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Robert Conrad had barely made it back to the dressing room after his Wild Wild West audition before he was informed that he had been cast as James West
The actor admitted that he was surprised by the decision.
Robert Conrad wasn't necessarily new to television when he was called to audition for The Wild Wild West.
The young actor had already starred in the popular series Hawaiian Eye. The detective series, created by Roy Huggins, also starred Anthony Eisley and Connie Stevens.
By the time The Wild Wild West was being developed, Conrad had taken on a new role: Bank robber Charley Floyd, better known as Pretty Boy Floyd.
"I was playing Pretty Boy Floyd in Young Dillinger and got a call to test," Said Conrad during an interview with SFGate.
Apparently, Conrad must have done something very right during the audition, because it was mere moments later that he learned he had won the role of James West.
"After the test, I'd gone to my dressing room and the CBS casting director, Ethel Winant, called me to say I had the role," said Conrad. Still, the actor didn't let the break go to his head, admitting that he was a bit shocked that he had won the role in the face of other actors auditioning.
"Frankly, I was very surprised," said Conrad. "There had been 18 others testing, too. Some were bigger names than me, including John Derek."
Still, Conrad had proven he was the best man for the job during his audition. As if that wasn't enough, he then demonstrated his powerful acting chops for about four years. Conrad starred as Secret Service agent James West, alongside his co-star, Ross Martin. The series enjoyed a fairly impressive runtime of four seasons, after which CBS decided to cancel the series.
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