Get Smart (TV series)
Get Smart was an American television comedy series made in the 1960s to make light of the Cold War. Running from 1965 to 1970,[1] the show was intended as a spoof of popular spy films and television shows, such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the James Bond film series. In its first season it was the #12 highest-ranked show on television, and then #22 for its second season. Produced by Talent Associates, it aired on NBC for its first four seasons before moving to CBS for its final season.
The show is named for central character Maxwell Smart (Don Adams, who in real life was a World War II veteran of Guadalcanal), a bumbling but heroic secret agent for an organization called CONTROL. His chief nemesis is Ludwig von Siegfried of the evil organization KAOS. Smart's wife, known exclusively as Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon), frequently saves Smart, who invariably finds himself in difficult situations, often owing to his own clumsiness.
The series coined new expressions and foreshadowed the cell phone, which was a shoe that turns into a phone. "Chaos agent" was a term invented by this show:
| “ | Mr. DON ADAMS: Sorry about that, chief. That's another case.
Ms. BARBARA FELDON: Who is that?
|
” |
A film based on the show was made in 2008, starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, and Alan Arkin.
