Wonder Woman ‘74

• Directed by Vincent McEveety
• March 12, 1974
• ABC
• Based on Wonder Woman created by William M. Marston and H. G. Peter

A super-hero uses her powers to stop an international spy ring.

I never knew a Wonder Woman film from 1974 existed until not that long ago. It’s quite a different take on the character from what most anyone is familiar with. The blonde Cathy Lee Crosby stars as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and the very blandly named Kaz Garas plays the exotically named Steve Trevor. In this TV pilot Diana is sent by the Amazons to show the world the value of women by getting a job as a secretary for an unnamed government agency. Apparently she passed a background check somehow.

I found myself laughing at how lax the whole environment of this espionage agency was. It may not have been as silly back in 1974. I am a little confused how much the agency knows about her secret identity. There’s some indication that those beyond Steve Trevor do have an inkling. Beyond that there is some banter between Steve and Diana that would get HR involved but Diana just chuckles it off as cute. Wonder Woman ‘74 was an early attempt at female empowerment on television and sometimes it comes off as unintentionally funny.

Cathy Lee Crosby in this is always a hairs breadth away from flipping her hair and giggling even though she’s supposed to be a strong and empowered independent woman. Her character is from a mystical island but sports more spy gear than she does magical gear. All of this while changing into a tracksuit when she’s Wonder Woman. The villains recognize her by her hero name in or out of her gear so how secret is her identity?

The head villain called Abner Smith is played by Ricardo Montalbán. Director Vincent McEveety keeps his face obscured and I’m betting Montalbán was a late addition to the production since he gets special guest star billing. Plus his voice in those scenes for much of the movie doesn’t necessarily match the sound quality of everything else. I guess by hiding his face they were trying to make it look like a tease, but it’s more along the lines of him just not being there for filming. Montalbán tries to put on a French accent, but his natural, rich Mexican accent overwhelms that yet gives it a quality you couldn’t get with anyone else.

Smith is an honorable criminal in comparison to his henchman George Calvin (Andrew Prine). George is more of an unreliable individual interested in immediate gratification. Smith sticks to the deal no matter the advantages that could come from breaking in contrast to George.

Andrew Prine is meant to be the dashing and dangerous man that Wonder Woman has some sexual tension with. Intentionally or not he comes off as just a stuck on himself douchebag with a weird chewing gum fetish. I am curious if Wrigley Gum was a sponsor. I have always enjoyed Prine’s work but he has no chemistry with Crosby who was a better TV host than actress.

Thrown randomly into the mix is an Amazonian named Ahnjayla (Anitra Ford) who left the island and I guess is selling herself out as a hired gun. Her character is introduced in a random communique. Much like Wonder Woman she is only slightly better than the average person. They were friends, and now they are enemies for, well, reasons. This was intended as a pilot but so much just happens with no explanation and things just are.

Much like The Incredible Hulk which premiered four years later, Wonder Woman’s powers are rather muted if existent at all. She is slightly better than the average person but not noticeably superior. She is more along the lines of a well-trained or well-conditioned athlete than a superhero. Her lasso and bracelets are gadgets presumably issued by the agency rather than magical gifts for use in fighting evil.

This attempted for a James Bond feel but on a very limited budget. We have twin killers (the weird henchman common in Bond at the time) with the resemblance being owed more to makeup effects than actual physical similarities. Wonder Woman rather muscling her way from one leg of the plot to the next or finding information that leads are here or there kind of casually walks where she needs to go. I’m not sure if she actually uncovered any information herself now that I think about it beyond choosing the correct donkey based on the uniqueness of its tracks. I’m not going to give too much away there.

If you like things that are campy and possess a certain affection for older action/adventure shows, I think you’ll like Wonder Woman ‘74. I could certainly see myself popping it again since it’s fun and entertaining, but it does leave a little to be desired.