Livin' in the Wild, Wild West

During the 1960's, there was one sure way to ensure success on television: find yourself a rustic backlot, a few acres of scrubland, a few horses, and make yourself a western.  Bonanza, Have Gun - Will Travel, The Big Valley, and Gunsmoke were some of the most popular shows on TV in the early 60s and in some cases well beyond.

However, in the early 60s another cultural trend was beginning - the spy craze. Doctor No, the first widely-seen filmed adaptation of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, was released in 1962 and was to ignite the public's interest in spies, international intrigue and gadgetry of all kinds. On September 17, 1965, the viewing public was introduced to a program that would span both of these very disparate genres: The Wild Wild West. 

WWW introduced us to United States Secret Service agents James West (Robert Conrad) and Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin). West was the dashing lead, the prototype action hero; Gordon was the clever master of disguise who aided West. Together in their customized train, the two used brains, brawn and six-guns to save the USA from threats of all kinds. The series is set during the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, 1869 to 1877.

"Night of the Burning Diamond" (Aired April 8, 1966)

Jim and Artie are assigned to protect a valuable Serbian diamond, which is at risk due to a rash of seemingly impossible robberies. The diamond is nevertheless stolen from under Jim's nose, and he is accused of being responsible. Through an investigation, the agents are led to a Dr. Morgan Midas, who has invented an elixir that allows him to move at incredible speeds, rendering him undetectable, and essentially unstoppable. The elixir is made by liquefying diamonds.

The duo are eventually captured by the mad doctor, who administers the elixir to them and has them handcuffed together. They are brought to the diamond exhibit and are framed by Midas after he ransacks the display. They are warned that too much motion in the accelerated state puts them at risk from air friction. Ultimately, Jim manages to pour alcohol on Midas during a super-speed struggle, and Midas vanishes for good in a burst of flame after air friction ignites it.

Anyone who knows me well would probably have predicted that I would choose this episode to review: I am a lifelong fan of the use of super-speed in comics, on TV and in movies - it would be the super power I would choose every time. The phenomenon is represented as well as can be expected on TV - everyone else freezes while the main characters are able to move about. It is at such times that we can see how some extras are better at 'freezing' than others, but this is a minor quibble. If the episode were to be ranked on a scale of plausibility, it wouldn't do very well at all, so we can overlook minor problems. Major problems are another matter. Midas (there is no gold in the episode, by the way - just saying) steals the diamonds to create his elixir, and... What? There is no plan beyond that, at least none that is shared with us. The threat is immediate and small scale without the cackling laughter and intent to take over the world or what have you.  Nevertheless, like most episodes of WWW, it is completely implausible, but if your disbelief can be shoved aside for 45 minutes or so, very entertaining.

On a related note, I refuse to discuss the Will Smith movie. Blech.

There is Nothing Wrong With your Television Set...

There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to — The Outer Limits. 

The Outer Limits was a science-fiction anthology series that ran weekly from 1963 to 1965. In contrast to the better known Twilight Zone, OL is primarily a 'monster-of-the-week' show. What is most interesting about the series today is watching a lot of well-known actors early in their television careers. Guest actors on the show included William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Martin Landau, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall, Adam West, Robert Culp, and Bruce Dern, among others. This will be a common thread in many of the posts on this blog: watching for famous faces is a fun game to play while watching '60s TV. 

This time, I am taking control of your computer to discuss:

"A Feasibility Study" (aired 13 April 1964)

Residents of a suburban neighbourhood awaken to find that an approximately six-block area is surrounded by a dense fog. Telephones and other devices don't work, and when one of the residents, Dr. Holm, drives through the fog, he finds himself in an alien landscape, confronted by weird rock-like aliens. The neighbourhood has been taken to the planet Luminos, where the inhabitants suffer from a disease that renders them gradually immobile. The humans are the subjects of an experiment (the titular feasibility study) to determine whether the inhabitants of Earth will make good slave labour. It transpires that humans are even more susceptible to the disease, although it is transmitted most rapidly through touch. In a noble gesture that saves the rest of the inhabitants of Earth from slavery, the residents of the neighbourhood join hands with an infected man, intentionally contracting the disease as the ultimate expression of mankind's need for freedom. 

 'Do not enter upon or cross this area. Do not touch or remove possibly radioactive dirt or rocks. If you have any knowledge concerning this disappearance, please contact your nearest police department.' It could have happened to any neighborhood. Had those who lived in this one been less human, less brave, it would have happened to all the neighborhoods of the Earth. Feasibility study ended. Abduction of human race: Infeasible.

This is at the same time one of my favourite and least favourite OL episodes: Favourite because of the effects and the story, which surprisingly, even given the potentially maudlin nature of the denouement, is well-written; Least favourite because of the interplay between the characters who populate the neighbourhood. The neighbourhood consists primarily of unhappy suburbanites with awful marriages - the dialogue reinforces this uncomfortable situation over and over again, to the point of feeling like filler. Even in a crisis, most of the characters can't pull together enough to cope with the situation. It is only at the end that they act together as human beings to protect millions of their brethren who they will both never meet and who will never know they have made this sacrifice. The actors are fine and give good performances, they just have too much belaboured negative dialogue to get through. 

The episode was written by Joseph Stefano, who was one of the creators of The Outer Limits, and directed by Byron Haskin, who is best known for directing 1953's War of the Worlds. All in all, I would consider this episode a great example of 60s TV sci-fi, mostly due to the unusual camera angles and innovative makeup on the Luminoids.  

I now return control of the computer to you...

Having an Episode

Good day and welcome to this new and completely silly venture. I hope you will be entertained, edified and maybe even learn something, even it it is against your will.

I was having a conversation with someone the other day, and I happened to make a comment to the effect of, "Most of the TV shows I enjoy were made before I was born." I immediately realized that this was not an exaggeration - Most of what I watch is old TV shows on DVD. So, in the spirit of the Internet, where people can share their obsessions with the five people on the entire planet who may be interested, I decided that it would be fun to take a look at some of the TV shows I enjoy, and seek out some others that I may not have seen, just to give people a flavour for what I consider to be one of the best decades in television.

We will look at action and adventure, animation, spies, spacemen, heroes, villains, and more. As my tastes are primarily slanted towards science fiction, it will no doubt dominate the discussion, but I hope there will be something here for everyone to enjoy.

So, turn the knob, tune in, sit back in your comfy chair, and enjoy the ramblings of a passionate TV fan. Just a warning: by the end of this adventure, you may be a fan as well.