The Wild Wild West - General Discussion

[chessiegal]

Saturday, November 18 10 am ET, MeTV will be airing Season 3 Episode 14 "The Night of the Iron Fist". Original air date December 8, 1967.

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Count Draja (Mark Lenard), a war criminal formerly of Bosnia, is being extradited. Jim takes him secretly overland through Arizona territory while Artie, disguised as Draja and acting as a decoy, travels west on the Wanderer. They are due to meet up in Buffalo Springs, but trouble develops for both agents due to those who are after either the reward on Draja's head or the $500,000 in stolen gold which he is rumored to have hidden.

Disguises used by Artie: Count Draja, Bosnian Criminal(8:50)

The above recap is from tvtropes The Night of the Iron Fist

This episode is rather bland. There is some comic relief with the hapless Garrison clan. For me, it's worth watching to see Conrad and Martin.

[chessiegal]

I had forgotten that Count Draja was played by Mark Lenard, probably best known as Spock's father. It was also nice to see three of the stunt crew, Dick Cangey, Whitey Hughes, and Red West, have speaking parts. 

[Tom Holmberg]

On 11/18/2023 at 11:18 AM, chessiegal said:

I had forgotten that Count Draja was played by Mark Lenard, probably best known as Spock's father. It was also nice to see three of the stunt crew, Dick Cangey, Whitey Hughes, and Red West, have speaking parts. 

I was going to mention Mark Lenard/Spock.  This seemed like as much an Artemus episode as a Jim West.  Not one of the best, but okay.  A lot of empty crates got destroyed in this episode.

Edited November 20, 2023 by Tom Holmberg

[chessiegal]

I'd have to watch the original airing on DVD, but IIRC there may have been syndication cuts about the Garrison father making a bigger deal out of his sons' illiteracy.

[chessiegal]

Tomorrow Saturday 25 MeTV will air Season 3 Episode 15 "The Night of the Running Death." Original air date December 15, 1967.

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Learning that Europe's most deadly assassin, a man known only as Enzo, has arrived in America, West and Gordon set out to stop him. Upon finding their first informant murdered, West joins up with Gordon in a wagon train heading west to Denver. Gordon is tracking a group of dancers, any one of whom may be Topaz, Enzo's girlfriend. But as the days pass, bodies begin to pile up, and it becomes clear that one of the wagon train's passengers must be the assassin himself. But whom? Before West and Gordon can uncover the identity of Enzo, the wagon train arrives in Denver. Fearing Enzo's target may be Colorado's governor, West and Gordon take steps to protect him. The simultaneous arrival of a European colonel brings a vital clue to Enzo's target.—Christopher D. <imdbreviews@gmail.com>

The above recap is from the episode's IMDb page.

[chessiegal]

I'm not sure why, but Saturday December 2, MeTV is airing "The Night of the Whirring Death" Season 1 Episode 20, original air date February 18, 1966. When MeTV first started airing WWW, they started with the first 3 episodes of Season 1, then switched to Season 2. Season 1 was filmed in black and white.

This is a Dr. Loveless episode. We have Richard Kiel playing Loveless's sidekick, Voltaire, who now speaks. Voltaire did not speak in his first 2 appearances.

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West and Gordon are assigned by the governor to collect large sums of money which will help shore up the California state treasury. Things get complicated when it becomes evident that the three rich donors - a stingy old moneylender, an eccentric train lover and a beautiful casino owner - have been targeted, via exploding toys, by Dr. Loveless. This time he has involved a lovely Angel of Charity worker named Priscilla Barnes in his schemes.

The above recap is from tvtropes The Night of the Whirring Death.

Despite the title, no one dies in this episode.

This episode is as close to a Christmas episode that the show ever got. Perhaps that is why MeTV is airing it in December.

[chessiegal]

6 hours ago, chessiegal said:

This episode is as close to a Christmas episode that the show ever got. Perhaps that is why MeTV is airing it in December.

Quoting myself because I see on MeTV's web site that tomorrow kicks off the network's Very Merry MeTV programming.

[chessiegal]

TNOT Whirring Death was fun. We have Jesse White playing the governor a year before he became the world's loneliest Maytag repair man and Norman Fell playing Rath before he became everyone's favorite landlord Mr. Roper on Three's Company.

I'd forgotten the Scrooge trope with Rath at the beginning.

They sure do love sending West down chutes.

Next week we get back to Season 3. 

[Tom Holmberg]

On 12/2/2023 at 10:52 AM, chessiegal said:

Next week we get back to Season 3. 

So, no black & white episodes? If people aren't hooked and want to see more of WWW by now, it's a lost cause.

[Tom Holmberg]

On 12/2/2023 at 10:52 AM, chessiegal said:

TNOT Whirring Death was fun. We have Jesse White playing the governor a year before he became the world's loneliest Maytag repair man and Norman Fell playing Rath before he became everyone's favorite landlord Mr. Roper on Three's Company.

I'd forgotten the Scrooge trope with Rath at the beginning.

They sure do love sending West down chutes.

Next week we get back to Season 3. 

One of the "joys" of watching the retro channels is seeing actors who later became famous for other things. The best show for this was "Naked City". Every young actor who was trying to break into show biz in New York showed up on the show.

Edited December 7, 2023 by Tom Holmberg

[chessiegal]

I got an email from my cable provider, Verizon Fios, that they were in a pricing dispute with Hearst that would mean me losing MeTV on December 8. I haven't gotten any updates, but my on-screen guide is showing programming for Saturday, so I guess I'll find out tomorrow if I still have MeTV. I replied to the email that I would be more than happy to pay more for my cable, just don't take away my MeTV!

[Tom Holmberg]

17 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I got an email from my cable provider, Verizon Fios, that they were in a pricing dispute with Hearst that would mean me losing MeTV on December 8. I haven't gotten any updates, but my on-screen guide is showing programming for Saturday, so I guess I'll find out tomorrow if I still have MeTV. I replied to the email that I would be more than happy to pay more for my cable, just don't take away my MeTV!

It took about a week for the on-screen guide to list the channels as unavailable when we had this issue.

[chessiegal]

I still have MeTV today. Hoping that means the issue was resolved.

[chessiegal]

On Saturday December 9 at 10 am ET, MeTV will be airing Season 3 Episode 16 "The Night of the Arrow. Original air date December 29, 1967.

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West and Gordon are sent to find the cause of souring relations with tribes in Cheyenne territory. General Titus Ord Baldwin, commander of the local fort, doesn't like Indians and tells West so. An attack by tribesmen occurs soon afterward, but the agents' investigation leads them to suspect that the raid was staged by Baldwin and his soldiers. Then President Grant arrives unexpectedly - it seems Baldwin is contemplating a run for president on a platform of wide-spread slaughter of Indians. The agents are tasked with stopping Baldwin's plans and convincing Chief Strong Bear to keep the peace.

Disguises used by Artie: Lieutenant Jonathan Greeley , Cavalry Officer and "son" of Horace Greely(13:30); Drunk Prisoner(33:50); Strong Bear; Indian Chef(43:45)

The above recap is from tvtropes The Night of the Arrow.

The girl of the week turns out to be the force behind getting her father into the White House.

The footage of West falling down the well is either used again or used before.

[chessiegal]

I got an email from Verizon after watching TNOT Arrow saying they had reached an agreement with Hearst. Duh!

At the beginning with the boxing match, it's mentioned West has experience in the ring. I'm guessing it's a nod to Conrad's boxing, which he says he was not very good at.

I never understood Aimee's strong Southern accent, when her father didn't have one.

Ross Martin was so good in this episode.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

On 12/9/2023 at 10:23 AM, chessiegal said:

I never understood Aimee's strong Southern accent, when her father didn't have one.

Her character was really annoying.  She was better on "Petticoat Junction".

The story seemed a bit like a comment on Truman vs MacArthur.

Edited December 11, 2023 by Tom Holmberg

[chessiegal]

Saturday December 16 at 10 am ET MeTV will be airing Season 3 Episode 17 "The Night of the Headless Woman, original air date January 5, 1968.

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When a lady passenger on a stage turns out to be a mannequin full of boll weevils, agents West and Gordon investigate. West finds the man behind the operation - Abdul Hassan - who reveals he is spreading the weevils throughout the country to ruin the nation's cotton crops and replace them with his own, thereby controlling the cotton market. The abduction of the San Francisco Commissioner of Harbors' daughter complicates things further, and West and Gordon search the docks for clues to the syndicate's secrets.—Twenty Penguins

The above recap is from the episode's IMDb page.

Two recognizable faces in the cast. Dawn Wells, who plays Betty Jeffers, best known for being Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island and John Anderson who plays Commissioner Jeffers and I recognize from being on Perry Mason. Anderson pops up often on tv shows. 

[Maverick]

 Anderson is probably best known for playing Oscar Goldman on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman.  

[chessiegal]

Looking at Anderson's credits, he kept busy over his career.

[Tom Holmberg]

19 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Saturday December 16 at 10 am ET MeTV will be airing Season 3 Episode 17 "The Night of the Headless Woman, original air date January 5, 1968.

The above recap is from the episode's IMDb page.

Two recognizable faces in the cast. Dawn Wells, who plays Betty Jeffers, best known for being Mary Ann on Gilligan's Island and John Anderson who plays Commissioner Jeffers and I recognize from being on Perry Mason. Anderson pops up often on tv shows. 

The reason the apparently main villain didn't appear much (funnily, he looked a lot like Artemus in disguise) was that the actor Theo Marcuse was killed in an auto accident while the episode was being filmed.

I thought it was interesting that Artemus keeps a scrapbook of all his disguises.

Richard Anderson was a perennial guest star.  I wonder if he didn't want to star in his own series?  He was a regular on only one season of Perry Mason and, of course, the 6 Million Dollar Man.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

On 12/9/2023 at 10:23 AM, chessiegal said:

I got an email from Verizon after watching TNOT Arrow saying they had reached an agreement with Hearst. Duh!

There was a scrawl on FE-TV saying they might be dropped by Xfinity over cable fees.  Are we going to have this on every channel now?

[Tom Holmberg]

On 12/16/2023 at 12:53 PM, Tom Holmberg said:

The reason the apparently main villain didn't appear much (funnily, he looked a lot like Artemus in disguise) was that the actor Theo Marcuse was killed in an auto accident while the episode was being filmed.

I kind of have the feeling that they might have had Artemus disguise himself as the villain (since they looked so much alike), but had to alter the script after Marcuse died.  Just a thought.

[chessiegal]

IMDb says Marcuse died November 29, 1967. Kesler's book says this was the 74th episode shot. It aired January 5, 1968. They didn't always air the episodes in the order they were shot. The next episode to air is "The Night of the Vipers" was shot 76th. When they had episodes in the can, sometimes they aired stronger episodes out of order, especially for the first episode of a season. This happened with "The Night of the Big Blackmail" that was the first of Season 4 but was shot much later in the order. CBS felt it was a strong episode. Harvey Korman did a great job as the villain.

I laughed at the end when the lantern was thrown to start a fire at the warehouse. It landed against the back wall behind crates, but the fire starts in front of the last row of crates. Close enough. 😅

 

[chessiegal]

"The Night of the Vipers" that is airing this morning on MeTV is one of my favorite episodes. I'll post more on why later.

[chessiegal]

"The Night of the Vipers" is Season 3 Episode 18 that originally aired on January12, 1968.

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The Vipers, a band of outlaws, have been pulling off raids across Kansas towns. A clue leads West and Gordon to the quiet village of Freedom, where they meet a straight-shooting sheriff and a mayor who will stop at seemingly nothing to become governor. Gordon goes undercover and finds the plans to the Vipers' get-away wagon, while West discovers the secret entrance to the outlaws meeting place.—Twenty Penguins

The above recap is from the IMDb site for the episode.

One of the reasons I like this episode is that it gives 2 of the regular stuntmen a credited role. Red West, who played the fighter Klaxton, was a bodyguard for Elvis and was fired when he became critical of Elvis's drug use. The other is Whitey Hughes who plays a Deputy Sheriff. I've read that using the same core of stuntmen caused some controversy as the standard was to use different stuntmen in shows.

Martin plays the role of Ned Butine, a journalist. Ned Butine was a 19th century journalist.

The IMDb web page says that Artie addressing West as West at the bar was a mistake. It's not. They were having a private conversation.

Not that every episode doesn't have good stunt work, this one excels. The fight scene between Klaxton and West that spills into the street and then down a creek is really good.

The episode has an abrupt ending with the shoot out in the street, no train car trailer. Not every episode did, but this seems somewhat jarring.

They sure did love sending West down a chute, even if he's in a nailed closed box. We have West's shoes having an explosive charge for escape.

There is reference after a shootout to get a doctor for the wounded men. A shout out to the future too much violence on tv controversy that ended up with the series being cancelled?

Overall, a fun episode.

 

 

[Tom Holmberg]

On 12/23/2023 at 1:00 PM, chessiegal said:

Overall, a fun episode.

Also appearing in the episode as Sheriff Dave Cord was Nick Adams, who rose to prominence as one of the young actors in "Rebel Without a Cause" and as Johnny Yuma in "The Rebel".  Adams died within a year of filming this episode of an overdose.

[chessiegal]

Today December 30 at 10 am ET MeTV is airing "The Night of the Turncoats", Season 3 Episode 19, original air date January 19, 1968.

I'll post more about this episode later.

[Tom Holmberg]

4 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Today December 30 at 10 am ET MeTV is airing "The Night of the Turncoats", Season 3 Episode 19, original air date January 19, 1968.

I'll post more about this episode later.

Actually it was "The Night of the Underground Terror", a very bizarre complicated plot. West's trousers don't survive this episode.

 

Featuring ubiquitous guest star Nehemiah Persoff (who appeared in 3 episodes).  Persoff appeared on most series , usually a villain, in most 60s and 70s shows.

Edited December 30, 2023 by Tom Holmberg

[chessiegal]

2 minutes ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Actually it was "The Night of the Underground Terror", a very bizarre complicated plot. West's trousers don't survive this episode.

Thanks. Morning brain fog.

Yes, West's pants spectacularly split in the crotch in the final fight scene, only to be later miraculously mended so that the only the right seam is torn.

Quote

During Mardi Gras in New Orleans, agents West and Gordon look for the cruelest former commander of a Civil War prison who has been a fugitive from justice for the abuse of prisoners. They meet a young girl who leads them to Hazard, her legless father and victim of the prison commander. Hazard and his men are after the commander as well, but their real goal is to find a shipment of one million dollars that disappeared after arriving at the prison.—Tiff Banks

The above recap is from the IMDb page for this episode.

One thing I liked about this episode is that again this week we have 3 of the regular stunt men get credited roles. Red West was Maberly, Dick Cangey was Carter, and Whitey Hughes was Steinlen.

 Mosley's estate, both exterior and interior shots, are from The Big Valley set.

This trivia is also from the IMDb page. 

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Jim West tells the amputated colonel that the burden of a good soldier is not dying for his country but on the contrary doing his best so that his enemy dies for his; that's a famous sentence once said in front his troops by General Georges Patton during WW2.

Once again, we have Ross Martin showing off his acting chops. His portrayal of the Englishman using a divining rod to look for gold was hilarious.

 

[Tom Holmberg]

16 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Once again, we have Ross Martin showing off his acting chops.

He also impersonates Col Tacitus Mosely effectively.

 

Jeff Corey, who played Mosely, was a well-known actor and acting teacher, who had been blacklisted for most of the 1950s.

Edited December 30, 2023 by Tom Holmberg

[chessiegal]

The Columbo episode Ross Martin stars in "Suitable for Framing" is on COZI tonight at 9:30 tonight. I've never been able to watch that episode all the way through because I hate seeing one of my favorite SS agents as a bad guy. 😅 Evidence of Martin's acting skills since he was a sweetheart IRL.

[chessiegal]

Saturday January 6 at 10 am ET MeTV will air "The Night of the Death Masks". Original air date January 26, 1968.

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In Como Creek, Nevada, West rescues a young woman who is being annoyed by a group of cavalry officers. She introduces herself as the daughter of the Superintendent of the San Francisco Mint and recalls how, five years ago, West and Gordon thwarted an attack on the Mint by Emmet Stark (Milton Selzer) and his gang. West and the young woman board the stage, but she gets off again on a pretext and West quickly finds himself being abducted. After waking up from gas-induced unconsciousness, he finds himself in strange clothes and in an apparently abandoned town called Paradox, where very strange things begin to happen. Meanwhile, in Virginia City, Colonel Richmond informs Gordon that West is missing—and Stark has just escaped from prison, out to fulfill the vow of vengeance which he made five years ago...

Disguises used by Artie: Emmett Stark, Criminal(40:00)

The above recap is from tvtropes. The Night of the Death Masks

Emmet Stark is played by veteran character actor Milton Selzer, who mostly played bad guys. IMDb reports that Selzer co-starred in the 1964 episode of The Twighlight Zone "The Masks". In that episode the character wears a mask, central to the plot.

West and Gordon foil Stark and his daughter using the same stage that captured West.

 

 

[chessiegal]

Saturday January 13 at 10 am ET MeTV is airing "The Night of the Undead". Original air date February 2, 1968.

Quote

Quote

West and Gordon are in New Orleans to locate Dr. Armbruster, a missing scientist. An encounter with practitioners of some form of voodoo leaves them with one lead in the form of a strange medallion; Gordon tracks it down while West talks to Dr. Paul Eddington (John Zaremba), former associate of Armbruster's. Their paths converge at the home of Dr. Articulus (Hurd Hatfield), who, with Armbruster and Eddington, had been conducting experiments which turned out to be deadly for the test subjects. Articulus was presumed dead after a laboratory accident, but he survived and is planning revenge against his erstwhile colleagues.

Disguises used by Artie: Beldon Scoville Jr, Accountant(16:55); Major Samuel P Brainard , Member of the Army Corps of Engineers(28:00)

The above recap is from tvtropes. The Night of the Undead

The villain is played by Hurd Hatfield known for his portrayal of Dorian Gray. This is Hatfield's second of 2 appearances on WWW. The first was in "The Night of the Man-Eating House" Season 2 Episode 12. In this episode he plays Dr. Articulus, a scientist with a grudge.

Another recognizable face is Pricilla Morill who plays Phala. Morill played Lou Grant's wife Edie on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier plays Tiny Jon. Grier is a former pro football player who started an acting and singing career.

The set for Dr. Articulus's house is from The Big Valley. WWW has used the set before.

Edited January 13 by chessiegal

[Tom Holmberg]

On 1/12/2024 at 10:42 AM, chessiegal said:

Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier plays Tiny Jon.

Grier co-starred for a season on the "Daniel Boone" TV show.

[chessiegal]

I read that Grier did acting and singing after football. His appearance in this episode was brief!

[giovannif7]

After one particularly ill-advised 1972 project, I don't think Grier's acting career was going to be much more than a series of guest TV roles...

 

[Tom Holmberg]

14 hours ago, giovannif7 said:

After one particularly ill-advised 1972 project, I don't think Grier's acting career was going to be much more than a series of guest TV roles...

 

The "Rosey Grier Show", a variety show, ran for three seasons from 1968-1970. I think it was a time when there was a push for more diversity on air.

[chessiegal]

Saturday January 20 MeTV is airing " The Night of the Amnesiac". Original air date February 9, 1968.

Quote

West is wounded while guarding a shipment of smallpox vaccine and both he and the vaccine disappear, having been hijacked by outlaws who leave Jim for dead. The Secret Service receives an ultimatum: pardon and free Furman Crotty (Edward Asner), a nihilistic crime lord currently serving time in Leavenworth, or the vaccine will not be returned. Since waiting six days for a new supply means that many more people will die of the disease, the thieves' demands are met. Gordon sets out to follow Crotty, find West and stop an epidemic in the making. And finding Jim won't be easy, since the outlaws' attack left him with amnesia and he's wandering around trying to remember who he is...

Disguises used by Artie: Dr Zorbi, Stage Magician(20:25)

The above recap is from tvtropes The Night of the Amnesiac

Our villain of the week is Ed Asner as Furman Crotty. This is before he became cemented in my mind as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Looking at Asner's acting credits I'm surprised he ever had time to sleep.

A plot point I don't understand is that Crotty plans to kill everyone in the world, which he will use robots to run everything. Yet his mooks go along with his bidding. Does it not occur to them that he plans on killing them too?

We get lots of shirtless West/Conrad. /sigh.

I like how West, even with amnesia, jumps into protect the damsel in distress, Cloris.

At the end when Gordon and West say the only thing they need to figure out is what to do for a third act. When I first saw that scene, I thought, oh, Martin and Conrad are friends. Their acting had me fooled. Martin and Conrad were not friends.

A review on the IMDb page says this is an okay episode, but doesn't make it into the top 20. I disagree! It is in my top 10. 

[Tom Holmberg]

On 1/19/2024 at 10:26 AM, chessiegal said:

A plot point I don't understand is that Crotty plans to kill everyone in the world, which he will use robots to run everything. Yet his mooks go along with his bidding. Does it not occur to them that he plans on killing them too?

I didn't take his statement about "machines" to be robots, but it would be him with machines to do the necessary work like harvesters, etc.  The mooks might be saved as his servants since he had the vaccine.

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, Tom Holmberg said:

I didn't take his statement about "machines" to be robots, but it would be him with machines to do the necessary work like harvesters, etc.  The mooks might be saved as his servants since he had the vaccine.

Well, that makes more sense.

I looked to see if Kesler had any comments on this episode. She noted Asner had appeared in over 250 roles (her book was published in 1988), won 7 Emmys with 16 nominations, and 5 Golden Globes with 11 nominations. She followed this saying Asner apparently having a successful career. Apparently? That was not the correct word.

[Tom Holmberg]

On 1/22/2024 at 10:14 AM, chessiegal said:

Well, that makes more sense.

I looked to see if Kesler had any comments on this episode. She noted Asner had appeared in over 250 roles (her book was published in 1988), won 7 Emmys with 16 nominations, and 5 Golden Globes with 11 nominations. She followed this saying Asner apparently having a successful career. Apparently? That was not the correct word.

Oddly, the "Route 66" episode playing on Jan. 24 (on ZLiving) has Ed Asner. Tod and Buz are on a Louisiana oil rig with a nazi hunter (also has Bruce Dern's first TV appearance).  IMDB lists 413 Ed Asner appearances in TV or movies.

[chessiegal]

On Saturday, January 27 at 10 am ET, MeTV is airing Season 3 Episode 23 "The Night of the Simian Terror". Original air date February 16, 1968.

Quote

West and Gordon are in Kansas to tell Senator Seth Buckley (Dabbs Greer) that President Grant is concerned over not hearing from him and to convince the senator to return to Washington, D.C.. They find that Buckley, his family and his staff are highly armed and very nervous about something, but can't get anyone to explain why or what. Buckley's foreman Fletcher is then attacked by what he describes as "a strange, enormous beast" just before dying. A meeting occurs afterward between Buckley, his sons, and their neighbor, Dr. Sigmund Von Liebig (John Abbott), behind closed doors; Gordon's eavesdropping attempt earns him a whack on the head from the Senator, though the agents do find out that one of Buckley's sons is off to destroy some records at the local church. The son quickly ends up dead, killed, apparently, by a giant ape. The Buckley family remains united in silence, so West and Gordon launch a full-scale investigation in their own inimitable style, hoping to find out what's going on before the Buckley family becomes extinct.

Disguises used by Artie: Dr Marvin Gentry, Anthropologist(25:50)

The above recap is from tvtropes The Night of the Simian Terror

It was a dark and stormy night.

Other than being set in Kansas, this episode bears little resemblance to being a Western. It's more like Sherlock Holmes meets Agatha Christie meets Dark Shadows.

Richard Kiel makes another WWW appearance as son Dimas Buckley.

Once again, the episode uses the set of The Big Valley for the Buckley home.

Senator Buckley acknowledges having triplet ABC sons Aaron, Benjamin, and Caleb. The family doesn't acknowledge having another son born at the same time, Dimas, who was born "different".

There are no train car scenes. The episode ends abruptly with no West or Gordon.

Much like Dimas, this episode is "different".

Edited January 26 by chessiegal

[chessiegal]

Felice Orlandi who plays Benjamin Buckley looks so familiar to me. Looking at his acting credits, he's been on shows I watch, but nothing sticks out to me. Maybe it's just that he is nice looking. 🤷‍♀️

[Tom Holmberg]

On 1/26/2024 at 3:08 PM, chessiegal said:

Richard Kiel makes another WWW appearance as son Dimas Buckley.

 

I caught an episide of MST300 on ZLiving Sat. night and they were showing "Eegah" with Richard Kiel.

[chessiegal]

On February 3 MeTV aired "The Night of the Death-Maker" Season 3 Episode 24. This is the Season 3 finale. Original air date February 23, 1968.

Quote

In San Francisco, West and Gordon foil an assassination attempt on President Grant. An inspection of the weapon used reveals that it was stolen in one of several recent raids on government arms depots. Grant promises to remain in a safe place, though only for 36 hours, and the agents go off in search of the assassins. The trail leads to Jubilee, California, home of a monastery famous for its wine and brandy. It soon appears that the monks have started up a slightly less legal sideline...

 

The above recap is from tvtropes The Night of the Death-Maker

The villain Dane addresses West as Major. In every other episode, West is referred to as Captain.

The monk Brother Angelo is played by J. Pat O'Malley, a character actor with a resume a mile long.

Artie tells the female villain that he enjoyed her performance in "My Country Cousin", the play Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated.

[chessiegal]

On Saturday February 10 am ET MeTV is airing "The Night of the Big Blackmail". Season 4 premiere. Original air date September 27, 1968.

My mouse is not working and I'm not very good with my touchpad. This abbreviated post is to note that this was the 8th episode shot for Season 4, CBS recognized what a strong episode it was and chose to make it the premiere. We have the very recognizable Harvey Korman as the villain. Harvey does a great job, and the episode has lots of fun twists and turns.   

[chessiegal]

Whoot! Thank you, Amazon, for a new mouse.

Quote

The German ambassador to the U.S., Baron Hinterstoisser (Harvey Korman)note , schemes to besmirch President Grant in the eyes of other world leaders by inviting all their ambassadors to a reception at the German embassy. There he intends to show a kinetoscope film of "Grant" signing a secret defense treaty with a representative of an Asian powernote . West and Gordon manage to steal the film without Hinterstoisser's knowledge, but they are sure that copies exist; it becomes their duty to sabotage the baron's plans and discredit him, but, in order to avoid an international incident, they must do it in total secrecy.

Disguises used by Artie: Hans, German Cook(25:50)

The above recap is from tvtropes The Night of the Big Blackmail.

It seemed to me there was a syndication cut when West is found kissing a woman. It was much more abrupt than I remember from the original.

[Tom Holmberg]

On 2/10/2024 at 2:35 PM, chessiegal said:

Whoot! Thank you, Amazon, for a new mouse.

The above recap is from tvtropes The Night of the Big Blackmail.

It seemed to me there was a syndication cut when West is found kissing a woman. It was much more abrupt than I remember from the original.

For viewers today, I think seeing Harvey Korman talking in a German accent unfortunately borders on humor based on his best known work.  He actually does an okay job as a villain.

On 2/10/2024 at 2:35 PM, chessiegal said:

Whoot! Thank you, Amazon, for a new mouse.

The above recap is from tvtropes The Night of the Big Blackmail.

It seemed to me there was a syndication cut when West is found kissing a woman. It was much more abrupt than I remember from the original.

Artie also impersonates President Grant.

[chessiegal]

5 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Artie also impersonates President Grant.

In Susan Kesler's book, she has a nice compilation of disguises used by Artie - including pictures. Going through her list I found that Artie impersonates Grant in Season 1 The Night of the Steel Assassin, Season 2 The Night of the Colonel's Ghost, Season 3 The Night of the Death Maker, and this episode in Season 4.

Edited February 12 by chessiegal

[chessiegal]

Saturday, February 17 at 10 am ET MeTV is airing Season 4 Episode 2"The Night of the Doomsday Formula". Original air date October 4, 1968.

Quote

West and Gordon are sent to protect Dr. Crane (E. J. André), inventor of a powerful new explosive, but he and his daughter Lorna (Melinda Plowman) are kidnapped despite the agents' best efforts. They determine that the culprit is former 7th Cavalry officer Walter Kroll (Kevin McCarthy), and converge on Kroll's farm outside Denver, where he is conducting tests with submachine guns and other advanced weaponry in an attempt to build an arms empire for himself.

Disguises used by Artie: Doctor Crane, Chemist(9:45); Hassan Amir Ortuglo, Arab dealer in exotic weaponry(17:35)

The above recap is from tvtropes The Night of the Doomsday Formula.

Our villain of the week is Walter Kroll played by Kevin McCarthy who was the male lead in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956).

Dr. Crane is played by E.J. Andre, a writer, director, and actor. Andre played Uncle Jed on Little House on the Prairie and Eugene Bullock on Dallas.

Professor Crane's home, both interior and exterior, are the set of the Barkley Ranch on The Big Valley.

I think this episode has one of the better stunts of the series. Kroll holds Crane's daughter Lorna hostage in his furnace. When West rescues Lorna, he puts out a zip line so he can swoop across the room and pick up Lorna and ends up on the other side. The first time I saw this, I wondered how many takes it took to get it right. On re-watch, I noticed that at the end, when West has his back to the camera, you can catch a brief glimpse of the side of West's face. You can see that wasn't Conrad, but his stunt double James George. This episode was filmed after Conrad's near fatal fall from a chandelier. After that accident, production/studio insisted that Conrad no longer do the more dangerous stunts.