Bionic Woman: Bionic Beauty

"Bionic Beauty" is the seventh episode of season one of the 1970s sci-fi/action series The Bionic Woman. The episode was directed by Alan Crosland with a script written by James D. Parriott. It first aired on ABC on Wednesday, March 17th, 1976. In this episode, Oscar Goldman ropes Jaime Sommers into going undercover as a beauty pageant contestant to ferret out a link between corruption in the competition and a stolen micro-computer chip.

Story notes

 * Abilities demonstrated in this episode include: super-strength, superhuman durability, enhanced hearing and super-leaping.


 * The name of the hotel that the pageant is taking place at is called the Ambassador Hotel.


 * The beauty pageant in this episode is called Miss United States. Jaime, turns out to be the winner with Miss Florida, Miss Oklahoma, and Miss Tennessee as runner ups.

Allusions

 * Several references are made to Steve Austin in this episode. In fact, Jaime's song routine is dedicated to Steve. Oscar Goldman reveals that Steve is working the other side of the computer chip investigation in Brussels.


 * The song that Jaime performs at the talent competition is "Feelings", which was composed by singer Morris Albert and released in 1974.


 * Ray Ramond makes reference to Oscar Mayer in this episode. Oscar Mayer is a food production company that makes bologna an weiners.

Trivia

 * Jaime Sommers is not the only female action hero from 1976 to go undercover as a beauty pageant contestant. Only a few short months later, Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman, will do likewise in the "Beauty on Parade" episode of Wonder Woman (chronologically however, that event predates Jaime's pageant work by thirty years as the first season of the show was set in 1942).


 * Actor Gary Crosby is the son of legendary crooner Bing Crosby, and bears a strong resemblance to him. He is the uncle of future Star Trek: The Next Generation actress Denise Crosby.


 * Actors Martha Scott and Helen Craig were both born in 1912.

Bloopers

 * In a scene where Jaime Sommers leaps down from a balcony onto the ground, the face of Lindsay Wagner's stunt double, Rita Egleston is clearly seen.

Quotes

 * Jaime Sommers: Oscar look, before I put on this sash and go in there and make a fool out of myself, why don't you call this agent and make sure he wasn't joking, I mean this is a pretty silly message.
 * Oscar Goldman: I can't do that.
 * Jaime Sommers: Why?
 * Oscar Goldman: They found this agent this morning. Face down in the river Seine.
 * Jaime Sommers: Snorkeling?
 * Oscar Goldman: Dead.

....
 * Jaime Sommers: I feel like a side of beef, how do I look?
 * Helen Elgin: Terrific.
 * Jaime Sommers: You know I really liked by old legs better. I think they were better.

....
 * Oscar Goldman: And all this time I thought you were just a pretty face.
 * Jaime Sommers: Oscar, I am Miss United States!