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"Hocus-Pocus"
Series The Six Million Dollar Man
Season 3, Episode 16
Smdm 3x16 001
Air date January 18th, 1976
Writers Richard Carr; James Schmerer
Director Barry Crane
Producers Harve Bennett; Lionel E. Siegel; Arnold Turner
Starring Lee Majors; Richard Anderson
Episode guide
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"Welcome Home, Jaime"
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"The Secret of Bigfoot (Part 1)"

"Hocus-Pocus" is the sixteenth episode of season three of the sci-fi/action television series The Six Million Dollar Man and the fifty-first episode of the series overall (if one includes the three original television movies). It was directed by Barry Crane with a script written by Richard Carr and James Schmerer. It first aired on ABC on January 18th, 1976.

Synopsis[]

Cast[]

Principal Cast[]

Actor Role
Lee Majors Colonel Steve Austin
Richard Anderson Oscar Goldman

Guest Stars[]

Actor Role
Pernell Roberts Mark Wharton
Jack Colvin Will Collins
Robbie Lee Audrey Moss

Co-Stars[]

Actor Role
Christopher Stafford Nelson Jack Brewster
W.T. Zacha George
Mark Wilson Dave Powell

Uncredited cast[]

Note: The following is taken from the full credits list for this entry on IMDB. As it is a website with user-submitted information, some of the data listed here, including character names may be inaccurate.

Actor Role
Dick Geary Dinallo

Notes & Trivia[]

  • This episode is production code number 43033. [1]
  • The actor who plays Baxter in this episode is uncredited and unidentified, as is several of Mark Wharton's party guests.
  • Even though he is older and sporting less hair, Pernell Roberts unmistakable voice shines through and may illicit fond remembrances from fans of the 1960s western series Bonanza where he played the role of Adam Cartwright]] in two-hundred episodes of the series.
  • Fans of the 1970s TV series The Incredible Hulk may recognize actor Jack Colvin in this episode. On The Incredible Hulk, he was one of the main cast members and played dogged tabloid news reporter Jack McGee - infamous for being the recipient of the trademark line, "Mister McGee, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry".
  • The name of the night club that Will Collins runs is called the Blue Tiger.
  • Steve Austin goes under the alias of Steve Andrews during his magic show act at the Blue Tiger. His cover story is that he is a stage magician who just relocated to town from Chicago, Illinois.

Allusions[]

  • Dave Powell compares Steve Austin to Houdini. This is a reference to Harry Houdini, world famous stunt performer and escape artist who died in 1926 at the age of 52. It is an odd comparison to make given the context of this episode as Houdini was an escape artist and not a stage magician.
  • The act of "sleight of hand" stage magic is called prestidigitation.
  • The school that Audrey Moss attends is John Quincy Adams Junior College. John Quincy Adams was an American statesman and the sixth President of the United States.
  • Upon seeing Steve Austin's disguise, Audrey comments that he looks like Clark Gable, to which Steve replies, "That's enough, Scarlett". Clark Gable was an American film actor best known for playing the role of Rhett Butler in the 1939 period drama Gone With the Wind. Steve's comment about "Scarlett", is a reference to the character of Scarlett O'Hara from the film, played by actress Vivien Leigh.
  • The book that Steve removes from Warton's bookcase to trigger the secret panel is War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

Bloopers[]

  • When Steve Austin begins performing his card trick, Oscar Goldman is wearing glasses. As the angle changes however, his glasses are gone even though not enough time had passed for him to remove them.

Appearances[]

Characters[]

  • Steve Austin is the main character of the series. He is an agent of the Office of Scientific Intelligence and has enhanced physical attributes due to his bionic arm, legs and eye. He adopts the alias of Steve Andrews - a stage magician in order to infiltrate a night club owned by Mark Wharton so he can recover some stolen classified documents.
  • Oscar Goldman is the head of the Office of Scientific Intelligence. He assigns Steve Austin his mission and provides him with a cover identity. He later captures another wanted criminal named Baxter.
  • Mark Wharton is an underworld crime figure and the owner of a compound as well as a night club. He possesses highly coveted classified documents that the O.S.I. wants to recover. He hires Steve Austin and Audrey Moss as stage magicians at his club, unaware that they are on a mission to recover the documents.
  • Will Collins is Mark Wharton's right-hand man and the manager of the Blue Tiger. He is also a secret information of the Office of Scientific Intelligence and has been leaking information to them about Wharton's activities. He helps Audrey Moss move Steve Austin to a save location after his bionic limbs begin to shut down from being locked in a freezer unit.
  • Audrey Moss is a teenage college student who possesses extra-sensory perception. Steve Austin recruits her to help him go undercover so she can glean information about the stolen documents from Mark Wharton and his men. Wharton is impressed with Audrey's abilities until he realizes that she has learned the location of his hidden vault from him.
  • Jack Brewster is a teenage college student who dates Audrey Moss. Unfortunately, due to her ESP abilities, Audrey catches him in a lie about going to the movies. Jack later apologizes to Audrey and the two make up.
  • George is a random thug in the employ of Mark Wharton. He coordinates activities between Wharton and Will Collins at the club. During the final fight, George is one of several goons that gets pitched into a swimming pool, along with Wharton himself.
  • Dave Powell is a middle-aged stage magician. As associate of O.S.I., he demonstrated his abilities to Oscar Goldman and Steve Austin. Powell apprenticed Steve in the art of prestidigitation so that he could go undercover as a stage magician on his next assignment.
  • Dinallo is a random thug in the employ of Mark Wharton. He was present at Wharton's pool party and was one of the people that Audrey telepathically scanned. During the final fight, Dinallo is one of several goons that gets pitched into a swimming pool, along with Wharton himself.
  • Baxter was a criminal who was wanted by the Office of Scientific Intelligence. Having broken out of custody, he remained on the run until O.S.I. officials managed to nab him.

Locations[]

  • California serves as the central setting for the series. Although there is nothing overtly show to establish this as the main location, all events shown here appear to take place in California.
  • The Blue Tiger is a night club owned by Mark Wharton. It was managed by Wharton's business associate Will Collins. Steve Austin and Audrey Moss got a job here as stage magicians so that they could ferret out secret information from Wharton.
  • The Wharton residence, referred to as the Compound, was a mansion owned by Mark Wharton. It was here that he concealed classified documents inside of a vault. After determining the location of the vault, Steve Austin and Audrey Moss broke inside in an effort to steal them. They were caught red-handed however and Steve was locked inside of a deep freezer. Wharton also hosted a pool party on this estate, catering to his various underworld associates. When Austin was let loose, he fought Wharton and his men, pitching them one by one into the pool.
  • John Quincy Adams Junior College is where Audrey Moss and Jack Brewster attend school. Audrey got into an argument with Jack in the hallway and Steve later visited Audrey at school after their mission had concluded.
  • O.S.I. Headquarters is the base of operations for the Office of Scientific Intelligence. It was here that Oscar Goldman assigned Steve Austin his next mission. Dave Powell demonstrated feats of magic, along with Steve Austin in Oscar Goldman's office.

Animals[]

  • During his magic show audition for Mark Wharton, Steve Austin performs meager magic tricks such as pulling a dove out of a hat.
  • Mark Wharton's night club is named the Blue Tiger. The face of a tiger is shown as the symbol of the club.

Technology[]

  • Steve Austin's bionic legs came into play when he leaped down from the balcony to the ground level of Wharton's estate after being freed from the freezer unit. His enhanced bionic strength was demonstrated when he effortlessly threw Wharton and his men one by one into a swimming pool.

Paranormal[]

  • Extra-sensory perception, as well as telepathy exists in the world of the Six Million Dollar Man. Audrey Moss possesses E.S.P. and can perceive the thoughts of others merely by concentrating upon them. This talent aids Steve and she in getting a job as stage magicians for Mark Wharton. She also uses it to learn the location or Wharton's office safe, which contains the coveted classified Naval documents. Wharton forces Audrey to use her E.S.P. to scan the minds of his associates to determine whether or not they have remained loyal.

Quotes[]

....

  • Oscar Goldman: But Wharton has seen just about every magician there is. The trick is to get invited to his house. What we need is something... I don't know, something spectacular in the act... something that he hasn't seen before.
  • Steve Austin: You know if you want this act to be foolproof, I could add a partner. We could do a mind-reading act that would blow his mind.
  • Oscar Goldman: What's the gimmick?
  • Steve Austin: No gimmick. The real thing. You remember Audrey?
  • Oscar Goldman: Audrey? Oh yes, that young lady with the ESP powers, yes.
  • Steve Austin: Last time we worked together she got me out of a pretty tight spot.

....

  • Steve Austin: Well, we're both different. What I'm saying is, there are times when we have to hide that difference.

....

  • Steve Austin: Oscar, I've got the code book. Wharton had it all right.
  • Oscar Goldman: That's all we need. I've got my men standing by in the vicinity. I'll send them in.

....

  • Steve Austin: Well, let's get out of here. Oscar's men can fish them out. I never did like swimming parties anyway.

See also[]

The Six Million Dollar Man

The Bionic Woman

External Links[]

Episode links

Series links

References[]



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