Amazon.com: The Wild Wild West - The Complete First Season : Robert Conrad, Ross Martin, Lloyd Bochner, John Hoyt, Imelda de Martin, Nelson Olmsted, Sara Taft, Lennie Rogel, Janis Hansen, Bill Catching, Bob Herron, Richard Monahan: Movies & TV (original) (raw)

I grew up watching The Wild Wild West. So when I discovered the first season was to be released on DVD I started salivating. But I was also wary. I mean, I remember the show through the eyes of an eight- or nine-year-old. What would I think about it now nearly 40 years later? (Cases in point: Time Tunnel -- cool as a kid, nearly unwatchable now. Or Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea...ditto.)

Frankly, I'm blown away by The Wild Wild West -- now more than ever. It holds up. And, in fact, surpasses contemporary TV shows for sheer imagination and storytelling. This was an incredible show. And still is thanks to the magic of DVD.

Star Robert Conrad narrates an introduction to every episode and I'm so thankful that he did. If there's one star in Hollywood that I'd love to meet it's Robert Conrad. I've been a fan of his for, literally, four decades. So it's great to hear his voice providing recollections and behind-the-scenes factoids about the episode. Thank you, Mr. Conrad!

Speaking of Mr. C. -- holy cow! -- the man is astonishingly dapper. Toned to perfection. Abs (and cojones) of steel. He did all of his own stunts. And some of them were extremely difficult (like hanging upside down in a straightjacket and then lifting himself up with nothing but his abs to support him while he untied his feet...or scaling a vertical wall with a rope, or just his fingertips). All of his athleticism was probably lost on me as a kid. But now I watch him and think, "Wow. I can't believe he just did that."

My wife and I watched every episode as soon as we got the box set home. She had never seen the series before. Probably never even heard of it. But she was as thrilled by the episodes as I was.

Ross Martin as Artemus Gordon was the perfect counterpoint to Robert Conrad's super-suave James West. The two have a delightful chemistry. Ross was a great character actor and it was always fun to see him show up in some improbable costume with a new accent -- often just in time to save Jim.

The stories! Unreal. Way ahead of their time. A combination of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and the Old West. With a bit of the dire espionage of 24 thrown in for good measure.

The villians! I never forgot Michael Dunn as recurring bad guy Dr. Miguelito Loveless. It was great to see him again in these episodes.

The women! To my mind, James West was much cooler than James Bond. His quips and come-ons are fantastic. Once my wife figured out the "format," she always watched for the beautiful woman to appear -- be she the villian's daughter, neice, or wife. At some point, a gorgeous woman will appear and James West will be all over her like white on rice.

The theme song! Unforgettable. One of the best ever created for television.

The opening sequence graphics! Clever. The various panels are replaced with frozen images from the episode, sort of counting down to the finale. My only quibble with the opening animation is that these DVDs appear to use the PC version -- the one in which James West doesn't wallop the woman with the dagger about to do him in. That version is provided. But it's not used to open each episode.

I can't praise The Wild Wild West DVD box set enough. This is an amazing collection of episodes that entertain, delight, and amaze to this day.

Robert Conrad was my hero when I was eight. He still is, nearly 40 years later.

Thank you to one and all for releasing The Wild Wild West on DVD!

Now...

How about Season Two? :)