Mar 20, 2018

Robert Conrad Dares You


We're used to thinking of Robert Conrad as a two-fisted action hero, but he originally wanted to be a singer.  During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the former professional boxer released a number of teen idol-style crooner records, but the market was overcrowded with Paul Anka, Fabian, Elvis, Frankie Avalon, Pat Boone, and nearly everyone else who could hold a tune.

Bob's records didn't sell, not even with the color shots of his impressive physique.






In 1959, Bob landed a role as Tom Lopaka, the half-Hawaiian partner of detective Tracey Steele (Anthony Eisley) on Hawaiian Eye.  Many of the cases took place on the beach, allowing Bob to strip down to a swimsuit or short-cut jeans.  The buddy-bonding was intense, and there weren't a huge number of episodes in which Tom meets a girl.


When Hawaiian Eye ended in 1963, Bob's singing career was forgotten; after starring against type in the beach movie Palm Springs Weekend (1963), he moved almost into the program that Boomers remember fondly: Wild Wild West (1965-69), a combination of the classic Western with the 1960s spy craze (other examples include Get Smart, The Secret of Boyne Castle, I Spy, and Mission: Impossible.



In the 1870s, special agents James West (Robert Conrad) and Artemus Gordon (Ross Martin) travel through the Old West on the orders of President Grant. They use disguises and weird science fiction gadgets to foil spies, mad scentists, enemy agents, rebels, and miscellaneous high-tech scalawags.

West is tied up shirtless in nearly every episode.  He usually frees himself, but sometimes Gordeon storms to the rescue.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much buddy-bonding. West and Gordon were coworkers, not buddies, and they both leered at women nearly as often as they fell in love.









Bob had found his niche: tongue-in-cheek adventure.  During the next two decades, he was never very far from a tv series: The D.A. (1971-72), Assignment Vienna (1972-73), Black Sheep Squadron (1976-78), A Man Called Sloane (1979).  Although he had time for two buddy-bonding movies with Don Stroud.


When tongue-in-cheek adventure went out of style during the early 1980s, Bob switched to comedy (Wrong is Right, Moving Violations) or drama (Assassin, Charley Hannah).  But he rarely forgot to include a shirtless scene or two.

He parodied himself in a series of commercials for Ever-Ready Batteries in the 1980s, daring the viewer to knock a battery off his shoulder (traditionally one starts fights by daring someone to knock a chip off one's shoulder).

The rumor mill suggested that he was bisexual, and during the 1950s had liaisons with some of the great closeted actors in Hollywood, such as Tab Hunter, Wally Cox, and Rock Hudson.  Bob denied the rumors, stating to the press "I'm not gay" several times.

18 comments:

  1. He's given speeches at the Republican National Convention and before the NRA.

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    1. So? You can be gay and a supporter of gun rights just like a liberal can be anti-abortion. Let's stop the narrow-view of placing everyone into prism prisons so popular among talking heads. Yes, there are gay republican and anti-gay democratic who support support parts of their party's platforms while rejecting others. I can be a gay republican and be anti-Trump or a straight democratic and be anti-Biden. I've met both. Stop with the generalizing it is too easy and shows a lack of insight and thought. Also, why post anonymously? If you have something to say, then be honest and identify yourself and stop hiding in the shadows.

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    2. You're responding to someone who commented in 2012, so he might not be paying attention anymore.

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    3. perfect. lol...speaks volumes

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  2. Late to the party on this one but am watching a marathon of Battle of the Network Stars and, quite frankly, when he speaks he comes off as super, super gay. Now, some guys, when trying to sound polite (like when speaking on the phone at their job), come off as effeminate. But he has a way about him that sets my gaydar off big time. Yes, he is (was) decent-looking, but that isn't why. It's just the way he presents/presented himself.

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  3. 'Decent' looking? OMG, he was gorgeous, and his shirtless scenes with that muscular hairy chest made him one of my first gay crushes.

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    1. He wore very tight pants, a jacket cut at the waist and a bubble butt like 2 ripe melons. Tell me this was not intentional. LOL

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  4. As I write this, today is his birthday (83!).I always felt he swung both ways--because every time he appeared on screen, he gave off vibs that made my 'gaydar' go berserk! [For me it's sad to see him in a pic as he appears today!] Of course, all of these actors go into the denial stage and will deny it all the way to the grave! But he is likeable, so that is a plus for him.

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  5. I did my first JO session, watching Wild Wild West. He was hot as SHIT!!!

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  6. Robert Conrad and his amazingly tight pants are one of the best reasons to own a TV- and yes I loved LOVED him as James West- it was later when I re-watched the episodes as an adult I discovered the reason

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  7. His denial was "I am not gay," not "I am not bi," or "I never had sex with a man." you get my drift. There seems to be a lot of reports of him and Nick Adams exploits, etc. At this point who cares? His everlasting reputation will be the amazing fantasies and JO sessions he inspired (and continues in reruns) for all of us. Bless him and that amazing butt and body!

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    1. What a weird thre-way- Bob Conrad, Wally Cox and Nick Adams oil-wrasslin'
      with Orson Welles banking the house against a Young Steven Spielberg's raise of an angelic Corey Haim chilled in aspic.
      Word to your guardian.

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  8. Bob died just a few months ago. He was in his 80s. He had several kids, and two of them, Christian and Shane, starred with him in his short-lived series "High Mountain Rangers'. They were just as good-looking as he was, but their careers never went anywhere.

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  9. only if ur from Chicago will u know HOME RUN INN PIZZA the owner's name is Joe and before he married he was dating this girl named Susan she was dating Bob Conrad remember Bob is from the so side of chicago as is Home Run IN pizza as Joe and I ran mile after mile daily at the gym we would chat about his situation with Conrad and finally after a number of months Sue decided to marry Joe for she thought there was something missing in the relationship and Joe never said what...but perhaps Sue figured it out way before anyone else

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  10. Conrad was a beautiful young man- not just the face but that hot hot body- was he gay or bi- maybe- it's hard to believe he did not get plenty of attention from both sexes.

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  11. I must agree with the above comments about not pigeonholing people. I'm as queer as queer can be, 100% queer, never touched any lady parts and I'm 60 years old, never going to touch any lady parts. But I'm a gun guy. So that's kind of right wing. I have a semi auto sitting on the kitchen table right now. Yet I am well spoken, thus I despise Donald Trump. You see we can be left on some things and middle on some things and right on some things.

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    1. "Yet, I am well spoken, thus I despise Donald Trump." LOL. Yeah, 47 percent of the country ain't very good for talkin!

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  12. B Conrad - very handsome, trim, lean and borderline chiseled. He had a dancer’s body - would have been great presence in a musical.

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