Skip to main content

...And Loving It

My God we missed Don Adams' birthday! Were he alive, Adams would have been 83. Who's Don Adams? Why Adams was Agent 86, Maxwell Smart.
From the warped and whacky minds of Buck Henry and Mel Brooks, Get Smart cashed in on the "spy" craze of the mid-60s and spoofed such staples of the day as James, Bond and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. It ran for 5 years - 4 on CBS and the 5th on NBC. I know one 13 year old in 1965 who sat glued to the TV when this came on because not only was the show so funny but it's co-star, Barbara Feldon, was very easy on the eyes.


And I recall it was all the rage to mimic Smart at school. The show was known for such catch-phrases as "Sorry about that Chief" when Max screwed up; "Would you believe..." because Max was prone to slight exageration: and, when told he'd be facing certain danger - which was often - Max would reply "And loving it!" Me and my buddies slayed each other with these comebacks. They were kind of like the precursor of "That's what she said..."

If you want to revisit the series, all 138 episodes are available in a 25 disc box set. I know; I've got it. I know; I need a life!

Here's the opening credits from the show...







And here's an overview of one of the long-running gags the show was known for - the Cone of Silence





Adams died in 2005, but if he had made it to April 13, 2009 he would be celebrating his 83rd birthday...and loving it!

Comments

Mary@Holy Mackerel said…
I loved that show. Watched it every day at 5 p.m. It was so silly, but we laughed every time.
Anonymous said…
As much as I love Steve Carell, he's got nothing on Mr. Adams. In fact, the movie sucked large balls.
Donnie said…
I thought Barbara Feldon was hot as hell also. I too was 13. Just right I guess for some serious fantasizing. Oh yeah, the show! It was cool.
nonamedufus said…
Mary: Would you believe we watched it 3x a week and laughed sometimes? How about 1x a week and we chuckled now and then?

FTU: I haven't seen the Carell version but it didn't get very good reviews. Hard to improve on the original.

Don: I loved all the spy gadgets that Smart always screwed up. Sorry about that Chief.
Kosmos said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

Popular posts from this blog

The Polka Dot Door

A long time ago, when I was 22, my first child was born.  That kid grew up on a little Canadian kid's show called Polka Dot Door, produced by the TV Ontario network.  And Dad, more often than not, sat through those shows with his little one. Nine or so years later when a brother, and a year after that when a sister came along number one son was moving on to Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard.  But there was a nice overlap where his siblings picked up where he had left off with Polka Dot Door.  And Dad was right there to welcome them. So you're looking at a Polka Dot Door veteran.  The show began in 1971 and ran to 1993.  I didn't watch the full run but I did get in my fair share.  The formula was pretty simple.  A young male and female host, which seemed to change every week, sang songs, told stories, made crafts and generally did their best stimulate little brains.  The show opened as follows... Imagination Day!  Oh boy! ...

30 Days of Photos III #4 Sour

Check out Ziva's Inferno for the rest of today's photos.

I Am Charlie, I'm A Bore

Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Colin Farrel...you know the list, it goes on and on. The list of Hollywood hick-ups who not content to meltdown behind closed doors have to drag each and every detail out into the light of day and share it with all of us. Well, add Charlie Sheen to that luckless and lascivious list of losers. In the past few days he's been on every major media soapbox complaining abut how he's been treated and how he's misunderstood. Last night he spent an hour on ABC's 20/20 "in his own words". Charlie, you should have stuck to the script. "I have a highly evolved brain". You know I never did like that song by Helen Reddy in the 70s "I Am Woman". But I have to say the melody really leant itself well to a parody of Hollywood's latest flame-out, Charlie Sheen. Although I never thought I'd hear myself say this, my sincerest apologies to Helen Reddy. And now if you're ready (a little play on wor...