TO make reading the comments easier, I have started a THIRD page. Please feel free to send me YOUR comments at glambert@zoo.uvm.edu.

Keep those cards and letters coming!!!

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Greetings, all! What a pleasant surprise. Before I stumbled on this site, I had no idea that there were so many who share my unbridled devotion to "The Wild Wild West". That's very good to know.

My name is Doug and, like most of you, I am outraged at the rediculous miscasting of the planned movie version of our favorite old show. And, more than that, I wonder just what other atrocities the producers may have in mind for the film. The question is: What are we going to do about it? Shall we stew in our quiet little corners and let them go forward unchallenged? Or, do we make some noise?

Many of you have offered up suggestions as to who would be suitable stars to play the roles of West and Gordon. My own ideal would be Tom Berenger and Billy Crystal. The important thing, though, isn't who it my individual ideal. But, rather, that whoever plays the leads be fully in keeping with the characters as created by Bob Conrad and Ross Martin. Smith and Clooney don't even come close.

I believe that we, the show's longtime fans, have a large vested interest in this project. We are the ones who made it a hit. We are the ones who kept it alive in syndication for three decades while other adventure shows faded into obscurity. We are the ones who have made the emotional commitment to the show and its characters. We have waited a very long time for a first-class 'West' movie to come about. We should have a say in what kind of movie it is.

To that end, I am in the process of establishing a protest group I call Defenders of the True 'West'. The purpose of this effort is two-fold: First, to attempt to convince Warner Brothers to see the error of their ways and reconsider the casting decisions they have made. Failing that, we will attempt to make their mistake an expensive one by taking aim at the box office. We must speak to them in the language they understand - M O N E Y .

I don't want to give away too much of what I have in mind at this time, in this forum. But, those of you who are up for a fight, get ready. In the meantime, you can let the production company know of your displeasure by sending letters of protest to: Mr. Jon Peters, Peters Entertainment, Warner Brothers Studios, 4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91522

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Mr. Lambert (and I don't mean Paul J. Lambert from the "Night of the Viscious Valentine" episode):

I just wanted to weigh in on The Wild Wild West Movie. I don't think Will Smith is right for the part of James West. And not because he's black. Will Smith, I believe, is too funny for the part, if that makes any sense. Sure, Conrad had a dry sense of humor on the TV show, but I don't think audiences will be able to take Smith seriously enough.

Clooney is a good choice to be in the movie, but HE should be playing West. Clooney is smooth, suave and a lady-killer. The part of Artemus Gordon, I think, should be played by Mel Gibson. Ross Martin played all those alter egos so well that I think there are very few actors around today who could pull that off. Gibson is one of them.

Though I am a big fan of TWWW, I'm not sure if I'll spend $8 to see the movie. I might just wait for the rental.

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i have always been a fan of the wild wild west. i can handle mr clooney playing the part of mr gordon. but will smith can not be james west. not that i do not like will smith as an actor. but i can not visualize him in this part. at this moment i can not tell you who it should be, but i do not feel that will smith is the one. thank you for your time

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I fully agree Will Smith is a bad choice as James West, he just does not fit the character that was protrayed in the television series. I would suggest the actor that plays the lead in JAG.

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I have a feeling the many fans of WWW who want a movie that will be true to the TV series will be very disappointed. I feel the casting of Smith as West indicates that the movie will be either a parody of the series or at least a comedy. I too would like to see a movie try to "be true" to the series, but at the same time I will try to keep an open mind. I have been a fan of the TV show since I was 7 years old and have been wondering when hollywood would finally take it on- I always knew they would since remakes are the big thing now.(How could you NOT do one of the Wild Wild West?) So at last it's finally here and yes I was suprised when I learned of the casting, but MAYBE I will not be disappointed. After all, I was curious how Michael Keaton (sp?) would play the part of Batman when I first heard of that casting decision,and I felt he did a fine job. Tim Burton (sp?) didn't excactly stay true to the comic books ( Batman never had an armoured suit) but he did try to make it "believable" and though it had a few flaws it was a very good movie! I also felt M.I.B was a good flick, very creative and entertaining. Perhaps the WWW movie isn't what I was hoping for, but it will be interesting to see how the director handles the race issue as well as how he handles the concept of the original series.Maybe he has a trick up his sleeve (no pun intended). Yes, it just might suck, especially if one wants it to be true to the series. I am however, curious to see the finished product, to see if a different slant on the WWW can be a good movie. In any event there will always be the reruns of the original and the chemistry of Ross and Bob...may they recreate that chemistry in the film. If they WERE to stay true to the series Harrison Ford would be a great choice if his age could be hidden and I liked the idea of Tom Hanks or Dana Carvey as Artie or some other actor of similar qualities-maybe Robbin Williams. Robert Conrad should DEFINITELY be in the film.

By the way, in response to the earlier fan email-there WERE black officers in the civil war and possibly some black SS agents. Oh well, we'll see what happens.

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Last week, I was browsing the Web and ran across a few Wild Wild West sites. I haven't seen an episode in several years and it brought back some fond memories. While browsing this page, I saw the firestorm surrounding the casting for the upcoming movie and wanted to contribute my two cents.

First of all, if the script isn't well written, it doesn't matter who you put in the lead roles. In particular, I was really disappointed when the made for TV Wild Wild West Revisited aired in 1979. That movie had the original stars - Robert Conrad and Ross Martin. Somehow though, the movie just wasn't the same as the episodes from the series.

Regarding the casting of Will Smith / George Clooney, my first reaction was the same as everyone else's. (Has WB lost its mind ???) After thinking it over though, it's possible that Smith / Clooney might (heavy emphasis on the word might) be able to pull it off. It all depends on the quality of the script and how each actor approaches his respective role.

The idea of portraying either James West or Artemus Gordon as a black man puts an interesting spin on the original series. Remember that West and Gordon are fictional characters placed in a fictionalized American West. The only historical character from the show that I can think of is Ulysses S. Grant. IMHO, success or failure depends on how the issue of race is approached.

To be honest, based on what I've read on this Web Site and based on Hollywood's disastrous track record of bringing classic TV shows to the big screen, I wouldn't put my money on the success of this project. At the same time though, it's not a foregone conclusion that the movie will crash and burn. Who knows? It just might work.

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I must agree with the letter posted from Mr. Conrad's associate. Will Smith would be a good Artemus Gordon but a poor James West in the current format (post US Civil War).

This will cause a poor overall turn out for the movie after a good initial opening.

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I'm afraid I must agree with Mr. Cangey about the casting of Will Smith as West. It just doesn't make sense in the context of the character *or* the time. If you were to cast a black Batman or even a Green Hornet (essentially what the cameo-character "Nightshade" was on the "Flash" series by Bilson and Dimeo), I could see how that might fit, since those characters seem to represent more of an archtype kind of hero role, that a person of any color could be justified in stepping into, and making it work.

In the case of WWW, it seems like putting Will Smith and George Clooney together is due to nothing more that the two actors being the "popular flavor of the month", due to the fact that people will come to the theaters and pay just to see *them*, regardless of what they're playing. I'd like to see the WWW concept given more respect than that.

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"Will Smith" as "James T. West"...you have got to be kidding!

Mabye George Clooney or Mel Gibson or Val Kilmer...but Will Smith"?

Come on guys Will Smith was great in "Men in Black" and "Independence Day" but let's take a survey or something before this mistake is made. I'll bet Mr. Robert Conrad would have some interesting comments regarding that poor job of casting.

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I don't blame Robert Conmrad a bit for not participating in this upcoming movie. Casting that idiot "Smith" in the role of J.West is a big mistake "Clooney" would definitely be the better choice for the role. Who is going to believe that a black man could be a super trained Secret Agent for the U.S. Government shortly after the Civil War. The person who casted this movie is an "idiot". This is one remake that I will definitely not watch, much less pay to watch. Why don't "HollyWood" use their brain for once. "Clooney" and "Goldblum" would have been a good pairing for this movie.

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You should forward all these comments to the producers of the new Wild Wild West movie - maybe they will then come to their senses. Instead of being so concerned about being politically correct, why don't they try & make a movie that the public will watch. I am an avid Wild Wild West fan, but will refuse to watch the new movie unless they get a character that resembles Robert Conrad. In fact, it would be great to have Mr. Conrad come back for one last time.

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Just wanted to say thanks for setting up and maintaining this site. TWWW was - and still is - one of my all-time favorite shows. I have even downloaded AVI Screen Saver, captured the title songs (color and B&W) and use them as my screen saver. Though I'm quite sure Will Smith will be good in anything he does, it's a shame that the producers can't seem to understand what the series meant to so many fans. On the other hand, who could fill Robert Conrad's shoes anyway.

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Knock-knock.

Who's there?

Will Smith.

Will Smith who?

Will Smith make a good James West?

What are you, nuts?!

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