Reviewed by Stuart O'Connor
Stars Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, Edward Platt, Robert Karvelas, Red, Victor French, David Ketchum, Bryan O'Byrne, Leonard Strong, Joey Forman, Richard Gautier, Frank De Vol, Rose Michtom
Written by Mel Brooks, Buck Henry & others
UK certification PG | UK RRP £34.99
DVD Region 2 | Runtime 801 minutes
Directed by Bruce Bilson & others
Would you believe that Get Smart is probably the best TV sitcom ever produced in the 1960s? And no, that's not leading in to a classic Don Adams "would you believe" gag, it's a fact. It's also safe to say that it's one of the greatest TV sitcoms ever. And I'm not sorry about that.
Get Smart was the brainchild of Dan Melnick, Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, and set out to satirise the James Bond craze in particular and espionage films in general. Yes, satire. In a sitcom — surely a first for American TV at the time, and probably never done since. Oh, public servants and bureaucracy came in for their fair share of ribbing, too. In the show, which ran for five years on two different networks, stand-up comic Adams plays Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 for the secret government spy agency CONTROL, based in Washington DC. He battles the forces of KAOS with the help of his partner, the stunningly beautiful Agent 99 (Feldon). He's also bumbling, slightly incompetent, not too bright and often oblivious to what's going on around him (it took Max quite some time to figure out that 99 was in love with him). In charge of CONTROL is the long-suffering Chief (Platt) who is constantly bemused, bothered and bewildered by Smart's incompetence ("Sorry about that, Chief" become one of the show's many catchphrases). But despite his bungling and dopiness, Max alwasy managed to get the job done (mostly with the help of the far-more competent 99) and was a crack shot as well as being pretty good at hand-to-hand combat.
Growing up in Australia, I was fortunate enough to watch Get Smart over and over again — it was probably my favourite TV show (it ws definitely my father's), and it was in perpetual repeats. Unlike here in the UK — where, I've been told, it was shown just once in the 1980s, on Channel 4. Coming back to this first season so many years later, two things struck me: how well the comedy has stood the test of time, and just how funny this show really was (I've just spent a pleasant couple of weeks laughing my way through the 30 episodes in this set). The clothes, the haricuts, the furniture, the cars — all have dated, but the laughs still come thick and fast. This is partly due to the terrific team of writers put together by co-creator Henry; but it's mainly due, I think, to the brilliant performance of Adams in the lead role. That nasally voice, the perfect comic timing, the way he held himself and the fact that he played it perfectly straight (in fact, the entire cast did) all worked to make the comedy that much funnier. And then there were the catchphrases, which survive to this day (even though many people using them wouldn't know their origins) including: the immortal "Would you believe ...", which Adams brought from his stand-up act; "Missed it by that much"; "And loving it!"; The old ____ trick"; and "I asked you not to tell me that!" And then there were all the wonderful gadgets, not least of which was Max's shoe phone ... but I'll write more about them in my review of the Season 2 DVD release. Get Smart is a delight, a joy, one of the TV greats. If you're a lifelong fan of the show, buy this DVD set. If you're not a fan of the show, buy it anyway and become one.
EXTRAS ***** Ooodles and oodles of goodies. First, every epsiode has an introduction by the luscious Barbara Feldon. The rarely-seen pilot, Mr Big, has separate audio commentaries by co-creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. There's also a 2006 interview with Henry; a featurette called The Secret History of Get Smart; a bloopers reel; a Get Smart Reunion Seminar from 2003, featuring Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, Bernie Kopell (who played KAOS agent Seigfried from Season 2 on), executive producer Leonard Stern, producer Burt Nodella and producer/director Jay Sandrick; a series of other TV appearances by Adams and Feldon; and an interactive tour of the Chief's office at CONTROL.
