This is something that I remember the Commander mentioning years ago,but which I never saw until today: The ending of an episode of Wild, Wild West where Alan Hale Jr. had filled in for Ross Martin.
What made that "sting" in the epilogue work so well was that the episode was played completely serious. It wasn't one of those occasional light-hearted adventures. The threat was real, and, other than letting a hint of his natural warmth slip through, Mr. Hale played the rôle of Secret Service agent Ned Brown as level-headed and competent. I remember watching this episode when it first aired and waiting for the in-joke or a bit of funny business, especially with Jim Backus in the guest cast. But, it never came. I had settled into accepting that Mr. Hale was playing a completely dramatic part---until that tag in the epilogue caught me off-guard.
Richard Willis > Commander BensonFebruary 25, 2025 at 11:04pm
I have a full set of DVDs for Wild Wild West, but have never made the time to watch it. I saw a lot of episodes when it first aired. I thought that it was a better representation of comic book stories than the Batman show.
In episode 11 of season 4, Ross Martin broke his leg. Approximately half of this final season’s episodes had other actors filling in for him as various partners of West while Artemus Gordon (was on a space mission) was working in Washington. When he finally returned to the role it became known that he had suffered a severe heart attack. So, either he never broke his leg or his heart condition was discovered when they treated his leg. He lived until his 1981 fatal heart attack. He was in a lot of shows as a one-off but wasn’t cast in a leading role again because of producers’ fears about his heart condition.
“Yesterday This Day's Madness did prepare; To-morrow's Silence, Triumph, or Despair: Drink! for you know not whence you came, nor why: Drink! for you know not why you go, nor where.”
― Omar Khayyám
Captain Comics > Jeff of Earth-JFebruary 25, 2025 at 5:54pm
"Drink to me, drink to my health. You know I can't drink any more." -- reportedly Picasso's last words
Replies
"Cruelty is often a mask worn by cowardice."
This is something that I remember the Commander mentioning years ago,but which I never saw until today: The ending of an episode of Wild, Wild West where Alan Hale Jr. had filled in for Ross Martin.
This is awesome! Did I never see this episode as a kid? Hard to believe I could miss that!
What made that "sting" in the epilogue work so well was that the episode was played completely serious. It wasn't one of those occasional light-hearted adventures. The threat was real, and, other than letting a hint of his natural warmth slip through, Mr. Hale played the rôle of Secret Service agent Ned Brown as level-headed and competent. I remember watching this episode when it first aired and waiting for the in-joke or a bit of funny business, especially with Jim Backus in the guest cast. But, it never came. I had settled into accepting that Mr. Hale was playing a completely dramatic part---until that tag in the epilogue caught me off-guard.
I have a full set of DVDs for Wild Wild West, but have never made the time to watch it. I saw a lot of episodes when it first aired. I thought that it was a better representation of comic book stories than the Batman show.
In episode 11 of season 4, Ross Martin broke his leg. Approximately half of this final season’s episodes had other actors filling in for him as various partners of West while Artemus Gordon (was on a space mission) was working in Washington. When he finally returned to the role it became known that he had suffered a severe heart attack. So, either he never broke his leg or his heart condition was discovered when they treated his leg. He lived until his 1981 fatal heart attack. He was in a lot of shows as a one-off but wasn’t cast in a leading role again because of producers’ fears about his heart condition.
“Yesterday This Day's Madness did prepare;
To-morrow's Silence, Triumph, or Despair:
Drink! for you know not whence you came, nor why:
Drink! for you know not why you go, nor where.”
― Omar Khayyám
"Drink to me, drink to my health. You know I can't drink any more." -- reportedly Picasso's last words
RIP Gene Hackman
"I was gonna make espresso."
Immediately after this are several deleted scenes that were new to me.
Ex ovis omnia - "From eggs, everything."
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