Ross Martin and The Wild Wild West

[We also got to talking about Ross Martin.]

Ross Martin was another early casualty, at 61. Apparently he had a congenital heart condition.

The Wild Wild West is a blast of a series. Another great actor associated with it who died young was Michael Dunn (Dr. Miguelito Loveless), who died at 39 of complications from dwarfism. The Jim West/Loveless love-hate pairing is a very fine modern re-fashioning of a Holmes/Moriarty-type relationship.

Loveless would never, ever kill West -- although he would often threaten to -- partly because he needs the foil, and partly because it's clear he likes (as well as envies) West. West, for his part, pays tribute on more than one occasion to Loveless's brilliance and his human doggedness -- Loveless has played the hand he was dealt better than anyone might have imagined.

So there is a ton of mutual respect there. And Martin's Artemus Gordon as (a more resourceful) Dr. Watson completes the Holmesian equation. Of course there are thematic variations -- West always "gets the girl" in a way Holmes had no interest in. And he looks much better shirtless.