"The Wild Wild West" (1965) TV series 1965-1969

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Creator:

Michael Garrison
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

17 September 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller | Western

Plot:

Two Secret Services agents, equipped with a wide array of gizmos, work for the government in the Old West.

Plot Keywords:

Gadget | Agent | Secret | Train | Epilogue Scene

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Robert Conrad	...	James T. West / ... (104 episodes, 1965-1969)
Ross Martin	...	Artemus Gordon (96 episodes, 1965-1969)
Dick Cangey	...	Henchman / ... (44 episodes, 1966-1969)

(more)

Series Directed by
Irving J. Moore		(26 episodes, 1965-1969)
Alan Crosland Jr.		(11 episodes, 1965-1968)
Marvin J. Chomsky		(11 episodes, 1967-1969)
Robert Sparr		(5 episodes, 1966-1967)
Charles R. Rondeau		(4 episodes, 1967-1969)
James B. Clark		(4 episodes, 1967-1968)
Mike Moder		(4 episodes, 1968-1969)
Richard Donner		(3 episodes, 1966)
Michael Caffey		(3 episodes, 1967-1968)
Alex Nicol		(3 episodes, 1967-1968)
Richard C. Sarafian		(2 episodes, 1965)
Don Taylor		(2 episodes, 1965)
William Witney		(2 episodes, 1965)
Edward Dein		(2 episodes, 1966)
Lee H. Katzin		(2 episodes, 1966)
Ralph Senensky		(2 episodes, 1966)
Gunnar Hellström		(2 episodes, 1967)
Bernard McEveety		(2 episodes, 1968-1969)

Series Writing credits
Michael Garrison		(99 episodes, 1965-1969)
Henry Sharp		(10 episodes, 1965-1968)
John Kneubuhl		(8 episodes, 1965-1967)
Earl Barret		(7 episodes, 1966-1969)
Robert C. Dennis		(7 episodes, 1966-1969)
Ken Kolb		(7 episodes, 1966-1967)
Ken Pettus		(7 episodes, 1967-1969)
Leigh Chapman		(6 episodes, 1966-1968)
Robert E. Kent		(5 episodes, 1967-1969)
Calvin Clements Jr.		(4 episodes, 1966-1968)
Edward J. Lakso		(4 episodes, 1967-1968)
Paul Playdon		(3 episodes, 1968-1969)
Oliver Crawford		(2 episodes, 1965-1969)
Stephen Kandel		(2 episodes, 1965-1968)
Richard H. Landau		(2 episodes, 1965-1968)
Preston Wood		(2 episodes, 1965-1966)
Jackson Gillis		(2 episodes, 1966-1968)
Michael Edwards		(2 episodes, 1966-1967)
Shimon Wincelberg		(2 episodes, 1966-1967)
Kevin DeCourcey		(2 episodes, 1966)
Donn Mullally		(2 episodes, 1966)
David Moessinger		(2 episodes, 1967-1968)
Peter G. Robinson		(2 episodes, 1967)
Ron Silverman		(2 episodes, 1967)
Ed Adamson		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Leonard Katzman	....	associate producer (89 episodes, 1965-1969)
Bruce Lansbury	....	producer (68 episodes, 1966-1969)
Joe Kirby	....	assistant producer (20 episodes, 1968-1969)
Michael Garrison	....	executive producer / producer (18 episodes, 1965-1966)
Fred Freiberger	....	producer (10 episodes, 1965)
Richard H. Landau	....	associate producer (10 episodes, 1965)
Philip Leacock	....	executive producer (7 episodes, 1965-1966)
John Mantley	....	producer (7 episodes, 1965-1966)
Gene L. Coon	....	producer (6 episodes, 1966)
Bruce Fowler Jr.	....	associate producer (3 episodes, 1965)
Collier Young	....	producer (3 episodes, 1965)

Series Original Music by
Richard Markowitz		(29 episodes, 1965-1967)
Richard Shores		(14 episodes, 1966-1969)
Jack Pleis		(8 episodes, 1967-1968)
Harry Geller		(5 episodes, 1966-1968)
Robert Drasnin		(4 episodes, 1965-1966)
Robert Prince		(3 episodes, 1968-1969)
Morton Stevens		(2 episodes, 1966-1968)

Series Cinematography by
Ted Voigtlander		(55 episodes, 1965-1967)
Edward R. Plante		(28 episodes, 1967-1969)
Richard L. Rawlings		(19 episodes, 1967-1969)

Series Film Editing by
Alan Jaggs		(36 episodes, 1965-1969)
Grant K. Smith		(19 episodes, 1965-1967)
Frank Capacchione		(14 episodes, 1967-1969)
Byron Chudnow		(14 episodes, 1967-1969)
Robert Sparr		(7 episodes, 1965-1966)
Gene Fowler Jr.		(5 episodes, 1966-1967)
Robert B. Warwick Jr.		(3 episodes, 1965)
Ellsworth Hoagland		(2 episodes, 1969)

Series Casting by
James Lister		(32 episodes, 1965-1966)
Edward F. Rhine		(17 episodes, 1966-1967)
William J. Kenney		(15 episodes, 1968-1969)
Al Onorato		(4 episodes, 1968-1969)
Ethel Winant		(3 episodes, 1966)

Series Art Direction by
Albert Heschong		(49 episodes, 1965-1967)
William Craig Smith		(42 episodes, 1967-1969)
Raymond Beal		(4 episodes, 1966)
Robert Crawley Sr.		(3 episodes, 1967-1968)
Gibson Holley		(3 episodes, 1967)

Series Set Decoration by
Ray Molyneaux		(97 episodes, 1965-1969)

Series Costume Design by
Jack Muhs		(31 episodes, 1967-1969)
Vou Lee Giokaris		(20 episodes, 1968-1969)
Paula Giokaris		(10 episodes, 1967-1968)

Series Makeup Department
Ken Chase	....	makeup artist (20 episodes, 1968-1969)
Don Schoenfeld	....	makeup artist (15 episodes, 1967-1968)
Lynn F. Reynolds	....	makeup artist (2 episodes, 1968)

Series Production Management
Cy Brooskin	....	unit production manager (27 episodes, 1965-1966)
Mike Moder	....	unit production manager (23 episodes, 1967-1968)
Sam Manners	....	unit production manager (15 episodes, 1968-1969)
Christopher N. Seiter	....	unit production manager (10 episodes, 1968-1969)
Lee H. Katzin	....	unit production manager (7 episodes, 1966)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles R. Scott Jr.	....	assistant director (37 episodes, 1966-1969)
Mike Moder	....	assistant director (15 episodes, 1966-1967)
Christopher Seitz	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1967-1968)
Rowe Wallerstein	....	assistant director (10 episodes, 1965-1966)
Gordon A. Webb	....	assistant director (9 episodes, 1968-1969)
John W. Rogers	....	assistant director (8 episodes, 1965-1966)
Dick Gallegly	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1965)
Les Sheldon	....	second assistant director (3 episodes, 1966-1967)
Leonard Katzman	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1965)
William Girdler	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Craig Binkley	....	leadman (24 episodes, 1968-1969)
Michael Baugh	....	set designer (5 episodes, 1965)
Arthur Friedrich	....	property master (3 episodes, 1965)
Allan Gordon	....	property master (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
James M. George	....	stunt double: Robert Conrad / stunt double: Perry Lopez / ... (8 episodes, 1968-1969)
Whitey Hughes	....	stunt double: J.S. Johnson / stunt double: Melinda Plowman / ... (4 episodes, 1968)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Eddy Donno	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Bill M. Ryusaki	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Tony Van Renterghem	....	assistant camera: IATSE (unknown episodes)

Series Casting Department
Al Onorato	....	casting (6 episodes, 1968-1969)
William J. Kenney	....	casting (3 episodes, 1968)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jack Muhs	....	costumer (9 episodes, 1967-1969)
Paula Giokaris	....	costumer (4 episodes, 1967-1968)
Vou Lee Giokaris	....	costumer (3 episodes, 1967-1969)
Frank Delmar	....	wardrobe (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
Richard Markowitz	....	composer: theme music / conductor / ... (66 episodes, 1965-1969)
Morton Stevens	....	music supervisor / composer: stock music (32 episodes, 1966-1969)
Bob Bain	....	musician: guitar (28 episodes, 1965-1966)
Martin L. Klein	....	music supervisor (22 episodes, 1968-1969)
Jack Pleis	....	conductor (8 episodes, 1967-1968)
Robert Drasnin	....	conductor / music conductor (4 episodes, 1965-1966)
Harry Geller	....	conductor (4 episodes, 1966-1968)

Series Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver (2 episodes, 1969)

Series Other crew
Henry Sharp	....	story consultant / story editor (69 episodes, 1966-1969)
Joe Kirby	....	assistant to producer / assistant to producers (58 episodes, 1966-1969)
Preston Wood	....	story consultant / story editor (13 episodes, 1965-1966)
Don Leonard	....	assistant to producer (10 episodes, 1965)
Herbert DuFine	....	assistant to producers (7 episodes, 1965-1966)
Gene Fowler Jr.	....	production associate (7 episodes, 1965-1966)
William Koenig	....	story consultant (5 episodes, 1966)
Leonard Katzman	....	production associate (3 episodes, 1965)
Mark Weingart	....	story editor (3 episodes, 1965)

Production Companies

• Bruce Lansbury Productions
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
• Michael Garrison Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1965-1969) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• CBS Films
• Fuji Television Network (1965) (Japan) (TV)
• Paramount Television
• Viacom

Other Companies

• CBS Studio Center  filming location

Also Known As:

"The Wild West" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

51 min (104 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (1965-1966) | Color (1966-1969)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Bruce Lansbury Productions

Trivia:

Miguelito Loveless' middle name is Quixote.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Saturday Night Live: Robert Conrad/The Allman Brothers Band (#7.9)" (1982)

The night of the wild, wild James West : a modern cow-boy spy

"The wild wild west" is the most eccentric espionage series that blends the Ian Fleming's James Bond character, the western genre and the Jules Verne's fantasy world into a baroque and glamorous extravaganza. This show has a huge identity : the leitmotiv music and its different themes, the title design (the freeze frame sketch), the bizarre universe and the foe-characters (secret society, mad inventors, wizards, monsters, revolutionaries, corrupted politicians, putschists), the disguises and the gimmicks, the gorgeous women, a special sense of humour combined with camaraderie, action and stunts. In other words, something that is very, very rich, colourful and varied and far away from today's imagination. In my opinion, the most important aspect of this unusual drama comes from the characters : James T. West, the tough-as-nails dandiest dude secret agent with his fancy train and his fancy costumes full of hidden weapons (I like the knife boots and the sleeve-gun, re-used by Martin Scorsese in "Taxi driver") who works with his partner : the dashing Artemus Gordon aka Arte who is an expert in masks, bombs, magic tricks and acting; the president Grant and the Colonel Richmond. Above all, the regular outrageous villain that sums up the flavor of the series : Dr. Miguelito Loveless, the genius prankster dwarf. The most clever device created by him is the painting-traveling machine in The night of the surreal Mc Coy. Without forgetting the flamboyant Count Manzeppi, of course, in The night of the eccentrics and The night of the feathered fury. The whole show is a crazy circus : a madhouse. The series also makes reference to classic sci-fi novels such as : "The incredible shrinking man" in The night of the raven, "Frankenstein" in The night of the big blast, "The time machine" in The night of the lord of limbo. "The wild wild west" has a lot of similarities with "Mission : impossible". For instance : the characters of Artemus Gordon/Rollin Hand and James West/Jim Phelps. They have the same psychologic patterns. Producer Bruce Lansbury and composer Richard Markowitz worked on both series. But the first series is delirious and the second one is stone-cold. My advice is not to miss the Loveless episodes : 1.The night the wizard shook the earth, 2.The night that terror stalked the town, 3.The night of the whirring death, 4.The night of the murderous spring, 5.The night of the raven, 6.The night of the green terror, 7.The night of the surreal Mc Coy, 8.The night of the bogus bandit, 9.The night of Dr. Loveless died, 10.The night of the Miguelito's revenge. Another best and maverick show of the 60's decade.