Espías con espuelas

I have loved this show since I was a child and I still do. The chemistry between the two partners & friends is impeccable (not like the movie in which they were always at odds). And as a young girl, I was totally swept away with the James West character as played by Robert Conrad. There will never be another TV character or series to compare.

In 1965 someone had the bright idea to mix the two most popular genres at that time, spy shows and westerns, and came up with this classic series. The western elements were obviously the horses, Indians and a strong hero and the espionage elements were the gadgets and megalomaniacal villains. Robert Conrad was excellent as Jim West and Ross Martin was just as great as the master of disguise Artemis Gordon. This chemistry between the two leads helped to make this show a classic. However, Michael Dunn pretty much stole the show as Miguelito Loveless, or as Artie would often call him, "The Little Wizard". This show will always be one of the wildest things about the decade of the 60's.

This was the coolest series of its time. Yes, you can argue that the Man from UNCLE, Mission Impossible, and the Avengers were also good, but this show was so unique. Take a western, mix with the spy genre, add a dash of steampunk (i.e. Jules Verne, H.G. Wells), a teaspoon of comedy, and 1 3/4 cups of stunts and you have a show unlike any other.

Robert Conrad and Ross Martin were unparalleled as Secret Service agents Jim West and Artemis Gordon, operating from their gadget-laden private train. They had tremendous chemistry and handled all aspects (comedy, drama, action) with equal skill. Michael Dunn was inspired as the diabolical genius Dr. Miguelito Loveless, whose genius far outreaches his stature. Dunn was a fantastic performer who could both sing and act beautifully.

The stories were inventive; mixing madmen, crooks, and murderers with science-fiction elements and cool gadgets. Who can forget the sleeve gun, the boot knife, the pool cue swords, etc. We had ironclads, submarines, super cannons, flying saucers and other futuristic devices.

The various elements that make up a tv show all had a unique spin here. We had the animated title sequence which gave way to the chapter breaks, as the story progressed. There was the wonderful theme song, the costumes, the make up, and the great stunt work. Everything about this show was quality.

I greatly miss this show and if there was ever a show deserving a dvd release, this is the one. The less said about that abomination of a film, the better.

I loved the "Wild, Wild West" TV series that blended horror , the western & Steam-punk on many episodes. Robert Conrad was James West &Ross Martin was Artemus Gordon, "Man of a thousand faces".It had different stories each week but there were recurring villains- Dr. Miguelito Loveless ( What a great name for a villain !) was played by Michael Dunn ( Star Trek's" Plato's Step-Children") &Count Manzeppi (magician turned assassin) was played by Victor Buono. "Wild, Wild West" was the closest TV ever got to capturing the flavor of comic books. I hope you will someday get to see this series, perhaps on DVD. There are a few episodes out on video. I particularly recommend " The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth", the first Dr. Loveless episode. I loved the Dr. Loveless episodes & the 2 with Victor Buono as Count Manzeppi. Quintessential "Wild, Wild West "episode- "Night of the Vicious Valentine" that deservedly won guest-star Agnes Moorehead an Emmy.

Looking back at this show after all these years, two things stand out. First, doing this show must have been nirvana for Ross Martin. In almost every episode, he got to change costumes, add makeup, and play a completely new character, usually with a different voice and/or accent. What character actor doesn't dream of that, and what a marvelous talent he was!

Second, when this show first aired, I was going through puberty, so it was probably a big influence - but I cannot recall a TV series that consistently featured, week in and week out, more drop dead gorgeous women than this one did. To the producers I say thank you, thank you, thank you!!