Wonder Woman (1974 film)

{{Infobox television

| image = Wonder_Woman_(1974_film).jpg

| image_alt =

| caption = DVD cover.

| genre = Fantasy

| creator =

| based_on = {{Based on|Wonder Woman|William M. Marston|H. G. Peter}}

| writer = John D. F. Black

| screenplay =

| story =

| director = Vincent McEveety

| starring = {{ubl|Cathy Lee Crosby|Kaz Garas|Charlene Holt|Ricardo Montalbán|Richard X. Slattery|Andrew Prine|Anitra Ford}}

| music = Artie Butler

| country = United States

| language = English

| executive_producer = John D. F. Black

| producer = John G. Stephens

| location =

| cinematography = Joseph Biroc

| editor = Gene Ruggiero

| camera =

| runtime = 75 minutes

| company = Warner Bros. Television

| budget =

| network = ABC

| released = {{Start date|1974|03|12}}

}}

Wonder Woman is a 1974 American made-for-television superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Vincent McEveety and starring Cathy Lee Crosby. The film was a pilot for an intended television series being considered by ABC. The film presented the character as a James Bond–style superspy, and did not contain many elements from the comic book series.{{cite book | last1=Sacks | first1=Jason | last2=Dallas | first2=Keith | title=American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s | date=2014 | publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing | isbn=978-1605490564 | page=145}} Ratings were described as "respectable but not exactly wondrous" and ABC did not pick up the pilot.{{cite news | last = Shales | first = Tom | title = Wonder Woman Tries Comeback | newspaper = The Washington Post | date = 1975-11-07}}

Instead, Warner Brothers and ABC developed a different Wonder Woman television concept that fit the more traditional presentation of the character as created by William Moulton Marston, turning away from the 1968–1972 era that had influenced the pilot. The New Original Wonder Woman, which premiered in 1975, starred Lynda Carter and eventually led to the Wonder Woman TV series. Crosby would later claim that she was offered the chance to reprise the role in that series.{{cite news | last = Joby | first = Tom | title = Cathy Crosby turns down 'Wonder Woman' offer | agency = Associated Press | date = 1980-05-12}}

Background

File:Wonder Woman - Crosby.jpg

Wonder Woman's first broadcast appearance in live-action television was a movie made in 1974 for ABC. Written by John D. F. Black, the TV movie resembles the Wonder Woman of the "I Ching" period. Wonder Woman (Cathy Lee Crosby) did not wear the comic-book uniform, demonstrates no apparent super-human powers, and is depicted as blonde (differing from the black hair established in the comic books).

The pilot aired originally on March 12, 1974.{{cite news | title = TV Staff Previews | work = Uniontown (PA) Morning Herald | date = 1974-03-12}} and was repeated on August 21 of that year.{{cite news | title = TV Key Best Bets | work = Wisconsin State Journal | date = 1974-08-21}} Ratings were described as "respectable but not exactly wondrous". ABC did not pick up the pilot, although Crosby would later claim she was offered the series that was eventually given to Lynda Carter. An ABC spokesperson would later acknowledge that the decision to update the character was a mistake. DC Comics however did make this version canonical in the limited run Infinite Crisis as Wonder Woman of Earth-462.

Warner Brothers released this pilot into syndication as a stand-alone 90-minute telefilm, where it played on independent TV stations throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In December 2012, Warner Brothers made the Cathy Lee Crosby pilot available as a Video On Demand purchase through their online store.

Plot

Diana Prince is chosen to leave Paradise Island to become Wonder Woman and show the world the value of women. Later, Diana, as assistant to government agent Steve Trevor (Kaz Garas), pursues a villain named Abner Smith (Ricardo Montalbán), who has stolen a set of code books containing classified information about U.S. government field agents. Along the way, she has to outwit Smith's chief assistants: the handsome yet dangerous George (Andrew Prine) and a rogue Amazon, Ahnjayla (Anitra Ford), whom Smith has taken on as a bodyguard; a brief duel between Wonder Woman and Ahnjayla is the film's only significant action sequence, which occurs during the final third of the story.{{cite book | first = David | last = Hofstede | contribution = Forward | contributor-first = Tom | contributor-last = Bergeron | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3i1HGbyT85MC | title = What Were They Thinking?: The 100 Dumbest Events in Television | publisher = Back Stage Books | year = 2004 | pages = 31–33 | isbn = 978-0-8230-8441-8}}