Dec 21 2008
Bionic Man Does Cold Case
It was retro-star week on Cold Case tonight, with appearances by Lee Majors (Bionic Man and Fall Guy), 70s and 80s TV star Mariette Hartley (remember those old Polaraoid commercials with James Garner?), and 70s and 80s bombshell and B-movie queen Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog, Cannonball Run). They were all great matches for the younger, flashback versions of themselves. The show centered around 1960 pilots and stewardesses, jobs that were as glamourous as “rock star” back in the day. The perfectly coiffed attractive girls and smooth-faced handsome pilot were represented well by the still attractive Majors, Hartley, and Barbeau. Majors has obviously had some cosmetic work done, but thankfully he’s had the moderate Susan Sarandon style surgery rather than the scary, plastic-man Burt Reynolds style.
As with many Cold Case episodes, it was a mystery, human story, and history lesson all in one. They showed the glamorous side of being a stewardess in 1960, with the adorable outfits, perfect make-up and hair, and adoration of the masses. But then gradually we see the reality for these women in that time period, where they were held to certain weight and beauty standards, not allowed to marry or have children, and were forced out at age 32. They were also treated like slaves and/or call girls by both the passengers and pilots. Not such a glamorous life after all.
Cold Case has always been good at illustrating the emotional sides of stories, and what happens to people under societal pressures or unfortunate circumstances. In this case we got to see how women reacted to the unfair work conditions and chauvinism of the time–how some bonded together and some turned against one another. When women were offered so few options in life, if those options were suddenly cut off, it put women in desperate positions.
Women still have a ways to go toward equality, but when you see a slice of history like this, it reminds us of how far we have come.
Watch Cold Case on Sundays at 9pm Eastern/8pm Central, on CBS.
