Post by zimmerman on Aug 6, 2013 18:13:27 GMT -5
Colonel Thorald Wolfe: You see, my vision attracts all kinds of men.
JAMES (as "Robert Crandall"): I prefer money. Visions aren't spendable. .
COLONEL WOLFE: This is where the money is! You're a clod, Crandall. A fast gun can't think past his next drink.
As the action-packed first year of production for The Wild Wild West came to a close, the final episodes did their best to cram as much action as they could to keep the audience coming back for more in the fall.
In the producers (and writers) chair for this episode is Gene L. Coon, who went on to much greater success producing a little cult science fiction television series called Star Trek for NBC, even using in this episode an actor friend of both Gene L. Coon and Keenan Wynn who appeared on two classic episode of the latter series. Serious first wave Trekkies will recall William Campbell as Kolath in the ST episode "TheTrouble With Tribbles." and Trelayne in "the Squire of Gothos." Here though, in his only appearance in the Wild Wild West universe, he has to settle for being a second-in-command to Keenan Wynn's Colonel Thorald Wolfe. Mr. Campbell does a very good job playing Bender, an accomplice to the main villan in this particular episode, but my one complaint about his character is that Bender hardly has any energy and excitement and occasionally makes for a low-key, boring villan. He actually became a much more belivable Western villan three years later in the ninth season Bonanza episode "The Late Ben Cartwright", wherein he played Wilburn White, an assasin hired by a corrupt Govenor to kill Ben Cartwright, who comes in to the Ponderosa with a cover of an Encyclopedia salesman.
It took a couple of viewings, but I can finally say that Keenan Wynn is really good as Colonel Thorald Wolfe, a former soldier who claims to be "The Best ordinance man the Union Army ever had, only they didn't know it." Yet, his unruly tactics caused him to take a bribe and later "Got caught and got kicked out of the Army." To retaliate, Wolfe decides to take ownership of Baja, California in an effort to finally operate his own nation, run by his rules. According to Wolfe in his own words, it will be "A nation of Criminals, revolutionaires, desperate men." He will take his legion of 500,000 men and turn it into a miltary operation similar to the French Foreign Legion: "First we will take Baja, California, then we will have all of Latin America at our feet!" Adding to this operation is his super-invention of his own creation, the Turtle, one of the first Miltary Tanks ever produced, consisting of a "Gattling Gun, (a) 4IB fuel piece," and a "Quarter inch armor plate." He really conveys a kind of quiet manic energy as the episode progresses.
James does not have much fights in this episode, yet he is outstanding in the program's final act, wherein he climbs into the Turtle and takes down Wolfe and his men, culminating in one of the best action sequences in the enire series. It also occured to me that James seemed to carry more gadgets and unique stuff around him in these early episodes than in the later ones. He sure is clever, using Artie's coin-reflective mirror and the hundred-dollar bill he has stashed in his locket to escape out of the prison cell that James and Enrique are kept in! Also was great watching James stashing dynamite fuses in the lining of his fancy designer chaps! .
Unlike most first season episodes, Artie has quite a bit to do in the disguise department and has just as much screentime as well. He really does a super job as "Fernando DeValle Santiago De Sandoval", with Ross Martin using a slightly more mature Mexican character accent for the character than the one he used as Andamo for Mr. Lucky. He is great as Sandoval, the officer who wants to join forces with Thorald Wolfe's gang, only on the day of "Crandall" and Enrique's supposed execution, he has to bail James out of jail by appearing in drag costume as an older woman, thankfully the only time in the series he was allowed to do that. Perhaps James' comments about Artie being "The Grand Old Lady of the Secret Service" had something to do with it. .
Although there aren't many scenes with Jim and Artie together in this episode, individually they do a wonderful job taking down Wolfe and his platoon of men.
Even though this is kind of a middle-of-the road episode, for me, the main reason for watching this episode is James Connell's charming performance as Richard Henry, the closest Wild Wild West came to creating a character based on myself and my personality, helping James out as he puts wanted posters for "Crandall" all across the area, and him telling James that "I think I posted most of them all myself. I could use a new thumb!" . The interaction between James and Richard is exactly how it would be if I were a character on the show. I really enjoy watching James' conversation between Richard and the way he calls him "Dick", and a great suggestion for him to relay to his supervisor, "Dick, remind me to get a better photographer. I don't have bags under my eyes....only a $500.00 reward, I'm worth more than that." Richard Henry is my favorite guest agent in the series, and his only appearance in the series is so charming and so good, it is the primary reason why he is my avatar picture here on this board.
That scene, of course, gets a 10 out of 10, but overall, TNOT Freebooters receives a very generous score of......
7 out of 10 from me. . . .