The 1975 TV series “Wonder Woman” is deeply beloved by dutiful Gen-Xers who watched it as children. The show’s combination of silly action, funky music, and campy humor hit a sweet spot, presenting the title heroine as bold, strong, and capable, but also upbeat, happy, and capable of whimsy. Also, because lead actress Lynda Carter is so dazzling, many Gen-Xers may confess to having a crush on Wonder Woman at some point. The series was a hit, lasting 59 episodes over three seasons. Along with 1952’s “The Adventures of Superman,” 1966’s “Batman,” and 1978’s “The Incredible Hulk,” “Wonder Woman” was, for many decades, one of the most celebrated superhero TV shows ever made.
“Wonder Woman” began its life as a 1974 pilot starring Cathy Lee Crosby, as a reimagined version of the character. That pilot didn’t fly, but ABC was eager to do something successful with the character and launched a second pilot in the form of “The New Original Wonder Woman” in 1975. That version was picked up and became the series we all know and love today. Carter was to star opposite Lye Waggoner, who played the character of Steve Trevor. Fun trivia: Waggoner nearly played Batman in 1966, but lost out to Adam West.
Also on the series was Beatrice Colen, who played the comic relief military secretary Etta Candy in the show’s first season. She was accompanied by the military commander General Philip Blankenship, played by Richard Eastham in the first pilot, and John Randolph in the second. Wonder Woman communicates to the military through an intermediary throughout her series. In season 2, it was Joe Atkinson (Norman Burton), and in season three, he was joined by Eve Welch (S. Pearl Sharp, credited as Saundra Sharp). Debra Winger would also occasionally show up as Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman’s younger sister, as would her mother Hippolyta, played variously by Cloris Leachman, Carolyn Jones, and Beatrice Strait. Tom Kratochvil played the voice of Wonder Woman’s advanced crime computer IRAC.
Of the above performers, only three are still alive. We were unable to find information on Tom Kratochvil.