Lindsay Wagner: "The Bionic Woman" and much more

Lindsay Wagner, as the "Bionic Woman", with longtime co-star Lee Majors,
as the "Six Million Dollar Man", in a 1987 reunion movie.
Source: https://www.amazon.com/
Return-Six-Million-Dollar-Bionic-Woman-Region/dp/B0030YGDNG
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She will always be the “Bionic Woman”, but in the 1980s branched out into TV movies and even tried another series, before returning to the role that made her famous.

That was the life of Lindsay Wagner in the 1980s.

The years before
Lindsay Wagner broke out with a role in the motion picture “The Paper Chase” in 1973, which is set in a law school, and the pilot of “The Rockford Files” where she played Rockford’s first client.

That led into her initial role as Jaime Sommers. She was a professional tennis player who was the girlfriend of Steve Austin, an astronaut who, after an accident, was outfitted with bionic legs, an arm, and eye to become “the Six Million Dollar Man”. Jaime also suffers a skydiving accident that should kill her, but Steve convinces the government to make Jaime bionic too. So she is outfitted with two bionic legs, an arm and an ear. At first it works, but then Jaime’s body starts to reject her bionics and, in one of the first times I ever cried over a TV show, she died.

However, because of the popularity of the character, the story was somewhat re-written to bring Jaime Sommers back and launch her on her own as “The Bionic Woman”.

The show lasted from 1976 to 1978, cancelled the same year as “The Six Million Dollar man”, which ran from 1973 to 1978.

Lindsay Wagner with a young Keanu Reeves, at left, and veteran
actor Robert Urich, at right, in "Young Again", a 1986 TV movie.
Source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092269/mediaviewer/rm1525814528
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TV movies
Lindsay Wagner kept very busy in the 1980s, appearing virtually every year in a TV movie of some kind. I saw many of them, but two really stick out.

One was “Young Again”, which was made in 1986 and aired on "The Disney Sunday Movie". On CBC, the movies were aired at 6 p.m. on Sunday nights, in two parts. Often, as I got busier, I would tape them and watch the two parts back to back.

“Young Again” was one such movie, and it was a favourite of mine. It starts with the main character, played by Robert Urich, celebrating his 40th birthday and beginning to feel his age. He is riding a bus one night and meets an old man played by Jack Gilford. He wishes he was young again. It turns out the old man is an angel of some sort and grants his wish. Suddenly, Robert Urich is transformed into a young version of himself, played by a young Keanu Reeves.

Throughout his life, he lamented the girl who got away. So he returns to his home town and becomes a high school basketball star. He meets a girl who takes an interest in him and he in her. She takes him to meet her mom and it is – the girl who got away. She’s all grown up now, and played by Lindsay Wagner.

It was an excellent show, I would like to see again without being cut into two pieces and riddled with commercials.

Lindsay Wagner in "Child's Cry" in 1987.
Source: https://www.themoviescene.co.uk/
reviews/childs-cry-1986/childs-cry-1986.html
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The other was “A Child’s Cry” in 1987, where Wagner plays a social worker counselling a boy she
suspects of being abused. How she finally finds out the truth is awesome too. This too was cut up. I taped it as well, but watched it only when I had time, in about three sittings.

Series television
Wagner guest starred in various shows. One of note was a spot in “The Fall Guy” where she reunited with series star Lee Majors, who had played “The Six Million Dollar Man”.

Another guest spot was on “Kate and Allie” in an episode called, “Late Bloomer”. In it, Kate takes a cooking class taught by a woman, played by Wagner, who also teaches acting and studies psychology when not arguing with her mother about moving home. It was intended to be a pilot for a series, but never went beyond that.

Wagner did try another series I heard a lot about called “Jessie”, but only lasted 10 episodes in 1984. She played a psychiatrist who worked for the police to help the department and victims. Tony Lo Bianco played her police contact and Celeste Holm played her mother.

It was also a victim of bouncing around the schedule, and was hard to find for me on the peasant vision dial. When I did find it, it was on Channel 7.

The return
In one of the coolest turns of the 1980s, I heard that a “Six Million Dollar Man Bionic Woman” reunion was airing. It was in the spring, May of 1987 near the end of Grade 12. It even made the cover of “TV Guide”.

I ended up watching the movie on a Sunday night at a kind of house party.

The show, set 10 years after the original series ends, focuses on Jaime Sommers and Steve Austin coming out of retirement to stop a new, evil organization. Jaime has also suffered a concussion, which restores all the memories she lost when her body rejected her bionics – including her love for Steve.

It was everything I expected. It was awesome.

Two years later, I was home for a visit in April of 1989 and watched the second sequel, “Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman.” This time around, a diplomatic crisis is triggered when someone with bionics steals top secret information.

This movie also starred Sandra Bullock, in her first major role, as a young bionic woman Jaime mentors.

Parting thoughts
Lindsay Wagner keeps working. Most recently I saw her in “Grey’s Anatomy”, playing the lost mother of Alex Karev, and in the TV movie, “Eat, Play, Love” where she reunites with Lee Majors in sub-plot of the movie.

What struck me was how good she still looks.

For boys of a certain age, everyone had a crush on “The Bionic Woman” Some had her poster hanging in their room. Others had a photo of her cut out of one of the many teen and entertainment magazines she was in. She was the perfect blend of beauty, charm, intelligence, and confidence.

Not really that much has changed.