Did you like Martin Balsam as Rudy Wells ?

[Mikey]

Was watching the first Six Million Dollar Man pilot and I was surprised I liked Martin Balsam as Rudy.

I was never a big fan of Oppenheimer's Rudy so I thought I wouldn't like Balsam either.

To my surprise he was almost like Brooks.

BTW, I'm glad they didn't keep Kolchak as the head honcho

[mego73]

I like Balsam but he was just a bit too old to do some of the things Brooks Rudy did with Steve in the later seasons. I liked Oppenheimer too and just to make sure my custom Steve Austin was pinpointed to the first couple seasons the Rudy figure cameo is Oppenheimer.

But of course, it is Brooks that is the most ID'd to Dr. Wells.

[Mikey]

I think I don't give Oppenheimer the credit he deserves because everytime I see him as Rudy I keep picturing him from other roles he played ... Many times a bad guy like a nazi on Hogan's Heroes multiple times etc.

Heck, wasn't he even the voice of Skeletor on He Man ?

[enyawd72]

BTW, I'm glad they didn't keep Kolchak as the head honcho

Yeah, he was a freaking jerk wasn't he? I kept waiting for Steve to lay down a bionic *****-slap on him.

[HardyGirl]

Oppenheimer is OK, but I like Martin Brooks for Rudy. I didn't like Balsam at all.

[filmation batman fan]

I actually liked all three. I like Martin Balsam and didn't understand why the change. My fondness for Alan Oppenheimer I guess, is because I know him best as a voice over for many animated shows, especially Filmation. And I enjoyed Marty Brooks. But again, I never understood why they changed the character again. At least with Brooks, Rudy became more of a solid regular character since Oppenheimer only appeared infrequently.

More so, I would have understood if Darren McGavin had played Oscar Goldman, but why they completely changed the character entirely into a whole new character named Oliver Spencer is beyond me since Oscar Goldman was in the Cyborg Novel. I prefer McGavin's comical talents as Ralphie's dad in A Christmas Story.
Cheers.