Cyborgs: A Bionic Podcast

Case File will be a series of interviews with those who made our two bionic shows possible in the 70s — actors, directors, etc. First up is an interview with actor/writer Jim McMullan (SMDM: "The Thunderbird Connection" and BW: "Kill Oscar 3" & "The Martians Are Coming, The Martians Are Coming")

Growing up in Long Beach, Long Island, NY during the 1950's was a magical time for Jim McMullan. His fondest memories revolved around his friends, sports and making things. He was always creating something, inventing something, building something. That explains why he went off to college to learn more about art, design and architecture. He studied Industrial Design at New York University and Parsons School of Design for a year before enrolling in Kansas University's School of Architecture. For five years he involved himself in the arts: design, sculpture, art history and even theatre. After a girlfriend coaxed him into playing the lead in a college production of "Desire Under The Elms" by Eugene O'Neill, he spent much of his free time learning the craft of acting.

Jim graduated from the University of Kansas in 1961 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree. On a whim he went to Hollywood in 1961 to visit a friend and, through a chance meeting with playwright William Inge, he was given a screen test for Sam Peckinpah's Ride the High Country (1962) (Peckinpah directed the screen test). The test was sent to Universal Pictures, which put him under a seven-year contract, the start of a successful 40-year film career. During his four-year stay at Universal he made many TV pilots and starred opposite James Stewart as his son in the classic Shenandoah (1965). After leaving Universal he was given the co-lead for eight weeks opposite Vince Edwards in the series "Ben Casey" (1961). Jim has had the lead in a few series, such as "Chopper One" (1974), "Beyond Westworld" (1980), "The Young and the Restless" (1973) and most notably had a recurring role on the popular nighttime soap "Dallas" (1978) as Sen. Dowling, a part that lasted for 18 weeks. In 1970 he co-starred with Robert Redford and Gene Hackman in "Downhill Racer" (1969).

Jim has been a respected and highly recognizable actor for the past 40 years and has appeared in hundreds of TV series, movies and commercials. His many feature film credits include "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" (1981) and "Extreme Close-Up" (1973). He has guest-starred in over 150 TV shows including "MacGyver" (1985), "Doogie Howser, M.D." (1989), "The Six Million Dollar Man" (1974), "The F.B.I." (1965), "The Rockford Files" (1974), "Hart to Hart" (1979), "The A-Team" (1983), "9 to 5" (1986), "Stowaway to the Moon" (1975) (TV), "Father Knows Best: Home for Christmas" (1977) (TV), "Centennial" (1978) and "The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story" (1988) (TV).

A few years ago Jim's career expanded into book writing. Since then he has published nine books… Actors as Artists, Musicians As Artists, This Face You Got, Instant Zen, Happily Ever After, Hail To The Chief, Cheatin'Hearts, Broken Dreams & Stompted on Love, Do it Now Book & Clock and Flocks, Herds, Litters & Schools. In 2002, Jim returned from France after playing the role of Buffalo Bill for four years (1998-2002) in the "Buffalo Bill Wild West Show", a 1000-seat dinner theater production, just outside of Disneyland Paris. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaJ599XK6Jo

He and his wife Helene have been married 40 years. She is a Life Coach and Jewelry Artist. They have two sons who live in California. Sky is an advertising agency producer and Tysun is a filmmaker/editor. Jim & Helene split their time between their cabin in the Sequoia National Forest, near their boys, and a small town on the New Jersey shore where they sail & meditate. They recently completed a 4,000-mile, nine-month sailing adventure, from New Jersey to Key West, Florida, and back.

Official Website - http://jimmcmullan.com/

Artwork (under Harry Kovair) - http://www.harrykovair.com/Harry_Kovair/HOME.html

YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/senatordowling

http://www.youtube.com/buffalojimbo

http://www.youtube.com/buffalojimbo13

IMDb - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0573401/

BOOKS:

Flocks, Herds, Litters, and Schools - http://amzn.com/1450793614

http://www.aerodalepress.com/component/content/article/1/38-flocks-herds-litters-a-schools

Do It Now! Book & Clock set http://amzn.com/B005M4TCXA

Actors as Artists http://amzn.com/1885203020

Musicians as Artists - http://amzn.com/1885203063

Instant Zen - http://amzn.com/0804832986

Happily Ever After: The Wit and Wisdom of Marriage - http://amzn.com/1883318203

Cheatin' Hearts, Broken Dreams and Stomp - http://amzn.com/0440506484

Hail to the Chief - http://amzn.com/1881649857

This Face You Got Art of the Illustrator - http://amzn.com/1885203012

A doppelganger of Steve has been placed within the OSI, but when he is accidentally killed, Steve decides to take his place and find out who arranged for the duplicate. Joining John and Paul is Time Life Six Million Dollar Man DVD Collection consultant Matt Hankinson.

Comment on the episode here or write [email protected] or call 888-866-9010 or better still use the "Send Voicemail" tab on the left of the page to leave a message via your computer. Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

Rating:

Bionic Wiki entry

The Six Million Dollar Blog entry(coming soon)

Matt Hankinson writes, "Besides the Time-Life DVD release of SMDM (for which I served as "chief creative consultant"), I had previously worked with Herbie J Pilato on his long-in-development The Bionic Book , and served as consultant and wrote the episode copy for Rittenhouse Archive's 2004 Six Million Dollar Mantrading card series. I also attended both Bionicon conventions (2006 & 2007) and several of Lindsay Wagner's fan events. With the exception of Lee Majors, I've been fortunate to have met all the cast members and producer Kenneth Johnson. I've known both Paul and Joe from our years at the online forum, and have met Paul in-person at the Bionicons and Lindsay's events.

"I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I've been a HUGE fan of both bionic shows since I first saw the SMDM pilot movie when I was seven years old. It's literally been a life-long fascination and dedication for me. Getting to work so extensively on the SMDM DVD release was like a dream-come-true, and being able to bring a few friends along for the ride made it extra special."

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The last male golden cougar is in danger of making the extinction list as a group of ranchers want it dead. But Steve, at the request of an old friend of his, wants to save the cat, Teneha. Joining John and Paul is The Six Million Dollar Blog author Alex Green.

Comment on the episode here or write [email protected] or call 888-866-9010 or better still use the "Send Voicemail" tab on the left of the page to leave a message via your computer. Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

Rating:

Bionic Wiki entry

The Six Million Dollar Blog entry(coming soon)

Alex Green was born in San Diego where he has lived his whole life, rarely venturing outside the safe confines of Southern California. Growing up, his parents tried to persuade him that the funny manrunning in slow motion on the television wasn't worth watching, but he knew better. He knew much, much better.

A lifelong fan of The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, Alex hadn't been an adult for very long (some would say he still isn't) when he started making several trips a month up to Los Angelesto attend toy and collectibles shows in order to amass a huge collection of Bionic memorabilia. A vast collection that he no longer possesses due to an accident involving a pencil, a rabid weasel and arapidly descending elevator (Actually, the advent of eBay in the late 90's took the thrill of the hunt out of it for him, so he gave it up).

Currently working out of his modest two-bedroom apartment (or twelve-bedroom mansion as he refers to it when describing his digs to people who’ve never visited him at home), Alex is a free-lance webdesigner and the webmaster of The Six Million Dollar Blog. The newest Bionic site on the web except for all the others that have come after.

He hopes one day to meet his hero Lee Majors in person and his biggest regret in life is that he no longer fits into his Six Million Dollar Man jammies.

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Dr. Dolenz returns for one final confrontation with Steve. This time, he's taking no chances as he replaces Oscar with one of his robot duplicates. As Steve's most trusted friend, the robot manipulates Steve into a trap which could kill him. But Steve has a few tricks up his sleeve, thanks to his friend Barney, the inventor. Joining John and Paul to determine which is the real Oscar Goldman are author Dayton Ward and thesix1973.com webmaster Joseph Burns. Special thanks must go to Robin Spannell for the use of his audio recordings of original Six Million Dollar Man promos from ABC. Check out Robin's original music and tributes to Oliver Nelson's soundtrack for The Six Million Dollar Man here.

Comment on the episode here or write [email protected] or call 888-866-9010 or better still use the "Send Voicemail" tab on the left of the page to leave a message via your computer. Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

Rating:

Bionic Wiki entry

The Six Million Dollar Blog entry(coming soon)

Dayton Ward is the author of numerous media tie-in fiction works in such realms as Star Trek and The 4400. He is also the author of such original works asCounterstrike, The Last World War, Book 2and The Genesis Protocol. When he's not writing or working for a software design firm, he's busy indoctrinating his two lovely daughters into the worlds that have so seriously warped his mind.

Joseph Burns was born in Washington D.C., and grew up there until his family moved to California in the late 70's. A film and TV buff, he attended the Film/Video program at UC Santa Cruz, getting his bachelor's in 1996. After Film School, Joe moved to LA and worked in Post Production. He is the editor of "Skywalker: The David Thompson Story," a one hour sports documentary which aired on NBA-TV and was distributed on DVD by Image Entertainment.

In addition to video editing, Joe has developed websites, interactive CD-ROMs and DVDs. He operates the SMDM fan website "The Six 1973" and is a major contributor/admin at The Bionic Wiki. In 2010, he was recruited to advise Time-Life on The Six Million Dollar Man: The Complete Collection, and was interviewed for the set at the Pasadena Rock N' ComiCon last Spring.

Today Joe lives in San Francisco and is the owner of a very large cat named Fritz.

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Steve is sent to recover a missing nuclear device on a remote island in the South Pacific. There, he must deal with a Japanese solider who thinks that his country is still at war with the United States. But this isn't the typical crazed solider thinks the war is still ongoing. Writer Judy Burns crafts a story that far surpasses people's expectations of this type of story. Joining John and Paul is science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer.

Rating:

Bionic Wiki entry

The Six Million Dollar Blog entry(coming soon)

Robert J. Sawyer has won the Hugo, Nebula, John W. Campbell Memorial, Aurora, Hal Clement, and Audie Awards, all for best novel of the year, as well as the top SF awards in Japan, China, France, and Spain. According to the Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards, he is the #1 all-time worldwide leader in number of award wins as a science fiction or fantasy novelist. His 21st novel,Triggers, a 2012 title from Penguin Canada, was a Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, and Locus bestseller, and he’s hit #1 on the Amazon.com Technothrillers bestsellers list. Rob’s previous novels are all in print, including The Terminal Experiment; Calculating God; Hominids; Mindscan; Rollback; FlashForward (basis for the ABC TV series); and the WWW trilogy of Wake, Watch, and Wonder(each of which separately won the Aurora Award for Best Novel of the Year). His website is at sfwriter.com.

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A love from Steve's past comes back into his life and the two pick up their relationship where they left off. But when the woman's husband, a scientist thought dead, turns up very much alive and wanting to be reunited, it's a battle for Steve that bionics will not help. Joining John and Paul is author Dayton Ward. Comment on the episode here or write [email protected] or call 888-866-9010 or better still use the "Send Voicemail" tab on the left of the page to leave a message via your computer.

Rating:

Bionic Wiki entry

The Six Million Dollar Blog entry(coming soon)

Dayton Ward is the author of numerous media tie-in fiction works in such realms as Star Trek and The 4400. He is also the author of such original works as Counterstrike, The Last World War, Book 2and The Genesis Protocol. When he's not writing or working for a software design firm, he's busy indoctrinating his two lovely daughters into the worlds that have so seriously warped his mind.

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Donna Mills guest stars as a cryptologist with dreams of competing in the Olympics who has her life threatened during the trial competition. Steve is sent to safeguard her, but there is a traitor from within the security force. Joining John and Paul is Geek Radio Daily host Billy Flynn.

Rating:

Bionic Wiki entry

The Six Million Dollar Blog entry(coming soon)

Bill Vernon, AKA “the Wonderful Billy Flynn,” brings the funny each week on Geek Radio Daily! His daytime alter ego is mild-mannered (well, that part is a stretch) on-air talent at WRAR Radio Station in Virginia. He actually gets paid to sit on his butt and run his mouth! His “edumacation” is from UNC-Wilmington and the Columbia School of Broadcasting. When he is not gracing the podcasting airways with his comedic stylings, you can find Billy Flynn on Xbox Live (flynn71), rockin’ out on Guitar Hero or Rock Band, watching movies, reading comics, working out, or posting on the forums at geekradiodaily.com (ding!)

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An ambitious television reporter captures film footage of Steve in bionic action. She threatens to release the film unless she gets Steve's complete story. Oscar has one idea on how to handle it, but Steve has another - take her with them on vacation and convince her not to do what she's planning. What they all don't know is that her news director has bigger plans for her story, plans that will subsidize his early retirement, and he's willing to do almost anything to make it happen. Joining John and Paul is Time Life Six Million Dollar Man DVD set chief consultant, Matt Hankinson. Check out footage from the episode featuring music by Oliver Nelson.

Rating:

Bionic Wiki entry

The Six Million Dollar Blog entry

Matt Hankinson writes, "Besides the Time-Life DVD release of SMDM (for which I served as "chief creative consultant"), I had previously worked with Herbie J Pilato on his long-in-development The Bionic Book , and served as consultant and wrote the episode copy for Rittenhouse Archive's 2004 Six Million Dollar Mantrading card series. I also attended both Bionicon conventions (2006 & 2007) and several of Lindsay Wagner's fan events. With the exception of Lee Majors, I've been fortunate to have met all the cast members and producer Kenneth Johnson. I've known both Paul and Joe from our years at the online forum, and have met Paul in-person at the Bionicons and Lindsay's events.

"I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I've been a HUGE fan of both bionic shows since I first saw the SMDM pilot movie when I was seven years old. It's literally been a life-long fascination and dedication for me. Getting to work so extensively on the SMDM DVD release was like a dream-come-true, and being able to bring a few friends along for the ride made it extra special."

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Steve's plane crashes near the town of Broken Fork after his arm malfunctions. The malfunction brings amnesia and if not treated, death. Steve tries to discover his identity with the help of a psychologist who runs a clinic for mentally disturbed adults. The people of Broken Fork are scared of the patients and make every effort to run them out of town. Their fears increase with the arrival of the surprisingly strong Steve. The question is, what will kill Steve first, his malfunctioning arm or the crowd of ignorant townsfolk? Joining John and Paul is Time Life Six Million Dollar Man DVD set chief consultant, Matt Hankinson. Additional music for this episode provided by Robin Spanell. (Spanell's homepage) Comment on the episode here or write [email protected]

Rating:

Bionic Wiki entry

The Six Million Dollar Blog entry

Matt Hankinson writes, "Besides the Time-Life DVD release of SMDM (for which I served as "chief creative consultant"), I had previously worked with Herbie J Pilato on his long-in-development The Bionic Book , and served as consultant and wrote the episode copy for Rittenhouse Archive's 2004 Six Million Dollar Mantrading card series. I also attended both Bionicon conventions (2006 & 2007) and several of Lindsay Wagner's fan events. With the exception of Lee Majors, I've been fortunate to have met all the cast members and producer Kenneth Johnson. I've known both Paul and Joe from our years at the online forum, and have met Paul in-person at the Bionicons and Lindsay's events.

"I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I've been a HUGE fan of both bionic shows since I first saw the SMDM pilot movie when I was seven years old. It's literally been a life-long fascination and dedication for me. Getting to work so extensively on the SMDM DVD release was like a dream-come-true, and being able to bring a few friends along for the ride made it extra special."

Listen to Robin Spanell's piece in full.

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Steve is working with a team of scientists planting earthquake sensors on the ocean floor near the country of Santa Ventura. The country has broken diplomatic ties with the United States and the crew of the research vessel is unaware that they have drifted into Santa Ventura waters. The vessel is quickly taken by Santa Ventura authorities, the crew is arrested as spies, and Steve is trapped in a diving bel, cut away from the research vessel. Joining John and Paul is the wonderful Billy Flynn of Geek Radio Daily.

Rating:

Bionic Wiki entry

The Six Million Dollar Blog entry

Bill Vernon, AKA “the Wonderful Billy Flynn,” brings the funny each week on Geek Radio Daily! His daytime alter ego is mild-mannered (well, that part is a stretch) on-air talent at WRAR Radio Station in Virginia. He actually gets paid to sit on his butt and run his mouth! His “edumacation” is from UNC-Wilmington and the Columbia School of Broadcasting. When he is not gracing the podcasting airways with his comedic stylings, you can find Billy Flynn on Xbox Live (flynn71), rockin’ out on Guitar Hero or Rock Band, watching movies, reading comics, working out, or posting on the forums at geekradiodaily.com (ding!)