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crack_van2008-05-02 05:39 am
The Wild Wild West--- TOS
Howdy! I'm
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vertigomac, and I'll be riding the Crack_Train for the fandom The Wild Wild West this month.
Welcome to the Wild Wild West
WWW was a genre-blending SF/Western/Spy/Fantasy drama broadcast on American television between 1965 to 1969. It was an attempt to splice a western with the new-fangled spy genre like extremely popular The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The basic premise of WWW was this: what if many of the elements of modern life--- television, submarines, rocketships-- were created a hundred years earlier? And what if we never knew of the existence of these elements because of the actions of two Secret Service Agents, James T. West and Artemus Gordon?
The Secret Secret Service
Riding in their fabulously appointed private train across the Untied States, our heroes are pretending to be carefree playboys traveling on their "rich uncles" dime. In reality, they are:
JAMES T. WEST--- (Played by Robert Conrad) Calm, cool and breathtakingly fit, West is the Man of Action. In any given episode he will fight 4 men at once, walk around shirtless or be captured and bound. Luckily for the viewers most episodes will feature all three.
Although about 10 years younger than Gordon, West is the senior partner and generally calls the shots. He was an aide de camp under General Grant during the Civil War and attended West Point. Little else is known about his background, though fanon often has him growing up on a farm in the midwest.
Usually taciturn, Jim West is fatally charming to the ladies, fond of animals especially horses and dogs, and although he knows his fine cuisine Jim is equally satisfied with circus hotdogs, to his partners distaste. Like another James T., he is at heart a Boy Scout, obeying his inner moral code.
In fanfic, much is made of Jim's handsomeness, his blue green eyes and the seemingly cold nature that hides hidden depths. 
ARTEMUS GORDON-- (played by Ross Martin) Sly and gregarious, Artie (or Arte) is the Man of Invention. Gordon is even more of a mystery than his partner. A former actor, he can speak several languages, play violin and piano, invent almost anything, and most importantly go undercover in disguise (over 100 in the series run). Generally, if the plot requires a new skill or device, Artie will supply it.
Witty and a touch amoral, Artie is the Rogue to Jim's Boy Scout. He is often called on to save his partner's damn fool hide, and is not above cheating or lying to get the job done. An epicurean who enjoys the finer things in life, he's not the fighter that Jim is, but he can hold his own. (In one episode Jim finds Artie in chef's disguise calming eating a stew amongst several tied-up henchmen. "I cheated", he sighs sadly. "I used force." )
In fanfic, Artie's warmer nature, loyalty, theater background and general gusto is often the writer's focus.
Who You Gonna telegraph?
WWW episodes were self-contained (another 60's trend) and were almost always titled 'The Night of the _____' (shortened to Not__ by fans). The basic Formula: The Agents receive their orders to go somewhere something weird is happening. During the uncovering of the mystery, there will be fights, gun play, beautiful women in distress, the capture of one or both of the Agents, nefarious plots/inventions revealed, escape and more fighting, Artie going undercover, explosions, villains captured, beautiful women appreciative. And more often than not, the boys enjoying a post-case drink in the comfort of their train.
For variety, sometimes the mystery is discovered during a night on the town, or delivering an important personage somewhere. Sometimes it's a mundane problem like graft or counterfeiting. But mostly? Weird. Like earthquake machines, brains in jars forced to do computing or houses that try to kill you!
Speaking of things that can kill you...
The Props
The entire train (the beautiful Wanderer) is tricked out with all the state of the art gear a mid-19h century Secret Agent needs, such as hidden pistols that can be controlled across the room, a hide away gun rack, trap doors, flares and explosives planted all along the Victorian interior and my personal favorite, homing pigeons tucked into a cabinet.
Artie has supplied Jim's tight bolero jacket with hidden lock picks, throwing knifes and explosives. And his boots with hollow heels holding more explosives or a breakaway Remington derringer. A derringer is also what's attached to the sleeve gun mechanism, possibly the best known prop of the show--- a retractable device that would slide the gun right into Jim's hand. It was also good for blades, climbing irons, etc.
Speaking of yet more things that can kill you...
The Villains
The most notable is Dr. Miguellito Loveless, the mad genius dwarf who wants to take over the world! Or at least North America. His schemes included shrinking West to the size of a bird, introducing a mind altering drug into a town's water supply, exploding toys, and a double of Jim that had Artemus real confused. Loveless was played with great glee by the late Micheal Dunn and was often accompanied by the lovely Antoinette and the giant Voltaire.
Other villains were played by many guest stars including Victor Buono, Burgess Meredith, Agnes Moorehead, Don Rickles and very young Richard Pyror.
Other characters of note: the agent's supervisor Colonel Richmond and President Grant. But the partnership of West and Gordon is always the main focus of the series.
A Note on Women--
The women on the show, beside the occasional double agent or spunky farm girl, were almost always a PYT--- Pretty Young Thing. There to provide a flirting focus for Jim, they were often attached to the villain somehow and had to be charmed into betrayal. Besides Antoinette, the only other female of note is Lily Fountaine, an actress and old flame of Artie's who turns down his marriage proposal because of his dangerous line of work
.
A Note on Violence---
Television watchdogs on the time had long protested the many fight scenes on WWW. Viewed in today's post CSI-world, the violence is almost cartoonish--- still, its the reason most often given for the cancelation of the show after it's fourth season.
A Note on the Movie---
There is a always a danger when you take a TV show to the big screen, especially one as much a product of it's era as The Wild Wild West. Most fans were just hoping TPTB wouldn't screw it up too bad...
Well, let's just say that it landed on more than a few Worst Of lists in 1999. But one benefit was the increase in the stations broadcasting the old shows, and video tapes were soon released, bringing a whole new audience into the fandom. All 4 seasons have been released on DVD.
Which brings me to...
The Fandom
Wild Wild West, like U.N.C.L.E. and Original Trek, was until very recently a zine based fandom. Many great stories are still available only in zines. See the links below for some of the best.
Since there is so much canon angst and smarm, there is a lot in the fiction as well, both gen and slash. Much of the fanfic is darker than the series, and many stories are far more accurate in historical detail. Common themes: Artie's past (Counterfeiter? Rebel soldier?); Jim needing rescue even more than usual; things that a 60's show couldn't really touch on, like the inner workings of brothels; and in slash, the dance of first times encounters in a particularly restrictive age.
One big plot hole that gets a lot of spackle is Artie's temporary assignment to Washington in the middle of Season Four, forcing Jim to take on several new partners, most notably Agent Jeremy Pike. In RL, Ross Martin had a near fatal heart attackand needed time to recover. In fanfic, many writers try to explain such an uncharacteristic departure.
The slash and gen divide is wider and more confrontational than most small fandoms, although this has eased in recent years. Check out the links below. There are excellent stories in gen and slash, and I'll be reccing both.
INFO
TV.com's WWW page
Wildest Page
SLASH
The Sin and Salvation Archive
and the Sin_and_Salvation@yahoogroups.com mail list
Slash Cotillion
GEN
The New Adventures
The Grotto Cafe
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I'll be reccing some of her other fic this month!
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Do it!
Dooooo iiiitttttttt......
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But wouldn't it be nice if someone did?
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You're on my rec list, ya know... bwhaahha!
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