In the fall of 1965 a new TV program debuted that was significantly different from the other shows that came before or after it. The Wild Wild West was a program that wasn't easily categorized. It took place in the western US in the late 1800's, but it wasn't really a western. It had fantastic, futuristic inventions and machines, but it wasn't a science fiction program. The star was a secret service agent, but it wasn't really a spy show either. The Wild Wild West was a combination of all of these, taking the best elements from each genre and creating a unique show that, surprisingly, was very good. Paramount has now gathered the four seasons that were previously released into a nice boxed set:  The Wild Wild West, the Complete Series.  This set has all 104 episodes and the two never before released on DVD Wild Wild West movies making this a nice complete package.  (Okay, it is missing the artless and miserable Will Smith movie, but that's not a big loss.)

Jim West (Robert Conrad) is one of the best secret service agents in the country. He's on special assignment, working directly for President U. S. Grant to stop trouble where ever it might arise. Along with his partner, master of disguise Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) West travels through the old west in a custom private train (under cover as a rich dandy from the east) and confronts terrorists, mad scientists, would-be world rulers, and other assorted mad men.

Each episode, while they weren't necessarily formalistic, had the same elements. There was always a beautiful woman (sometime working for the villain) for Jim to get interested in, a fantastic machine or invention, lots of cool spy gadgets, and a larger than life villain. Throw in at east two fight scenes, a wicked plot to wreak havoc on society, and a dollop of suspense, and you've got a pretty interesting show.

The show first premiered on Sept. 17th, 1965 and that first season sets the tone of that the show would follow through all four years that it ran.   It was a steam-punk show created years before the term came into being.  With the bad guys creating super-scientific devices using 19th century technology, the show had an amazing feel.  An amazing mix of SF, spy shows, and westerns the creators were able to deftly mix the genres seamlessly to create a program that was totally unique.

Season one was filmed in black and white and contains some of the best shows from the series run.  "The Night of the Burning Diamond" features a villain who has come up with a unique way to turn invisible (which will seem familiar to any Star Trek fan,) and "The Night That Terror Stalked the Town" has the duo arriving in a town populated by corpses. The highlight of the set for me though was "The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth" which features the first appearance of Dr. Miguelito Loveless (Michael Dunn). Dr. Loveless will turn into West's main antagonist, appearing in 10 episodes over the series run including four in this first season. A scientific genius, Dr. Loveless has an incredible brain but is trapped in the body of a dwarf. That paradox plays well in the show, and Dr. Loveless is the perfect foil for West and Gordon, a man who can be foiled but never captured.

In the second season the show moved to color, and the plots were lightened up, just a bit.  Maybe it was the shift to color which gave the show less of a noir look, but the show seems to have added just a bit more humor.  There were still world-conquering villains and the show by no means jumped the shark (it really never did during its run) but the tone is just a little less serious.  Highlights include "The Night of the Surreal McCoy" where some valuable jewels are stolen right out from under West's nose, and "The Night of the Big Blast" which features Ida Lupino as an evil scientist with plans to kill the president.

Season Three features more of the same, with some great episodes including "The Night of the Falcon" where Jim and Artie have to stop a madman with a bird-shaped cannon from destroying Denver, and the great "The Night Dr. Loveless Died."  In this adventure the pair's nemesis has died and there's a race to see who can get the key chained to his waist, a key that will unlock all of his secret files.

Season four had a lot of changes.  While the shows are still very good, Ross Martin broke his leg during the filming of "The Night of the Avaricious Actuary" and then suffered a heart attack after wrapping up "The Night of Fire and Brimstone."  They replaced him with a couple of different agents and while the stories were still the same Martin was conspicuously absent.  One of my all-time favorite episodes was filmed during this time with Charles Aidman filling in as agent Jeremy Pike.  In "The Night of the Camera" West and Pike are trying to break up an opium smuggling ring and are aided by the very timid agent Bosley Cranston who is played to perfection by Pat Paulsen.

The show was cancelled after the fourth season, but not for the reasons one might suspect.  It wasn't ratings that did the show in, it was still getting a respectable share of viewers.  It was public morality groups.  Some people thought the show was too violent for the public airwaves and pressured the network to take it off their schedule.   From start to finish, this was a quality production and a lot of fun to watch.

A lot of the credit for the show's long success goes to Robert Conrad. While no one will confuse him with Lionel Barrymore, he's perfect for the part. Attractive and fit (Conrad was a professional boxer before turning to acting) he really looked the part. Dressed in incredibly tight pants and stylish vests, he looked like a nineteenth century James Bond. He also takes the show seriously, and that makes the viewers believe in it too. When presented with a train that shoots fire or an assassin who reconstructed his wounded body with metal, Conrad plays it straight. There's no twinkle in his eye or any trace at how ridiculous some of the situations are. That's what keeps the show from devolving into camp and also gives it the timeless appeal that it has.  Conrad also did all of his own stunts, that really adds a lot to the show.  The fights and jumps look much more real because it is Conrad out there throwing the punches and taking the falls.  This wasn't without risks however and the production of season three had to end two weeks early after Conrad wounded himself while falling from a chandelier.

Ross Martin also does a good job playing the West's assistant. He lightens the show a bit, though he's not a comic relief, with his fancy gadgets and frequent disguises. Gordon's also the voice of reason, telling Jim that his plan is foolhardy and to play it safe. Advice that Jim West never takes.

All 104 episodes from this series as well as the two TV movies (more on those in the extras section) come on 27 (count 'em!)  These discs seem to be the same as the individual season releases.  The set comes in an attractive box that is made to look like a leather-covered trunk.  It is about as big as the West Wing complete series box, though not nearly as sturdy. (Note that the 'metal' corners are just painted on.)  Inside the discs are stored in two thin pressboard cases made to resemble ummm... boot heels, I guess.  This housing isn't the greatest, the tops of the discs rub against each other and I assume that scratches would be easy to create if one wasn't very careful getting the discs in and out.  There is also an episode guide.  While the guide is nice, it covers the DVD cases are ruins the presentation somewhat.  Overall I was hoping that they could have made the set a little more special, like the aforementioned West Wing set, or The Man from U.N.C.L.E., or Alias, or The X-Files, or...

Audio:

The two channel mono soundtrack is crisp and clear and fits the show very well. The range is a little limited, but that's to be expected for a show this old. The dialog is clear and the music sounds very good, including the bass line of the show's theme. Occasionally the upper end gets clipped, but that isn't a distraction. A fine sounding disc.

Video:

The black and white (for the first season) and color (season two on) full frame images looks good for a 40-year-old show. The contrast and black levels are excellent with strong details and a sharp picture. The colors are generally solid, and they are brighter than I was expecting.  That's not to say that the video is perfect. There are a few spots and bits of dirt in some of the episodes, but these are rare.  Overall a nice looking set of episodes.

Extras:

The extras included with this set are a mixed bag.  The first season is loaded with some great bonus material.  Each episode starts with an audio introduction by Robert Conrad in which he points out some of the highlights of the episode about to be screened. He also provides a commentary to the pilot episode where he talks about the show and relates some interesting anecdotes (including the fact that he did all of his own stunts in the show.)

There are also several audio interviews with people associated with the show that were done by Sue Kessler in 1988 as research for her book on the show. Included are talks with John Kneubuhl (the creator of Dr. Loveless), Ethel Winant (CBS Executive), producer Fred Freiberger, special effects artist Tim Smyth, and composer Richard Markowitz.  The first disc has the original opening and bumpers for the pilot episode which was originally entitled The Wild West as well as an extended commercial for that first episode that CBS ran to promote the show. The second disc has an intro blooper too.

There's also an 8-minute excerpt from the show Every Day from 1978 where Robert Conrad and Ross Martin are interviewed together about the show. This was the only time the two stars were interviewed together and it's a nice to watch. An Eveready battery commercial staring Conrad, a network promo, and a theme scoring session wrap up the bonus items for season one.

Unfortunately things drop off from there.  Seasons 2-4 don't have any bonus items at all, which is a shame.

There is also a bonus disc that's available only with this boxed set that has the two revival movies.  While it's nice to have them, it is a slap in the face to those fans who bought the season sets as they were released.  I really hate when studios cheat the people who supported the original releases like that, but I guess I'd rather have these films available somewhere than not at all.

These two films, Wild, Wild West Revisited (1979) and More Wild, Wild West (1980,) each run roughly an hour and a half and are, well, okay but not great.  Taking place years after the series, the first film has West and Gordon called out of retirement to battle Dr. Loveless' son, Michelito Loveless, Jr.  The diminutive criminal is replacing the rulers of European countries with clones, and they have to get to him before he can replace the President. While it doesn't quite manage to capture the feel of the TV show, it is nice seeing the stars together again and it's worth watching.

The same can't really be said for the second TV movie.  In the sequel the men are pulled out of retirement once more to battle an evil genius who can turn invisible.  This movie is played more for laughs and gets rather silly in places.  It's too bad that they couldn't have ended the series on a higher note.

Final Thoughts:

This is a fun show. Taking the suspense and excitement of James Bond, the other worldly awe of science fiction shows and setting it all in the old west, The Wild Wild West still is as enjoyable today as it was 40 years ago. Robert Conrad is perfect for the lead role, bringing a sense of style and seriousness to the exciting scripts. With all 104 episodes plus the two TV movies this is quite a set.  Even with the less than ideal packaging this set comes Highly Recommended.