First Impressions of Wild Wild West

[zimmerman]

I am interested in finding out your stories of how you came to find WWW for the first time: my story is posted in my review of TNOT Inferno.

I may or may not be on here on Thursday, but I will be for sure spending time with you on 1:00 ProBoards (4:00 Central Time) on Saturday afternoon, so please have a wonderful week, and know that all of you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Until next time, take care, and God bless.

[California gal]

I can't remember my first impression--I watched it first run! I do know that I liked RC from Hawaiian Eye, as well as liking westerns so that probably drew me.

Then I didn't see it again until the DVDs were released, which renewed my love for the show.

[Dieter]

I think I just mentioned it on another thread that the first episode I ever saw was Kraken in a hotel while on vacation in San Francisco with my family. I totally loved that episode and became hooked ever since. Thats when CBS aired it at 10pm Mondays. That's the only thing I totally remember about my vacation! haha ;D

[western666]

three years ago on metv:D the night of the murderous spring was the first episode I watched:D I love every western and my dad told I would love the wild wild west and I do:D

[Dieter]

Interesting here in So Cal WWW has been in reruns almost non-stop since CBS cancelled it. First KHJ channel 9 had it from 1971 to 1989. Occasionally giving it a rest but then started it back up 5 to 7 times a week. Then KDOC aired it from 94 to 98 5 to 10 times a week (twice a day for a long time). Then again in 2008 to 2010 I believe at 7pm Mon-Fri. And of course TNT from 94 to 2002 Monday-Fri at 12 noon and later at 6am plus Saturday morning double feature from 8 to 10 am. WGN had it for a long time too but I forget which years. And now Me-TV has it--it was on Mon-Fri at 5pm for a long time but now just Saturdays at 4.

WWW just refuses to go away--and that's a good thing!!!

Oh I forgot to mention Hallmark channel had it for a whole month or so in 2006 I believe. Haha- I recorded the marathons they did plus all the other eps they had. They only made it through the first 10 episodes in Season 1 before dropping it for whatever reason.

[Nydiva]

I, too, watched WWW first run. No idea what the first impression was, except I remember really liking Ross Martin.

When I finally got the WWW DVDs 40 odd years later, my first reaction was "D@mn - I had good taste back then!" ;D

Now, if anything, I like Ross even more - as evidenced by my growing collection of RM DVDS. Just got Hawaii Five-0 and Laramie, and have Geromino and Ellery Queen on order. I'm buying whole seasons just to see the eps where Ross appeared.

[w3mom]

My husband and I found it about 16 years ago in late-night reruns with one of the babies who didn't sleep (now a teen who doesn't sleep). I don't remember the first episode we saw, but we loved it so much we started taping it to watch it when we were awake. It was the first DVD set that I bought for myself when we gave up the TV. I also seem to recall my mom watching it when I was a kid, but I would have remembered seeing it then - I (unfortunately?) have a great visual memory.

[snish]

All I remember of the first run of WWW was hearing the theme music coming from the living room after I had gone to bed. I went to bed early in those days. Then the series came around in weekday syndication when I was 13, and I recalled that my brothers liked it, so I checked it out. I was hooked right away! Half the time I couldn't even follow the plot, but I just loved the bizarreness, the captures and escapes, the gadgets... oh, and that guy named Artie. It kinda tickled me that everyone assumed I watched the show because I had a crush on the gorgeous RC. Not so, but I never told them.

[Nydiva]

Jun 27, 2012 4:15:37 GMT -8 @snish said:

It kinda tickled me that everyone assumed I watched the show because I had a crush on the gorgeous RC. Not so, but I never told them.

Now you shout it to the highest hill, even told the golden daffodil...

You last sentence had my mind going straight to Doris Day singing "My Secret Love". ( It was a little before my time, but I used to watch all the old musicals on TV.) ;D

[snish]

Jun 27, 2012 6:54:49 GMT -8 Nydiva said:

Jun 27, 2012 4:15:37 GMT -8 @snish said:

It kinda tickled me that everyone assumed I watched the show because I had a crush on the gorgeous RC. Not so, but I never told them.

Now you shout it to the highest hill, even told the golden daffodil...

You last sentence had my mind going straight to Doris Day singing "My Secret Love". ( It was a little before my time, but I used to watch all the old musicals on TV.) ;D

Oh well, I doubt any of my family are reading this board Or that they would care after all these years!

[SpottedPony]

I don't remember seeing the show in its first run, but I did see in in syndication. We liked to play spot Artie. Then when the DVD's came out we played spot Artie again.

Spotted Pony

[Dieter]

Ross was the best at becoming different people in disguise with different accents and speaking different languages, etc. He was the ultimate best I so agree.

Now--the only similar thing RC did close to what Ross did every episode was playing Pasquinel with a French accent in Centennial! That's the only roll I can think of that he became totally different from his Action God normal self.

[artiesniecewannabe]

And he was very proud of that role too, wasn't he?

[Dieter]

Yeah I heard him say that was his favorite roll he ever had. I can't imagine better than James West, but still it was a great mini-series. But he was only in a few hours of the 24 hour series. I need to go buy that-- It's in stores here.

[artiesniecewannabe]

I remember that my parents watched Centennial and they liked it very much. I tried reading the book, but man! that was a whopper of a book.

[western666]

my dad really liked the book and the series:D but I argee with you Niecie that book is huge I only made to the second part:D

[rielle]

I know that I watched some eps of Wild, Wild West when I was a mere child ;D... that is during the first run. But not enough that I was even aware of the fact that there were episodes without Ross as Artie. However, I know I was fascinated by Artemus and all his 'faces' and inventions.

When the show came onto TNT in reruns I got all caught up in it again, and watched all the eps, despite how badly anyone could see they were chopped up for syndication. At that point I fell madly in love with Robert as Jim West, gee, can't imagine how that happened But I'm still in love with Jim, and well, we all have Robert to thank for that hero, just as we have Ross to thank for Artie.

As for Centennial, I've watched it more than once now and just adore Robert as Pasquinel. I think he did amazing work in the role and it dominates the first few hours of the mini series, despite all the notice that originally went to Richard Chamberlain as McTeague... the Scotsman. I remember seeing ads for the series, that you still sometimes see on ebay quoting James Michener who wrote Centennial as saying 'Robert Conrad IS Pasquinel'. And all bias aside I really don't think Michener would have just said that for the hype value.

Story is, they first asked Charles Bronson and maybe some others to take on the role and got turned down, while Robert jumped at the chance and did a mesmerizing job of it. And it was arduous, because Pasquinel is onscreen most of the time in the first quarter of the series, very physical work, and all that, besides the work of making a pretty rough character sympathetic. The scenes where Pasquinel and McTeague meet again after some years are just about perfect imo.
Robert should be proud of the job he did there.

This year I finally did read the whole novel, and was very impressed by all the characters, and highly recommend it. And still, its Pasquinel who makes the biggest impression because his life and his searches triggers a LOT of the longer story. Michener is a great read, but you do have to get used to his almost Dickensian highly researched, highly detailed style.

[zimmerman]

Inferno was my very first episode too, and that is what turned me on to the series.

[zimmerman]

Jun 26, 2012 17:43:45 GMT -8 Dieter said:

I think I just mentioned it on another thread that the first episode I ever saw was Kraken in a hotel while on vacation in San Francisco with my family. I totally loved that episode and became hooked ever since. Thats when CBS aired it at 10pm Mondays. That's the only thing I totally remember about my vacation! haha ;D

Yes you did mention it somewhere else, Dieter, In the "Man-Eating House" review thread.

[zimmerman]

Jun 27, 2012 6:54:49 GMT -8 Nydiva said:

Jun 27, 2012 4:15:37 GMT -8 @snish said:

Now you shout it to the highest hill, even told the golden daffodil...

You last sentence had my mind going straight to Doris Day singing "My Secret Love". ( It was a little before my time, but I used to watch all the old musicals on TV.) ;D

"Secret Love" is one of my favorite Doris Day songs as well, Diva."
I am a longtime fan of her music and movies, especially the former.