The Wild Wild West
1965
📺 4 Seasons
🎬 104 Episodes
📅 Ended
🌐 EN
⏱️ 50 min/episode
Action & AdventureComedyDramaWesternSci-Fi & Fantasy
The Wild Wild West is an American television series. Developed at a time when the television western was losing ground to the spy genre, this show was conceived by its creator, Michael Garrison, as "James Bond on horseback." Set during the administration of President Ulysses Grant, the series followed Secret Service agents James West and Artemus Gordon as they solved crimes, protected the President, and foiled the plans of megalomaniacal villains to take over all or part of the United States.
The show also featured a number of fantasy elements, such as the technologically advanced devices used by the agents and their adversaries. The combination of the Victorian era time-frame and the use of Verne-esque style technology have inspired some to give the show credit for the origins of the steam punk subculture.
Seasons
Season 1
Jim is set up as a renegade as a cover for him and Artie to sneak into Texas and track down General Juan Manolo, who is trying to take over the region.
Season 2
Investigating a murder, West falls into the hands of the Eccentrics, a group of assassins controlled by the vicious Count Manzeppi.
Season 3
When Victor Freemantle, a dangerous revolutionary, steals the U.S. Constitution, agents James West and Artemus Gordon are sent by the government to the Panhandle Strip in Texas to recover it. West and Mr.Grigsby, a curator of the United States Archives, go to a secret underground hideout where Constitution is being held to verify the authenticity of the document. After determining that it is the genuine article, West and Grigsby are presented with Freemantle's demands: They are requested to cease negotiations with Mexico and the U.S. is to recognize the Panhandle Strip as a Sovereign enclave between the borders. A one-millon dollar ransom in gold must also be paid. As part of their agreement, Freemantle holds Grisby hostage until West returns. But West and agent Artemus Gordon decide to ignore the demands and rescue the Constitution themselves by infiltrating Freemantle's castle; Gordon disguises himself as a whiskey salesman and West hides underneath his wagon.
Season 4
While President Grant attends an event at the German Consulate, Baron Hinterestoisser invites him to a special reception, explaining he has something interesting for the president to see. Suspicious, agent James West retrieves the mysterious box the Baron refers to and finds a kinetoscope of a fake depiction of President Grant signing a secret agreement with the unscrupulous government of another nation. If the film is shown for the heads of other countries, Grant will suffer terrible indignation and upset international relations. If the film is not replaced, however, the Baron will accuse the U.S. of stealing on consulate soil, a far greater crime. Agent Artemus Gordon decides that the only alternative is to make a duplicate kintetoscope-with some changes-and return it to the consulate before it is discovered missing. West and Gordon finish just as the president arrives. The Baron announces that he has proof of President Grant's connection with the corrupt foreigh officials. But as th
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User Reviews
I was born after the show had been off the air for a few years, so of course I discovered it in reruns.
It was syndicated all over the country by then, and locally it aired on Sunday nights at 6pm (a fairly wise strategy, since airing episodes once a week meant they wouldn't run through them too quickly).
My father was a fan of the show, and we watched it together every Sunday evening after dinner. When we started this ritual I was too young to enjoy most of the shows my dad enjoyed, but this had everything I could want; good guys, bad guys, lots of action, inventive plots, gadgets, and humor.
It might be the only show that I enjoyed at that age that I still enjoy today because of its quality. (I can still watch Happy Days or the Dukes of Hazzard and remember WHY I enjoyed them at that age, but they don't hold up).
The writers were inventive, and the show was able to mix sci-fi with the western genre very well, with some really nice gothic horror touches and mystery elements along the way.
Robert Conrad deserves praise for his stunt work, which was a hallmark of the show, along with Ross Martin and his many disguises and accents.
Probably the best part of the show was the villain each week, sometimes bent on world domination, but always creative.
The show spawned two reunion movies, which failed to recapture the spirit of the original series but were both pleasant diversions for a few hours. Unfortunately the show was unable to escape the 'old tv show turned into a big screen movie' machine in Hollywood, and the results were a mess.
May 27, 2017
Crew
Producer
Philip Leacock, Leonard Katzman, Richard H. Landau
Network
CBS
Production
Michael Garrison Productions, Bruce Lansbury Productions, CBS
Keywords
secret agentwild westclassic western