GET SMART

'''Get Smart''' is an American comedy television series that satirized the secret agent genre. It aired on the NBC television network from September 18, 1965 to April 12, 1969, after which it moved to CBS for its final season, running from September 26, 1969 to September 11, 1970. A total of 138 episodes were broadcast. The show was quite popular in the mid-1960s, and continues to enjoy a cult following to this day.
The series, created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, won seven Emmy Awards and was nominated for an additional fourteen Emmys and two Golden Globe Awards.
Today, the show is often re-run around the world in syndication.

Premise

Don Adams as Agent 86 Maxwell Smart, the title character in ''Get Smart!''

The series centered around bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart (Don Adams), also known as Agent 86. His partner is "Agent 99" (Barbara Feldon), whose real name is never revealed^[1]; even after Smart married her, he (and everyone else) continued to address her as "99" (or, occasionally, Mrs. Smart). Smart and 99 worked for CONTROL, a secret U.S. Government spy agency based in Washington, D.C. (at 123 Main Street). Together, the pair investigated and opposed various threats to the world while Smart's bumbling caused complications. However, at each story's climax, Smart never failed to save the day, typically thanks to his own dumb luck and 99's competence. Looking on was the long-suffering Chief of CONTROL (played by Edward Platt), who was always addressed as "Chief". Unlike Agent 99, Chief was revealed to have a first name — Thaddeus — on a few occasions. He also had a code letter - Q - which was never used.
The nemesis of CONTROL was KAOS, and KAOS's Vice President of Public Relations and Terror, Siegfried (Bernie Kopell), showed up often as Maxwell Smart's opponent, or would-be assassin. Though on opposite sides, Max and Siegfried clicked personally, and spoke fondly of one another—even when trying to kill each other.
Other characters included Hymie the Robot (Dick Gautier), a powerful android (built originally by KAOS but turned to CONTROL) who tended to take orders too literally; Agent 13 (Dave Ketchum), who was forever being stationed inside weird places such as mailboxes, washing machines, lockers, and other objects; Agent 44 (Victor French), who regularly suffered the same fate as Agent 13 (The main difference between them being that while Agent 13 grumbled and raged about his situation, 44 would pout and cry) ; Agent Larrabee (Robert Karvelas), the Chief's slow-witted assistant; Shtarker (King Moody), Siegfried's chief henchman; and Fang (Agent K-13), a badly-trained dog working for CONTROL.
The first episode has Max leaving a show and across the road walking down some outside stairs and then the title sequence begins with Max going through the steel doors and into a phone booth. In following episodes, he would go through the doors of a building to enter CONTROL HQ. He has not been to CONTROL HQ (which is situated in Washington DC and was set up in 1957) for a while and meets the Chief again. We see the Cone of Silence, a worthless invention where nothing can be heard inside as well as outside. Sent on a mission to stop KAOS who are back in business after a long break, Max meets 99 for the first time and we also see Fang (Agent K-13), the dog. In this episode, Max removes the whole sole of his shoe to use it as a telephone instead of later episodes just swivelling the heel.

Gadgets

Perhaps the most recognizable 'gag' from the show was Smart's shoe phone, which has become somewhat of a comic icon: Smart would communicate with CONTROL using a rotary-dialed telephone concealed in his shoe, similar to a modern cell phone. While such a device was decades ahead of its time in real life (see Sneaker Phone), its numerous design flaws — such as the loud bell ("Excuse me, I think your shoe is ringing!"), the need to take off his shoe to use it and that it required a dime to place a call — led to various humorously awkward situations. This was possibly a parody of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. where their communicators made a loud sound but only the UNCLE agents ever seemed to hear it.
Communication contraptions on the show were not limited to footwear: The second episode has Max using a watch and one episode had the Chief using the hour and minute hands of a clock (detached from the clock face) to communicate. Max once used a 'Bunsen burner phone' with the flame as the microphone: he had to put "Code P" into effect, and the device repeatedly disconnected when Max's plosive "P"s blew the burner's flame out. Another example was the 'gun phone' which resulted in the line 'I'll call you back, I think I'm gonna have to fire my phone'. Also, the CONTROL hotline was discovered to be a log in Max's fireplace.
The shoe phone, along with the radio-in-a-pen from ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' and real world code-breaking devices and other items, were on display at the Reagan Library's ''"Spies: Secrets from the CIA, KGB and Hollywood"'' exhibit from February 17 to July 14 2002. The term "shoe phone" has returned to currency as a slang expression for a handheld cellular telephone.
Another of the show's recurring gags was the Cone of Silence. Smart would pedantically insist on following CONTROL's security protocols; when in the Chief's office he would insist on speaking under the Cone of Silence — two transparent plastic hemispheres which were electrically lowered on top of Smart and the Chief — which invariably malfunctioned, requiring the characters to shout loudly in order to be understood by each other. In one episode, the device worked so badly that an outside observer, who could hear everything spoken inside, had to relay messages to the people inside because they couldn't hear each other. Other times, the Cone of Silence would malfunction while being lowered and fail to stop at the proper desk level; the device would then repeatedly crush down onto Agent 86 and the Chief, resulting in loud anguished screams. The Cone actually worked as intended once. However, at the end of the conversation, the Cone malfunctioned leaving the Chief trapped within, with silent screams of frustration as Agent 86 walked away. The 1989 reunion movie revealed that Max and 99 had purchased a surplus Cone and placed it over their bed — it still didn't work.

Follow-ups

Three movie versions were produced years after the end of the NBC/CBS run of the TV series:

★ the theatrically released ''The Nude Bomb'' (also known as ''The Return of Maxwell Smart'' or ''Maxwell Smart and the Nude Bomb'') in 1980

★ the made-for-TV ''Get Smart, Again!'' in 1989 on ABC

★ the 2008 film ''Get Smart'', from Warner Brothers
The relative success of ''Get Smart, Again!'' eventually prompted the development of a short-lived 1995 weekly series on FOX, also titled ''Get Smart'', with Don Adams and Barbara Feldon reprising their characters, as their bumbling son, Zach (Andy Dick), becomes CONTROL's star agent.
With the revival series on FOX, ''Get Smart'' became the first television franchise to air new episodes on each of the aforementioned current four major American television networks, although several TV shows in the 1940s and 1950s aired on NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont. The different versions of ''Get Smart'' did not all feature the original lead cast intact.
The original show is often re-run around the world in syndication.
AMT, a major producer of model car kits, produced a replica of the 1965 Sunbeam Tiger roadster Smart drove in the opening credits. Complete with a hoard of hidden weapons, it is the only kit of the Tiger produced to date and is highly coveted by collectors. The start of the 1968 season put Smart in a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia for the opening credits, which never appeared in the show itself. He also began driving a 1969 Opel GT, with a variation of the shoe phone, namely a giant rotary telephone dial covering the steering wheel.

Spies at work

CONTROL and KAOS didn't seem to be above everyday bureaucracy and business quirks. KAOS is a Delaware corporation for tax purposes. CONTROL's union is the Guild of Surviving Control Agents, and Max is their negotiator; when a captured KAOS agent tells him about their survivors' benefits, the Chief is within earshot, and Max promptly uses the information for his labor talks.
In one episode, where Max infiltrates a KAOS-run garden shop, Max refuses to arrest the manager until after 5 p.m., so he can collect a full day's pay from the shop. The Chief threatens to fire him, but Max is not afraid; according to CONTROL's seniority policy, "If I get fired from CONTROL, Larrabee moves up!" The Chief gives in and lets Max stay on the job, rather than risk having the inept Larrabee take Max's place.
In another episode, Siegfried and Max casually discuss the various flavors of cyanide pills they have been issued. It was Raspberry that month at CONTROL, and Max offered Siegfried a taste.
Cover names were common, but spoofed as being used unwisely - in an art gallery, a phone call is announced for an alias, and Max identifies himself as the person in question. Second, third and fourth calls come in, each with its own alias - the last of which was his own name (Maxwell Smart), which he initially does not answer - and Max tells the skeptical gallery owner that those are his names as well, making it obvious to any spy that he is taking calls from fellow agents and informants. Max then proceeds to make himself even more visible by tangling the handset cords of the four phones together.
CONTROL also has a policy of burning pertinent documents after cases are closed; the reasons why were detailed in their rules and regulations book, but nobody can read them, since they burned the only copy.
In the interest of company morale, both CONTROL and KAOS have their own bowling teams.

Other ''Get Smart'' productions

Smart and Agent 99 married in the fourth season, and she gave birth to twins in the fifth season, a boy and a girl. The short-lived 1995 Fox revival starred Andy Dick as one of the twins, Zachary Smart, who was every bit the bumbler as his father. Despite appearances by Adams (Max is now chief of CONTROL) and Feldon (99 is now a congresswoman though her first name is ''still'' left unrevealed), the show failed to recapture the spirit of the original. The last episode of the 1995 series shows that just as Siegfried is leaving a room, Maxwell Smart accidentally activates an atomic bomb just before the end of the show (The teaser for the episode shows an atomic bomb going off). This ending is similar to a device used by the ''Get Smart''-inspired series ''Sledge Hammer!'' at the end of its first season.
Two movie versions were produced years after the end of the NBC/CBS run of the TV series. First was the theatrically released ''The Nude Bomb'' (also known as ''The Return of Maxwell Smart'' or ''Maxwell Smart and the Nude Bomb'') in 1980. Mel Brooks complained about having no say in the making of the movie. Of the original lead cast, only Adams was featured. Edward Platt (who had played the Chief) had died a few years before, and Barbara Feldon was at that time not interested in reviving the character of 99. With Feldon's unwillingness to participate it was decided that rather than attempt to recast the role, 99 should not be featured at all. Feldon did return in the made-for-TV ''Get Smart, Again!'' in 1989. Adams starred in a series of local commercials for New York City electronics chain Savemart as Maxwell Smart. The slogan was "Get Smart. Get SaveMart Smart".[1] In addition, Adams starred in a series of commercials for White Castle in 1992, homaging his ''Get Smart'' character with his catch phrase, "Would you believe...?" [2]
Adams again played a bumbling secret agent in the animated series ''Inspector Gadget'' and its prequel series ''Gadget Boy and Heather'', which were not related to ''Get Smart''. He also portrayed Maxwell Smart in a series of TV commercials in New Zealand for the Toyota Starlet in the late 1980s and in another series of popular Canadian ones in the late 1990s for a dial-around long distance carrier.
Time-Life now offers the complete series of ''Get Smart'' in DVD season sets or one 25-disc box set through their Web site[3]. The discs were originally scheduled for release on November 13, 2006[4], but were delayed by a week because of a problem with one of the three parts that make up of the set's packaging. [5]

Books and comics

A series of original novels based upon the series were published in the late 1960s. In addition, Dell Comics published a comic book for 8 issues during 1966 and 1967, drawn in part by Steve Ditko.

2008 ''Get Smart'' Movie

A new big-screen version of ''Get Smart'' is in production, starring Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart (Agent 86), Anne Hathaway as Agent 99, Alan Arkin as Thaddeus (The Chief), and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as new character Agent 23. Shooting began in March of 2007 and the film is scheduled to be released in June 2008. A made-for-DVD sequel focusing on minor characters will be released 10 days later.^[2]

DVD releases

The complete ''Get Smart'' series is currently available in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as a boxed set from Time Life Video. Currently the set is only available through Time Life, and the company has said that the DVDs will not be available in stores for Region 2 until fall 2007.^[3]
Time Life has also released all Seasons in Australia and New Zealand as either individual discs with 4 to 5 episodes per disc or as season sets. Like the Region 1 release, this edition is only available through the Time Life website. ^[4]

DVD Name	Cover Art	Region 1 Dec. 2006	Region 2 Fall 2007	Region 4 Jan. 2007
Seasons 1-5 DVD Collection	Seasons 1-5 DVD Collection	January 7, 2007	TBA	TBA

References in popular culture

★ In an episode of ''Married... with Children'', Al Bundy relates to neighbor Steve Rhoades how one of the ways he endures having sex with wife Peggy is by "propping a TV up on the pillow, so I can watch ''Get Smart!''"

★ The Ramones' song "Danny Says" references the show in the lyric "Watchin' Get Smart on TV," describing one of the ways the band passes time between publicity appointments.

★ In one ''Get Smart'' episode, 99's real name seems to be revealed as Susan Hilton. But later in the same episode, she says that isn't her real name. Much later, the name Susan Hilton is used on the Fox Television series ''The New Adventures of Beans Baxter''.

★ In a 2002 ''The Simpsons'' episode, the couch gag spoofs the traditional ''Get Smart'' entrance, with Homer walking through a similar series of doors, dialing in a telephone booth, and then dropping onto the couch.

★ In an episode of ''Sealab 2021'' Captain Murphy walks through a series of sophisticated security systems in order to reach a soda machine.

★ A 2006 Bush's Baked Beans commercial spoofs the Get Smart opening, with Jay and Cousin Drew walking through various chambers to get to the secret recipe. (The joke is that Duke, the scheming golden retriever, has already installed doggie doors.)

★ On Screeching Weasel's 1994 album ''How to Make Enemies and Irritate People'', the second song is called "99," dedicated to 99, and contains a humorous reference in the chorus "Every time I think of you, 99, I start to follow clues, 99, can't call you from my shoe, 99," as well as "Don't tell me you're a double agent," and "When you left me things were Kaotic and I think I almost lost Control."

★ On the Hoodoo Gurus album ''Stoneage Romeos'' is a song called "In The Echo Chamber," which is a reference to the episode with the Groovy Guru and his chamber which contained a powerful amplifier. From the same episode, The Painters and Dockers made a cover version of "Kill Kill Kill" which was performed by The Sacred Cows in the show.

★ On an episode of ''Family Guy'', Peter walks through a series of chambers complete with hand and retina scans just to access his pornography.

★ In the ''Seinfeld'' episode "The Cartoon," Kramer takes a vow of silence. When Seinfeld is reminded of this vow while the two are seated in a theater, he says to Kramer, "Ah, the cone of silence" (in reference to the Control gadget which never seemed to work).

★ In an episode of ''Mad About You'', Barbara Feldon guest stars as an actress who starred in a fictional TV series called ''Spy Girl'' in the 60's. The fictional Spy Girl character closely resembles her character, 99. [6]

★ The main character in the ''Spy Fox'' series of games from Humongous Entertainment used ''Get Smart'' schtick, such as the 'would you believe...' responses, the silly gadgets, co-agents hiding in unusual receptacles, and a strong Maxwell Smart accent.

★ In the cartoon series ''Inspector Gadget'', the lead character (voiced by Don Adams) once said "Oh, would you believe...?", one of the catchphrases of his ''Get Smart'' character. In fact, the cartoon series in its entirety was partly inspired by ''Get Smart''. Later Disney created two live action movies based on the cartoon; Don Adams had a cameo role in the first one.

★ ''Get Smart'' is a regular topic in Lisa Lutz's novel ''The Spellman Files'' about Izzie, a 28 year old private detective, who comes from a dysfunctional family that runs the PI company.

★ Rapper MCA of The Beastie Boys said "Step outside the cone of silence..." in the song "All Lifestyles" on the Beastie Boys album ''To The 5 Boroughs''.

★ The Toto song "99" on the album ''Hydra'' is about the writer's crush on the "Get Smart" character.

★ Chicago rock band the Didjits had a song titled "Agent 99" as the opening track to their album ''Que Sirhan Sirhan''.

★ Cult TV show ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' made numerous references to ''Get Smart'' at various times during the show's run, with perhaps the most memorable being their "riffing" on the film ''The Rebel Set'', which prominently featured the "Chief," Edward Platt.

★ In hispanic chat network "Union Latina" the service that all users talk to and controls the network is called KaOs in honor to the series.

Trivia

★ Brooks and Henry originally wanted Tom Poston to play Maxwell Smart. NBC executives insisted on Adams because he was already under contract to the network. Many of Smart's gags and one-liners were added by Adams himself from a secret-agent comedy routine he'd performed in the past.

★ In a TV Land special on the series the producers said during the first year of the series they received many inquiries from the CIA. It seems that some of the corny or silly "spy equipment" actually existed. The CIA asked, "Where did [the producers] get this info on this device?" etc., and the producers told them honestly they made it up. After the first year, the producers decided that after filming an episode, they would send a copy to CIA Headquarters with a letter saying, "There might be something here that you probably could use."

★ Barbara Feldon was two inches taller than Don Adams, but the show sought to depict Maxwell Smart as taller than 99. Although Long shots often showed that Feldon was taller, when possible, Feldon would often crouch, wear flats or stocking-feet; and/or Adams would stand on a small platform.

★ In an episode in which Maxwell Smart is in court and calls the Chief to the stand, asked to give his full name, the Chief replies "That is classified information". The judge then asks if he can give only his first name; he replies "Thaddeus". ("The Day Smart Turned Chicken")

★ According to one episode, the Chief's "number" was Q. He was an agent before they started using numbers.

★ One episode had Smart going up against a villain named Dr. Yes, a parody of Dr. No. Dr. Yes even had a similar scheme to Dr. No, using radio waves to send US rockets out of control.

★ Though Zachary Smart's name was revealed in the FOX revival, his sister's name remains as yet unrevealed.

★ In a 1980 all-celebrity episode of ''Family Feud'', Don Adams and Bernie Kopell once again found themselves on opposite sides, playing on behalf of charities. This time, Kopell's side won.

★ In episodes where 99's mother appeared, her character was listed in the credits as "99's mother."

★ In an episode of The Gilmore Girls a group of Logan's friends said, in reference to Rory after she and Logan had been arrested for stealing a yacht, "Looks like Logan's found his 99".

★ With the passing of Don Adams on September 26, 2005, Barbara Feldon is the only surviving main cast member of ''Get Smart''.

★ CONTROL and KAOS were supposed to be acronyms, but Mel Brooks and Buck Henry never came up with anything for them to stand for

★ Some of the secondary cast has been used several times as backup cast. For example, Larabee can be seen in the episode where Smart is wanted for murder and holding up a bank, as a member of the jury.

★ Don Adams is the only actor to appear in every episode of the series. Barbara Feldon appeared in the second highest amount of episodes, appearing in 131 of the 138 episodes.

★ In 1973, Dean Katz, a student at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington and a long-time fan of Get Smart, founded the independent community radio station KAOS 89.3 FM, named after the evil syndicate that served as the principal villain in the series. The radio station still operates under the KAOS call letters today.

Inconsistencies

★ Jim Boles appeared twice as KAOS Scientist Dr. Rattan. The error is that he "dies" twice. The first time he is shot and killed by his own creation ''Hymie the Robot''. The second time he is killed by his own creation Grobo.

★ In Season 1, Episode 3, at the spy school, it is repeatedly mentioned that the three trainees are left-handed. Yet, when asked to write something, trainee Zuckar writes it with his right hand. Also, trainee Cryllic wears a watch on his left hand, indicating that he too is right-handed.

Kaos Mr. Big

The black-and-white pilot is the only time the KAOS Boss, also known as "Mr. Big," is seen, played by Michael Dunn (although others played the head of KAOS in other episodes).

Regular cast

★ Don Adams (as Maxwell Smart, CONTROL Agent 86)

★ Barbara Feldon (as CONTROL Agent 99)

★ Edward Platt (as Thaddeus, the Chief of CONTROL; The cover name he uses are John Doe or Harold Clark)

Recurring cast

CONTROL agents

★ Richard Gautier (as Hymie, the CONTROL robot)

★ Victor French (as CONTROL Agent 44)

★ Al Molinaro (as second CONTROL Agent 44)

★ David Ketchum (as CONTROL Agent 13)

★ Stacy Keach, Sr (as Carlson)

★ Robert Karvelas (as Larrabee)

★ William Schallert (as Admiral Harold Harmon Hargrade)

★ Frank De Vol (as Carleton)

★ Milton Selzer (as Parker)

★ Bryan O'Byrne (as Hodgkins)

★ Angelique Pettyjohn (as Charlie Watkins)

KAOS agents

★ Michael Dunn (as Mr. Big; Pilot episode only)

★ Bernie Kopell (as Siegfried)

★ King Moody (as Shtarker)

★ Leonard Strong (as The Claw; Because the Claw had difficulty pronouncing L's, Max always called him "The Craw")

★ John Doucette (as Colonel von Klaus)

★ Lee Kolima (as Bobo)

★ Jim Boles (as Dr. Ratton)

★ Ted de Corsia (as Spinoza Natz)

★ Milton Selzer (again as Parker — he was a double agent!)

★ Paul Richards (as Ironhand)

★ Larry Storch (as the Groovy Guru)

★ Leonard Nimoy (as Stryker in "The Dead Spy Scrawls", 1966)

Others

★ Joey Forman (as Detective Harry Hoo)

★ Jane Dulo (as Agent 99's mother)

★ Robert Cornthwaite (as Professor Windish)

★ Gordon Jump (as Hobson)

★ Ellen Weston (as Dr. Steele)

★ Ella Edwards (as Miss Haskins)

★ Rose Michtom (various appearances in 27 episodes)

Uncredited cameos

★ Bob Hope - Room service attendant in "99 Loses Control".

★ Ernest Borgnine - TV viewer in "The Little Black Book, Part 2".

★ Johnny Carson - Herald in "The King Lives?", and Train Conductor in "Aboard the Orient Express".

★ James Caan - Rupert of Rathskeller in "To Sire, With Love, Parts 1 and 2", credited as "Rupert of Rathskeller as Himself"

★ Don Rickles - Guard in "To Sire, With Love, Part 2". (Rickles also appeared as a credited guest star in "The Little Black Book, Parts 1 and 2".)

References

1. WouldYouBelieve.com Frequently Asked Questions - August 13, 2007
2. Get Smart: DVD Sequel to Star Heroes' Oka, TV Series Finale, April 23, 2007
3. Time Life.com | Get Smart: The Complete Collection - December 15, 2006
4. | Get Smart seasons 1 and 2 - Feb. 1, 2007

External links

★

★

★

★

★ Museum of Broadcast Communications

★ Would You Believe?

★ Petition to bring "Get Smart" back to TV Land — TVLand Boardroom?

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