Wild Wild West

Night of the Burning Diamond, #6526

When Serbia's fabulous Kara diamond disappears, agent James West, who had been trying to convince the Serbian minister to place the jewel in federal custody until the International Jewel Exhibit opened, is suspected of the theft.

While questioning Morgan Midas, the nephew of Lady Margaret, a British diamond collector whose gems have also been stolen, West is struck by his suspicious behavior. The agent is knocked unconscious by an unseen force and wakes up in Midas' laboratory, where it is explained that Midas has been stealing diamonds to melt them down as the main ingredient in a potion that can make a person invisible. In search of his partner, Artemus Gordon also falls prey to Midas' invisible touch. Now the agents have to find a way to stop the thief before he makes off with the exhibition's jewels.

This episode was the first of many for writer Ken Kolb, who says that the idea was prompted by an H.G. Wells story. Actor Robert Drivas, who plays Midas, had a problem on the set recalling his lines. Director Irving Moore said that Drivas would write his lines all over the set on props or whatever was available. Director Coon later reworked the story of people who move so fast they're invisible, as an episode of Star Trek.

Morgan Midas: Robert Drivas
Lucretia: Christiane Schmidtmer
Baines: Dan Tobin
Serbian Minister: Vito Carbonara
Clive: Calvin Brown
Rudd: Whitey Hughes
Kross: Paul Genge
Serbian Guard: Chuck O'Brien
Directed by Irving (Gene L.) Coon
Written by Ken Kolb
* The above information was compiled from The Wild Wild West: The Series by Susan E. Kesler (Arnett Press), "Michael Garrison's Wild Wild West," an article by Robert Alan Crick in Epi-Log Journal #11 and other sources.
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Animated graphics (c) 2001 by The Animation Factory.