Customer Reviews

The Wild Wild West, Vols. 1-3 [VHS]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before TV executives at the major networks decided that compelling storytelling and engaging character development were just too difficult and too costly, and they put a camera around your dog's neck and hoped that you would enjoy watching Spot lick himself for a few hours every night, this show was a hit, and most deservedly so. The stories were clever, the principal actors were excellent, the supporting players were memorable, and the action sequences were engaging and believable. Robert Conrad and Ross Martin complemented each other perfectly. Imagine James Bond and Q as a team of secret agents in the old west and you've got the picture. Judging from Ebay and the numerous websites devoted to this TV series, its cult of followers continues to grow, both in numbers and loyalty. Why an entrepreneur has not packaged the show on DVD by now, like almost every other show from the 60's, is an omission of epic stupidity. There is a cult of thousands who have been waiting years. Look how popular and profitable "The Prisoner" is, and you have some idea of the cult surrounding WWW. I know people who will commute across the country just to tape reruns of the show. Why? Watch a few episodes and you will be hooked, too. Believe this if you can. Despite TV ratings that today's so-called hit shows cannot achieve, WWW was cancelled by the network due to excessive violence. Even as a teenager, I thought this decision was utterly dumb, and so will you. This show was and is among the best entertainment TV has ever produced, and the fact that it was taken off the air by the network rather than its lack of an audience, and the fact that 40 years later, we are still praising its merits, proves that there must be a God.

I remember when I first started watching these (way back when). It was unlike any western I'd ever seen or would ever see. The creativity of this series is phenomenal. The humor is subtle, the action is spectacular, and the gadgets...oh those crazy gadgets...were way ahead of their time. Spielberg probably picked up a few pointers from this one. Just wish I had a train like James and Artemus had. Travel taken to a whole new level of comfort. The movie with Will Smith doesn't even come close to the same level as the series. The movie was just a showcase for Smith. The series is a showcase for creativity at its finest. Guaranteed--you won't waste you money buying these.

i grew up watching reruns of this show and i still love it. the "james bond" of the west is every bit as cool as bond and has as many "gagets" . the three shows in this collection are the first 3 shows ever aired. they are actoin packed and great fun. " the night the wizard shook the world" the second tape in the set and the second one broadcast gave west his "blofeld" like bond in the short form of the great michael dunn as the small in body only dr.miguelito loveless. this was and in my mind still is the greastest villin to ever grace the t.v. screen. watch and see the fun mr. dunn,an over looked actor if there ever was one, has as he taunts west and proves that size is not the mesure of a man. why this is not on dvd in season by season packs is just beyond me. wake up hollywood and quit giving every show that came down the pike the season by season pack and put this great and exciteing show on dvd please we need this dose of great old t.v. now more than ever. i guess the wild, wild west movie, a piece of junk that should never been greenlighted must have made hollywood think we wouldn't by the series. well if you watch the orignal you will see what a great show it was and how bad the movie really trashes the concept.

These episodes are very good! They reflect a mass of James West's tools and gadgets and the story lines are done very well! Well written. I'm a big James west fan and will tell you that among all episodes, these are very good and would go well in any Wild Wild West collection.

I admit it has been some time since I've seen these shows, having worn the images right off my video tapes. When I was young I would have put James West up on my wall only they didn't publish him in the teen magazines. I confess, I couldn't really afford the magazines and may have missed him inside but if he'd been on the cover I would have found someone's kids to babysit to get the money I needed. I didn't miss an episode. So WHEN will the series be released on DVD? This one I would buy even over the Avengers and Ilya Kuriakin.

I LIKE THIS TV SERIES, BETTER THAN THE MOVIE THAT MOVIE WAS A DISASTER IN ALL FRONTS, ROBERT CONRAD IS WONDERFUL, & THE CAST IS GREAT.

I thought all three episodes were really great. They all possess the elements that make watching these volumes an absolute priority. The videos bring out the 007 in West and the master of disguise in Gordon. The episodes are action packed and dig deep into the rare science fiction which is amazingly and marvelously applied to the 1865 setting making "The Wild Wild West" the best western ever. That's just my opinion. Watch the episodes and see for yourselves.

Lots of typical Jim West action. He takes on 5 and 6 men at a time, gets the girl and plays with his gadgets. The video has the first episode of Wild Wild West which shows a bit of the background of Jim West and his relationship with Artumus Gordon. You also get a tour of the train and all of the neat gadgets. A must for Wild Wild West fans...

The "Wild Wild West" series was one of my favorite series when I was a child, for the spy gadgets as well as the action/adventure. Robert Conrad stars as special agent James West, a romance-minded tough man determined to protect the interests of the United States government and he played it well. Ross Martin was also superb as Artemis Gordon, "the man of a thousand faces." Agents West and Gordon had their own special train outfitted with many types of gadgets, including exploding billiard balls.
"The Night of the Inferno" is the pilot episode of the series and does an excellent job in introducing the main characters and their recurring tasks. A sinister force is determined to spark a war between the United States and Mexico and President Grant sends his two best men to determine who is responsible and thwart the plot. There are many undercurrents to the story, including a gunslinging old girlfriend of West's, a strange Chinese businessman and a brutal Mexican general. After several escapes from dangerous situations and a few scenes of banter between the characters, Jim and Artie emerge victorious and we know who they are and what they do. This episode also introduces the special train that Jim and Artie travel on, the secret closets and other cubbies where their spy gadgets reside. It was a joy to watch this episode once again after so many years.
It is a fact of the storytelling life that all strong heroes need powerful villains to oppose them; otherwise it is little more than a case of "a man against boys." "The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth" introduces Miguelito Loveless, a dimunitive man that is a diabolical genius determined to defeat West and Gordon. It is in the battles with Loveless that the series comes closest to the "James Bond on horseback" description. Loveless has an intense desire to gloat and the scenes where West and Loveless are interacting are very similar to those in the Bond films where he is face-to-face with his adversary. Giant actor Richard Kiel (Jaws in several James Bond films) plays Loveless' loyal sidekick, a man willing to die in service of his master. Loveless' cultural side is emphasized by his singing a duet with his lovely companion Antoinette.
Loveless and his scientific partner have developed a powerful new explosive and in his mind, Loveless wants it all to himself. He murders his partner and develops a plan where he will destroy an entire city as revenge for what he considers to have been crimes against him and his family. Jim and Artie engage in a desperate attempt to find and defuse the explosive before the entire town is destroyed. Despite his small size, Loveless proves to be a powerful adversary, devious and tough. He is a worthy opponent to the mighty team of West and Gordon.

In "The Night of the Double-Edged Knife" a former general in the U. S. Army informs West and Gordon that renegade Cheyenne Indians are threatening to kill five railroad workers a day unless they are paid a half-million dollar extortion fee in gold. The Cheyenne leader was educated in an Ivy League school and when Jim meets with him the leader insists that he has no involvement in the extortion scheme. Jim believes him and together they come up with a scheme to thwart the plans of the unscrupulous group of thieves and killers. While this episode is exciting, it is not quite at the level of the first two.
Ross Martin once described his role as Artemis Gordon as a "show-off's showcase" for the many opportunities to play characters with extreme mannerisms and speaking different dialects. Both Conrad and Martin took their roles extremely seriously; Conrad did his own stunts and suffered once a concussion in a fall. True to the spirit of the show, the fall was included in the episode when it aired. Martin also suffered a broken leg in filming an episode and he was deservedly nominated for an Emmy.
Although it ran for four seasons of 104 episodes it is easy to regret that this series did not run longer. It was very well made, superbly acted and kept your interest throughout as you never knew when a critical point would be reached.

It's way beyond time for all of these episodes to be in DVD. I'm amazed that this hasn't happened. With all of us that loved this show and watched it weekly, they would sell like hotcakes. Here's hoping that will happen very soon.