Bionic Showdown was the
second of three TV "reunion" movies based on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman,
popular action/adventure shows which aired on ABC in the mid-1970s. It featured the familiar characters of Colonel
Steve Austin (Lee Majors) and Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner). In this particular installment, they reunite to face off
against a bionic spy. The cast also included Richard Anderson who reprised the role of Oscar Goldman, the government
supervisor of both bionic characters.
Michael Sloan was the executive producer of
the movie, and had previously worked with RL on an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Sloan also
created the TV series The Equalizer, a show in which RL played the recurring character of Control. The two
would later work together on Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.
Bionic Showdown was filmed
in Toronto in January 1989 and aired on NBC on April 30, 1989.
Unfortunately, the movie has not been released on either VHS or DVD, but it is
available through several tape-trading sites on the internet and I do have a copy of it in my personal collection. If
you are interested in obtaining a copy, email me for more information.
CAST:
Lindsay Wagner... Jaime Sommers
Lee Majors... Col. Steve Austin
Richard Anderson... Oscar Goldman
Sandra Bullock... Kate Mason
Jeff
Yagher... Jim Goldman
Martin E. Brooks... Dr.
Rudy Wells
Lee Majors II... Jim Castillian
Josef Sommer... Charles Estiman
Geraint Wyn Davies... Allan Devlin
Lawrence Dane... General Dzerinsky
Robert Lansing... General McAllister
Carolyn Dunn... Sally
Jack Blum... Larry
Andy Dan... Comrade Kellagyn
David Adamson... Randall
James Kee... O.S.I. Officer
Marcia Levine... Tanya
Robert McClure... Dr. Williams
David Nerman... Peter
Steve
Pernie... Russ
Steve Morris... Sports Announcer
PRODUCTION:
Produced by... Michael Sloan (executive producer),
Bernadette Joyce and Nigel Watts (producers), Richard Anderson and Lee Majors (co-producers), and Bill Goddard (associate
producer)
Directed by... Alan J. Levi
Written by... Michael Sloan and Brock Choy (teleplay);
Michael Sloan and Robert De Laurentiis (story)
Original Music... Bill Conti
Cinematographer... Maris H. Jansons
Costume Design... Delphine
White
Film Editor... Bill Goddard
First Assistant Director... Tony Lucibello
Second Assitant Director... Anne Marie Ferney
Art Director... Tony Hall
Music Editor... Stephen A. Hope
Sound Editor... Victor B. Lackey
Production Assistant...
Lan Lamon
Set Decorator... Megan Less
Sound Mixer... Clark McCarron
Boom Operator... Bob Holbrook
Music Editor... Stephen A. Hope
Make-up Artist... Irma Parkkonen
Hair Stylist... Divyo Rae
Putney
Production Co-ordinator... Sandie Pereira
Stunt Co-ordinator... Branko Racki
Stunts... Steve Lucescu, John Stoneham, Jr.
Casting (Canada)... Ellen Lubin Sanitsky, Laela Weinzweig
Production
Manager... Marilyn Stonehouse
Property Master... Byron Patchett
NOTES:
--Michael Sloan and Melissa Sue Anderson (Little House on the Prairie, The Equalizer)
were married in 1990 and they have two children, a daughter named Piper (1991) and a son named Griffin (1996).
--Lee Majors first became a star playing Heath Barkley in the TV western The Big Valley.
He is still acting and recently appeared in the movie Big Fat Liar.
--Lindsay Wagner is the niece of Dallas star Linda Gray.
--The movie was one of superstar Sandra Bullock's first roles.
--Bill Conti has written the score to hundreds of movies and TV shows and had a #1 hit in 1976 with
"Gonna Fly Now", the theme of the motion picture Rocky.
--Alan J. Levi is currently directing episodes of Navy NCIS and has worked on
many other shows, including ER, JAG, and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.
--Robert De Laurentiis is currently the executive producer of The O.C.
--Geraint Wyn Davies starred in the TV series Forever Knight and later worked
with RL in the Kung Fu: The Legend Continues episode "The Possessed", in which he played Lawrence.
--Lawrence Dane played Arthur Trent in "The Mystery of Manon", an episode of The Equalizer
that heavily featured RL's character, Control.
--Bernadette Joyce was an associate producer on both The Equalizer and Kung Fu: The
Legend Continues.
