…Whether the Great Game spirit filtered from the colonies into the metropolitan headquarters of the major European spy services, or whether it had roots at home as well, it became a dominant trait of the secret service mind in the half-century before World War One. Naturally, it was most pronounced in the English- the sporting as well as the imperial, race par excellence.
One of the most enthusiastic eulogizers of the Great Game as a fascinating and character building sport was Rudyard Kipling’s friend Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder, in 1908, of the international Boy Scout movement. Though most of his military career was spent as a fighting colonial soldier, he took time off for the odd intelligence mission, in Africa, Turkey, and elsewhere.
—Created for CBS in 1965 by executive Michael Garrison, The Wild Wild West was initially conceived as a simple, high-concept pitch: “James Bond on horseback.” Yet simply calling it that oversimplifies how clever and unique this series was – in fact, this is probably one of the most overtly pulp-influenced shows on television at that time. Because of its unique mix of gadgetry, straightforward plotting, and genre mixing, The Wild Wild West has retained a slight timelessness unlike several of its contemporaries. Much of the success of the show (which enjoys a current run on Chicago’s ME-TV) is due to a great mixture of various factors.
First is the overall writing of the show – most of the plots and concepts are lifted straight from pulp literature. From the gimmick-laden vest of James West (think: Doc Savage) to the more elaborate futuristic concepts (such as mechanical men, steam-driven computer dating and a league of assassins), The Wild Wild West created a much more intricate and forward-facing universe than other shows of its era. From the diminutive tyrant Dr. Miguelito Loveless to the maniacal magician Count Manzeppi, The Wild Wild West …see link by clicking image…
Baden-Powell sometimes adopted the cover of an amateur entomologist, complete with butterfly net, as an excuse for loitering near enemy military objectives he wished to sketch, thus launching the silly-ass tradition that was long cultivated by the British SIS. “Spying,” Baden-Powell wrote in his memoirs, My Adventures As a Spy, “would be an intensely interesting sport even if no great results were obtained from it. There is a fascination which gets hold of anyone who has tried the art.”
Except when they are traitors to their country,Baden-Powell declared, spies are honorable, brave, and generally admirable fellows. He even noticed admiration for German spies, at least the better class of German spy, though his book was published in 1915.
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