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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 58500" data-attributes="member: 23">It's uncanny you should mention the Cathy Lee Crosby version. I rewatched it last night. I had originally planned to watch an episode or two of the Lynda Carter series, but thought I'd do the 1974 pilot in case I get into a rewatch jag.Anyway - a few thoughts about the Crosby film:Artie Butler's theme is foot-tappingly, head-noddingly enjoyable.[MEDIA=youtube]Kofl70WhyQw[/MEDIA]The music he used through the entire film was great. Some smooth Seventies action music and a couple of softer themes too. I particularly enjoyed the Mantovani-esque sweeping strings that accompanied Diana's arrival at the hotel. Now that the Carter series is getting music released is there hope for music from this pilot to arrive on CD? Probably not, but I can dream.Incidentally, I had thought Artie Butler had composed for the Lynda Carter WW series, but that was Artie Kane who has a similar musical style as well as a similar name.The opening scene was fairly dark. A group of men getting gunned down in cold blood by a pair of assassins. The delivery of the scene was comic book-ish (the deaths off-screen) and light in tone. But just the fact that it could have happened stopped things from feeling too "safe" from the start.Pretty much all the Steve Trevor scenes dragged. The office-based stuff felt so static and lacking in energy I struggled to maintain interest. The pacing was quite slow in general, and it felt longer than its hour-and-a-quarter running time.The Paradise Island scenes were more watchable than I remembered. Yes, there were lots of plastic plants and a bunch of women about whom we knew nothing sharing scenes that were consequently difficult to invest in. And Diana's mother served no purpose at all here. But the dewy eyed earnestness of most of those involved carried it through. Crosby was strong in these sisterhood scenes - particularly when the action moved away from the island. Her facial expression on learning that Ahnjayla had gone rogue was perfect, as was her final scene with Ahnjayla, where Crosby's eyes said far more than what was written on the page. The bitter relationship between the two women - along with Anitra Ford's statuesque physique and evil smirk showed promise for what could have been her arch nemesis had the pilot gone to series. Particularly chilling was Ahnjayla's promise that if she won a battle she would not spare Diana's life.<img src="http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/evilbabes/images/c/c7/Screenshot_42047.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160919024122" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Crosby doesn't resemble any incarnation of Wonder Woman before or since. A blonde, jumpsuit-wearing, motorbike riding, high-kicking woman whose secret identity is barely secret. Much has been written about this version resembling the comic book character's Emma Peel influenced powerless period which ended a couple of years before the film was shot (why begin a contemporary series based on a concept that's several years out of date anyway? There's nothing older than yesterday's news, particularly amongst the show's target demographic). But her powerlessness and penchant for martial arts are just two of the many ways this film digresses from the Wonder Woman legend. About the only concession to the WW of the comic are the amazons and a tongue-in-cheek reference to her invisible plane. But not being true to the original doesn't mean this isn't fun and enjoyable. It manages both. Crosby is one of the best elements here. She has good screen presence and is charismatic enough. If one can get past this concept being Wonder Woman in name only then it becomes enjoyable. In content and tone this feels very much like the natural bridge between The Avengers and Charlie's Angels. Indeed, Diana's mix of glamour and cool felt very much like it set the tone for the Angels - still two-and-a-half years away at this point.The villains of the piece are great fun to watch too. Ricardo Montalbán does his Ricardo Montalbán thing, as a Bond baddie type Abner Smith, concealed for much of the time but instantly recognisable by his voice. "This is not a democracy", he hisses at a subordinate stupid enough to disagree with one of his decisions. Naturally he tries to work his charms on Diana, even as he is hauled away by police. "Wonder Woman - I love you", he grins. And she smiles back as she lights his cigar. It's daft, but it works.Rather than the unwordly ingenue, Crosby's Diana is shown to be capable and unfazed by pretty much anything she encounters in this new world. She calmly phones for room service with a venomous snake wrapped round her leg, looks decidedly unimpressed when she sees a box that's intended to be her final resting place and even has a snappy comeback for someone who sexually harasses her:GEORGE: "Let me make love to you."DIANA: "Why?"GEORGE: "Because your eyes..."DIANA: "You misunderstood me. I didn't mean why should you want to. I meant why should I?"Having watched this a number of times over the decades, I've mastered the art of not comparing this directly to the Lynda Carter series, which is rather like comparing apples and oranges. But it's worth noting some of the common ground between the two:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Watching last night it occurred to me that all the scenes featuring the villains would fit very well into the Carter show. The casting, the MOs, the dialogue and even the music played to accompany them. All would be echoed by the later show once it changed channels and updated its setting to the late Seventies.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The whole top secret mission stuff would come to be embodied by the I.A.D.C.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Carter's Wonder Woman would also ride a motorcycle with a helmet over a jumpsuit</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">And by the close of Wonder Woman's third season, Diana Prince - powerless as she was - had far more screen time than her alter ego. She was well-dressed and personable and was shown to use her smarts and nerve rather than spinning. Just as Crosby does here. Funny how it all came full circle.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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