OfficialBionicWoman.com Member Forum

Notice how if you bought the DVDs from the UK of the second season how Universal did NOT include the _The Return of Bigfoot_ (Parts 1 & 2) in the packaging. (I also bought the first season as well--I just couldn't handle waiting any longer for the series to appear in the U.S.A.)

That reminds me - anyone got these?

S

I have both episodes with part 2 in the original broadcast form.

The Return of Bigfoot part 2 has the original opening title from The Bionic Woman and Lee Majors is credited as "special guest" in contrast to the syndicated version where the same episode has the SMDM opening title sequence and Lyndsay Wagner being credited as "special guest".

From _The Bionic Book_ by H.J. Pilato, BearManor Media, 2007 from the author, pg. 267:

"Lee's mustache makes its first appearance."

nevs1989 Wrote:From _The Bionic Book_ by H.J. Pilato, BearManor Media, 2007 from the author, pg. 267:

"Lee's mustache makes its first appearance."

YES!!

Actually Steve had a mustach in "Blue Flash" and "Hocus Pocus" and those episodes were before "The Return of Bigfoot".

The mustache that he had in those two episodes were fake. It was all a part of his cover. If you watch those two episodes and then watch the Return of Bigfoot and Kill Oscar episodes you will see a difference.

ive got the return of bigfoot 1&2 on avi

soxs93 Wrote:The mustache that he had in those two episodes were fake. It was all a part of his cover.

Yeah but it was still dirt under his nose.

Okay I have another pre-Return of Bigfoot facial hair episode:



Target in the Sky.... and that is NOT a fake.

Is that what I hear called Bigfoot V??

Anyone have idea why they cut return of the big foot out of the UK box set

(09-12-2008 06:14 AM)shane Wrote: Guests cannot see links in the messages. Please register to forum by clicking here to see links.Anyone have idea why they cut return of the big foot out of the UK box set

I'm guessing because season 3 of SMDM has not been released...Part 1 of the story was the opening episode....while part 2 was the opening episode for season 2 of TBW...Just a guess.

I would like to know too!!! I became very upset when I received my DVD box from UK and didn't find these episodes...

(05-19-2008 12:53 AM)Dolenz Wrote: Guests cannot see links in the messages. Please register to forum by clicking here to see links.

soxs93 Wrote:The mustache that he had in those two episodes were fake. It was all a part of his cover.

Yeah but it was still dirt under his nose.

Okay I have another pre-Return of Bigfoot facial hair episode:



Target in the Sky.... and that is NOT a fake.

He certainly loks quiet different.. very modern WOW!!

(09-12-2008 07:18 AM)nevs1989 Wrote: Guests cannot see links in the messages. Please register to forum by clicking here to see links.

(09-12-2008 06:14 AM)shane Wrote: Guests cannot see links in the messages. Please register to forum by clicking here to see links.Anyone have idea why they cut return of the big foot out of the UK box set

I'm guessing because season 3 of SMDM has not been released...Part 1 of the story was the opening episode....while part 2 was the opening episode for season 2 of TBW...and the story was previously released on laser disc in the 1980s....Just a guess.

I'm surprised to find this issue isn't more well known. This issue is a legacy of what happened in 78 when the shows ended and they were "reconfigured" for syndication.

I'll take the long way, so forgive me if I bore you. The people at Universal responsible for reconfiguring the two bionic shows had two big problems:
1: The Six Million Dollar Man began with 3 90-minute telefilms, and syndication was a straight-up, 1 hour slot deal.
2: The two shows had 3 multipart episodes that spanned the shows, which needed to be sold seperately without dependencies.

The aforementioned "folks" seized the bull by the horns and made some tough calls. Rather that try to cut 30 minutes from the telefilms, they added 30, with stock footage, voice overs, and footage from other episodes. The three crossover epics were split like the Gordian Knot: The Bionic Woman gained the first half of "Welcome Home, Jaime" and Part II of "Kill Oscar," while The Six Million Dollar Man got "The Return of Bigfoot, Part II".

They did a sloppy job in each case save one: "Welcome Home, Jaime" got the first-class version of the "series reassignment surgery", looking every bit as though it had never been an episode of the 3rd season of the Six Million Dollar Man. The opening credits, the supers after the break (with the episode title, guest cast and producing/writing/directing credits) and the tail credits all redone to reflect its new life as the first episode of The Bionic Woman. The other 2 were not so lucky, with "The Return of Bigfoot, Part II" getting only the intro sequence changed, leading to Lindsay, the star, being uncredited altogether, and Lee being credited as both star and guest. "Kill Oscar, Part II" has the same problem, but the tail credits were altered to match the Bionic Woman style, unlike TRoB2.

Inertia, my guess, is why these 30 year old brainfart decisions are getting reissued, that and the whole "no region 1" thing. I have some hope that a pending R1 release could get them to revisit all of this. The syndication changes were poorly handled efforts to get the "Bionic Materials" in shape for a particular market. Home Video should get at least as much attention, where the 1-hour format doesn't matter, and the title switch thing, intended to prevent confusion for channel surfers, doesn't weigh as heavy as the desire for collectors and nostalgia hounds to have the original versions.

The 3 TV movies drag and hurt from their re-edits; the original cuts need to come back. The episodes that got swapped should be duplicated instead; that way nobody "loses" anything, and if SMDM fans miss the rest of Kill Oscar, or TBW fans want part one of TRoB, well they never had them, on the air or in syndication, but at least what was lost is restored, and the shows get to keep the eps they gain for syndication as well. One episode per season is not a huge concession.

PS: The Secret of Bigfoot was released on DiscoVision in 1978, but Return never was. Oh, and SMDM also had three 2-hour "events" that got spilt down the middle, the least problematic yet probably also the easiest fix.

On the 'stache. The prior appearances of 'dirt' on Steve's face were incidents. The Return 'stache was a lifestyle choice.

It really was a major look change for the show. Lee's face had become an icon. It happened at a time when the show was starting to show its age, and the 'stache, perhaps unfairly, is associated with the sense that the show was flagging.

Back to what I mentioned earlier, if a guy is going back to his cave, that's a time when he grows it out. The interest of the OS is really part of the larger issue of "maintaining," a guy stops maintaining and he may grow it out.

While I consider myself a SMDM fan first, TBW second, this was the moment, back in Fall '76, when I started to feel that the ground had shifted, and maybe the new show had more life in it than the old. I don't blame the 'stache.

For those about to rock we salute you WOW Great info Major Sloan Have you or anyone bought bootlegs of either show if so how did everything turn out tell me Thanks Shane

(09-24-2008 08:33 PM)Major Sloan Wrote: Guests cannot see links in the messages. Please register to forum by clicking here to see links.

(09-12-2008 07:18 AM)nevs1989 Wrote: Guests cannot see links in the messages. Please register to forum by clicking here to see links.

(09-12-2008 06:14 AM)shane Wrote: Guests cannot see links in the messages. Please register to forum by clicking here to see links.Anyone have idea why they cut return of the big foot out of the UK box set

I'm guessing because season 3 of SMDM has not been released...Part 1 of the story was the opening episode....while part 2 was the opening episode for season 2 of TBW...and the story was previously released on laser disc in the 1980s....Just a guess.

I'm surprised to find this issue isn't more well known. This issue is a legacy of what happened in 78 when the shows ended and they were "reconfigured" for syndication.

I'll take the long way, so forgive me if I bore you. The people at Universal responsible for reconfiguring the two bionic shows had two big problems:
1: The Six Million Dollar Man began with 3 90-minute telefilms, and syndication was a straight-up, 1 hour slot deal.
2: The two shows had 3 multipart episodes that spanned the shows, which needed to be sold seperately without dependencies.

The aforementioned "folks" seized the bull by the horns and made some tough calls. Rather that try to cut 30 minutes from the telefilms, they added 30, with stock footage, voice overs, and footage from other episodes. The three crossover epics were split like the Gordian Knot: The Bionic Woman gained the first half of "Welcome Home, Jaime" and Part II of "Kill Oscar," while The Six Million Dollar Man got "The Return of Bigfoot, Part II".

They did a sloppy job in each case save one: "Welcome Home, Jaime" got the first-class version of the "series reassignment surgery", looking every bit as though it had never been an episode of the 3rd season of the Six Million Dollar Man. The opening credits, the supers after the break (with the episode title, guest cast and producing/writing/directing credits) and the tail credits all redone to reflect its new life as the first episode of The Bionic Woman. The other 2 were not so lucky, with "The Return of Bigfoot, Part II" getting only the intro sequence changed, leading to Lindsay, the star, being uncredited altogether, and Lee being credited as both star and guest. "Kill Oscar, Part II" has the same problem, but the tail credits were altered to match the Bionic Woman style, unlike TRoB2.

Inertia, my guess, is why these 30 year old brainfart decisions are getting reissued, that and the whole "no region 1" thing. I have some hope that a pending R1 release could get them to revisit all of this. The syndication changes were poorly handled efforts to get the "Bionic Materials" in shape for a particular market. Home Video should get at least as much attention, where the 1-hour format doesn't matter, and the title switch thing, intended to prevent confusion for channel surfers, doesn't weigh as heavy as the desire for collectors and nostalgia hounds to have the original versions.

The 3 TV movies drag and hurt from their re-edits; the original cuts need to come back. The episodes that got swapped should be duplicated instead; that way nobody "loses" anything, and if SMDM fans miss the rest of Kill Oscar, or TBW fans want part one of TRoB, well they never had them, on the air or in syndication, but at least what was lost is restored, and the shows get to keep the eps they gain for syndication as well. One episode per season is not a huge concession.

PS: The Secret of Bigfoot was released on DiscoVision in 1978, but Return never was. Oh, and SMDM also had three 2-hour "events" that got spilt down the middle, the least problematic yet probably also the easiest fix.

Thank you for explaining! I corrected my post that you have quoted! ~Nevs

Universal doesn't even list these shows in there catalog to be released on DVD? Yet there are others listed not on DVD It seems they don't own the series

I have a copy of the 90 minute version of the pilot.

However. I still liked both versions despite the obvious stock footage of Darkside of the Moon inserted at the begining.

Adding footage from Deadly Replay was a nice touch as well.

I never understood why Martin Balsam was rehired to reprise Rudy for voice over naration when infact Martin E Brooks was Rudy three tears after the accident.