Night of the Steel Assassin
Encyclopedia
The Night of the Steel Assassin is a January 1966 episode of The Wild Wild West
TV series, produced by Michael Garrison. It was written by Calvin Clements and Steve Fisher
, and directed by Lee Katzin.
This series had US Secret Service agents James West and Artemus Gordon aiding President Ulysses S. Grant in the 1870s American West. Together they faced a plethora of Victorian-era criminals.
"Night of the Steel Assassin" characters:
As secret agent Jim West entered a sailor's shop on the wharf, he witnessed the death by strangulation of a man named Gilbert at the hands of an assassin named Torres. West tried to stop the murderer but bullets glanced harmlessly off the man, and the agent finally drove him off with a smoke pellet. West learned that Colonel "Iron Man" Torres (John Dehner), a former Army officer scarred and crippled by an accidental explosion and repaired by surgically implanted steel plates, systematically murdered six officers who he thought were responsible for his accident. He served with seven officers during the Civil War and believed they tricked him into pulling guard duty when his accident occurred. Nina (Sue Ann Langdon), Gilbert's niece, appeared waving a picture of Torres and the other officers, the last one alive being President Ulysses Grant (Roy Engel). Fearing for Grant's life, West and Gordon unsuccessfully tried to divert Grant away from his speech in a nearby town.
In order to pursue his vengeance, Torres learned the skills of 'auto-suggestion
' instead of anesthetics during surgery, and hypnosis
, in the form of a spinning lampshade, which he used to regress the niece of his latest victim, Nina Gilbert, into a child-like personality and to control (or so he thought) Artemus Gordon. The hypnotizing of Nina was performed in disguise: with the backdrop of Bach's Dorian Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor, he questioned her about her studies in psychology and made a reference to regression as he spun the lampshade; as he continued to talk about regression and later actively suggested it, her attention was caught by the bright flashing light in her eyes and she unknowingly went into a trance. Once entranced she was regressed into a laughing, empty-headed girl. She was later found by West as a carefree can-can dancer in a bar, with no memory of ever meeting West previously.
Torres used Nina to capture West. Dangling in front of 2 wireless remote controlled rockets, one aimed at him, the other at Grant, West freed himself in time to prevent the rockets' launch and confronted Torres by an underground river. A fight ensued as West drove the ironman into the river, where he sank like a knight in armor.
In the end, Nina was returned to normal, using the same lamp, but still provocatively dressed as a dancer, which provoked a fit of rage as she didn't understand what occurred.
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
TV series, produced by Michael Garrison. It was written by Calvin Clements and Steve Fisher
Steve Fisher
Steve Fisher is an American college basketball coach currently at San Diego State University.Fisher attended Illinois State University, where he helped lead the Redbirds to the 1967 Division II Final Four. After school, he became a high school coach in Park Forest, Illinois. In 1979, he accepted...
, and directed by Lee Katzin.
This series had US Secret Service agents James West and Artemus Gordon aiding President Ulysses S. Grant in the 1870s American West. Together they faced a plethora of Victorian-era criminals.
Wild, Wild West Characters
Recurring Characters:- James West, played by Robert ConradRobert ConradRobert Conrad is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the 1965 CBS television series The Wild Wild West, in which he played the sophisticated Secret Service agent James T. West, and his portrayal of World War II ace Pappy Boyington in the television series Baa Baa Black Sheep...
- Artemus Gordon, played by Ross MartinRoss MartinRoss Martin was a Polish-born American Emmy-nominated actor known for playing Artemus Gordon in the western TV series The Wild Wild West, starring Robert Conrad, and Andamo on Mr...
- President Ulysses S. Grant, played by Roy Engel
"Night of the Steel Assassin" characters:
- "Iron Man" Torres, played by John DehnerJohn DehnerJohn Dehner was an American actor in radio, television, and films, playing countless roles, often as a droll villain. Between 1941 and 1988, he appeared in over 260 films and television programs. Prior to acting, Dehner had worked as an animator at Walt Disney Studios, and later became a radio...
- Nina Gilbert, played by Sue Ane LangdonSue Ane LangdonSue Ane Langdon is a retired American actress.She began her performing career singing at Radio City Music Hall and acting in stage productions. In the mid-1960s she acted at Manhattan's Schubert Theatre in The Apple Tree musical, which starred a young Alan Alda...
- R. L. Gilbert, played by John Pickard
- Dr. Meyer, played by Arthur Malet
- Maria, played by Sara Taft
- Lopez, played by Allen Jaffe
- bartender, played by Bruno VeSota
As secret agent Jim West entered a sailor's shop on the wharf, he witnessed the death by strangulation of a man named Gilbert at the hands of an assassin named Torres. West tried to stop the murderer but bullets glanced harmlessly off the man, and the agent finally drove him off with a smoke pellet. West learned that Colonel "Iron Man" Torres (John Dehner), a former Army officer scarred and crippled by an accidental explosion and repaired by surgically implanted steel plates, systematically murdered six officers who he thought were responsible for his accident. He served with seven officers during the Civil War and believed they tricked him into pulling guard duty when his accident occurred. Nina (Sue Ann Langdon), Gilbert's niece, appeared waving a picture of Torres and the other officers, the last one alive being President Ulysses Grant (Roy Engel). Fearing for Grant's life, West and Gordon unsuccessfully tried to divert Grant away from his speech in a nearby town.
In order to pursue his vengeance, Torres learned the skills of 'auto-suggestion
Suggestion
Suggestion is the psychological process by which one person guides the thoughts, feelings, or behaviour of another. Nineteenth century writers on psychology such as William James used the words "suggest" and "suggestion" in senses close to those they have in common speech—one idea was said to...
' instead of anesthetics during surgery, and hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
, in the form of a spinning lampshade, which he used to regress the niece of his latest victim, Nina Gilbert, into a child-like personality and to control (or so he thought) Artemus Gordon. The hypnotizing of Nina was performed in disguise: with the backdrop of Bach's Dorian Toccata and Fugue in D-Minor, he questioned her about her studies in psychology and made a reference to regression as he spun the lampshade; as he continued to talk about regression and later actively suggested it, her attention was caught by the bright flashing light in her eyes and she unknowingly went into a trance. Once entranced she was regressed into a laughing, empty-headed girl. She was later found by West as a carefree can-can dancer in a bar, with no memory of ever meeting West previously.
Torres used Nina to capture West. Dangling in front of 2 wireless remote controlled rockets, one aimed at him, the other at Grant, West freed himself in time to prevent the rockets' launch and confronted Torres by an underground river. A fight ensued as West drove the ironman into the river, where he sank like a knight in armor.
In the end, Nina was returned to normal, using the same lamp, but still provocatively dressed as a dancer, which provoked a fit of rage as she didn't understand what occurred.