THis show was more important than many folks realize. I was born in the late 70s with VERY deformed legs. Most doctors wanted to amputate my legs. One said he could save them but if it didn't work they'd amputate when i was 5. THe original doctors inisisted on early amputation as if you cut a baby's legs off they don't know any different, but an older kid gets trumatised. Dad agreed to trying to save my legs and them decorated my nursery with nothing but bionic man stuff. I got EVERY toy. When star wars came out i got every robot. The thinking, if i lost my legs i would be just like my heroes. They ended up saving my legs, but i had 18 operations growing up, Sitting there having injections and some surgery without anasthesia would have been more trumatc if i didn't have a role model who often sat in a chair and had his limbs rebuilt infront of him. I don't think it's too extreme to say the 6 million Dollar man" saved my life. the truma i would have had without a role model would have been too much.

As a kid, when any of us would try to lift anything heavy, or jump, we would make the "nu-nu-nu-nu-nuh" sound.

I'm surprised you didn't mention Richard Anderson's Sci-Fi heritage as Chief Quinn in Forbidden Planet.😁

Born in 1967, I grew up on "The Six Million Dollar Man." Thank you so very much for this video! I agree wholeheartedly with you about the remakes. Great new set, btw,

I had an uncle that lived out in California and worked from a defense contractor. He told me that during a missile test he was at a location for several days. During lunch someone asked him if he ever heard of the Six Million Dollar Man. He was then introduced to the real Six Million Dollar Man, the man who was piloting the test vehicle you see crashing at the beginning of every show.

Prior to Star Wars, The Six Million Dollar Man defined my childhood! I still remember getting the action doll when I was in the 2nd grade. God, such great memories!

Hats off to John Saxon!!! He was in the episode "Day Of The Robot." Totally scared the heck out of me!!! And when Steve knocked his face off,!!!!!! Wow! Still stuck in my head!!!

A magical time to be a kid! I am so greatful to have experienced it firsthand. Sunday nights SMDM was must see tv and then the thrill of discussing the episode the next morning on the school bus and at school with classmates. Memories I'll cherish forever!

Interesting tidbit, my father lost his right arm in a industrial accident in 1972. Part of his settlement with the company was a fully paid for life, physical rehabilitation through the UCLA Rehab Center. I often went with him for his rehab therapy sessions, where he would, over time, be fitted for prosthetics. Those film props were created with the help of those technicians at UCLA. I saw the real-life versions of the props being used... in real life. My father and I watch the Six Million Dollar Man religiously.

I always remember the episode Day of the robot with John Saxon

I met Richard Anderson a few years before he passed. He had a lot of great stories of his years in Hollywood. Very nice gentleman, it was a pleasure meeting him.

Just met Lee Majors today, nice fellow, still in good spirits 😀

Six million dollars would be the bill for a minor medical procedure these days

I am so grateful for all of the work you do Dan. Every post you do takes me back to the best memories of my life. I am a nostalgic person and I think that all of us who grew up in the 60's, 70's and 80's consider ourselves lucky to have had surely the best shows ever made for children and teenagers.

As a big fan of TSMDM, this episode was a home run! Lot of information and curiosities. Love it! Can we start making new suggestions: The Man from Atlantis, perhaps? Thanks!

The infamous slow-mo "bionic" sound effect is almost certainly Hanna-Barbera/Sound Ideas' stock "Singing Sword" clip, created by recording a steel ruler on the edge of a table being twanged then slowed down 200x. During the shooting of a 1976 episode set at an amusement park, a crew member moving what he thought was a prop hanged man in one of the park's attractions realized it was an actual mummified corpse, soon identified as bank robber Elmer McCurdy killed in 1911, stolen by then passed down between various carnies. If Elmer's ignominious fate as a forgotten, passed-down sideshow attraction eventually mistaken for a dummy generations later sounds familiar to comic book fans, it's because 2 years later Jonah Hex writer Michael Fleisher wrote it as Hex's tragic ending while the story was still fresh in the public's mind. I have the original action figure with the solid unjointed hand and the engine block, Maskatron, and the bionic transport/repair station. Steve's likeness is arguably one of the most accurate 1970s action figure sculpts of a character based off an actual person; an ancient forum suggested a possible artist's name and at the time he had a website with similar-looking Civil War figurines, but he never replied to emails asking whether the Kenner $6MM figure's bust was his work or not. The OSI that Steve worked for was fairly obviously a nod to OSS (the WWII name for what became the CIA), but at the time selling a hero working for the CIA *and* violating its charter by doing domestic operations, at the same time Congress was threatening to defund it altogether for doing exactly that, was as good a reason as any to invent a generic alphabet agency with vaguely defined powers. Great video, thanks for the info. I do wonder from time to time whether the eyeball ended up in anyone's collection.

Dan, You said that it premiered in 1963 but it actually premiered in 1973!!!!

Been a fan since 73 i was 6 yrs old and been a fan ever since!!

Steve Austin lifting body was the Northrop M2-F2 with Bruce Peterson who was the pilot when it crashed losing sight in one eye due to infection.

I had the Steve Austin figure, and the Oscar Goldman with the exploding briefcase. Jesus that was over 45 years ago...😭

Nice to hear a healthy attitude to 'the message ' there near the end. Keep up the good work.

I love the fact that the aircraft he flew in the show helped the real one become world famous. The m2f2 lifting body

I’m 57 now and I believe Six Million Dollar Man was my absolute favorite show. In 1974 I was in fourth grade. I cried when Jamie died. It was amazing having her saved and getting her own show.

While taking the tram tour of Universal Studios, back in the '80s, before we entered the ice tunnel, the tour guide told us that during filming in the tunnel, Mr. Majors would get dizzy and fall down (the wall rotates around, over and under the tram) so they placed fake eyes on his eye lids and he ran through the tunnel with his eyes closed.

Didn't know Lee Majors insisted on no killings. Great idea. Always liked the way he portrayed the character --- not as Superman, but as a normal guy who had lost his own arm and legs Definitely a phenomenon on TV in the 70s. Appointment tv for sure. And Steve's great leisure suits!

Richard Anderson (not to be confused with MacGyver) has the unique distinction of portraying the same character on two different shows on two different networks at the same time. The Bionic Woman started on ABC but moved to NBC during its final season.

Dan, thanks for the video. Everybody remembers Bigfoot buy my FAVORITE episode was the 4th season Venus probe two parter ("Death Probe" parts 1 and 2). Such a great idea and well executed for TV in the 1970s. Good stuff!

The seven million dollar man was a fantastic episode. Along with John Saxon and William shatner and big foot very memorable episodes

The idea of Bigfoot combined with aliens is nothing less than pure genius.

9:22 - Never mind Bigfoot - that episode is memorable for Stephanie Powers!

In the late 70’s or early 80’s my family and I went to Universal Studios in California. On the tram tour they stopped at a large indoor studio. My dad got pulled out of the audience and they did a Six Million Dollar Man show with my dad as the star! It was pretty cool. They took photos of him and made an opening title with his body parts. Then they had him jump over a tall pole vault beam, kick a truck tire and puncture it, and a few other things. I still have pictures of it somewhere.

The Six Million Dollar Man was a superhero show before such shows were really a thing. The Incredible Hulk, Man From Atlantis (effectively Aquaman) and Wonder Woman came after SMDM started airing.

I had 2 Oscar Goldman figures my friends got me for my birthday, not knowing what the other have bought. I eventually got the Steve Austin one later. Those were good times.

So much fun!!!! Thank you for another great episode!!!

Who didn’t go nuts for the Sasquatch character and the original sound of the bionic being used. Such a great show! Thanks, Dan. Keep growing your channel.

I read that the “plane” that he posed sitting in the “HL10” was a real lifting body, the M2 -F2 and the crash is real footage. The pilot of that plane actually lived through the crash. He did lose an eye. I don’t think he needed a bionic body though… That plane was rebuilt and renamed M2-F3 and flown again multiple times. They were testing control of a plane that led to the Space Shuttle.

In 1976, my mom made me a Steve Austin tracksuit for Halloween and I was the envy of my school. There were three other bionic men, but they all had the Ben Cooper costumes. I admit I was looking forward to the Mark Wahlberg iteration, but maybe it was for best that it didn't happen.

Dear Mr. Monroe, Again & again you do a show on a show that I love to watch thanks for the link to Fans of the 6 Million Dollar Man & The Bionic Woman I signed on

For the Jenny Agutter fans, she was in S6, E3: Deadly Countdown, part 1😊

My brother used to say "gentlemen, we can rebuild him, we have the Meccano set"

This was obligatory watching for my whole family on Saturday nights in the 1970s.

When they were filming an episode at an amusement park on a dark ride, one of the crew moved a mannequin and it broke revealing bones. It turns out it was actually a gunslinger from Oklahoma that had been embalmed, never claimed and had ended up in a sideshow traveling around the country. He was coated in a wax-like substance and displayed for decades without anyone knowing it was actually a corpse.

I was in 3rd grade and remember talking to my friends about the upcoming bout between Bigfoot and the Bionic man. We were split on who would be victorious, I thought Bigfoot would win.

When the bionic woman Jamie Summers died people just threw a fit and they had to miraculously bring her back to life. I also remember the bionic boy and bionic dog. One time I was at Walmart and a girl's name was Jamie on her tag and I said, "Like the bionic woman?" And she said, "That's where I got my name."

I met Lee Majors in Charleston SC in the early 1990's. I was fixing the A/C in his hotel room. He came in with golf bags. He was absolutely the nicest person. He was kind and jovial and polite in a southern sort of way. I've always really liked him. The episode with the Bigfoot scared the crap out of me. They did that really well.

You missed one. As a kid I had Six Million Dollar Man sneakers. The sole read "Bionic Man"--if you stepped in mud (or in my case, wet cement) the text was left for all to see. Pure joy.

I remember being DEVESTATED as kid during the episode that Jamie "died". I was traumatized.

I and many others agree with your opinion on the remakes & reboots & political views inserted in legacy movies and shows. That's one of the reasons you're so popular.

I love this show and all the nostalgia

Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner will both be guests at Retro Con this September in Oaks, PA!

I remember The Steve Auston toy that allowed you to look through his glass eye. Good times.

Bionic arm, bionic legs. He picks up honkin boulder and forgets his spinal column has normal human strength and collapses like an accordion.

As much I loved watching this as a kid I’ve never rewatched it

I got to meet Lee Majors last Saturday in Knoxville, Tennessee at Fanboy expo. He was super Awesome. I had Him sign my TV guide from 1974. Also had a photo made with Him.

Cool. I was named after Lee Majors. I had both the Six Million Dollar Man and Maskatron action figures. I also had the model kit shown in the video, of Steve kicking down a door. Good memories.

Two things, first you didn't mention the short lived TV series remake of the Bionic Woman in 2007. Second is just a fun fact. The cast mold of the Bionic Bigfoot toy was reused to make a large Chewbacca action figure by Kenner toys.

The Six Million Dollar Man was a very good adaptation of Martin Caidin's novel, Cyborg. This was THE show to watch back from 1974-1978, following its three 1973 TV movie adaptations. Lee Majors was perfectly cast as Col. Steve Austin, though the show opted not to utilize all the bionic capabilities presented in the novel. Hope to see a follow up video covering the original Bionic Woman next.

I remember getting the "Six Million Dollar Man " issue of Mad Magazine and they have Steve on the operating table....you hear "We can rebuild him, we can make him better, stronger, faster..." Out of the side of the panel comes Farrah Fawcett who quips, "...Faster isn't awlays better." I fell out of my chair. Being about 8 in the 1970's was fun.

Your best video to date, imo. I turn 58 this week but will always cherish the memories of this show as part of my childhood :)

I’ve heard that the bionic exhertion sound effect was created by recording the sound of a metal ruler being thwacked on the edge of a table top, and then the recording being slowed down. Sounds crazy enough to be true.

The show had a very charming Christmas episode with Ray Walston playing a Scrooge-like character.

Who as a kid didn't do the slow motion jump and make the sound "Nun nuh na na na naaa"? I know I did!

I loved this show. The Bigfoot episodes were my favorite episodes. Speaking of Bigfoot, could you do a future video about the BIGFOOT AND WILDBOY TV series?

A fun fact. A young Sandra Bullock in an early role starred in the second Reunion movie Bionic Showdown.

The six million dollar man and the incredible hulk were my favorite tv shows in the 70's! Those fem-bots were really creepy!!

So many great memories growing up as a young boy at that time. I had the repair module and the figure with the arm and bionic eye. How movies and shows were so great and now, its trash.

I worked on a pilot w Lee Majors that was starring him as himself, and the gist was he had created bionics in real life and was using a desperate college student to test his gear. It was pretty awesome and very funny but never released 😢

With respect, I was slightly disappointed that you didn't have more on the 'Evil Venus Probe'. I believe it appeared twice on SMDM and once on Bionic Woman. I was a child when I watched these episodes and found them to be quite scary and riveting to watch. I was more afraid of the probe then the Bigfoot episodes. Other than that, I'm enjoying the series.

@ 25:44 - I am glad that *someone* is prepared to express an opinion about this - I don't go to the cinema to *encounter* politics or culture wars - I to to *ESCAPE* them. Great video - please don't be scared to add your opinions since this is your channel, built on your hard work and extensive research, which, coupled with a great storytelling style (and a great "ending hook") makes these very enjoyable to watch. How about an interview with one of your heroes, in your inimicable style? I'd buy THAT for a dollar!

As I recall, there were writers rules for Steve and Jamie. They could jump up 2 but not 3 floors. Without damage, they could jump down 3 but would sustain damage from a jump down of more than 3 floors. With they did this, both did have put their life at risk.

There was a Bionic woman remake about 20 years ago. If I remember correctly, the bad guy she fought was Starbuck from Battlestar galactica .

MAN, the memories…. As a preschooler I used to run in slow motion from my mom’s car to school, making the mechanical echo noises as I went. And I’ll never forget being flabbergasted that nobody got it, despite the show’s massive popularity. Even my own mom thought I’d lost my mind. 😁

One piece of triva: When Lee Majors was running through the ice tunnel, they had to do multiple takes because he kept falling down because the spinning tunnel made him disoriented.

Steve Austin... my 1st super hero.. absolutely loved this program. Used to go to the barbers and ask for a Steve Austin haircut.. they had no idea what I was on about 🤣

Lee Majors was great casting, and I loved the show as a kid (still do today). Richard Anderson was an essential part of the show, and brought his gravitas to The Bionic Woman as well

G'day it's Steven from down under again Thank you for taking me down memory lane. I recall owning a Steve Austin action figure with a hole in the back of his head where you could see through his bionic eye and if memory serves me correctly there was also a rubber skin-like sleeve on his right arm that could be rolled up to reveal the printed mechanics of his bionic arm too. To this day I still enjoy the opening sequence of this show, it's seriously cool. I also have to admit that I had a school boy crush on Lindsey Wagner, she was a strong and beautiful female character which for me was comparable to my other crush at the time, Linda Carter, two gorgeous and talented actors. "MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU"

It was March 7th 1973 not 1963 that it was first aired.

Loved this show as a kid! Couple years back my wife got me the box set and we had a great time rewatching it. It holds up really well and was so much fun to play 'oh look! it's that actor!' as well as enjoying those cool 70's fashions and cars. and the 'Season 6' comic series was short lived but a lot of fun.

My brother had the Steve Austin action figure. I used to love peering through his Bionic Eye. Never could see much. But….so cool

Loved this show and the Bionic Woman so much! I always wanted the Venus Space Probe toy but alas, never got around to buying it. Trying to find one now in excellent condition is going to require a bank loan! Thank you for the excellent deep dive into this show!

The first season didn’t even have the sound effects I could barely get through it The sound effects mean everything

Awesome video, Thank You. My favorite so far.

Another great video, Dan! Wow, Lee Major's two rules, "no blood, no killing" were pure genius! Truly a reflection of a time when ethics mattered, heroes were different from villains, and there really was a belief that the future could be bright. Thank you for taking us back to those hopeful days!

I’m 67 and saw this is original run. To this day, I do the bionic lift sound effect when I’m lifting something. I also sometimes run in slow motion with the sound effect for fun, As I recall, (possibly from Starlog), LM had language in his contract that required FF to appear periodically on the show to give her career a start. Also, as I recall, articles I read, after the show ended, LM and RDA often road houses together and some times they would make up lines in their TV characters for fun. Mostly Oscar trying to get Steve to go on a mission. Man if this was true I would have loved to be there for that.

You goofed...the movie was 1973, not 1963...lol. That's okay, we understood what you meant. Keep up the great work!

I think sometimes they got carried away with the sound effects, in the beginning when he ran it was just good music and a heart beat.

I was born in 1970. The Six Million Dollar Man and the Adam West Batman were all that I cared about. I got a lot of both sets of toys. They were tons of fun. I Really love this video.

I've always wanted a companion series, with a full Spec Ops team of Bionic operators. Back in the day, I was on the couch watching it religiously and was in on the bionic man craze. ch ch ch ch ch.....

Thanks again for bringing back the memories.

This was the first program I saw on TV. My 4 year old child brain was hooked by the intro. I still love the intro.

Appreciate that Lee Majors was a man that lived in the present. He was married to Farah Fawcett and was like, " I'm staying home now more guys. See ya."

Yeah, the Six Million Dollar Man was certainly part of my childhood. The action figure with the roll up skin on the arm with the plastic modules - I remember it like yesterday. Dan, I was surprised that Andre the Giant played the the original Bigfoot. You were announcing the actor and I said out loud Ted Cassidy… then I was like wait, what? At least he played future iterations and I didn’t misremember that😀

How did the first movie air on March 7th, 1963 when it wasn't made until the 1970's?

steves in the garage changing his oil while jamies in the nursery winding up the children

I still get chills watching the opening sequence.

You forgot about MAX, the bionic dog.

First aired on March 7 1963 ? No Sir... you meant to say -1973 - . I was there. Every Friday night in front of the tv 8pm on channel 11 in Salinas Ca. Channel 11 then was an ABC affiliate airing from San Jose Ca. Thet Bionic Dog ? The Bionic Boy ?

According to The Venture Brothers, Steve and Bigfoot live happily together in an classified cabin somewhere in Colorado

I met Lee Majors and Richard Anderson (RIP) at a Comic convention in New York in 2008. I received their autographs and shook hands. They were unbearably cool and very nice. 👍

25:23 Same here. A wise man once said "How does it feel to live long enough to see all your favourite francises go down in flames?" I know how it feels.