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List Price: $38.99Amazon.com's Price: $27.99 You Save: $11.00 (28%)Prices subject to change.
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: PARAMOUNT PICTURES
EAN: 0097368881648
Format: Box set, Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, NTSC
Label: Paramount
Manufacturer: Paramount
Number Of Items: 7
Publisher: Paramount
Region Code: 1
Release Date: June 06, 2006
Running Time: 1347 minutes
Sales Rank: 2642
Studio: Paramount
Theatrical Release Date: September 17, 1965
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
CBS had an instant hit on their hands when The Wild Wild West made its network debut on September 17, 1965. While many of the popular TV Westerns were running out of steam, series creator Michael Garrison ripped a page from the Ian Fleming/Sean Connery playbook and conceived The Wild Wild West as a "James Bond Western," energizing the genre by combining a traditional Western setting (primarily the San Francisco region in the 1870s) with the accoutrements of the spy genre. It was a foolproof formula, further refined by producer Fred Frieberger (who later produced the third and final season of Star Trek), and TWWW held its popular time-slot (7:30-8:30 on Friday nights) for its entire four-season run. Smart casting proved to be another source of audience appeal: While Robert Conrad fit nicely into his role (and tight-fitting costume) as macho Secret Service agent James West, doing his own challenging stunts and charming each episode's obligatory beautiful female guest star, Ross Martin proved an equally excellent choice to play West's skillful sidekick Artemus Gordon, a debonair dandy whose mastery of disguises and dialects would prove essential as they tackled dangerous crime-fighting assignments from President Ulysses S. Grant.
The series' unique appeal arose from its clever and frequently bizarre plots. Every episode title began with a variation of "The Night of..." (including the pilot, "The Night of the Inferno," with more unusual titles thereafter), and as Jim and Arte plotted strategies from the comfort of their tricked-out custom railroad car, their exploits frequently led them into realms of the occult, mad science, bizarre inventions, and villains so eccentrically twisted that they became instant favorites among the show's growing legion of fans. Best of them all was the nefarious Miguelito Loveless, first appearing in "The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth" (original airdate 10/01/65) and played to perfection by dwarf actor Michael Dunn, a '60s TV regular familiar to Star Trek fans from his memorable role in the original series episode "Plato's Stepchildren." A gifted, intellectual renaissance man (like Ross Martin) with an angelic singing voice, Dunn was an overnight sensation, guest-starring in four of the first season's 28 episodes, with six more appearances in subsequent seasons. Dunn's gleeful malevolence (accompanied by his mute henchman Voltaire, played by giant actor Richard Kiel) was an essential addition to the series' sideshow esthetic; weirdness, humor, gorgeous women, and devious ingenuity (in plotting, action and gadgetry), became the trademarks that set TWWW apart from its more conventional TV Western competition. --Jeff Shannon
On the DVD
For this much-anticipated DVD release, Paramount has made above-average efforts to satisfy fans. Virtually every episode looks and sounds practically brand-new, and with TWWW expert Sue Kesler serving as DVD co-producer, this seven-disc set features a wealth of archival extras, many culled from Kesler's own research as author of the out-of-print guidebook The Wild Wild West: The Series. In addition to excerpts from audio-taped interviews with Frieberger, writer (and "Dr. Loveless" creator) John Kneubuhl (who tells a fascinating story of how Liberace almost guest-starred on the show), music composer Richard Markowitz, and special-effects technician Tim Smyth, each episode includes brief but informative audio introductions by Robert Conrad, who also appears (with Martin) discussing the show (and their subsequent TV-movie revival of TWWW) in a 1978 talk-show appearance. Excerpts from the original music-theme scoring sessions were found in UCLA's Film and Television archive, and other extras include a network series promo clip (from a later season, after TWWW switched to color), a sketch by Ross Martin, a photo gallery, and even one of Conrad's notorious Eveready Battery commercials from the late '70s. All in all, this 40th Anniversary package should give TWWW fans ample reason to celebrate, boding well for the other season-sets to follow. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description:
While following in the tradition of conventional Westerns like GUNSMOKE or HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL the innovative 1960s television series THE WILD WILD WEST tweaked the genre by infusing science-fiction elements and James Bond-like espionage plotlines. As dashingly handsome secret agent James T. West (Robert Conrad) and his master-of-disguise sidekick Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) investigated crimes in the late-1800s Wild West the series distinguished itself with anachronistically high-tech gadgetry (a pioneering style that would later be come to known as "steampunk") and an odd assemblage of villains that included the delightfully demented dwarf Miguelito Loveless (Michael Dunn). Eccentric and visionary the series is resurrected in this collection of 28 remastered episodes from the debut season.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 097368881648 Manufacturer No: 888164
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
We enjoyed the Wild Wild West when we were younger and we are enjoying these series even more. We can watch and not worry about the grandkids can watching it. These baby bommers are going retro and searching the classics from our young adulthood/childhood. Thumbs up!!!
Rating:  -
Always enjoyed this series growing up. It's "James Bond of the West". Really liked the addition of the commentary by Robert Conrad. Be sure to add to your collection!
Rating: -
I started watching this show when it first came on television. I was 12 at the time, probably a perfect age to enjoy it most. I watched it through the entire four year run and it was a great show to look forward to on Friday nights after a week of school. The plots were simplistic and the acting was a bit stilted but it was simply a fun show to watch. Throwing James Bond, which I was into as well, into the old west with the suave, debonair personae of Robert Conrad along with Ross Martin playing ... Read More
Rating: -
Glad to see this on DVD. The intro's by Robert Conrad are a good background to each episode. Was one of my favorite series and never understood why it was not in the rerun lineup. Looking forward to getting the remaining seasons.
Rating: -
The Wild Wild West - The Complete First Season
I waited a long time for the original "Wild Wild West" TV series to come to DVD. The Editorial review pretty much covers what the DVD set is about but let me add that I think this was one of the very best TV shows to come out in the 60's. I think it holds its own today though the sets and special effects seem rather primitive with today's 21st Century technology. What makes this show great though was the imaginative story lines and the performances ... Read More
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