This Day in Pop Culture for November 7

1975: Lynda Carter Embodies Wonder Woman

The first Wonder Woman movie was not shown on the big screen, but rather, the small screen. ABC aired a made-for-TV Wonder Woman movie which was produced by Warner Bros. in March of 1974. However, the star of the movie was blond-haired Cathy Lee Crosby who looked nothing like the iconic comic book character and wore a different costume. Intended as a pilot for TV series, the ratings were a bit lackluster, and the network passed on the series.

On this day in 1975, Warner Bros. and ABC gave the series another try with a new movie entitled, The New Original Wonder Woman.

For the second movie, Lynda Carter donned the costume which looked a lot more like the traditional superhero. And this time it worked. The first two episodes of the new series debuted in April of 1976 and then followed up with the rest of season 1 that October.

Set during the 1940’s (which was in line with the original comic book series) and campy, the series was a big success for ABC. It also starred Lyle Waggoner as Steve Trevor. However, the show was expensive to produce, and the network stalled on renewing the show for a second season. While they were making up their mind, CBS expressed interest in the show but only if the show could be set during the modern 1970s instead of World War II.

CBS began airing The New Adventures of Wonder Woman with Princess Diana now serving with the Inter-Agency Defense Command. Carter was the only character to continue her role in the show. Waggoner continued on too, only now playing Steve Trevor’s son, Steve Jr.

With ratings declining, the series ended with its third season on September 11, 1979. (Images: TVDB)

1918: Billy Graham is Born

It was on this day in 1918 that William Franklin “Billy” Graham, Jr. was born in North Carolina who grew up to become a “celebrity” Southern Baptist minister. Unlike many other famous preachers, Graham was one of the most respected. He held many “crusades” where thousands would attend, and hundreds would turn their lives over to Jesus Christ.

Graham served as a spiritual advisor to many U.S. presidents, bailed Martin Luther King Jr. out of jail in the 1960’s and had operated a number of media and publishing outlets. Though Graham’s health had been failing for years (having Parkinson’s disease since 1992, dealing with hydrocephalus, pneumonia, broken hips, and even prostate cancer) he never completely retired. Graham passed away on February 21, 2018, at the age of 99.

2014: ‘Big Hero 6’ is Here

The first Disney animated movie to be based on a Marvel Comics franchise was released in theaters on this day in 2014. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Big Hero 6 was loosely based on the Marvel comic book series of the same name.

Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, the story centers on Hiro Hamada, a robotics prodigy who helps to form a superhero team which includes the lovable Baymax, an inflatable robot.

The movie featured the voice talents of Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney, T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans, Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, Alan Tudyk, James Cromwell, Maya Rudolph and even included a cameo from Marvel Comics creator, Stan Lee. It was the highest grossing animated film for 2014 and won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature as well as the Kid’s Choice Award for Favorite Animated Movie. In 2017, a new animated TV series based on the movie debuted on Disney XD.