Hairgate: The RC Hair of Season 4

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Printed on: 04/02/2026

Topic:

Topic author: Dr. Loveless
Subject: Hairgate: The RC Hair of Season 4
Posted on: 03/18/2010 17:06:03
Message:

So, what is up with that? For the first three seasons, Mr. Conrad had perfect slicked back hair... in the 4th, it is sometimes combed down in a style that was popular in the early 70's.

Was there a thought that the old hair style was too tied to the mid 60's, so they wanted to go for something hipper?

Replies:

Reply author: California gal
Replied on: 03/18/2010 19:29:24
Message:

Jim's hair started having a "softer" appearance in season 2, and definitely by season 3, it appeared he was using less greasy kid stuff and/or hairspray. The "comb over" style seemed to occur after he had the accident and the skull fracture. Whether that was the reason or not...

Reply author: Bonsai
Replied on: 03/18/2010 19:56:52
Message:

The original hairstyle wasn't exactly a 19th century one, but it was believable. The second hairstyle made it impossible to suspend disbelief---it virtually screamed late 1960's/early 1970's.

No doubt it was more comfortable for RC and easier to manage, but it made a jarring change in the image of the Jim West character and it unfairly created the illusion that he was more than 4 years older than he was at the begining of Season 1.

Reply author: chibbi
Replied on: 03/18/2010 21:13:05
Message:

I preferred the earlier style. Never did care for the more "hip" cut. It was probably easier to style but your right in that it did 'age' our favorite agent a bit. Don't even get me started on the episode where the hairstyle flipped back & forth, back and forth. Yech!

Reply author: Double Take
Replied on: 03/19/2010 03:32:07
Message:

I agree that I prefer the earlier style, but I could live with the combed over when his side burns were shorter. What irritates and confuses me more than anything is in Legion of Death, his hair switches back and forth between the two styles. I could understand a season 4 episode doing that (sort of), but season 3?

Reply author: nittanyapple
Replied on: 03/19/2010 05:35:59
Message:

I didn't like the drastic change in his hairstyle, and it did make Jim appear older. But I don't think that it screamed 1960's as much as the first one screamed it! I am pretty certain the second hairstyle would have been accepted back in the 1870's more than the slicked pompadour would have been.

Reply author: theFalcon
Replied on: 03/19/2010 06:56:14
Message:

It's been posted by others here that RC went to a combover because he liked to box in his spare time and the old hairdo became difficult to maintain as a result. From the pics I've seen of him in 'Winged Terror', it looks like he was also auditioning for 'The Monkees' at the same time.

Now if someone has a WHOLE LOT of time on their hands, he/she could post one picture of RC from each of Season Four's episodes in chronological order of filming and pinpoint the start of Hairgate!

Does anyone know why RM came back from his heart attack with a combover? Combine that with his weight loss and it looked like his head shrunk.

Reply author: ccb
Replied on: 03/19/2010 10:28:16
Message:

I don't think his accident in '68 had anything to do with the change in RC's hairstyle. He sported the pompadour in the first eight episodes produced in Season Four. The first full episode to be produced with his short cut was "The Juggernaut." However, I believe that the first time we saw that new style was in the tag of "The Big Blackmail," which suggests that the producers filmed a lot of the varnish tags at one time, out of synch with the rest of the episodes. Same thing happens in "The Gruesome Games": long pompadour for the first 47 minutes, short combover in the last sixty seconds.

I agree with the emerging consensus that, by the time of "The Winged Terror" and "The Sabbatini Death," his hair looked like hell. For me it isn't merely the change of style; it's the sloppiness. But by Season Four they were getting careless about a lot of things:the sameness of West's wardrobe, careless edits, recycling of old footage, you name it. Despite the fact that RM looked great after his recovery. the series as a whole was looking tired.

Reply author: Dieter Epping
Replied on: 03/19/2010 11:20:38
Message:

ccb is right that RC's hairstyle change had nothing to do with his skull fracture accident. That happened in what was supposed to be the 3rd to last episode of season 3. RC's hair stayed the same coolness till Juggernaut--ep 9 of season 4. That's when it started looking crappy IMO too.

Reply author: Dieter Epping
Replied on: 03/19/2010 11:23:17
Message:

Yeah--whatever did happen to his hair in Legion of Death? That was weird since it was early-mid season 3 when filmed but he occasionally got the late season 4 hairstyle look at certain moments. Don't know what he did to make that happen!!

Reply author: Dr. Loveless
Replied on: 03/19/2010 17:02:51
Message:

I guess by boxing factoring into the hair decision, it was because if he was boxing alot, the pompadour was longer, and as he would fight and sweat, his hair would get in his eyes.

I was wondering if it was that the producers were trying to appeal more to the youth of the day, who might have seen the pompadour as being of an older generation...

Reply author: Kelly
Replied on: 03/19/2010 17:41:59
Message:

I like puff up hair

It remind me of what we Law and Order SVU fans call what season Marskita Hagairty what her best short hair season I like season 2 hairstyle on Marsika dome

Reply author: ccb
Replied on: 03/19/2010 19:59:22
Message:

D. E.: Yeah--whatever did happen to his hair in Legion of Death? That was weird since it was early-mid season 3 when filmed but he occasionally got the late season 4 hairstyle look at certain moments. Don't know what he did to make that happen!!

In Inside The Wild Wild West Cangey claimed that during production of "Legion of Death" RC suddenly got tired of his Dippity-Do and on impulse had it cut. You get whiplash watching that episode because its scenes weren't shot in story–sequence. No episode ever is. The interesting question is how makeup managed to restore his pompadour during filming of the episodes that immediately followed "Legion."

Reply author: Dieter Epping
Replied on: 03/19/2010 22:23:19
Message:

quote:

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Originally posted by ccb

D. E.: Yeah--whatever did happen to his hair in Legion of Death? That was weird since it was early-mid season 3 when filmed but he occasionally got the late season 4 hairstyle look at certain moments. Don't know what he did to make that happen!!

In Inside The Wild Wild West Cangey claimed that during production of "Legion of Death" RC suddenly got tired of his Dippity-Do and on impulse had it cut. You get whiplash watching that episode because its scenes weren't shot in story–sequence. No episode ever is. The interesting question is how makeup managed to restore his pompadour during filming of the episodes that immediately followed "Legion."

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Reply author: Ecstasy La Joie
Replied on: 03/20/2010 07:34:13
Message:

Sorry. I rarely get to look at his hair for very long. It's too close to his eyes and I get pulled away.

Reply author: Wildfan
Replied on: 03/22/2010 07:02:36
Message:

quote:

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Originally posted by ccb

D. E.: Yeah--whatever did happen to his hair in Legion of Death? That was weird since it was early-mid season 3 when filmed but he occasionally got the late season 4 hairstyle look at certain moments. Don't know what he did to make that happen!!

In Inside The Wild Wild West Cangey claimed that during production of "Legion of Death" RC suddenly got tired of his Dippity-Do and on impulse had it cut. You get whiplash watching that episode because its scenes weren't shot in story–sequence. No episode ever is. The interesting question is how makeup managed to restore his pompadour during filming of the episodes that immediately followed "Legion."

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Reply author: Dr. Loveless
Replied on: 03/22/2010 17:48:12
Message:

quote:

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Ialso saw a big change in RCs' demeanor in some of the bad hair eps.
Less confidence/intensity. He not only looked older, but acted older.
The difference in both appearance and demeanor from the "Big Blackmail" to some of the later S4 eps is astounding. He appeared to have aged 5-10 years in a few months.
Why?????

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Reply author: Dieter Epping
Replied on: 03/22/2010 20:35:30
Message:

Yeah Jim got more laid-back on the couch, less spunky after his hair change. He acted different big time, not the same "Wild (Jim) West" anymore. Definately thought he aged a whole lot, though not like in Sedgewick Curse, I'm glad!

Reply author: tomk
Replied on: 03/22/2010 22:30:01
Message:

I like the Season 4 hairstyle change, it makes things a bit different. Each year has its subtle differnces, which is okay, I think. If you keep things the same after four years on the air then you're...stuck in a rut; different things like a new hairstyle hairstyle are done to keep things fresh. Then again, they probably never thought we'd be talking about this 40-plus years after the fact.

Reply author: Wildfan
Replied on: 03/23/2010 11:22:28
Message:

quote:

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Originally posted by Dr. Loveless

quote:

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Ialso saw a big change in RCs' demeanor in some of the bad hair eps.
Less confidence/intensity. He not only looked older, but acted older.
The difference in both appearance and demeanor from the "Big Blackmail" to some of the later S4 eps is astounding. He appeared to have aged 5-10 years in a few months.
Why?????

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It's the consequence of trying to face off against the genius, Dr. Loveless!

But in all honestly, it could be a combo of the hair plus the gruelling nature of filming TV plus all the injuries...

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