/Colonel Steve Trevor, Jr.
- John Randolph as General Blankenship
- Red Buttons as Ashley Norman
- Stella Stevens as Marcia
- Eric Braeden as Drangel
- Severn Darden as a bad guy
- Fannie Flagg as the Amazon doctor
- Henry Gibson as Nikolas
- Kenneth Mars as Colonel Von Blasko
- Cloris Leachman as The Queen
- Helen Verbit as a nurse
- Tom Rosqui as Cop #2
- Fritzi Burr as Saleslady
- Ian Wolfe as a bank manager
- Inga Nielsen as Rena
- Maida Severn as Teutonic Woman
- Jean Karlson as a 2nd Amazon
- Anne Ramsey as a taxi cab driver
Quotes
- The Queen: (Holding up a golden belt) This is the golden belt. It is the symbol for Amazon supremacy. So long as you wear it, you will retain your cunning and strength away from Paradise Island. (handing the golden belt to one of the Amazons who puts it around the masked blond haired Amazon) and this is your golden lasso. Besides being made of an indestructible material, it also carries with it the power to compel people to tell the truth. Use it well and with compassion.
Trivia
- Director Leonard Horn suffered a heart attack and passed away shortly after shooting this episode.
- The cat-fight between Wonder Woman and Marcia later inspired a memorable television brawl between the leading actresses on Dynasty years later.
- The same portrait of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt can be found in both Steve Trevor's office and Marcia's apartment.
- Actors Severn Darden and Eric Braeden who both play Nazi agents in this episode also played villains in the Planet of the Apes franchise. Braeden played the role of Dr. Otto Hasslein in Escape from the Planet of the Apes and Darden played Inspector Kolp in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Battle for the Planet of the Apes.
- The Pilot is featured as a bonus episode on the Blu-ray version of Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths.
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