Inside the Wild Wild West Book

Inside the Wild Wild West is a book based on the television series which began a four year run in 1965. It is about the experiences of a small town guy named Richard Cangey privileged to work as Robert Conrad's associate and as a stuntman. Gleaned from a diary Cangey kept, the book tells of the fun this group of guys had both off and on the show.

About the Author:

Richard M. Cangey was born on July 9, 1933 in a little apartment above a large bus garage in the town of Mahoningtown, a suburb of the city of New Castle, in western Pennsylvania. He graduated from New Castle High School in 1951 and moved to Cleveland, Ohio to pursue a boxing career while serving a Tool & Diemaker apprenticeship.

In May of 1953, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and took his basic training in Breckenridge, Kentucky. The Korean War ended during Cangey's fourteenth week of training and he was sent to Aberdeen, Maryland for the remainder of his time; most of which was spent in a office pounding a typewriter.

Following his basic training in October, Cangey returned home long enough to marry his high school sweetheart, Mary Ann Medina, from Yougstown, Ohio and take a brief honeymoon. Cangey was discharged in February 1955 and moved back to Cleveland with his wife to resume his apprenticeship and boxing career.

Cangey began a boxing career at the age of thirteen and quit the ring in 1959 with 43 wins and 3 loses. Shortly thereafter, Cangey packed up and moved to Lakewood, California where he acquired a job at what is now, Rockwell International. He was terminated a second time in 1962 for Union activity; this time the company offered Cangey one year's salary, tax free, not to return. He took the offer.

Working as a bouncer in one of Long Beach's more popular bars, Cangey eventually purchased and ran his own bar until 1965. During this time, he was introduced to Peter Breck, who offered him a job on the television series, The Big Valley. After one season, Cangey and Breck parted company and for the next several months Cangey was idle. Into the new filming season, Cangey was called to the set of The Wild Wild West where he met with Robert Conrad and began his relationship with Conrad as a stand-in, stuntman, and eventually, a close friend.

Following The Wild Wild West, Cangey worked for Conrad through a short lived series called The D.A. for Jack Webb, a couple of movies-of-the-week, and in June of 1972, went to Vienna, Austria to work on the series called Assignment: Vienna. Cangey returned to the states in October 1972 and opened a pizza store and restaurant.

During his time in the business, Cangey worked on such shows as Daniel Boone, Branded, Beretta, Mission Impossible, Mannix, Vegas, and many other popular television shows of that time. Cangey is now retired and living with his wife for over forty years. His four children and seven grandchildren are a close, happy family.