The character of Wonder Woman was created by Harvard psychologist William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in DC Comics in 1941. In the war years, Wonder Woman helped the Allied forces fought the Axis. By the 1970s, Wonder Woman became the symbol of women's power and women's liberation. Debbie McAlister recalled, "According to the legend, long ago the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyte, molded the figure of a child from clay.
"The goddess Aphrodite brought it to life and the little girl grew up to be Princess Diana, known to mortals as Wonder Woman. She came from Paradise Island, land of the Amazons." During World War II, the spirit of Athena appeared before Queen Hippolyte and told her, "American liberty and freedom must be preserved! You must send (her) your strongest and wisest Amazon – the finest of your wonder women! – for America. The last citadel of democracy, and of equal rights for women, needs your help!"
Jenette Kahn grew up in the mid 1950s. She was 30 in January 1978. At the time, Jenette was the publisher of DC Comics. She told 'Newsday', "Batman was my hero. Wonder Woman was an Amazon from an alien island, based on Greek mythology, not an ordinary mortal like Batman – like I could become. I think there's been a change in the writers of comic books (by the 1970s).
"For one thing, there's a whole new generation of writers, some as young as their late teens, some in their 20s. Half the comic books are written by people under 30 who have grown up in a period of – what shall I call it? – raised consciousness. I think a lot of them have reassessed themselves and their attitude toward women, and their writing reflects their own experience and attitudes."
It was the decade marking the evolution of women in society, if not on television. By the start of the 1980s, Jenette Kahn told the 'Chicago Tribune', "Wonder Woman is not just a male hero in female garb. She is not just a little girl's fantasy, a little boy's fantasy. She has been embraced by women of all ages as a symbol of their independence. She has been on everything from Girl Scout recruiting posters to the first cover of 'Ms.' magazine.
"We wanted to perpetuate all the things she stands for by bringing them out of the realm of fantasy. In terms of women's needs and issues, women over 40 seemed most neglected (at the time). Their plight is considerable. So many did not have the advantage of more liberalized rules that younger women did (the generation after the war) – establishing their own identities, going to work. They raised children. Some divorced, some were widowed. In terms of life expectancy, they have many years ahead, but do not look forward to them because they don't know what to do with themselves. Life is not over at 40."
Margalo Ashley Bennett of New York NOW's media image committee conceded at the time, "I remember Wonder Woman in the 1950s, but it was total fantasy. I knew that real women didn't do anything like that. That was so active. It was just tokenism." Gloria Steinem wrote the essay in a 160-page text-and-picture book 'Wonder Woman' published by Holt, Rinehart & Winston in 1973.
In the essay, Gloria Steinem stated, "If we had all read more about Wonder Woman and less about Dick and Jane, the new wave of the feminist revolution might have happened less painfully and sooner. Wonder Woman symbolizes many of the values of the women's culture that feminists are now (in 1972) trying to introduce into the mainstream:-
"Strength and self-reliance for women, sisterhood and mutual support among women, peacefulness and esteem for human life, a diminishment both of 'masculine' aggression and of the belief that violence is the only way of solving conflicts. This beautiful Amazon did have some fantastic gadgets to help her: an invisible plane that carried her through dimensions of time and space, a golden magic lasso and bullet-proof bracelets. But she still had to get to the plane, throw the lasso with accuracy and be agile enough to catch bullets on the steel-enclosed wrists."
In 1973, Wonder Woman made her first TV appearance in the Saturday morning cartoon series, 'Super-Friends'. That was followed by the first live-action telemovie which was shown in March 1974 starring Cathy Lee Crosby. The movie attracted a modest following. Modest enough to warrant a remake. The remake starring Lynda would be written by Stanley Ralph Ross and shown in November 1975 attracted 18% household ratings and 32% audience share.
Lynda Carter told the press, "I grew up reading Wonder Woman comics and Nancy Drew mysteries. I want people to realize that I'm me, Lynda Carter, an ordinary actress. I'm not a super woman, and I don't ever want anybody confusing me with Wonder Woman. They'd just be disappointed. When I leave the studio, the costume remains there. I won't make public appearances as Wonder Woman. I am not a circus performer. I feel very strongly about that. But I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to get away from the Wonder Woman image completely. Without her I wouldn't have had the opportunity to star at Caesars Palace.
"The image of Wonder Woman is important, something to believe in. The fact that she's a woman who is a hero is important to young girls. Pure in thought and deed for 2000 years – that's me (as Wonder Woman during the CBS years). I'd like to humanize her, make her more fun. Make her more believable. It isn't easy, you know, to make people believe in a girl who takes off her glasses, spins around a couple of times and emerges in a kind of hot pants American Flag outfit to wrap her belt around you and make you tell everything you know.
"That's not the most convincing part ever written. She may not have been a really believable character, but at least Wonder Woman didn't wear a mask like Batman. My attitude was that she couldn't help what she was and I tried to make her behave as a normal person despite her special powers. We've made Wonder Woman idealistic and productive. It's like you want to believe there is a Santa Claus. We have to have a sense of humor.
"We take it seriously, but with an ability to laugh at it, too. I tried to give her a sense of humor and vulnerability. I'm a lot more vulnerable than she ever was, that's for sure. Teenagers seem to be looking for idealism in a world that isn't idealistic and Wonder woman is idealistic. I think that's why young people identify with her and with me. The character is an idealistic character, which is responsible for a lot of the show's success." The episodes switched from World War II to 1977 society, Lynda Carter had described as "a unique show. Each story is different, not continuing." The series consistently attracted between 23% and 29% share of the audience.
Lynda Carter told the press, "I grew up reading Wonder Woman comics and Nancy Drew mysteries. I want people to realize that I'm me, Lynda Carter, an ordinary actress. I'm not a super woman, and I don't ever want anybody confusing me with Wonder Woman. They'd just be disappointed. When I leave the studio, the costume remains there. I won't make public appearances as Wonder Woman. I am not a circus performer. I feel very strongly about that. But I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to get away from the Wonder Woman image completely. Without her I wouldn't have had the opportunity to star at Caesars Palace.
"The image of Wonder Woman is important, something to believe in. The fact that she's a woman who is a hero is important to young girls. Pure in thought and deed for 2000 years – that's me (as Wonder Woman during the CBS years). I'd like to humanize her, make her more fun. Make her more believable. It isn't easy, you know, to make people believe in a girl who takes off her glasses, spins around a couple of times and emerges in a kind of hot pants American Flag outfit to wrap her belt around you and make you tell everything you know.
"That's not the most convincing part ever written. She may not have been a really believable character, but at least Wonder Woman didn't wear a mask like Batman. My attitude was that she couldn't help what she was and I tried to make her behave as a normal person despite her special powers. We've made Wonder Woman idealistic and productive. It's like you want to believe there is a Santa Claus. We have to have a sense of humor.
"We take it seriously, but with an ability to laugh at it, too. I tried to give her a sense of humor and vulnerability. I'm a lot more vulnerable than she ever was, that's for sure. Teenagers seem to be looking for idealism in a world that isn't idealistic and Wonder woman is idealistic. I think that's why young people identify with her and with me. The character is an idealistic character, which is responsible for a lot of the show's success." The episodes switched from World War II to 1977 society, Lynda Carter had described as "a unique show. Each story is different, not continuing." The series consistently attracted between 23% and 29% share of the audience.
