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The Wild Wild West - The Complete First Season DVD

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List Price: $39.98
Amazon.com's Price: $26.99
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as of 11/22/2009 12:47 EST details

 


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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Paramount
EAN: 0097368881648
Format: Box set, Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Item Dimensions: 95
Label: Paramount
Languages: EnglishOriginal LanguageDolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Manufacturer: Paramount
MPN: D888164D
Number Of Items: 7
Publisher: Paramount
Region Code: 1
Release Date: June 06, 2006
Running Time: 1347 minutes
Studio: Paramount
Theatrical Release Date: September 17, 1965




 

Editorial Review:

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

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



Customer Reviews
Average Rating:  out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Love This Show
I watched this show in the 60's when I was a kid & loved it. It's one of my all-time favorite TV series. I'm glad it's finally out on DVD. It's a classic western/mystery/adventure program that everyone can watch. It's fun to see all the guest villains chewing scenery, too. The extra commentary provided by Robert Conrad & others is also interesting.



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Correction
I read the Editorial Review in the second season (which I am planning to buy next month) and I want to make a correction. I just bought the first season. In the Special Features, there is an interview with Richard Markowitz. He explains how the Opening Theme music came about. I have listen to the episodes and also listened to the full explanation and they even include a Music Rehearsal in which you hear the musicians and Markowitz talking.

The whole series is wonderful. I remember ... Read More



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - A Classic
Wild Wild West is one of my three favorite shows (along with Man from UNCLE and Hawaii 5-0.) This show basically started as James Bond out west. The early episodes are fairly down to earth as rather far-out western adventures. However as the season progressed and subsequent seasons, WWW moved into the realm of western fantasy. The highlight of this season is "The Night of the Puppeteer" guest-starring Lloyd Bochner as a villainous madman named Zacariah Skull (one of my favorite all-time TV names.) ... Read More



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - This is Great TV
Wow, have TV shows and movies gone bad. Watching this series reminded me of just how great TV was back then. I loved this show and am so fortunate to be able to see it again and share it with my kids. They love it. They also think that movies & TV today are too PC, not intelligent, and rely on too much shock language & gory scenes. The Will Smith Wild Wild West movie was garbage, and I like Will Smith & Kevin Kline. They need to let the men be men and give them a great plot. Where most DVD's that you buy ... Read More



Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Original WWW - the best
Jim and Arte together again. Great storylines, great action, and great characters. This set contains all of the episodes that kept me glued to my television every Friday evening at 7:30.





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