The Wild Wild West

[cinemalover]

4/3/2007

I watched the entire first season of this funtastic show a couple of months ago, and I just picked up season 2.Does anybody else out there love this show as much as I do? I will be writing up my thoughts on each episode as I watch them. This was the perfect vehicle for a very athletic Robert Conrad.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 4/1/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete series 2 which I just picked up. There don't seem to be any extras, Season 1 had introductions by Robert Conrad and some other behind the scenes stuff, but pretty bare-bones here.
Number of times viewed: 5

This is a write-up of Season 2's first episode: Night of the Eccentrics
If you are familiar with the series you know that every episode is titled, Night of....
Series stars: Robert Conrad is James "Jim" West, Ross Martin is his sidekick Artemus "Arte" Gordon
I believe the series is set in the late 1860's or thereabouts.

Guest stars:
Victor Buono--Count Carlos Manzeppi
Richard Pryor--Villar
Anthony Eisley--Deadeye
A fabulous way to start the new season. Buono always plays great over-the-top villains (see the Batman series for one example). Richard Pryor as a villain! Anthony Eisley co-starred with Conrad in the Hawaiian Eye series.

Basic plot: Jim and Arte discover a plot to assassinate Mexican President Jaurez. The plotters are none other than the Eccentrics, who as Arte explains are "An organization of murderous thugs that specialize in murder for hire!"
How charming. When the eccentrics fail to recruit Jim's talents to their group they decide to frame him instead. Finally tiring of his habit of escaping they decide to just kill him. Count Manzeppi to Jim right before he is going to be electrocuted, "Oh, I wish I could stay and watch, but unfortunately the smell of scorched people disagrees with me."

*************BIAS ALERT**********************

I love this show. I loved watching the entire Season 1 not long ago in glorious B&W. Season 2 is in color which actually adds something to the charming outrageousness of the show. Growing up loving James Bond and all his imitators as well as loving anything western made this an ideal show for a boy of the 60's. You take a super spy and put him in a western environment with colorful villains, ingenious traps, gorgeous women and great fight scenes. Perfection!
Also, the opening animation (with great theme song) that leads to a framework of the action going into each commercial break was a wonderful gimmick. Each break became a mini-cliffhanger.

This was one of my very favorites growing up, and I guess I haven't really grown up because I enjoy them just as much today! It's a pleasure to see these uncut prints for the first time since the 60's.

9* (out of 10) for the series.
9* (out of 10) for this episode. Remember to factor in my admitted bias when judging for yourself.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 4/3/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 2 Original Air Date: 9/23/66
The Night of the Golden Cobra

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Atremus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Boris Karloff--Mr. Singh
Simon Scott--Col. Stanton Mayo
Michael York--Gupta

Plot: There's something strange happening around the Pawnee Reservation and Jim and Arte are sent to investigate. They are helped by Col. Mayo who is in charge of Indian Affairs. Could there be some reason why someone (or thing) is trying to scare the Indians off of what seems to be relatively worthless land?

Jim and Col. Mayo discover a Taj Mahal style palace in the middle of nowhere. When they go to investigate they are captured by Mr. Singh and his army of sons and daughter Veda (who we all know will become attracted to the babe-magnet that is Jim West). All are equipped with colorful costumes and wicked weapons, like swords, knives, spears and blow guns. It is the Cult of the Golden Cobra, and they want to test Jim's toughness. After a series of fights Arte must use one of his famous disguises to come to the rescue with the old rope rising to the sky trick.

As Jim and Arte flee down some endless corridors who should appear to help them but Veda. Veda leads them through a secret passage and to a group of horses for them to escape on. Arte, while staring at the steeds proclaims, "Ah, the noble horse...man's best friend!" As he pans to his left he witnesses Jim and Veda lip-locked. "Well, maybe second best!" There's always a nice light touch of humor with the action of these shows.

The costume department took full advantage of working in color for the first time in this second season. They made as many loud and colorful costumes for the Cobra Cult as they could find excuses for. Jim is adorned with a dapper green suit with a shiney gold vest. Spiffy.

Karloff is outstanding. The script allowed him to perform most of his scenes from a throne (his body was starting to break down by this time), but his voice, his inflection, his face are just incredible. He is a joy to watch work. A true professional. In addition to Karloff the episode features an Indian Palace in the middle of nowhere, secret tunnels, trap doors, snake-charmers, swords, spears, leopards, garrish costumes and killer polo players. Does it get any better than this?

9* (out of 10) For the consistently entertaining series.
9* (out of 10) For this episode. Karloff alone makes this a must see episode.

[cinemalover]

Finally getting back to this incredible show, here are my thoughts on the third episode of the second season with the wonderful Dr. Loveless:

Date watched: 4/3/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 3 Original Air Date: 9/30/66
The Night of the Raven

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Michael Dunn--Dr. Miguelito Loveless
Phoebe Dorin--Antoinette
Phyllis Newman--Princess Wanakee
Howard Hoffman--War Eagle

The evil genius, Dr. Loveless (Dunn), is back with a new plan for world domination. The diminutive evil-doer is Jim West's arch-nemesis. He appeared in three first season episodes and this is his first second season appearance. Loveless has quite the Napoleonic complex due to his vertically challenged stature, but he has a plan to fix all that. Loveless captures the Indian Princess Wanakee (Newman) to disrupt a planned peace treaty signing. The Doctor brings her to his own Gravetown using her as bait because he knows the government will send Jim and Arte to save her.

It seems that Loveless has developed a white powder that causes people to do an Incredible Shrinking Man impersonation. He plans on shrinking the world's population so that, "Soon, the whole world will be forced to look UP to Dr. Miguelito Loveless!"

Jim and Arte track down Loveless but, after the required fight, are captured. Loveless is a proper host though, and offers Jim one of his own quality cigars. The only drawback is that he had laced Jim's cigar with the white powder. Jim wakes up doll-sized lying on a full-sized bed. Dr. Loveless also shrinks the Princess and locks the two of them in a doll house guarded by an underfed cat. When Jim does escape he must combat a tarantula, a mouse trap and an eight ball!

Dr. Loveless is always accompanied by his lovely companion, Antoinette (who makes googly-eyes at Jim, but stays faithful to the Doctor, unlike most women in the series). Jim finds the antidote in the Doctor's lab and returns to full-size for the climactic battle. But as Jim and Arte are busy bouncing the henchmen, Loveless and Antoinette use the powder on themselves to escape and scheme another day.

9 (out of 10) For the entire series.
10 (out of 10) For any episode with Dr. Loveless. If you're not familiar with the series Michael Dunn does an incredible job with this part, and he is one of the best ongoing villains of all time, in any media.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 4/10/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 4 Original Air Date: 10/7/66
The Night of the Big Blast

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Ida Lupino--Dr. Faustina
Michael McCloud--Miklos the hunchback
Mala Powers--Lily Fortune
Patsy Kelly--Prudence Fortune
Robert Miller Driscoll--Lyle Peters

There is a lightning storm in the air as we approach a castle. Cut to the interior and we see a hunchback (Miklos, played by McCloud) scampering across a room. Then we see what looks like a human figure on a lab table. Dr. Faustina (Lupino) enters the room and orders Miklos to attach electrodes to the figure. It looks like a scene out of a Frankenstein movie. After a charge of lightning invigorates the figure it sits up, and reveals itself to be....James West!

Meanwhile, Arte is on a well-deserved vacation where he meets a former high-school sweetheart, Lily Fortune (Powers). Lily is a singer and is constantly shadowed by her domineering mother Prudence (Kelly). Prudence never liked Arte and had told Lily that he would never amount to anything. Lily reminds her mother that she also told her that Lincoln would never be President. Arte and Lily give her Mom the slip and head towards the Wanderer (Jim and Arte's personal train). Once there things start to get romantic in one of the few times Arte gets the girl. Unfortunately, they are quickly interrupted when Arte gets a call to duty.

Dr. Faustina sends Jim to meet the Attorney General. Jim seems to be under her control. While Jim is meeting the Attorney General the clock strikes midnight....and Jim EXPLODES! This is why Arte was called away from his vacation. He is told that Jim has died in the explosion and he is to investigate.

The trail leads to Dr. Faustina, apparently she has been trying to get the government to fund her unusual experiments in electricity. When they turn her down she doesn't just blow up at them, she blows them up. Her final request has gone directly to the President and when she gets a telegram from him with a negative response she starts to plot to kill the President. Arte is captured by the Dr. as he is snooping around. For some reason she wants to make a casting of his face. He is then locked in the dungeon. A second Arte appears on the lab table. What the heck is going on? And, more importantly, does Arte finally get the girl in the end?

9* (out of 10) For the series. Consistently entertaining and original.
8* (out of 10) For this episode. A slight notch below the high standards of the show. But you still get Ida Lupino as a villain, a hunchback, a castle and a Jim West Bomb, how cool is that?

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 4/15/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 5 Original Air Date: 10/14/66
The Night of the Returning Dead

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Sammy Davis Jr.--Jeremiah
Peter Lawford--Carl Jackson
Frank Wilcox--Bill Mott
Alan Baxter--Ned Briggs
Hazel Court--Elizabeth Carter
Ken Lynch--Tom Kellogg

Plot: Jeremiah (Davis Jr.) is a stable hand for Carl Jackson (Lawford). Jackson is a big shot in the community and has much influence with the law and fellow big-wigs. There has been reports of a Confederate Nightrider that appears at night like a ghost to scare the locals. It seems that Jeremiah might have a connection with this mysterious rider because Jeremiah wanders off at night and plays his flute which coincides with the riders' appearances. Jeremiah also seems to have some strange control over animals.

Jim and Arte are dispatched to investigate. They set a trap for the rider by locking Jeremiah in a shed and having Arte play the flute. When the rider appears, Jim tries to jump him. They land on the ground and exchange fisticuffs. Jim freezes when he gets a good look at the rider's face, which is deathlike. The rider takes advantage of the moment and knocks Jim down. The rider jumps on the nearest horse to escape, which happens to be Jim's. An explosion flashes but has no effect on the rider as he gallops off. Earlier Jim had shown the sheriff that his horse stirrup was booby-trapped with a small explosive that would go off if anyone but him mounted his horse. This trap had no effect on the ghost-like rider. Is he truly a spirit?

In the ghostrider's haste he left his Confederate hat behind. The sweatband is engraved with the name Col. Beaumont Carson, but Carson was killed in a house fire 13 years ago!

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Events reveal that Jeremiah is secretly working with Jim and Arte in an attempt to flush out Jackson and his associates. It seems that Jackson and his friends were responsible for killing Col. Carson and his family by burning their house to cover up the fact that they had robbed Carson. But there is no proof, and a confession is needed to convict these fiends.

The gang figures out that Jim and Arte are on to them, so they lock our boys in the cellar. The always creative boys make a cannon out of a stove pipe and assorted ingredients from the cellar. The gang sneezes themselves into submission when they are overwhelmed by a pepper cannnonball!

9* (out of 10) For the series.
9* (out of 10) For this episode. The amazing line-up of guest stars that this show continues to roll-out is highlighted in this episode with Ratpackers Lawford and Davis Jr.

[cinemalover]

Up to this point the second season was firing on all cylinders, full speed ahead. Every episode of this series is good, some are just less good than others, this is one of the lesser attempts.

Date watched: 4/18/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Mumber of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 6 Original Air Date: 10/21/66
The Night of the Flying Pie Plate

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
William Windom--Ben Victor
Ford Rainey--Simon
Woodrow Chambliss--Wing
Arlene Charles--Alna, the Venusian
Cindy Taylor--Pan, the Venusian
Leslie Parrish--Morn, the Venusian

Plot: Well, as you can probably judge from the title of this episode, this is going to be one of the sillier entries. Jim is escorting a large shipment of army gold to the bank at a mining town to keep in the safe there. The army will be along in a couple of days to pick it up. Jim is to meet Ben Victor (Windom) who will secure the gold in the bank. As they are crossing the street to the bank there is a flaming trail across the sky which seems to land just beyond the horizon. The excitement causes all the residents to go to the woods and see what happened. They are greeted by a pie plate shaped vehicle (Jim would later say that it looked more like a ...saucer) and three beautiful green-skinned blonde babes. The women introduce themselves as Venusians who had to land on Earth because their spacecraft was low on fuel. It seems that all they need is some fuel and they will be on their way. Funny thing though, their craft uses gold as fuel, because gold is very plentiful on their planet. All they'll need is about 400 pounds of the stuff, that shouldn't be any problem now should it?(eye-lashes fluttering!).

Their colorful garb is covered by multi-colored gems. When asked about them they reply, oh, these old things. Why they cover the ground at home, absolutely worthless. We just adorn our clothing with them because they look pretty. They even toss some samples to the townsfolk so they can examine them.

The men of this mining town all get stars in their eyes as they are mentally spending the potential riches of the jewels. And, guess what...they are real! Arte is in town disguised as Dirk Dejaun, gem expert. He verifies the worth of the stones. The townsfolk and miners decide to scrape up all the gold they can get their hands on for the Venusians, because they'll get 10 times the value back in gems with the exchange. Ben Victor keeps stirring up their interests in this transaction, fanning the flames of greed. The town comes up with about 150 pounds of gold, still 250 pounds short of the Venusians' needs. Where, oh, where could they come up with the rest? Maybe they could "borrow" some of that government gold to fill the need? And who is really behind this clever plot?

In the background Arte is poking around trying to find the truth behind this apparent scam. He gets caught be the aliens and given a chemical which turns his skin green. He looks like Kermit the frog.

9* (out of 10) For the series.
7* (out of 10) For this episode. This one is definitely lower tier for the series, but it is still a lot of goofy fun. Plus, you get to see Jim make-out with an alien. He and James Kirk had a thing for green-skinned women!

[cinemalover]

Well, this episode gets the series back on track after one slightly sub-par episode. We get another strong woman villain leading a pack of not-so-smart male villains.

Date watched: 4/22/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 7 Original Air Date: 10/28/66
The Night of the Poisonous Posey

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Delphi Lawrence--Lucrece Posey
Percy Rodriguez--Brutus
H.M. Wynant--Pinto
Christopher Gary--Snakes Tolliver
George Keymas--Sergei
Eugene Iglesias--Gallito
Mike Masters--Cyril
Hal Lynch--Sam Colburn

Plot: Justice, Nevada has seen a significant unexplained drop in population, going from 1510 residents to 123. Jim and Arte are dispatched to see what's afoot. As soon as they ride into town the sheriff and his men grab them and take them to the gallows to hang. What the heck is going on? It seems that Justice is celebrating "Law and Order" week and they are merely re-enacting famous crimes, it's just a joke son, dontcha' get it?

As part of the celebration Jim and Arte's guns are impounded as are their horses. All part of the celebration. And, by the way, the telegraph office is off limits during "Law and Order" week.

Behind the scenes Justice is being used as a meeting place for a league of International criminals coming together to implement a massive scheme. The group is lead by the attractive but deadly Lucrece Posey (Lawrence).

We get a wonderful deathtrap set for Jim in an ice-house and we see Arte disguise himself as one of the criminals who hadn't arrived yet. This works real well until the real guy shows up.

While our boys are trying to fight the baddies without weapons, Arte observes,"I kinda wish I had my gun with me. It makes a nice security symbol"
Jim, "The trouble with you is you're spoiled. Get going."

The chemistry between the two stars is always a highlight of the show. This one is another fun adventure with an oddball collection of crooks with varying accents and talents.

9* (out of 10) For the series.
9* (out of 10) For this episode. Fast and filled with danger and wise-cracks.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 5/1/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 8 Original Air Date: 11/4/66
The Night of the Bottomless Pit

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Theo Marcuse--Commadant Gustave Mauvais
Joan Huntington--Camille Mauvais
Tome Drake--Agent Vincent Reed
Steve Franken--Le Fou
Seymour Green--Lime
Mabel Albertson--Mrs. Grimes

Plot: Agent Vincent Reed (Drake) has been sent to Devil's Island because he was caught while working undercover. Jim and Arte are assigned to rescue him. The only way for Jim to get into the prison is as a prisoner. He enjoys the hospitality of the place including abuse from the guards and a visit to the "Pit". He finds agent Reed in the pit, now they must devise a way to escape the inescapable prison.

Complicating matters are the sadistic Commandant Mauvais (Marcuse, one of those familiar faces that I can never put a name to). Mauvais enjoys sitting under a shaded chair in his dress whites watching the inmates suffer. He also has his lovely wife, Camille (Huntington) kept there against her will. She hates him and just wants to be free. It's a good thing she's cute because Jim has to find a babe in every episode, even one placed on the remote Devil's Island. Arte shows up as a guard assigned to the prison due to his unseemly behavior. The head guard is Le Fou (Franken). He has a metal foot that is apparently capable of kicking through stone walls, lookout!

For giggles Jim is staked to the ground in front of oncoming fire ants. Sharks and quicksand also come into play. All in all, quite the adventure!

9 (out of 10) For the series.
9 (out of 10) For this episode. All the elements of a successful WWW episode are here: a maniac villain, a uniquely strong henchman, an exotic locale, an Arte disguise and a lovely lass who'd rather help Jim than her own husband.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 5/9/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 9 Original Air Date: 11/11/66
The Night of the Watery Death

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
John Van Dreelen--Marquis de LaMer
Jocelyn Lane--Dominque
John Ashley--Lt. Keighley
Forest Lewis--Captain Pratt
James Galante--Third Officer

Plot: Jim is in a bar down by the docks. There is a beautiful woman dressed as a mermaid as part of the decor. Her name is Dominique (Lane) and she catches Jim's eye, duh! There is a sighting of a Sea Dragon and a big explosion, the next thing Jim remembers is waking up and trying to explain what he saw to Arte and Naval Lt. Keighley. When Jim and Arte return to the waterfront to try to find the mermaid bar, or any other evidence to back up what Jim saw, they are unsuccessful. Lt Keighley all but laughs at Jim, implying that perhaps he was just enjoying himself too much that evening. As he leaves Arte has his own opinion of the officer, "I bet that man furnishes enough wind to sail his own ship!"

Not willing to give up, Jim and Arte continue to investigate. Jim finds himself taken captive by a sea-faring gang. He wakes again to find himself confronted by the dazzling Dominique and her boss, the Marquis de LaMer (Van Dreelen). The Marquis fancies himself a variation on Captain Nemo, he plans to rule the sea's shipping lanes for profit. His plan involves blowing up the S.S. Virginia, the pride of the U.S. Navy, which will have their number one Admiral onboard. He uses a new invention to destroy ships, a torpedo. Only his torpedoes are disguised as Sea Dragons, complete with flaming nostrils, to strike fear into those able sailors. Jim gets him to reveal the details of his plan.
Jim, "Why practice on the U.S. fleet?'
LaMer, "Big new country. Poorly armed navy. Perfect situation! With you people out of the way, half the Pacific will be mine! And claiming the other half will be easy!"

The big climax rests on whether Jim can out-swim a Dragon torpedo. Arte gets to flourish as a drunken sailor. With swimming and injuries, Jim gets even more excuses than usual to show off his George Hamilton-tanned body We also get a disintegrating force-field, King Neptune throwing tridents, and plenty of gadgets to keep us amused.

9 (out of 10) For this incredibly fun series.
9 (out of 10) For this episode. They just keep the megalomaniacal villains coming, all accompanied by bodacious babes for Jim to flirt with. Wonderful sets and props, entertaining from start to finish. Have I mentioned that I love this series.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 5/17/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 10 Original Air Date: 11/18/66
The Night of the Green Terror

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Michael Dunn--Dr. Miguelito Loveless
Anthony Caruso--Bright Chief Star
Peggy Rea--Wife of Bright Chief Star
Phoebe Dorin--Antoinette

Plot: Dr. Loveless (Dunn) has set himself up as Robin Hood and his henchies as the not-so-Merry Men. His diabolical plot involves destroying the local Indian tribe's food sources so that they become dependent on him, and will do whatever wicked bidding he needs. Dr. Loveless climbs into a full-sized suit of armor and appears to the Indians as the Lord of the Forest. They are convinced that they will be able to lead an easy and comfortable life with everything they need provided by the Lord of the Forest if they just do as he asks (though why a Lord of the Forest would need a suit of armor is never asked). Loveless needs to be able to boast to Jim and Arte or his ego isn't sated, so he makes sure that they are the ones sent to investigate the behavioral change in the tribes.

When Jim and Arte approach "Sherwood Forest", Loveless, in Robin Hood gear, greets them, "Welcome to Sherwood Forest, you naughty varlets!" Arte and Jim escape, but only to have Jim recaptured by the Indian Tribe, led by Chief Bright Star (Caruso). This gives Arte an excuse to use his facade skills by appearing in the Indian camp disguised as an Indian maiden (ugh! That's one ugly maiden!).

In the third act, Jim is forced to confront Loveless in his mechanized suit of armor in a mace fight.
Arte, "Have you ever fought with a mace before?"
Jim, "Fought with one? I've never even seen one!"
Arte, "Well....there's always beginner's luck."

As always, the chemistry between these two stars is fun to watch. By this time they had developed quite the communication shorthand, knowing how best to feed each other lines and set-ups. Loveless gets another vocal duet with Antoinette (Dorin) which is always a nice cultural counterpoint to his otherwise evil genius.

9 (out of 10) For the series.
10 (out of 10) For any episode with Dr. Miguelito Loveless. Michael Dunn makes this a villain for the ages with enough layered nuances to allow repeat viewings to reveal deeper levels of appreciation.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 5/21/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 11 Original Air Date: 11/25/66
The Night of the Ready-Made Corpse

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Carroll O'Connor--Fabian Lavender
Karen Sharpe--Rose Murphy
Daniel Ades--Colonel Pellargo
Jack Perkins--Golo
Gene Tyburn--Finley
Alan Bergmann--Claudio Antille
Patricia Huston--Leda Pellargo

Plot: Jim and Arte are assigned to guard a visiting Latin Dictator, Colonel Pellargo (Ades). When the dictator is killed by an assassin disguised as a photographer Jim and Arte are left to investigate. Their inquiries turn up more questions than answers as the assassin, Claudio Antille (Bergmann), turns up dead in Fabian Lavender's (O'Connor) Funeral Parlor. Or is he?

Lavender runs a funeral parlor, but he makes his money running an undercover business that specializes in faking the deaths of high profile criminals and then setting them up with a new face and a new life.

We see Claudio run to Lavender's Funeral Parlor after being wounded in his flight from Jim after the assassination.
Claudio, "My arm is hurting!"
Lavender, "Yes, well I can see you've got a wound there and I'll take care of it for you...ah...the blood, don't rub it on the carpet, it gives the mourners a very bad impression."

Claudio sits on the embalming table.
Lavender, "It's not a very comfortable table...but...ahhh... very few of my clients complain about it."

Arte disguises himself as a potential client for Mr. Lavender's "special funerals" but can't remember who recommended Mr. Lavender's services, too bad for Arte.

O'Connor is wonderfully dry with a soft gallows humor throughout. Just one more outstanding actor providing a very unique villain for the show. The colors are played to the hilt once again, when they use gas to try to kill people it's not boring old white, it's vibrant pink. Mr. Lavender is always complimented by the color of his name. And in addition to the standard dark blue and hunter green suits that Jim likes to wear, in this one he gets a baby blue suit with a paisley turquoise vest. Those color TVs were really getting their money's worth from this show.

9* (out of 10) For the series.
9* (out of 10) For this episode. Another powerful actor creating an original villain. O'Connor is no Archie Bunker in this one.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 5/28/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 12 Original Air Date: 12/2/66
The Night of the Man-Eating House

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Hurd Hatfield--Liston Day/Diaz
William Talman--Sheriff

Plot: Jim and Arte are sent to pick up an escaped prisoner, who is mentally unbalanced, and return him to custody. They meet up with the sheriff (Talman) who is holding the prisoner, Liston Day (Hatfield). The four of them decide to spend the night in an abandoned, decrepit mansion. The mansion seems to have a mind, and personality, all its own. Anytime they do something that would "hurt" the house, they hear a woman crying. They discover that they are prisoners of the house and cannot leave. The house allows the prisoner his freedom and the sheriff is killed in the process.

The house turns out to be Day's ancestral home and a diary in the house proves that he was innocent of the crime that has kept him imprisoned for the last 30 years. The time in prison has warped his mind and merely being free is no longer his focus. He now appears as young and vital as he was 30 years ago. He has a plan to destroy the people of Texas with a plague. This would allow Mexico to rule Texas once again. Day's real name is Diaz, and he comes from a proud Spanish lineage.

Jim and Arte must convince the house, which is being controlled by the spirit of Diaz's mother, to help them stop her insane son from completing his murderous scheme.

A "haunted" house to scare anyone, but Jim and Arte take it all in stride. Just when you think things are returning to normal, it's deja vu all over again. The show has a Twilight Zone-like twist to it.

No babes for Jim to romance and no disguises for Arte. Not even a gadget or clever escape. A very different story, but a nice change of pace.

9* (out of 10) For the series.
9* (out of 10) For this episode. It's out of the Wild Wild West box, but an interesting surprise package.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 6/10/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 13 Original Air Date: 12/16/66
The Night of the Skulls

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Donald Woods--Senator Stephen Fenlow
Lisa Gave--Lorelei
Douglass Henderson--Colonel Richmond
Francis De Sales-- Charlton
Quinton Sondergard--Monk
Robert Herron--Tigo
Mike Masters--Bluebeard
Calvin Brown--Iron Hook Harper
Anne Doud--Lucinda the Axe Woman
Sebastion Tom--The Samurai from San Francisco

Plot: Jim pretends to kill Arte so that he will become a fugitive. It's all part of a bigger plan to discover where the top criminals are all disappearing to.

Colonel Richmond (head of the secret service) to the press:
"Last count 19 bloodthirsty killers have simply stepped into limbo, just as the police were about to make an arrest. Where they are, who's harboring them and why....gentlemen, you uncover those answers and you'll make your headlines for a month!"

Jim doesn't have to wait long as he is quickly kidnapped and brought to trial before the most unusual judge that he's ever seen. The Hanging Judge is skull faced, as are all the court employees, and the jury is composed of well-known killers. What Jim doesn't know is that it's in his best interest to be found "guilty" of Arte's murder with this group, or they will hang him.

They are The Company of Murderers and have big plans. The Hanging Judge has been bringing together all these killers, including the San Francisco Samurai, Bluebeard, Iron Hook Harper and Lucinda the Axe Woman, to compete against each other to find the top three. All the losers will forfeit their lives, but the three winners are promised riches beyond belief. The plot involves assassinating the top three American leaders to put their man in control of the country.

Arte gets to dress up as the preacher at his own funeral, a drunk and as one of the Murderers gang. Jim gets to play hero and flirt with the fetching Lorelei, who is always just one kiss away from betraying her evil friends.

The Skull and Robe costumes are effective, and each member has a different colored robe (another nice test of your color TV circa 1966). Everyone Jim battles seems to have a trap door in just the right place at the most opportune time.

9* (out of 10) For the series.
9* (out of 10) For this episode. Another power-hungry baddie for Jim and Arte to wrestle with, great action and stunts, and a hot bad-babe.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 6/18/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
Number of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 14 Original Air Date: 12/23/66
The Night of the Infernal Machine

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
Ed Begley--Judge M'Guigan
Will Kuluva--Zeno Baroda
Vito Scotti--Cefalu
Bill Zuckert--Inspector Bulvon
Michael Pate--Bledsoe
John Harmon--Moody
Elaine Dunn--Vashti
Jon Lormer--Vickerman
William Gwinn--Judge

Plot: There is a convention of Federal Judges and an appointment to the Supreme Court on the horizon. An assortment of clever bombs start to show up in places designed to kill off various judges. Jim and Arte are called in to protect the judges and get to the bottom of the matter.

Jim (to Arte), "I want you to search every place in this hotel where a crate of dynamite could possibly be stored."
Arte (disguised as a pastry chef), "And if I find it?"
Jim, "I'll arrange for someone to pour cold water on your face to revive you!"

The primary suspect is Zeno Baroda (Kuluva) an ex-con who has a history and skill set to produce intricate bombs.

Baroda is a charmer as he shares one of his philosophies with Jim, "I've always believed that a man who lost a wife and a nickel, has lost a nickel!"

The plot thickens when Jim discovers that Judge M'Guigan (Begley) was responsible for paroling Baroda early. Could Baroda and M'Guigan be working together to eliminate the Judges' competition for a Supreme Court appointment?

Arte is captured and locked in a freezer. Jim ultimately comes to the rescue.
Jim, "How many times have I told you no loafing on the job? Are you alright?"
Arte, "Sure, sure. My skin's always this blue!"

We get "infernal machines" (bombs) in the form of a billiard ball, a clock, a walking bear toy and even in a pastry shaped like the statue of liberty. And in how many westerns would you get to see a colorful tap dance routine performed by the lovely Elaine Dunn?

With this episode (#14) we are halfway through the second season of this wonderful show.

9* (out of 10) For the series.
8* (out of 10) For this episode. Very good, but one notch on the gun handle lower than the high standards of the show.