Why we love and/or admire Jim West

[California gal]

For me, it's kind of hard to put into words. It goes beyond his handsome face and magnificent physique, his gorgeous green/gray/brown/blue eyes. Certainly it has something to do with his heroism, his patriotism, his loyalty and devotion to his friend Artemus. We know so little about him, why he is this stoic hero.

I have always admired the strong silent type in movies and television shows, so that certainly plays into it.

Robert Conrad's portrayal of James West is spot on. He was born to play the role, that's for certain. Some critics, especially those in print, downplay his acting ability in this show, forgetting that Jim West is supposed to be unemotional, a western James Bond and other spy/agent heroes of the time who carried out their duties without flinching. I like to watch Jim's eyes. They tell us a lot of how he is feeling.

I hope the Angels pitch in here, and perhaps one can start an Artemus thread so that we Jewels can voice our admiration for Artie.

And guys, be sure to join in!

[MissRedhead]

Artie's Angel reporting in ma'am!

For me, WWW is not WWW without Jim & Artie together. I already voiced my opinion that the one ep that is almost pure Artie (Big Blast) really wasn't all it might have been to this angel, because of the lack of Jim and likewise the Artie-less eps I can hardly watch because Jim isn't really Jim w/o Artie. It's the friendship factor for me. As many times as Artie has come to the rescue for Jim, Jim has come to the rescue for Artie.

Everyone should have as loyal and caring a friend as Artie has in Jim The man may seem unemotional, but look at the pain in his face when he thinks Artie is dead! How tenderly (and with humor) Jim places a blanket over Artie after Artie knocked himself out in Cadre and congratulates the sleeping Artie. When Artie is sneezing and suffering from a cold in Watery Death, Jim inquires is he's really okay to go out and do that speech before leaving for a date

Speaking for my father, my dad is a Jim West fan. He watches and examines every move RC makes in every fight scene. I mean, seriously, my dad studies the man! We'll sit there and my dad will go "watch how he..." I believe on Columbo(??) there's a scene where RC is hitting the speed bag, and my dad made me watch the scene (but dad, I know how to hit a speed bag! you taught me!)

[California gal]

Yes, as a Jewel, I wholeheartedly agree. The Wild Wild West would have been a lot less wild without Artie backing Jim up. And sometimes, vice-versa. I think I've stated before how I like(d) the shows with two guys who are great friends and the actors have the chemistry, such as I Spy and Starsky & Hutch. And you really don't see that much anymore.

[Nydiva]

Don't know if anyone has seen this page, but thought the Jewels would like it. Oh heck - any female would like it!

www.briansdriveintheater.com/robertconrad2.html

[rielle]

Why? Why we love and or admire... CG, I know that's not a trick question... but its almost too easy to answer... in some ways, if not in others. LOL

too easy:
He's drop-dead g-gorgeous! His suits of all those myriad colors fit him to ... umm... errr... perfection, his hats never slip ... well almost never...

His eyes... are incredible, even in black and white, mesmerizing, to say the very least. And G-d help me, at this point I give up on their color... I see them as green in most screen caps and most eps, but not always and a good friend tells me I'm blue-green color blind. LOL

And as already noted Jim's eyes tell us a thousand times more about what's going on with him than his voice or expressions are ever going to . Notice how as time went on, it became a noticeable trend for Jim to duck his head or close his eyes or turn his gaze elsewhere for a moment... and we're talking about directors and actors who were all too good to do that with no meaning behind it... At those points our Mr. West doesn't want his eyes to be read... they say too much for his comfort... [tag of Legion, for example]

And when he doesn't shield them at all... one way or another, the object of his gaze had better take precautions... they aren't blazing fire, they're throwing knifes when he's glaring at an opponent, they aren't just smiling, they're grinning bright as daybreak when he focuses on a great friend or a lovely lady or both... they're wide with shock on a few occasions... as when Jim sees the Colonel in Inferno... after the bad guys have killed him,

and they're broken hearted, filled with remorse, and regrets... on only a few occasions... notably in Murderous Spring, in Pistoleros, but also at the end of eps like Samurai... where a friend lies dead...

But there is a lot more we love about Jim, and I think, in a contradictory sense thats true because we know next to nothing about Jim's past, [and even less in fact about Artie's]
we're not TOLD what makes this man tick, this spy, this former soldier, this reckless young fellow,
no, as in any well written fiction, we're SHOWN what makes him tick in his reactions to the people and events around him, and only told about a fragment of his character formation here and there...
here's
one really important one that I think gets glossed over: Union officer Jim West saved Confederate Noel Vautrain's life during the Union seige of Vicksburg]. Clearly West was under no obligation to save the life of an enemy soldier, an enemy officer.
But he did so and there was certainly a risk involved... where were the rest of Vautrain's officers at that point? How close to the city itself was the Confederate injured? What benefit was there to Jim West in doing that, hardly any, and less as it turns out, some years later. Yet he saved an enemy's life... and knowing that about Jim shows us a far more complex character than the fellow at the end of 'Inferno' asking 'what's it matter?"
To me, and I'm pretty sure to a lot of other W3 watchers, Jim's unspoken character is a reflection of the best men around him, including Grant and Artie... He is as unflinchingly loyal as his President was known to be, as Artie is without question,

He's careless of his own safety and zealous for the safety of others, quite gentle with children [Falcon], and horses... always looking back at Blackjack, always patting his head, or his side, always praising him when the occasion merits... and maybe the best example, in Jack O'Diamonds, is when he leaves Blackjack to enter Sordo's camp, thus not allowing these bandits to get their hands on the horse he so favors. Walking afoot into that camp is another not particularly cautious action Jim takes... but he takes in on his own... he's not putting anyone else, not even Blackjack on the line here...

Now, one more comparison needs to be made here between our two agents, both characters, as I see them are in fact immensely dedicated and courageous, reckless of their own safety, but devoted to the honor of their country and the Man they serve. And they are both
busy having a great time doing what they do... balancing each other so well it SEEMS effortless... only we know better...

When Jim grins or even laughs at his partner's demonstrative nature, when he laughs at Artie's jokes or surprises his partner with jokes of his own, the gleam of joie de vivre is right there... yes, in those eyes.
For some reason I keep comin' back to those eyes...

[California gal]

A couple of instances of Jim's eyes telling all are in Death Masks in the telegraph office, the closeup, when he's concerned about the meaning of the telegram:

And then of course in Pistoleros when Jim sees Artie up on the landing. His expression goes from shock to wariness (is this another imposter? a ghost?) to a slow acceptance and a tinge of joy:

[Paradox Eyes]

Rielle, that was simply an AWESOME essay on why we love James West! You touched on everything so well, so perfectly. Thank you! ;D

For my eyes, there has never been a man who was more physically handsome or athletically talented. I could watch him do his moves all day long. And that has been true since the sixties. There are some actors who come close but RC as James West is totally numero uno for me.

And I doubt we will ever see an action show again that even comes close to the Wild Wild West and we can thank Robert Conrad for that. You can see the passion in his art as he performs his own stunts as James West. I try not to look to closely at stunt work in today’s films. They could never compare except for maybe some the marshal arts films. But they are too measured, too predictable. There was lot maybe it will work, maybe it won’t, but let’s try it this way moves in WWW, that’s the beauty of it and the beauty of James West - fighter.

Everyone says Ross was the acting god and I won’t dispute that, but RC had one of the most subtlety expressive faces I’ve ever seen. Talk about his eyes, that man could speak volumes with a look or tiny twitch in facial expression. And his voice was so rich, it could reach out to you across a crowded room.

His quiet, smoldering personality teased us into wanting to know him. He is a perfect example of ‘still waters run deep’. You see that he cares, you see that he’s fiercely devoted to his duty and his sense of honor. Yet he rarely loosens up except around Artie. You can’t help but be drawn to him, wondering what makes him tick, what makes him so stoic in the face of death.

He and Artie were so different and yet the perfect compliments to each other. I love them both, you could not have had a show like the Wild Wild West without the two of them together.

[California gal]

I'm glad to read that others agree with me about Jim's eyes. I've almost always noticed them as I watch the series, but really didn't know if it was just me.

Another time when his eyes tell a story is in Limbo, when Vautrain is trying to convince Jim to abandon him when he's trapped under the fallen wall. First Vautrain orders him as a superior officer, Jim ignores him. Then Vautrain says "If your friend means anything to you..." Jim's facial expression doesn't change, but his eyes flick towards the room with the burning explosives... and he goes to pick up Artie.

[MissRedhead]

This angel will agree, Jim West does have very captivating eyes! (ugh... if I weren't so sick I'd add a few more screen caps)

[Double Take]

I don't think I can say anything that hasn't already been said and I agree with it ALL! His looks, his body, his eyes, his body, his hair, his body...

I love action, and Jim West epitomizes action. I love the fight scenes. Nothing beats a good fight scene except maybe some of the stunts he pulled getting into/out of a bad situation. Here I probably do what RC would shake his head at...I have trouble separating the actor from the character. It was like they were made for each other, and perhaps in many respects they were.

Jim West is a natural leader and that is just so sexy to me. He can take charge in any situation and make the tough decisions. But he can also follow orders. Whether in charge or following orders, no matter what, he can still think for himself.

His dignity and self-confidence always shine through and reflect the way he treats others, and how others treat him. James West has a nobility that is unparalleled. Had he been a knight of old, he would have slain the dragon, rescued the damsel and delivered the lost treasure to his king without any thought for himself.

[MissRedhead]

His dignity and self-confidence always shine through and reflect the way he treats others, and how others treat him. James West has a nobility that is unparalleled. Had he been a knight of old, he would have slain the dragon, rescued the damsel and delivered the lost treasure to his king without any thought for himself.

Better than Sir Gawain in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight If I called Sir Gawain a super knight but also simply human in my 'A' paper for Medieval Lit, James West would have to be The Super Knight and definitely NOT Simply Human

(oh dear... I'd better go off to bed before these cold meds make more of a fool of me and have me writing papers again )

[California gal]

DT, you forgot to mention Jim's body! ;D

I certainly agree that he would have been a knight in olden days. In fact, in Howling Light, Arcularis compares him to a knight, attempting to rescue the fair damsel.

I have said before I love a beautifully choreographed fight and we have numerous in this series. Even beautifully choreographed ones that go slightly awry! The fact that RC did the majority of the stunts and fights only adds to the wonder of this show. As DT said, you just don't see that these days. Maybe if we get westerns back on the air, we'll have a few, but I doubt they'll ever match Jim West's prowess.

[Dieter]

I agree with all I've read here about RC/James West. He was my total hero since I started watching the show around age 8!! His cool personality and most incredible fight scenes and stunts are what got me hooked on the show the most. And I seriously don't think anyone else can ever do it better!! There's some pretty good action shows I see occasionally now--but nothing compares to how it was all done by RC on WWW. He takes the crown of having done it better than anyone else.

Still looking forward to Wanderer Jim's turn as Jim though!!

[Artiespet]

There are a lot of good qualities to admire about Jim. He is very good in close quarters combat, almost like poetry in motion sometimes. He can think quick on his feet and he is a take charge kind of person. If I was going in somewhere I knew there would be fighting of any kind I'd definitely want him on my team.

[snish]

May I mention the best butt shots in the history of television?

But that's not all I like about Jim, of course! Look at his hands. We know he's not a big man, but those hands and wrists are thick and powerful. They help make him convincing in holding a gun, riding a horse, or doing anything. I enjoy his athletics more than his fighting, just because I'm not all that big on fighting. But his gymnastic moves, his handy ability to scale walls, his horsemanship, are all a joy to watch.

And I love the way he deals with the villains--always sarcastic and cool, never showing weakness. And he has a great smile.

[Dieter]

Yep--He's just the ultimate definition of cool and self defense-- Just don't push Jim's buttons too hard or you will be on the floor or stuffed into a piano before you know what hit you.

[California gal]

Jim rarely displays fear, but occasionally he reveals he knew the desperateness of his situation, such as in Underground Terror when he shot the clock that was about to create his downfall. BIG sigh of relief.

[Apple]

I love Jim because he has Arte's back, and because he and Arte are best friends. Plus Jim is a nice man in general, and not a jerk. He is good at what he does, he is loyal to his country. He is very handsome (just not my type ) and he is a tease! He is, you know it!

Oh, and as for his buns...not my thing, never has been. Sorry Jim. I'm sure they're great, I just never picked up on it! LOL!

[California gal]

Excellent summary, Ace. You hit on some important aspects of the guys. Interesting about the full meaning of "stoic." Here's the definition according to dictionary.com:

...of or pertaining to the school of philosophy founded by Zeno, who taught that people should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submit without complaint to unavoidable necessity.

That definitely applies to Jim. especially where his job is concerned. But we know he can break down when the fate of his best friend is concerned. Artie did as well. Both are human.

It's interesting that more villains did not hit on the way to cause Jim to lose his cool, and that was to challenge his patriotism. In Pistoleros, Jim is about to carry out an important mission, to check whether the letter purportedly from President Grant actually came from him, when the bogus colonel makes that comment. Jim whirls around and charges the colonel, giving him an excuse to have Jim thrown in the guardhouse.