Bionic Book Reconstructed
by Herbie Pilato
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Book Summary Information
Author: Herbie PilatoEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-20
ISBN: 1593930836
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Bear Manor Media
Book Reviews of Bionic Book Reconstructed
Book Review: A great book. I wish it was longer.
Summary: 5 Stars
Lots of information here about the making of two truly iconic shows from the 1970s. Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman. I learned a great deal from reading this book. Such as, Cyborg author Martin Caidin wanted actor Monte Markham to be cast as Steve Austin. This would've been a bad move, as Monte Markham was such a melodramatic and over the top actor, he would've killed the role with acting theatrics. Critics slammed Lee Majors acting at the time, but he really did do a good job in the role. Particularly in the early episodes, he made Steve Austin a soft spoken country boy, such qualities somehow granting him the psychological fortitude to deal with being bionic. Definitely the right way to go acting wise. It was also the wrong way to go in trying to make Steve Austin a James Bond clone complete with a tuxedo in "Wine, Women, & War", the second movie commissioned by ABC-TV.
What truly stunned me about this book (and it is a bad thing), is that no mention is made of composer Oliver Nelson, who wrote some of the most brilliant music cues (as well as the theme music) for the Six Million Dollar Man. His theme music, as well as his specific music cues for the episodes "E.S.P. Spy"(Steve Austin being attacked on the beach), "Last of the Fourth of Julys" (Steve Austin vaulting over an electrified fence), "Population Zero" (throwing the fence post at the bad guys van) and "Look Alike" (the attack in the warehouse, the boxing ring match between Steve and Ben Breezy, and the final boxing ring brawl)showcases what a brilliant composer the late, great Oliver Nelson was. The man was a musical genius!! His music is some of the most brilliant ever composed for a television series. Musically, he found a strong identity for the series especially in the early episodes, with his dominant use of drums.
There also should have been more attention paid to the special effects guys who rigged the insert shot gags for the Six Million Dollar Man. "Midas Touch" (Austin ripping a safe out of a concrete bunker), how did he jump so high without wobbling to the left or right?, "Outrage in Balinderry" (ripping hinges off of a door and crushing them while doing so), "Survival of the Fittest" (loosening lug nuts on a car wheel in order to change it), and "Little Orphan Airplane" (Using the same method to replace a plane engine.) We do learn in this book that Lee Majors used a trampoline to jump high in "One of Our Running Backs in Missing" while playing football.
This is really a good book, but it just isn't long enough to pay homage to the late Oliver Nelson and the special effects guys who worked on the Six Million Dollar Man. The music and special effects for the Six Million Dollar Man not only hold up to this very day, but they are also a standard everyone working in television today should try and live up to.
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