''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...

'' films. It was created by

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began ...

and

Buck Henry Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman; December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's ''The Graduate'' (1967) for which he r ...

, and had its television premiere on NBC on September 18, 1965. It stars Don Adams (who was also a director on the series) as agent Maxwell Smart (Agent 86), Barbara Feldon as Agent 99, and Edward Platt as The Chief. Henry said that they created the show at the request of Daniel Melnick to capitalize on

and Inspector Clouseau, "the two biggest things in the entertainment world today". Brooks described it as "an insane combination of James Bond and Mel Brooks comedy". The show generated a number of popular catchphrases during its run, including "would you believe...", "missed it by ''that much''", "sorry about that, Chief", "...and ''loving'' it". The show was followed by the films ''

The Nude Bomb ''The Nude Bomb'' (also known as ''The Return of Maxwell Smart'') is a 1980 American spy comedy film based on the 1965-70 television series ''Get Smart''. It stars Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, and was directed by Clive Donner. It was ...

'' (a 1980 theatrical film made without the involvement of Brooks and Henry) and '' Get Smart, Again!'' (a 1989 made-for-TV sequel to the series), as well as a 1995 revival series and a 2008 film remake. In 2010, ''TV Guide'' ranked ''Get Smart''s opening title sequence at number two on its list of TV's top 10 credits sequences as selected by readers. The show switched networks in 1969 to CBS. It ended its five-season run on May 15, 1970, with a total of 138 episodes. The

Museum of Broadcast Communications The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) is an American museum, the stated mission of which is "to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform and entertain through our arc ...

finds the show notable for "broadening the parameters for the presentation of comedy on television".

Premise

The series centers on bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart (Adams), AKA Agent 86, and his unnamed female partner, Agent 99 (Feldon).Buck Henry and Barbara Feldon, Season 3 DVD commentary. They work for CONTROL, a secret U.S. government

counterintelligence Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or ...

agency based in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

, fighting against KAOS, "the international organization of evil". While Smart always succeeds in thwarting KAOS, his incompetent nature and insistence on doing things "by the book" invariably cause complications. The enemies, world-takeover plots, and gadgets seen in ''Get Smart'' were a parody of the ''James Bond'' film franchise. "Do what they did except just stretch it half an inch," Mel Brooks said of the methods of this TV series.

Production

Talent Associates commissioned Mel Brooks and Buck Henry to write a script about a bungling James Bond-like hero. Brooks described the premise for the show that they created in an October 1965 ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' magazine article:

I was sick of looking at all those nice, sensible situation comedies. They were such distortions of life. If a maid ever took over my house like ''
Hazel The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...
'', I'd set her hair on fire. I wanted to do a crazy, unreal,
comic-strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...
kind of thing about something besides a family. No one had ever done a show about an idiot before. I decided to be the first.

Brooks and Henry proposed the show to ABC, where network executives called it "un-American" and demanded a "lovable dog to give the show more heart", as well as scenes showing Maxwell Smart's mother. Brooks strongly objected to the second suggestion:

They wanted to put a print housecoat on the show. Max was to come home to his mother and explain everything. I hate mothers on shows. Max has no mother. He never had one.

The cast and crew contributed joke and gadget ideas, especially Don Adams, but dialogue was rarely ad-libbed. An exception is the third-season episode "The Little Black Book". Don Rickles encouraged Adams to misbehave, and he ad-libbed. The result was so successful that the single episode was turned into two parts. The first four seasons on NBC were filmed at Sunset Bronson Studios, while the final season, shown on CBS, was filmed at

CBS Studio Center Radford Studio Center, alternatively CBS Studio Center, is a television and film studio located in the Studio City district of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. The lot has 18 sound stages from , of office space, and 223 dressing rooms. ...

Production personnel

Brooks had little involvement with the series after the first season, but Henry served as story editor through 1967. The crew of the show included: *

Leonard B. Stern Leonard Bernard Stern (December 23, 1922 – June 7, 2011) was an American screenwriter, film and television film producer, producer, film director, director, and one of the creators, with Roger Price (comedian), Roger Price, of the word game Ma ...

– executive producer for the entire run of the series * Irving Szathmary – music and theme composer and conductor for the entire run * Don Adams – director of 13 episodes and writer of two episodes * David Davis – associate producer * Gary Nelson – director of the most episodes *

Bruce Bilson Bruce Bilson (born May 19, 1928) is an American film director and television director. He is most notable for his work as a regular director on the spy spoof ''Get Smart''. He won the 1967–1968 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing f ...

– director of the second-most episodes * Gerald C. Gardner and

Dee Caruso Dee Caruso (April 7, 1929 – May 27, 2012) was an American television and film screenwriter and television producer, whose credits included '' Get Smart'', ''The Monkees'' and ''The Smothers Brothers Show''. Caruso and his longtime writing partn ...

– head writers for the series *

Reza Badiyi Reza Sayed Badiyi (also known as Reza Badiei; Persian: رضا بدیعی; April 17, 1930 – August 20, 2011) was an Iranian-born American film and television director. His credits also include developing the opening montages for '' Missio ...

– occasional director *

Allan Burns Allan Pennington Burns (May 18, 1935January 30, 2021) was an American screenwriter and television producer. He was best known for co-creating and writing for the television sitcoms ''The Munsters'' and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. Early life ...

and

Chris Hayward Christopher Robert Hayward (June 19, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American television writer and producer. He was the co-creator, with Allan Burns, of the television shows ''The Munsters'' (1964) and ''My Mother the Car'' (1965), and the c ...

– frequent writers and producers * Stan Burns and Mike Marmer – frequent writers *

Richard Donner Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American filmmaker whose notable works included some of the most financially-successful films during the New Hollywood era. According to film historian ...

– occasional director * James Komack – writer and director * Arne Sultan – frequent writer and producer * Lloyd Turner and

Whitey Mitchell Gordon "Whitey" Mitchell (February 22, 1932 – January 16, 2009) was an American jazz bassist and television writer/producer. He was born in Hackensack, New Jersey. Life and career Mitchell was the brother of bassist Red Mitchell. He began on ...

– frequent writers and producers of season five

Characters

Maxwell "Max" Smart, Agent 86, (portrayed by Don Adams) is the central character of the series. Despite being a top-secret government agent, he is absurdly clumsy. Yet Smart is also resourceful, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, a proficient marksman, and incredibly lucky; all of this makes him one of CONTROL's top agents. Brooks decided on Smart's code number, 86, as a reference to the slang term, meaning to forcibly eject someone, such as a patron from a bar or casino. In 1999, ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...

'' ranked Maxwell Smart number 19 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list. The character appears in every episode (though only briefly in "Ice Station Siegfried", as Don Adams was performing in Las Vegas for two weeks to settle gambling debts). Barbara Feldon Get Smart 1966

( Barbara Feldon) is the female agent who works alongside 86 and is another one of the top agents at CONTROL. Her actual name is never revealed. Although in the episode "99 Loses CONTROL" (S3 E19) she says it is Susan Hilton, she later (in the same episode) tells Max that is not her real name. She is far more competent than Smart, on whom she is, nonetheless, usually dependent. ( Edward Platt) is the head of CONTROL. His first name is revealed to be Thaddeus but his surname is never revealed. He is supportive of Agents 86 and 99 and considers them to be his two closest friends, but he is often frustrated with Smart. (portrayed by

Robert Karvelas Robert Karvelas (April 3, 1921 – December 5, 1991) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Larabee in the television series ''Get Smart'' (1965–1970). Biography Karvelas was born in New York City with a twin brother and g ...

) is the Chief's assistant, even more slow-witted and incompetent than Max. Ludwig Von Siegfried (

Bernie Kopell Bernard Morton Kopell (born June 21, 1933) is an American character actor known for his roles as Siegfried in '' Get Smart'' from 1966 to 1969 and as Dr. Adam Bricker ("Doc") on '' The Love Boat'' from 1977 to 1986. Early beginnings Kopell was b ...

) is a recurring villain, and the vice president in charge of public relations and terror at KAOS, though his title does vary. ( King Moody) is Siegfried's equally ruthless but often inept chief henchman. ( Dick Gautier) is a

humanoid robot A humanoid robot is a robot resembling the human body in shape. The design may be for functional purposes, such as interacting with human tools and environments, for experimental purposes, such as the study of bipedal locomotion, or for other pu ...

built by KAOS, but in his first mission, Smart manages to turn him to the side of CONTROL. Hymie had a tendency to take instructions too literally. (

David Ketchum David Ketchum (born February 4, 1928, in Quincy, Illinois) is an American character actor, writer, and director perhaps most noted for playing Agent 13 on the 1960s sitcom '' Get Smart''. Ketchum studied physics at UCLA and joined other UCLA stu ...

) is an agent who is usually stationed inside unlikely, sometimes impossibly small or unlucky places, such as cigarette machines, washing machines, lockers, trash cans, or fire hydrants. He tends to resent his assignments. ( Victor French) Six episodes (1965-66). French's first role was the insurance man in "Too Many Chiefs", and subsequent episodes as Agent 44. Carlson ( Stacy Keach Sr.) is a CONTROL scientist and inventor of such gadgets as an umbrella rifle (with a high-speed camera in the handle) and edible buttons. Dr. Steele (

Ellen Weston Ellen Weston (born Ellen Weinstein) is an American actress, producer, and writer. Early years Born in New York City, Weston is the daughter of educators; her mother was a teacher, and her father was a superintendent of schools. She attended Perfor ...

) is a beautiful and sexy but brilliant CONTROL scientist who develops formulas while undercover as dancers and strip-tease artists. She remains oblivious to Smart's clearly discomfited attraction to her.

Production notes

Gadgets

In ''Get Smart'', telephones are concealed in over 50 objects, including a necktie, comb, watch, and a clock. A recurring gag is Max's shoe phone (an idea from Brooks). To use or answer it, he has to take off his shoe. Several variations on the shoe phone were used. In "I Shot 86 Today" (season four), his shoe phone is disguised as a golf shoe, complete with cleats, developed by the attractive armorer Dr. Simon. Smart's shoes sometimes contain other devices housed in the heels: an explosive pellet, a smoke bomb, compressed air capsules that propelled the wearer off the ground, and a suicide pill (which Max believes is for the enemy). Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) had her concealed telephones, as well. She had one in her makeup compact, and also one in her fingernail. To use this last device, she would pretend to bite her nail nervously, while actually talking on her "nail phone". On February 17, 2002, the prop shoe phone was included in a display titled "Spies: Secrets from the CIA, KGB, and Hollywood", a collection of real and fictional spy gear that exhibited at the

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the repository of presidential records from the administration of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, and the burial place of the president and first lady, Nancy Reagan. It is the larg ...

Simi Valley, California Simi Valley (; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in Simi Valley (valley), the valley of the same name in the southeast region of Ventura County, California, United States. Simi Valley is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it ...

Flinders University Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator M ...

in South Australia has researched medical applications for shoe phone technology after being inspired by the show. Gag phones also appear in other guises. In the episode "Too Many Chiefs" (season one), Max tells Tanya, the KAOS informer whom he is protecting, that if anyone breaks in, to pick up the house phone, dial 1-1-7, and press the trigger on the handset, which converts it to a gun. The phone-gun is only used that once, but Max once carried a gun-phone, a revolver with a rotary dial built into the cylinder. In the episode "Satan Place", Max simultaneously holds conversations on seven different phones: the shoe, his tie, his belt, his wallet, a garter, a handkerchief, and a pair of eyeglasses. Other unusual locations include a garden hose, a car cigarette lighter (with the lighter being hidden in the car phone), a bottle of perfume (Max complains of smelling like a woman), the steering wheel of his car, a painting of Agent 99, the headboard of his bed, a cheese sandwich, lab test tubes (Max grabs the wrong one and splashes himself), a

Bunsen burner A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a kind of ambient air gas burner used as laboratory equipment; it produces a single open gas flame, and is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion. The gas can be natural gas (which is ma ...

(Max puts out the flame anytime he pronounces a "p"), a plant in a planter beside the real working phone (operated by the dial of the working phone), and inside ''another'' full-sized working phone. Other gadgets include a bullet-proof invisible wall in Max's apartment that lowers from the ceiling, into which Max and others often walk; a camera hidden in a bowl of soup (cream of

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

) that takes a picture (with a conspicuous flash) of the person eating the soup with each spoonful; a mini magnet on a belt, which turns out to be stronger than KAOS's maxi magnet; and a powerful miniature laser weapon in the button of a sports jacket (the "laser blazer"). Another of the show's recurring gags is 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 are electrically lowered on top of Max and Chief—which invariably malfunction, requiring the characters to shout loudly to even have a chance of being understood by each other. Bystanders in the room could often hear them better, and sometimes relay messages back and forth. The Cone of Silence was the idea of Buck Henry, though it was preceded in an episode of the syndicated television show '' Science Fiction Theatre'' titled "Barrier of Silence", written by Lou Huston, that first aired on September 3, 1955, 10 years ahead of ''Get Smart''.

Cars

The car that Smart is seen driving most frequently is a red 1965 Sunbeam Tiger two-seat roadster. This car had various custom features, such as a machine gun, smoke screen, radar tracking, and an

ejection seat In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rock ...

. The Sunbeam Alpine, upon which the Tiger was based, was used by customizer Gene Winfield because the Alpine's four-cylinder engine afforded more room under the hood than the V8 in the Tiger.

AMT Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...

, Winfield's employer, made a model kit of the Tiger, complete with hidden weapons. It is the only kit of the Tiger, and has been reissued multiple times as a stock Tiger. Don Adams received the Sunbeam and drove it for 10 years after the end of the show. It was wrecked and repaired several times, and its current whereabouts are unknown. In the black-and-white pilot episode only, Smart drives a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT PF Spider Cabriolet. In the opening credits, the Tiger was used for seasons one and two. In seasons three and four, Smart drives a light blue

Volkswagen Karmann Ghia The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a sports car marketed in 2+2 coupe (1955–1974) and 2+2 convertible (1957–1974) body styles by Volkswagen. Internally designated the Type 14, the Karmann Ghia combined the chassis and mechanicals of the Type 1 (B ...

, because

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

had become a sponsor of the show. The Volkswagen was never used in the body of the show. In season five (1969–1970),

Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...

became a show sponsor, so the Tiger was replaced with a gold 1969 Opel GT, which also appears in the body of the show. In season four (1968–1969), Adams uses a yellow Citroën 2CV in the wedding episode "With Love and Twitches", and a blue 1968 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500 convertible with a tan interior and four seats (as required by the plot) in the episodes "A Tale of Two Tails" and "The Laser Blazer". In the short-lived 1995 TV series, Smart is trying to sell the Karmann Ghia through the classified ads. In ''Get Smart, Again!'', Smart is seen driving a red 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce. The Sunbeam Tiger, the Karmann Ghia, and the Opel GT all make brief appearances in the 2008 film. The Sunbeam Tiger is seen in the CONTROL Museum, along with the original shoe phone, which Smart also briefly uses. The Opel GT is driven by Bernie Kopell and is rear-ended by a truck. Smart steals the Karmann Ghia to continue his escape. Barbara Feldon Get Smart 1965

Notable guest stars

''Get Smart'' used several familiar character actors and celebrities, and some future stars, in guest roles, including: *

Ian Abercrombie Ian Abercrombie (11 September 1934 – 26 January 2012) was an English actor and comedian. He was best known for playing Justin Pitt (Elaine Benes' boss) during the sixth season of ''Seinfeld''. He also played Alfred Pennyworth on ''Birds of Pre ...

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Merry Anders Merry Anders (born Mary Helen Anderson; May 22, 1934 – October 28, 2012) was an American actress and model who appeared in a number of television programs and films from the 1950s until her retirement from the screen in 1972. Early life Ander ...

Barbara Bain Barbara Bain (born Mildred Fogel; September 13, 1931) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Cinnamon Carter on the action television series '' Mission: Impossible'' (1966–1969), which earned her three Primetime Emmy Awar ...

Billy Barty Billy Barty (born William John Bertanzetti, October 25, 1924 – December 23, 2000) was an American actor and activist. In adult life, he stood tall, due to cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism. Because of his short stature, he was often cast ...

* Jacques Bergerac * Lee Bergere *

Shelley Berman Sheldon Leonard Berman (February 3, 1925 – September 1, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, and lecturer. In his comedic career, he was awarded three gold records and he won the first Grammy Award for a spoken comedy reco ...

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* Joseph Bernard *

Lynn Borden Lynn Marie Freyse (March 24, 1937 – March 3, 2015) was an American film and television actress. She was known for playing Barbara Baxter in the final season of the American sitcom television series '' Hazel''. Life and career Borden was bo ...

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* Tom Bosley * Geraldine Brooks * Kathie Browne *

Victor Buono Victor Charles Buono (February 3, 1938January 1, 1982) was an American actor, comic, and briefly a recording artist. He was known for playing the villain King Tut in the television series '' Batman'' (1966–1968) and musician Edwin Flagg in '' ...

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* John Byner * James Caan (uncredited) * Howard Caine *

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six P ...

* Jack Cassidy *

Del Close Del Close (March 9, 1934 – March 4, 1999) was an American actor, writer, and teacher who coached many of the best-known comedians and comic actors of the late twentieth century. In addition to an acting career in television and film, he was ...

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* Wally Cox *

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* Robert Culp *

John Dehner John Dehner (DAY-ner) (born John Dehner Forkum, also credited Dehner Forkum; November 23, 1915February 4, 1992) was an American stage, radio, film, and television actor. From the late 1930s to the late 1980s, he amassed a long list of performan ...

* Phyllis Diller * Jane Dulo (recurring; as 99's mother) * Michael Dunn * Robert Easton *

Dana Elcar Ibsen Dana Elcar (October 10, 1927 – June 6, 2005) was an American television and film character actor. He appeared in about 40 films as well as on the 1980s and 1990s television series ''MacGyver'' as Peter Thornton, MacGyver's immediate ...

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* Jamie Farr *

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* Lisa Gaye *

Alice Ghostley Alice Margaret Ghostley (August 14, 1923 – September 21, 2007) was a Tony Award-winning American actress and singer on stage, film and television. She was best known for her roles as bumbling witch Esmeralda (1969–70; 1972) on ''Bewitched'' ...

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* Stu Gilliam * Arlene Golonka *

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* Farley Granger *

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* Jonathan Harris *

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* Marcel Hillaire *

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* John Hoyt *

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* Kitty Kelly * Helen Kleeb * Ted Knight * James Komack * Nancy Kovack *

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* Charles Lane *

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* Laurie Main * Kenneth Mars * Judith McConnell * Pat McCormick * Robert Middleton *

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* Howard Morton *

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* Julie Newmar *

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* Simon Oakland *

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* Pat Paulsen * Angelique Pettyjohn *

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* Maudie Prickett (appeared in different episodes as different characters) *

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* Don Rickles *

Alex Rocco Alex Rocco (born Alessandro Federico Petricone Jr.; February 29, 1936 – July 18, 2015) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive, gravelly voice, he was often cast as villains, including Moe Greene in ''The Godfather'' (1972) and his Pr ...

Cesar Romero Cesar Julio Romero Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was an American actor and activist. He was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years. His wide range of screen roles included Latin lovers, historical figures in c ...

Vito Scotti Vito Giusto Scozzari (January 26, 1918 – June 5, 1996), also known as Vito Scotti, was an American character actor who played both dramatic and comedy roles on Broadway, in films, and later on television, primarily from the late 1930s to the ...

* Gale Sondergaard * Larry Storch * Vic Tayback *

Torin Thatcher Torin Herbert Erskine Thatcher (15 January 1905 – 4 March 1981) was a British actor who was noted for his flashy portrayals of screen villains. Personal life Thatcher was born in Bombay, British India, to British parents, Torin James Blair T ...

Fred Willard Frederic Charles Willard (September 18, 1933 May 15, 2020) was an American actor, comedian, and writer. He was best known for his roles in the Rob Reiner mockumentary film ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984); the Christopher Guest mockumentaries ''Wa ...

* Jason Wingreen * Dana Wynter * Victor Sen Yung Both Bill Dana and Jonathan Harris, with whom Adams appeared on '' The Bill Dana Show'', also appeared, as did Adams' father, William Yarmy, brother, Dick Yarmy, and daughter, Caroline Adams. The series featured several cameo appearances by famous actors and comedians, sometimes uncredited and often comedian friends of Adams.

appeared, credited as "special guest conductor", in "Aboard the Orient Express". Carson returned for an uncredited cameo as a royal footman in the third-season episode "The King Lives?" Other performers to make cameo appearances included

, Wally Cox, Robert Culp (as a waiter in an episode sending up Culp's ''

I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...

''), Phyllis Diller,

, and

. Actress Rose Michtom (the real-life aunt of the show's executive producer Leonard Stern) appeared in at least 44 episodes—usually as a background extra with no speaking role. In the season-one episode "Too Many Chiefs", when she is shown in a photograph, Max refers to her as "my Aunt Rose", but the Chief corrects Max by saying that she is actually KAOS agent Alexi Sebastian disguised as Max's Aunt Rose. Fans refer to her as "Aunt Rose" in all of her dozens of appearances, though her character is never actually named in most of them.

Broadcast

The series was broadcast on NBC-TV from September 18, 1965, to September 13, 1969, after which it moved to the CBS network for its final season, running from September 26, 1969, to September 11, 1970, with 138 total episodes produced. During its five-season run, ''Get Smart'' broke the Nielsen Top 30 twice. It ranked at number 12 during its first season, and at number 22 during its second season, before falling out of the top 30 for its last three seasons. The series won seven

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, and it was nominated for another 14 Emmys and two

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

. In 1995, the series was briefly resurrected starring Adams and Feldon with Andy Dick as Max's and 99's son Zack Smart and Elaine Hendrix as 66.

Emmy awards

Adaptations

Films

Four feature-length

films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

have been produced following the end of the NBC/CBS run of the TV series: *1980: ''

'' (dir.

Clive Donner Clive Stanley Donner (21 January 1926 – 6 September 2010)Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Clive Donner '' The Guardian'', 7 September 2010 was a British film director who was part of the British New Wave, directing films such as ''The Caretaker ...

)—also known as ''The Return of Maxwell Smart'' or ''Maxwell Smart and the Nude Bomb''—was theatrically released. It was panned by critics and barely returned its budget at the box office. *1989: The

made-for-TV A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

'' Get Smart, Again!'' (dir. Gary Nelson) on ABC *2008: '' Get Smart'' (dir.

Peter Segal Peter Segal (born 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Segal has directed the comedic films ''Tommy Boy'' (1995), ''My Fellow Americans'' (1996), '' The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'' (2000), ''Anger Manageme ...

) starring

Steve Carell Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in ''The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where Ca ...

as Smart alongside

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award, she was among the world's highest-paid actresses in 2 ...

as 99. Distributed by Warner Bros., the film includes a dedication to Adams and Platt, who had died in 2005 and 1974, respectively. It received mixed critical reviews but was a commercial success, earning over $230 million worldwide. **2008: '' Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control'' (dir. Gil Junger), a made-for-DVD

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gov ...

revolving around minor characters, Bruce and Lloyd (

Masi Oka is a Japanese actor, producer, and digital effects artist who became widely known for starring in NBC's '' Heroes'' as Hiro Nakamura and in CBS's '' Hawaii Five-0'' as Doctor Max Bergman. Early life Oka was born in Tokyo, Japan, to Setsuko Oka ...

and

Nate Torrence Nathan Andrew Torrence (born December 1, 1977) is an American comedic actor known for several TV and film roles, most notably including Devon from ''She's Out of My League'', Wade from HBO‘s ''Hello Ladies'', Sully on the CW series ''Supernatu ...

), the masterminds behind the high-tech gadgets that are often used by Smart. In October 2008, it was reported that Warner Bros.,

Village Roadshow Pictures Village Roadshow Pictures is the American subsidiary of the Australian co-producer and co-financier of major Hollywood motion pictures established in 1986. It is a division under Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (VREG), which in turn is o ...

and

Mosaic Media Group Allen Shapiro is a media executive and investor. He is the former executive chairman and CEO of Dick Clark Productions (DCP), a former chairman of TV Guide, and a former entertainment lawyer. Shapiro was the executive producer of DCP's flagship p ...

were producing a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

. Carell and Hathaway were set to return, but the status of other cast members had not been announced. As of 2019, ''Get Smart 2'' is no longer in development

Television

''Get Smart, Again!'' eventually prompted the development of a short-lived 1995 weekly series on Fox also titled '' Get Smart'', with Adams and Feldon reprising their characters with Maxwell Smart now being the Chief of Control as their bumbling son, Zach ( Andy Dick), becomes Control's star agent (Zach's twin sister is never seen nor mentioned — though the new leader of KAOS, a hidden female figure, would have been revealed as the other twin if the show had continued.) And 99 is now a congresswoman. The beginning teaser shows Maxwell Smart and Zach driving to Control headquarters in a car wash separately; Smart, Zach and their secretary cram themselves into a secret elevator: a soda machine which "disappears". (A cleaning lady sits down in the open space when all of a sudden the machine pops up and knocks the woman into the ceiling!) A late 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. Hopes for the series were not high, as Andy Dick had already moved on to ''

NewsRadio ''NewsRadio'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from March 21, 1995 to May 4, 1999, focusing on the work lives of the staff of a New York City AM news radio station. It had an ensemble cast featuring Dave Foley, Steph ...

'', which premiered weeks later in 1995. With the revival series on Fox, ''Get Smart'' became the first television franchise to air new episodes (or made-for-TV films) 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. ''Get Smart'' was parodied on a sketch in the Mexican comedy show ''De Nuez en Cuando'' called Super Agente 3.1486" making fun of the Spanish title of the series (Super Agente 86) and the way the series is dubbed. An early '' MadTV'' sketch titled "Get Smarty" placed the Maxwell Smart character in situations from the film '' Get Shorty.'' An episode of '' F Troop'' called "Spy, Counterspy, Counter–counterspy" featured

Pat Harrington Jr. Daniel Patrick Harrington Jr. (August 13, 1929 – January 6, 2016) was an American Emmy Award-winning stage and television actor, best known for his role as building superintendent Dwayne Schneider on the sitcom '' One Day at a Time'' (1975� ...

imitating Don Adams as secret agent "B. Wise." ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

'' episode " Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade" parodies the opening of ''Get Smart'' in the couch gag. Homer goes through many futuristic doors and passageways until he reaches the phone booth, falls through the floor, and lands on the couch, with the rest of the family already seated. This couch gag was later repeated in two other ''The Simpsons'' episodes: " The Fat and the Furriest" and " A Star is Torn".

Adams in similar roles

In the 1960s, Adams had a supporting role on the sitcom '' The Bill Dana Show'' (1963–1965) as the hopelessly inept hotel detective Byron Glick. His speech mannerisms, catchphrases ("Would you believe...?"), and other comedy bits were adapted for his "Maxwell Smart" role in ''Get Smart''. When WCGV-TV, a new

independent station An independent station is an independent radio or terrestrial television station which is independent in some way from broadcast networks. The definition of "independence" varies from country to country, reflecting governmental regulations, marke ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, signed on the air in 1980, Adams did in-house promos as Agent 86 to let viewers know when the reruns of ''Get Smart'' aired on the station by using his shoephone. In one of Adams' five appearances as a guest passenger in the series ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pa ...

'', his character, even when he thought he had been shot, makes no attempt to visit the ship's doctor. The role of the doctor in ''The Love Boat'' was played by

, who played Siegfried in ''Get Smart''. In 1982, Adams starred as Maxwell Smart in a series of local commercials for New York City electronics chain Savemart. The

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...

was "Get Smart. Get SaveMart Smart." In addition, Adams starred in a series of commercials for White Castle in 1992, paying homage to his ''Get Smart'' character with his catchphrase "Would you believe...?" In the 1980s, Adams provided the (similar) voice of the titular bungling cyborg secret agent in the animated series '' Inspector Gadget''. This later became a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

in 1999 starring

Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. His roles include the Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the title character in '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), the voice of adult Simba in Disney's ''The Lion King'' (1994) ...

in the title role of Inspector John Brown Gadget (in which Adams had a cameo), and its prequel series '' Gadget Boy and Heather''. Neither was directly related to ''Get Smart''. In the mid-1980s, Adams reprised his role of Maxwell Smart for a series of telephone banking commercials for Empire of America Federal Savings Bank in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

. The telephone banking service was called SmartLine, and Sherwin Greenberg Productions (a video production company and bank subsidiary) produced radio and television ads, as well as a series of still photos for use in promotional flyers that featured Adams' Maxwell Smart character wearing the familiar trenchcoat and holding a shoe phone to his ear. The television commercials were videotaped in Sherwin Greenberg Productions' studio on a set that resembled an old alleyway which utilized fog-making machinery for special effect. The production company even secured a lookalike of the red Alpine that Adams used in the television series, making it a memorable promotion for those familiar with the series of nearly 20 years earlier. In the late 1980s, Adams portrayed Smart in a series of TV commercials for Toyota New Zealand, for the 1990 model Toyota Starlet. While it is customary for the actor to go to the foreign location for shooting, Adams' apparent intense dislike of long-distance flying meant that the New Zealand specification car had to be shipped to the US for filming. He also appeared in another series of Canadian commercials in the late 1990s for a dial-around long-distance carrier. In the movie '' Back to the Beach'' (1987), Adams played the Harbor Master, who used several of Maxwell Smart's catchphrases (including an exchange in which Frankie Avalon's character did a vague impression of Siegfried). Adams played Smart in a 1989 TV commercial for Kmart. He was seen talking on his trademark shoe phone, telling the Chief about the great selection of electronics available at Kmart. An exact replica of himself approaches him, and Smart says, "Don't tell me you're a double agent." (This was a reference to a running gag on the original series, in which Max detected some sort of setback or danger, and would say to 99, "Don't tell me..." and then 99 replied by stating a confirmation of whatever Max was afraid to hear, to which Max would always respond, "I ''asked'' you not to tell me that!") Adams also appeared in a number of McDonald's Hamburger Restaurant television commercials, which also featured numerous stars of TV series viewed as classic or with nostalgia, such as Barbara Billingsley from '' Leave It to Beaver'', Buddy Ebsen from ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family f ...

'', Bob Denver from ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...

'' and Al Lewis from ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anoth ...

''. Adams also starred in a Canadian sitcom titled ''Check It Out'' in which he played a supermarket manager. Adams' running jokes in ''Get Smart'', such as "the old omething somethingtrick" and "I told you not to tell me that!" were used in the show but in a supermarket setting.

Books and comics

A series of novels based on characters and dialog of the series was written by William Johnston and published by Tempo Books in the late 1960s.

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...

published a comic book for eight issues during 1966 and 1967, drawn in part by

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular act ...

Proposed movie

The 1966 ''

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

'' movie, made during that TV show's original run, prompted other television shows to propose similar films. The only one completed was '' Munster Go Home'' (1966), which was a box office flop, causing the cancellation of other projects, including the ''Get Smart'' movie. The script for that movie was turned into a three-part episode, "A Man Called Smart", which aired on April 8, 15 and 22, 1967.

Play

Christopher Sergel adapted a play in 1967, ''Get Smart'', based on Brooks's and Henry's pilot episode.

Home media and rights

All five seasons are available as box sets in region 1 (USA, Canada, and others) and Region 4 (Australia, New Zealand, and others). The region 1 discs are published by HBO Home Video, and region 4 by Time Life Video. Each region 1 box contains 4 discs, while region 4 editions have a 5th disc with bonus material. Region 4 editions are also available as individual discs with four to five episodes per disc. The season 1 set was released in both regions in 2008. Seasons 2 and 3 box sets were released in region 4 on July 23, 2008. Seasons 4 and 5 were released in region 4 on November 5, 2008. Seasons 2, 3, 4 and 5 in region 1 were released throughout 2009. Another box set of the complete series is available in both regions, first published in 2006 by Time Life Video. In 2009 the region 1 edition was replaced by an HBO edition, and became more widely available. All editions contain a 5th disc for each season, with bonus material. The set has 25 discs altogether. The first four seasons were produced for NBC by Talent Associates. When it moved to CBS at the start of season five, it became an in-house production, with Talent Associates as a silent partner. The series was sold to NBC Films for syndication. Over decades, US distribution has changed from National Telefilm Associates to

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures Corporation (currently held under Melange Pictures, LLC) was an American motion picture production-distribution corporation in operation from 1935 to 1967, that was based in Los Angeles. It had studio facilities in Studio City a ...

, to

Worldvision Enterprises Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. was an American television program and home video distributor established in 1954 as ABC Film Syndication, the domestic and overseas program distribution arm of the ABC Television Network. They primarily licensed ...

, to Paramount Domestic Television, to CBS Paramount Domestic Television, to

CBS Television Distribution CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Television Distribution, Inc. and CBS Paramount Domestic Television, Inc.) is an American television distribution company owned by CBS Studios, part of CBS Entertainment Group, a division of Paramount G ...

, to the current distributor,

CBS Media Ventures CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Television Distribution, Inc. and CBS Paramount Domestic Television, Inc.) is an American television distribution company owned by CBS Studios, part of CBS Entertainment Group, a division of Paramount Glob ...

. For decades, the syndication rights of all but a handful of the fifth-season episodes (that season being originally co-owned by Talent Associates and CBS) were encumbered with restrictions and reporting requirements; as a result, most of that season was rarely seen in syndication (though they were shown with more regularity on

Nick at Nite Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite) is an American nighttime basic cable television channel that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon. It typically broadcasts Mondays to Thursday nights from 9 p.m. - 6:30 a.m. ET/ PT, Friday nights fr ...

and

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...

). The distribution changes (including the loosening of restrictions on the fifth season) were the result of corporate changes, especially the 2006 split of Viacom (owners of Paramount Pictures) into two companies. HBO currently owns the copyrights to the series itself, due to Time-Life Films' 1977 acquisition of Talent Associates. Home videos are distributed by HBO Home Video. For a time the DVD release was only available through Time-Life (a former Time Warner division).

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

owns international distribution rights. On August 10, 2015, the entire series was officially released on digital streaming platforms for the first time in preparation for its 50th anniversary.

References

External links

* {{Mel Brooks 1965 American television series debuts 1970 American television series endings 1960s American satirical television series 1970s American satirical television series 1960s American sitcoms 1970s American sitcoms American action adventure television series 1960s American mystery television series 1970s American mystery television series CBS original programming Dell Comics titles English-language television shows Espionage television series Fox Broadcasting Company original programming James Bond parodies NBC original programming Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series winners Television series by CBS Studios Television series created by Buck Henry Television series created by Mel Brooks American television series revived after cancellation Television shows set in Washington, D.C. Television shows adapted into films Television shows adapted into comics Television shows adapted into novels Television shows adapted into plays Television series by Talent Associates American spy comedy television series