MISTAKES/GOOFS

TRIVIA

• Writer Tom Greene, had written in a part for Frank Gifford, then a football great. In the story, Steve Austin (The Six Million Dollar Man), wants to help Andy, the Bionic Boy, regain the strength in his now bionic legs, so he has Andy's hero (Gifford) fly out to his home in Utah to surprise him and give him the confidence he needs to walk again. Greene wanted to make sure all the football jargon in his script was accurate, so he turned to his then five year old nephew Dana Greene, for just the right dialogue (Dana was already a fanatical sports fan!). When Gifford read the script he was so impressed with the football "speak" that he asked Greene if he played football in school! (Greene only played on the sidelines, that is, playing trumpet in the James Monroe High School Marching Band). Twenty years later Dana continues his interest in sports and has become a popular sports announcer, currently doing Sports on the ABC News affiliate in Salt Lake City. (Greene named the Bionic Boy "Andy" after Dana's older brother).
• Filmed on location in Kanab, Utah.
• There was a bit concern, since in the script everyone has to sing "Happy Birthday" to the Bionic Boy, but Universal didn't want to pay for the royalties, so writer Tom Greene came up with a clever alternative at the last minute. He had Andy (the Bionic Boy) come to the party late, and have his sister all annoyed say: "You're always late; even to your own birthday, so we already sang the song, because everyone wanted to eat the cake!" To give it some heart when asked to blow out the candles Andy just stands there, and then says: "You only blow out candles when you want to make a wish, but looking around I have everything I could ever wish for; so let them burn!"
• Vincent Van Patten's (The Bionic Boy) real father Dick came in to play a shoe salesman.
• This was one of Greg Evigan's very first acting jobs. He got the job because the writer had written the character "Joe Hamilton" after a real person he knew in High School who was just as obnoxious. He showed a photo of the real "Joe Hamilton" from his High School Yearbook to Executive Producer Harve Bennett. Harve loved the look so much that he gave yearbook to the casting director and said: find someone who looks just like this!