'Wild Wild West' Star Robert Conrad Dead at 84

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Link to tweet

[jpak]

1. RIP

[lunatica]

2. That was a fun show.

RIP.

[Different Drummer]

54. It's still on in reruns.

Family Entertainment Television (FETV) shows two back-to-back episodes each weekday afternoon.

[CaptYossarian]

67. I loved when Ross Martin would be in disguise.

He even played an Arab oil sheik on Sanford & Son. Martin was a much better actor than Conrad. More depth and versatility.

[Kaleva]

70. Ross was the better actor but Robert had lead man written all over him

[bdamomma]

3. oh my

RIP

He was such a handsome man.

[Sneederbunk]

4. That makes three.

[OnDoutside]

5. I loved Baa Baa Black Sheep .... RIP

[imanamerican63]

29. Same as me, even thou I was in the Army.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. The Godfather of Steampunk

Wild Wild West was a weekly highlight of my youth. Cross easy, Jim West.

[safeinOhio]

27. His show did give birth

to the Steam Punk Movement.

[ChazII]

62. It was the highlight of my youth

as well. I had a crush on him the first year and then I liked Ross Martin's character and his great inventions for Jim to use.

[eleny]

7. Tighest pants in the west! RIP!

..... .....

[catbyte]

12. I knew I was weird as a kid when I decided I liked Artemis Gordon better than him, lol.

But then I had a crush on George instead of Paul.

I was 10 when the show first aired so I was a little young to notice the tight pants. But by the time the series ended, they did catch my eye.

[jg10003]

14. Artie was the best part of the show

[TygrBright]

31. I was the same kind of weird! n/t

[catbyte]

38. Awlright!

A kindred spirit...

[pazzyanne]

46. I liked Artemis Gordon better also,

and George was my favorite Beetle!

[catbyte]

52. Another kindred spirit!

[ChazII]

64. Nice to learn that I am not

alone with Artemis as their favorite character and George as their favorite Beetle.

[eleny]

50. It was always George

And I was definitely old enough to notice how tight those pants were. My brother and I always joked about how many pair they went through each episode.

Btw, Artemis Gordon rocked the show. They hit the casting mark just right with those two opposites.

[KT2000]

8. So handsome

Growing up any show he was on was hit in my household. My Mom appreciated handsome actors - something about eating crackers??!

[underpants]

9. Baa Baa Blacksheep

Loved that show too.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Conrad
His parents were 16 and 15 when he was born.

[trof]

49. Pappy Boyington

[lastlib]

75. I still have some videotapes of some "Black Sheep" episodes......

Not sure I could get a machine to play 'em, tho.

I remember Linda Scruggs Bogart on one episode. She was HOT! (imho!)

[mr_lebowski]

10. That's sad ... always liked that dude ... WWW (syndicated) was a fave when I was a little kid ...

[Walleye]

11. I remember "Hawaiian Eye".

[PCIntern]

13. The Shows with Dr Loveless were remarkable

Surrealistic.

Clever show and he played it perfectly.

One of my ten favorite shows of my youth Hawaiian Eye was also engaging, along with Surfside 6 and 77 Sunset Strip.

RIP.

[catbyte]

15. The show was ahead of its time. As a kid, I just thought it was a cool show.

Now when I watch reruns on Me TV I realize just how imaginative it was.

[PCIntern]

22. That was the Golden Era of CBS tv.

That and Mission: Impossible were must see for me.

I had a very lonely childhood and those shows were critical for my development in many ways.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

44. Consider how unique it was back then

to cast little people in a series. Michael Dunn was the perfect foil to Jim and Artie.

[Different Drummer]

56. Yep. The Dr. Loveless episodes were good.

Another episode I liked was "Night of the Eccentrics" in which Victor Buono co-starred.

[PCIntern]

57. Yes! Brilliant tv

The other show I loved was Route 66

[Different Drummer]

60. I think Route 66 is still on in reruns, but I don't remember the network.

It was a good show.

[Awsi Dooger]

76. My parents knew Dr. Loveless at the University of Miami

My dad was in theater with him. Both of them said he was a big deal on campus.

I remember watching Wild Wild West with them. They didn't recognize his name. In those days it wasn't easy to look up a name change. But it wasn't as if they were doubting it could be anyone else.

Wild Wild West was one of my favorites, especially the split screen aspect. And as others have mentioned that Columbo episode was one of the best.

Robert Conrad played the macho role with some tongue in cheek wherever he went. During college at USC I remember attending a filming of The Tonight Show. Conrad was not only great during the filming but he also came out to help warm up the audience beforehand, doing a terrific job.

[nuxvomica]

16. One of my fave shows as a kid

I can smell hot, buttered popcorn just thinking about it because that's what my mom made on Friday nights as we gathered around the TV watching WWW. Someday someone will make a decent movie version of it.

[Dennis Donovan]

17. Cross gently, Pappy...

[GoCubsGo]

20. I loved that show!

Never missed it, even after it jumped the shark in its last couple of seasons. (I will be forever pissed that they killed off Hutch.)

[Dennis Donovan]

25. Yeah, Hutch dying in the air raid seemed gratuitous. But they had to elevate Sgt Andy Micklin

...since Red West needed a new gig, post-Elvis.

[Just_Vote_Dem]

18. RIP

I believe he did a popular commercial where he balanced a battery on his shoulder and dared you to knock it off. He also played a very slimy owner of fitness studios on a episode of "Columbo". His character was so nasty Columbo actually snapped at him, one of the few times he showed that kind of emotion.

[OnlinePoker]

40. Everready Batteries

[Just_Vote_Dem]

42. That's it-thanks n/t

[lpbk2713]

19. I remember him as Pasquinel from the Centennial miniseries.

Fare thee well.

[Harker]

53. Oddly enough...

as I come upon this thread, I'm wearing a red voyageur cap I asked Mrs. Harker to knit for me.

[Brother Buzz]

21. Robert Conrad wore lifts in The Wild Wild West, and was mostly positioned between...

the camera and short actresses under 5'6"; he was 5′ 8″.

[SunSeeker]

28. I always found short guys to be the cutest.

Which made things tough since I am a tall woman and guys want their woman to be shorter. But not all men are insecure about having a taller woman; my husband is 2 inches shorter than me.

Tall guys remind me of my dad, a huge turnoff. LOL.

I guess my height would have disqualified me to be in a WWW episode with Robert Concrad. Damn. Another fantasy shot to Hell.

[IrishEyes]

33. Me too. I always found shorter guys good looking.

I'm 5'5 so it works out fine.

[catbyte]

43. Me, too, but I'm a little over 5'1" so finding someone taller wasn't too difficult.

I remember me dating a guy in high school who was 6'4"--we looked like Mutt and Jeff. My late husband was about 5'7" and that was just right.

My husband and I used to have season tickets to the Detroit Pistons in the mid-late 1980s (Bad Boys era). I remember walking out after a game and running smack dab into John Salley. That was embarrassing enough, but my forehead banged right into his crotch. Awful, just awful. He was very nice about it, though and actually apologized to me. I guess I was too short to see.

[SunSeeker]

74. LOL !!

[JDC]

23. Loved WWW reruns as a kid. Also one of my favorite Columbo episodes

Bummer

[Dagstead Bumwood]

24. Battle of the Network Stars

was a staple in our house, and he always seemed to captain the NBC team. He was such a fierce competitor, especially during the tug-of-war event. That's the first thing I think of with him. RIP.

[PoliticAverse]

65. Yeah, that was some great entertainment back then...

[ashredux]

26. I used to serve him drinks fairly regularly at a restaurant in LA. He was a good actor, but a lousy

Tipper...😊

[DFW]

78. I heard that often at the time

Great actor, not a very nice guy. I remember being so disappointed, since as a kid, you want the actors to be as nice as as the characters they portray. I once met Sidney Poitier in 1967, and he WAS every bit as nice as the people he portrayed.

[Sancho]

30. RIP...I used to watch WWW

it was a creative and fun show.

[iluvtennis]

32. Watched the Wild West with with my grandma - one of her favorite shows. RIP Bob Conrad. nt

[mountain grammy]

34. Great show. Innovative and fun

RIP. Bob Conrad.

[jls4561]

35. I loved Wild Wild West as a kid!

I really, really wanted that train car.

Rest In Peace, Robert Conrad. You made us smile.

[H2O Man]

36. I loved that program.

And I respected that Conrad gave boxing a try. He was a tough guy.

Recommended.

[Perseus]

37. RIP, I used to watch that show when I was a kid, and still watch the reruns

One of my favourite cowboy shows ever, I always loved the science and the make-ups that Gordon used as well, it was the "Mission Impossible" of the Wild West.

[Iggo]

39. Godfather of Steampunk.

An icon.

Three cheers for Robert Conrad!!

[CentralMass]

41. I hadn't heard much about him recently and was wondering how he was doing. RIP .

A year or two back CometTv was running Wild Wild West on Staurday nights.

A 1966 episode with Dr Miguelito Loveless..

[Skittles]

45. so handsome

decent actor too

[zonkers]

47. Big fan of show growing up. The title sequence was awesome. Dr. Mikolito Loveless was my favorite

[Dr. Strange]

48. RIP

I never got to try and knock the battery off his shoulder.

[Red Mountain]

51. Loved the show (WWW) as a kid

....introduced my wife as an adult.

She liked it......she's a Brit. I enjoyed Dr. Who about the same time.

There's something about both.......

Watched Baa Baa Black Sheep over the air as an original. Dad was formerly in the Air Force and made sure to turn in.

[Lunabell]

55. Man, he was handsome.

I crushed on him bad as a kid.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

58. How sad

[VOX]

59. RIP Thomas Jefferson Lopaka of "Hawaiian Eye"...

The character was supposed to be half Polynesian, but TV in the ‘50s-‘60s didn’t concern itself too much with verisimilitude.

When Hawaii became the 50th state, there was a spate of South Seas-themed TV shows.

[CaptYossarian]

71. F Troop intentionally used actors with Bronx accents to play Native Americans

to add to the bizarre humor of the show. Gilligan's Island did the same for the "Headhunters", but in one episode used 3 LA Dodgers.

Of course, Hogan's Heroes used all Jewish actors to play Nazis.

I can't speak for why the other shows skipped over legitimate Polynesians.

[VOX]

80. So crazy in retrospect that it's laughable.

Took Hollywood awhile to actually get things (almost) right.

[CaptYossarian]

85. But Star Trek had a Japanese and a Russian character.

And Lt. Uhura. That was right around Julia with Diahann Carroll. Also groundbreaking--and both on NBC.

[FailureToCommunicate]

61. Huge fan of Baa Baa, back in the day! Not sure what I liked more, the F4U Corsair planes, or

Conrad and his co-stars.

Okay, maybe the Corsairs.

RIP Robert Conrad.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

63. I was a secretary at Studio Center where WWW filmed.

I recall Conrad as being a compact cutie. He'd come to my office to talk to my boss, Mort Stevens, music supervisor. Conrad was very involved in the show's creative process. Though I was only there for their last season, 1969 I thought it odd that Gunsmoke (down the hall) went til 1975 and WWW only 1969.

The music was always cool:

[Different Drummer]

68. Wow! I would have loved to have worked at Studio Center in those days!

DD

[SleeplessinSoCal]

77. I also worked at TV City.

The Smothers Brothers did their show there. Also Carol Burnett. I would go to rehearsals and heard so many great bands and musicians rehearsing at my lunch hour.

Very cool 9 to 5 job.

[Dream Girl]

66. He made a friend of mine realize that he might be gay. He was so handsome

But I think he was kind of tiny. Not that that matters...so don’t jump on me.

[leftyladyfrommo]

79. He was short. And so good looking.

A lot of men entertainers are not tall. Mostly doesn't matter.

But Tom Cruz trying to play Jack Reacher was ridiculous. Jack Reacher was about 6'7 and blonde and blue eyed.

[PatrickforO]

69. RIP Robert. I remember those old episodes.

I also hope we can keep in mind through his example that none of us should ever, ever get behind the wheel after drinking anything.

[Roland99]

72. I thought he died years ago

[catbyte]

83. Maybe you're thinking of William Conrad. I always got the two mixed up.

Not that they looked anything alike, lol.

[Roland99]

84. When I was a kid I'd kinda mix up William and Robert (and Robert Blake)

[Liberal In Texas]

73. Enjoyed his shows growing up. RIP Mr. Conrad.

[Tactical Progressive]

81. Kirk Douglas then Robert Conrad

RIP to two compact Hollywood tough guys.

They did make a movie. Will Smith played Jim West.
I like Will, but it was a miscast from the get.
Jim West wasn't tall and he wasn't a funny boy.

[MerryBlooms]

82. *Sigh