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| Production 43003 Original Airdate: October 26, 1975 | |||
 Episode-at-a-glance.
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| Produced by Kenneth Johnson | |||
| Written by Larry Alexander | |||
| Directed by Jerry London | |||
| Guest Cast | |||
| Guest Star(s) Denny Miller as Jeremy Burke Barbara Rhodes as Kelly Wixted | |||
| Co-starring Rafer Johnson as Thaddeus Jones Ivor Francis as Dr. Morton Craig | |||
| With Hank Stohl as Ben Cosgrove Skeeter Vaughan as Charlie Two Feathers | |||
| Broadcast Order | |||
| Season 3 | |||
| ← Previous | Next → | ||
| "The Deadly Test" | "One of Our Running Backs Is Missing" | ||
Summary
Steve Austin signs on as a lumberjack following the disappearance of a government agent who reported a missile system installation near the Wixted Lumber Camp. Steve learns that foreman Jeremy Burke is involved, and surmises that the missile's only purpose would be to destroy a passing plane. Oscar Goldman determines that the missile system came from a facility headed by Dr. Morton Craig, who arrives at the lumber camp just as the plane, carrying key men in the President's cabinet, is due to fly over.
Deconstructed
Quotes
Steve: How many times do I gotta prove to you that I'm a lumberjack?
Jeremy: (sighs) You're still working on the first time.
Kelly: What are you doing here? Jeremy told me he sent you to work on the West Ridge.
Steve: Yeah, well, eh, I finished up on the trees he showed me and I wasn't sure which ones he wanted to cut next.
Kelly: Probably some of the ones with branches on them.
Steve: Right.
Morton: Lock them up in that explosives shed down the road. Stand on guard at a distance. If they try to escape, put a bullet in a case of explosives and blow them up!
Steve: Could you use another hand?
Kelly: Are you kidding? If I had you around full time, I wouldn't need anybody else.
Oscar: You can have him part of the time, that's all.
Kelly: Well that's a whole lot better than nothing.
Steve: Well Oscar, you sure you don't wanna lumber along with us?
Oscar: You're barking up the wrong tree, pal.
Trivia
Locations
- Some of the scenes showing lumber operations are from the feature film "Sometimes a Great Notion" per producer Kenneth Johnson in his commentary on the 2010 US video release. Other scenes were shot in Franklin Canyon Park, the same location that "The Secret of Bigfoot" was filmed.
Crew
- Writer Larry Alexander was the only contributor to the initial TV movies ("The Solid Gold Kidnapping") to write an episode of the series proper.
Character
- Steve adopts the pseudonym "Steve Parker" in this episode.
- We learn that Steve was one of the pilots who flew over Cuba during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Crew
- Oliver Nelson, composer of the Six Million Dollar Man Theme and the majority of the incidental music in the series to this point, died the day after this episode was broadcast.
Gaffes
- When Steve and Jeremy are in balance on a floating trunk, Steve starts running bionically making the trunk spinning fast and Jeremy ends into the river. But while he's falling down the trunk doesn't spin.
Conjecture
- Even artificial skin & bionic parts would be damaged by a chain saw, so why doesn't anyone mention the damage Steve must have taken during the fight with Jeremy? Jeremy revs the saw & swings it at Steve, who uses his right hand to stop the saw. However, no damage is shown or mentioned.
Gallery
