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“Nightmare in the Sky”

S4 E2

Production 45108
Original Airdate: 26 September 1976
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Produced by
Lionel E. Siegel
Teleplay by
Jim Carlson
Terrence McDonnell
Directed by
Alan Crosland
Guest Cast
Guest Star(s)
Farrah Fawcett-Majors as Kelly Wood
Donald Moffat as Dr. Martin Davis
Special Guest Star(s)
Dana Elcar as Larry Stover
With
Hank Stolh as Mike
Pete Dunn as Cameraman
Broadcast Order
Season 4
← Previous Next →
"The Return of Bigfoot" "Double Trouble"
Related episodes
The Rescue of Athena One

Summary[]

Glamorous astronaut/test pilot Kelly Wood survives what appears to have been an in-flight encounter with a World War II-era Mitsubishi Zero fighter. She reports the phenomenon to Oscar Goldman and Steve, who are in the control tower, but the men can only see Kelly's plane on the radar screen. Kelly flames out and apparently crashes. But a search turns up no trace of her 15-million-dollar aircraft, the XJ-7, and Kelly is found with her parachute unopened. Believing Kelly's story, Steve sets out to solve the mystery and discovers a fantastic plot to simulate Bermuda Triangle-like disappearances of top-secret aircraft.

Deconstructed[]

Quotes[]

Dr. Davis: It's been a long time Col. Austin.
Steve: Is that really you Dr. Davis or another holograph?


Trivia[]

  • Kelly's plane is a [TT-1 Pinto] jet trainer, which was built for the U.S. Navy in limited numbers in the late 1950's and 1960's. At the time the TV series was made, a company called American Jet Industries was developing an improved version, the Super Pinto, as a counter-insurgency fighter-bomber.
  • When Steve and Kelly, escaping in the XJ-7, are in need of air support, Oscar Goldman makes a call to Ventura Air Force Base.  (Luckily for Steve, Oscar calls on the U.S. Air Force and not Jaime Sommers.  She might not be happy about Steve's plans with Kelly Wood!)
  • The jets from Ventura Air Force Base that force down Larry Stover are F-104 Starfighters. 
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Steve Austin and Kelly Wood dancing

Cast[]

  • Guest star Farrah Fawcett-Majors returns to her first role on The Six Million Dollar Man as Major Kelly Wood. This is her first appearance on the series since attaining superstar status thanks to a massively popular cheesecake poster that had been released earlier in the year. She had also made her debut as Jill Monroe in the TV movie pilot for Charlie's Angels several months earlier on March 21, 1976. The debut of the Charlie's Angels series was on Sept. 22, 1976, only four days prior to this episode. This was her final Six Million Dollar Man appearance (discounting a joke involving her photograph a few weeks later in The Most Dangerous Enemy).
  • Martin E. Brooks is credited in the opening title sequence of this episode, but does not appear. This is not unusual, as while Brooks had graduated to "core cast" with this season, not every episode would feature him (likewise for The Bionic Woman).

Gaffes[]

  • The fight scene inside the trailer includes a couple of noticeable errors. First, due to some awkward blocking, it appears as if Steve uses his left hand to break Kelly's rope. Then, when he kicks several thugs away, they appear to actually hit the camera's tripod as the image goes noticeably askew.

Nitpicks[]

  • When referring to Kelly Wood's plane, the XJ-7, it is referred to as "X-ray John Seven." Although this is the correct reading for the LAPD phonetic alphabet, the proper phonetic term in the International Civil Aviation Organization and NATO phonetic alphabet for the letter "J" is Juliet, not John. The letter "X" in the ICAO/NATO phonetic alphabet is also read as X-ray.
  • When Steve and Kelly's jeep explodes, the water canteens are thrown clear of the explosion and conveniently land next to Steve and Kelly.  The canteens are neither damaged or scorched.
  • Who is videoing the USAF transport plane that Dr. Martin Davis and his crew are monitoring from their command center? Have they acquired the remote viewing technology of the Bigfoot aliens?
  • When Dr. Davis' crew uses the same monitor to observe Steve and Kelly approaching in the jeep, it is feasible that they are being videoed by the three-man hit squad in the Ford Bronco.  Perhaps the "Ignition Breaker" laser requires a remote crew to "paint" the target with a laser or radio beam.
  • How does Dr. Davis transmit the sound of his voice when he projects his holographic image to frighten Kelly?
  • The premise of this episode is an example of criminals using technology to steal technology of lesser value or importance.  If not the Holographic Projector, then the Ignition Breaker would presumably have a much greater military value than the XJ-7.

Video[]

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COS PROMO SHORT-LIVED ABC BILLY COSBY FLOP









Gallery[]

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