Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Robert Conrad Tribute - Wild Wild West

Darn. Now I'll never get to try knocking that Eveready battery off his shoulder.

I remember him more on BahBah Black Sheep, Pappy Boyington.

I met his son, Greg Boyinton Jr. at my church about 12-14 years back. One of our parishioners and Greg Boyington Jr. were class mates and graduated with the first class of the Air Force Academy. Boyington used to come visit him every ear. My friend died a few years back and I haven't seen Greg Jr. since.

I'm sorry to hear that. Robert Conrad was one of my favorite tough-guy actors. I barely remember WWW when it was in production, but watched it later in syndication. Loved Black Sheep Squadron which motivated me to research and learn more about the real Pappy Boyington It led me to reading Boyington's memiors . It's been years since I've seen Centennial and I don't remember any of the actors in it. I have wondered why he was never cast in more action flicks.


Memory Eternal.

Interesting -I wasn't aware of his son being in the USAF - He certainly had a varied and noteworthy career - http://veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.php?recordID=1613

To stop getting old sucks worse.

Never cared for Wild Wild West, thought it was pretty stupid. Almost the same way with Black Sheep, as it was also pretty lame. The only thing it had going for it was the fact that the Corsair was one of the best fighter planes ever made. I never thought that Robert Conrad was all that great of an actor, although the parts an actor has, is what defines them.

Just another dead actor.

Well I'm not sure how long they stayed in the Air Force. But they both, my friend and Boyington Jr. were graduates of the first class of the Academy back in the 50s.

Now to make my story more interesting, my first college room mate was a guy named Bruce Chennault and his great uncle was none other than Claire Lee Chennault, the head of the Flying Tigers. But before that, I grew up around 3 neighbor boys named Bates whose great uncle was non other than David Lee "Tex" Hill of flying tiger fame. So I had contact with 3 families of Flying Tiger fame.

I met both Pappy Boyington and Tex Hill. Tex I met several times as he was always down visiting his neice, Patsy Bates here in Port Lavaca back in the 60s. He, like his three great nephews, was about 6'7" or 6'8" tall, a tower of a man. I bet he had hell getting in that fighter's cockpit.

I also met Pappy Boyington himself, at the Confederate Air Show down the road in Harlingen several times back in the 70s and early 80s.
I say i met him, he was working his booth there and I used to talk to him, or try to, he was a cranky old fart. That was after he sobered up. Of course, I never met Claire Chennault. He died in 1958 and I was only 10 at the time, 12 years before I met his great nephew.

When I was going to the Confederate Air Show every year I would also see the German Ace, Adolf Galland and there was a Japanese ace there as well but his name slips my mind. But the one I used to like to talk to was Ensign George Gay of Midway fame, the sole survivor of Torpedo 8 Squadron. He was interesting and friendly. I asked him once "Was it the antiquated Torpedo Bomber or just too many Jap Zeroes that got you shot down?" He said "Oh hell boy, too many damn zeroes, they were everywhere."

I always had a great interest in Fighter AND Bomber pilots and their stories because my dad was a Mustang Pilot. He used to tell me there was no glory in it. He said they strapped you in that little seat in that little cockpit and you were cold the whole way and all you smelled was gasoline, sometimes on long missions for as long as 8 hours.

Due to a hunting accident in early '44 my dad was late in getting over to Europe and didn't get their until December '44. But he still made 13 missions before it all ended, one of which was flying over and guarding the famous Bridge at Remagen. The Germans tried several times to destroy it after the Americans captured it, but the US Army got a lot of men and equipment across it before it finally collapsed on its own on March 17 1945. But before it collapsed the Germans tried to destroy it with everything they had including the Luftwaffe. My dad's squadron was flying guard over it to prevent that. Anyway I'm rambling on about war stories which would be better in another post. Say Good Night Gracie, LOL!

You've met some noteworthy folks! Our own member Hatari here has had drinks with Galland in his house several times.

Often quoted but erroneous. Remember VT-8 was split with into two dets. One with the Devastator off Hornet and one off Midway with the new Avenger. Neither fared well but ENS Earnest and his radioman made it back to Midway with their gunner killed and a lot of holes. I had the pleasure of meeting "Burt" at the O'Club at NAS Whidey in the early 90's and having a beer with him. When asked he often replied "I'm the other sole survivor"

https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/19951 and a good interview with him - https://ww2db.com/doc.php?q=371

You're right, worth a standalone thread.

Interesting reading Pugs.

I didn't know that. Yeah Gay was in a Devastator. I had a plastic model of it. It was a Mid 30s design where the Avenger was a 40s design, a lot faster and more manuverable. But the Jap air cover was overwhelming and the Americans did it without fighter escort. I would like to hear more of your stuff, you sound very knowledgeable. Thanks Pugs.