Get Smart now on DVD
Willie Garvin
Posts: 1,412MI6 Agent
An interview with actress Barbara Feldon(Get Smart's "Agent 99") from The Sacramento Bee-November 14,2006.Scene section,pp. E1-E2.
==========
A Fun Time Recounting the Battles With KAOS
by Rachel Leibrock
The distinctive,sultry voice.The killer mod outfits and witty one-liners.From 1965 to 1970,actress Barbara Feldon radiated a sweet secret spy charm as Agent 99 on the hit TV show "Get Smart".Now,a new DVD box set brings back the show's stylishly silly fun.
"Get Smart:The Complete Collection"(Time-Life,25 discs,$199.96,available exclusively via www.getsmartondvd.com)features the series' entire 135 episodes,plus commentaries(by,among others,Feldon and series co-creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry) and bonus footage.
During a recent call from her Manhattan home,Feldon,74,chatted about acting,co-star Don Adams and life after 99.
Q:So,I'm pretty excited about the Get Smart DVD release.
A: It's nice it'll finally be here.It's been many years and I think people have been looking for something like this.
Q: When they approached you about doing the commentaries,what were your thoughts on revisiting all of that?
A: People who are fans...know all of the episodes-they know everything that happened and would say things like,"Remember when this or that happened?"And I don't!Over the years,I hadn't really watched the show-and it's fun to watch!It's really funny.And charming-and it has a whimsical charm that I really enjoyed.The thing I do remember and can identify episodes by is my wardrobe.[Laughs]That's a girl thing,isn't it?
Q: I think it is-I can really appreciate that.How long had it been since you'd really seen any of the episodes?
A: Over the years,I'd catch one while surfing through (channels) and I'd stop and watch it.But,really,aside from that,it'd been years.
Q:When you were preparing for the commentaries,did anything surprise you?
A:I was very surprised by the production [value],although I knew(the producers) were making them like little half-hour movies,with a lot of location (shots) so it had a very enriched look.It didn't have that spare,TV-sitcom look.
Q: Did you rediscover any favorite episodes?
A: The one I really enjoyed most is the one where we dressed up like Charlie Chaplin,and Max(Don Adams)proposed to Agent 99.
Q: How did you end up with the role of Agent 99?
A: I had done a guest shot on a show called "Mr.Broadway."It was my second TV show and I played an industrial spy.And she was(just like) 99...When "Get Smart" came along,the producers showed that episode to the writers and Don Adams, and they all said,"That's her."
Q:What was it about the role that appealed to you?
A: I remember where I was sitting when I read the script,in a study in my apartment,and laughing out loud.I just knew it was a very funny role.I thought my character was pretty much the straight person-the "skirt" to the lead character-but I loved the series.And of course,99 developed as time went on.
Q:How do you think she changed over the course of the show?
A: She changed,in a sense,as I changed.In the beginning,she wasn't quite as rompy,she wasn't quite as assertive.As I got older,and got more confidence-both personally in my life and in the role-I think 99 became a little more (sure) of herself,not quite as tentative.But she still had the compassion for Max,and the adoration,which was absolutely essential for her character.
Q:What do you remember about working with (the late)Don Adams?
A: His energy during the scenes,the tremendous pleasure of the endorphin high of doing a scene with him.It was sort of like bullets flying-the pace was so fast.It was the easiest thing in the world to act with him because all you had to do was plug into his energy and then you went flying together.
Q:Does the public's enduring love for the show ever catch you off guard?
A:It Doesn't surprise me anymore."Get Smart" puts a smile on their faces.When people see me on the street, they smile.I'm the beneficiary of it-I get people to beam on me a lot.
Q:Do people ever ask you 99's real name?
A: Oh yes.And that I do know from the horse's mouth-Buck Henry told me she had no other name.
Q:Do you have any involvement with the upcoming "Get Smart" movie?
A:For years,people having been (talking) about it,but what I've heard are just the same rumors everybody else has heard.I've heard that that wonderful actor who's in "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" is going to be Maxwell Smart.
Q:Steve Carrell.
A: Yes,and he would be wonderful.
Q:Would you go see it?
A: Oh,definitely.With Steve Carrell in the role,I'd go see anything that he was in.He's a wonderful actor and I can't imagine a better Maxwell Smart.And there are so many young actresses who'd be so good as 99,like Rachel McAdams.I could see her doing it.
Q:You still work pretty regularly-you do voice-over work.
A: Yes,but what I'm really working on now is writing.I wrote a book called "Living Alone and Loving It"-essays on my experience.I've lived alone for 25 years and I love it.I had encountered too many people who were living alone,lamenting that they were waiting for the right person to come along,for their lives to begin.You can be equally happy-maybe more happy,living by yourself if you are connected to the world.
Q:So will there be any more books?
A:I just finished a novel about a young woman who falls in love with the perfect guy.She marries him,and then it's the fallout of discovering that he has a double life.
Q:You did a one-woman play off Broadway-any plans to do something like that again?
A: It was a wonderful experience.I like to sing and it was a great chance to put songs with poetry and tell stories about my life.I loved doing it but once I'd done it,I'd done it.I get bored easily by repetition-I'd mastered what I wanted to...time to climb another hill.
Q:It seems like you're the type of person who likes to take on new challenges.
A: I think that's the most exciting thing in life-to master things you haven't mastered,not just repeat things you can do easily.
* * * *
==========
A Fun Time Recounting the Battles With KAOS
by Rachel Leibrock
The distinctive,sultry voice.The killer mod outfits and witty one-liners.From 1965 to 1970,actress Barbara Feldon radiated a sweet secret spy charm as Agent 99 on the hit TV show "Get Smart".Now,a new DVD box set brings back the show's stylishly silly fun.
"Get Smart:The Complete Collection"(Time-Life,25 discs,$199.96,available exclusively via www.getsmartondvd.com)features the series' entire 135 episodes,plus commentaries(by,among others,Feldon and series co-creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry) and bonus footage.
During a recent call from her Manhattan home,Feldon,74,chatted about acting,co-star Don Adams and life after 99.
Q:So,I'm pretty excited about the Get Smart DVD release.
A: It's nice it'll finally be here.It's been many years and I think people have been looking for something like this.
Q: When they approached you about doing the commentaries,what were your thoughts on revisiting all of that?
A: People who are fans...know all of the episodes-they know everything that happened and would say things like,"Remember when this or that happened?"And I don't!Over the years,I hadn't really watched the show-and it's fun to watch!It's really funny.And charming-and it has a whimsical charm that I really enjoyed.The thing I do remember and can identify episodes by is my wardrobe.[Laughs]That's a girl thing,isn't it?
Q: I think it is-I can really appreciate that.How long had it been since you'd really seen any of the episodes?
A: Over the years,I'd catch one while surfing through (channels) and I'd stop and watch it.But,really,aside from that,it'd been years.
Q:When you were preparing for the commentaries,did anything surprise you?
A:I was very surprised by the production [value],although I knew(the producers) were making them like little half-hour movies,with a lot of location (shots) so it had a very enriched look.It didn't have that spare,TV-sitcom look.
Q: Did you rediscover any favorite episodes?
A: The one I really enjoyed most is the one where we dressed up like Charlie Chaplin,and Max(Don Adams)proposed to Agent 99.
Q: How did you end up with the role of Agent 99?
A: I had done a guest shot on a show called "Mr.Broadway."It was my second TV show and I played an industrial spy.And she was(just like) 99...When "Get Smart" came along,the producers showed that episode to the writers and Don Adams, and they all said,"That's her."
Q:What was it about the role that appealed to you?
A: I remember where I was sitting when I read the script,in a study in my apartment,and laughing out loud.I just knew it was a very funny role.I thought my character was pretty much the straight person-the "skirt" to the lead character-but I loved the series.And of course,99 developed as time went on.
Q:How do you think she changed over the course of the show?
A: She changed,in a sense,as I changed.In the beginning,she wasn't quite as rompy,she wasn't quite as assertive.As I got older,and got more confidence-both personally in my life and in the role-I think 99 became a little more (sure) of herself,not quite as tentative.But she still had the compassion for Max,and the adoration,which was absolutely essential for her character.
Q:What do you remember about working with (the late)Don Adams?
A: His energy during the scenes,the tremendous pleasure of the endorphin high of doing a scene with him.It was sort of like bullets flying-the pace was so fast.It was the easiest thing in the world to act with him because all you had to do was plug into his energy and then you went flying together.
Q:Does the public's enduring love for the show ever catch you off guard?
A:It Doesn't surprise me anymore."Get Smart" puts a smile on their faces.When people see me on the street, they smile.I'm the beneficiary of it-I get people to beam on me a lot.
Q:Do people ever ask you 99's real name?
A: Oh yes.And that I do know from the horse's mouth-Buck Henry told me she had no other name.
Q:Do you have any involvement with the upcoming "Get Smart" movie?
A:For years,people having been (talking) about it,but what I've heard are just the same rumors everybody else has heard.I've heard that that wonderful actor who's in "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" is going to be Maxwell Smart.
Q:Steve Carrell.
A: Yes,and he would be wonderful.
Q:Would you go see it?
A: Oh,definitely.With Steve Carrell in the role,I'd go see anything that he was in.He's a wonderful actor and I can't imagine a better Maxwell Smart.And there are so many young actresses who'd be so good as 99,like Rachel McAdams.I could see her doing it.
Q:You still work pretty regularly-you do voice-over work.
A: Yes,but what I'm really working on now is writing.I wrote a book called "Living Alone and Loving It"-essays on my experience.I've lived alone for 25 years and I love it.I had encountered too many people who were living alone,lamenting that they were waiting for the right person to come along,for their lives to begin.You can be equally happy-maybe more happy,living by yourself if you are connected to the world.
Q:So will there be any more books?
A:I just finished a novel about a young woman who falls in love with the perfect guy.She marries him,and then it's the fallout of discovering that he has a double life.
Q:You did a one-woman play off Broadway-any plans to do something like that again?
A: It was a wonderful experience.I like to sing and it was a great chance to put songs with poetry and tell stories about my life.I loved doing it but once I'd done it,I'd done it.I get bored easily by repetition-I'd mastered what I wanted to...time to climb another hill.
Q:It seems like you're the type of person who likes to take on new challenges.
A: I think that's the most exciting thing in life-to master things you haven't mastered,not just repeat things you can do easily.
* * * *
Comments
I only wish the DVD set was a little more reasonably priced. $200 is a lot of bread to lay down all at once, especially considering that it would take me weeks or longer to view all the shows.
Still, this will be added to my collection at some point.
Yeah,the collection is much too pricey for me as well--but I'll get it later,once the price is reasonable.I too,love this show--more than The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and I Spy(and they were each great in their own ways).
But...would you believe that I actually saw the very first episode of Get Smart when it originally aired?I did!I was 12 at the time,and still remember it vividly.The villain was Mr.Big and his cigarettes were very short...
Like you,I have a special fondness for the two-part Prisoner of Zenda parody.It looked and--due to Adams' expert impression-sounded SO much like the Ronald Colman/Madeline Carroll/Douglas Fairbanks,Jr/C.Aubrey Smith/David Niven,et al., classic, that I suspect David O.Selznick would've approved.
But as you say,there are really so many fine episodes in this series that it's incredibly difficult to find one that stands out from the others.The writing was always of a very high standard.Even the episodes we might consider mediocre or average are still considerably better than most of what passes for comedy today.
Another favorite of mine was the one with the Claw ("not the Craw, the Craw!!) and his manservant Bobo ("the KAOS operation is only a front, the real money is in the laundry")
There were a lot of great spoofs on that show besides the Zenda send-up; I remember takeoffs on The Great Escape and The Treasure of Sierra Madre as well.
Yup, I'm definitely going to have to get this at some point. As you say some of the episodes (especially after they got married) were a little weak compared to the early seasons but there are still laughs aplenty.
"I demand the Cone of Silence!
I would love to own all of the Get Smart episodes on DVD but I find the price to be too high. I might get the DVD in the future but only if the price is reduced. Until then, I will continue on hoping that my local TV station starts showing repeats again.
What a classic, classic show.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Me too.It was that commercial of hers,with her on a bear rug looking straight into the camera ("I want to talk to all of you tigers out there...") that first brought her to my attention.
My favourite lines were
Smart "would you believe that at this very moment, the entire US army is waiting outside your door, waiting to attack"
Villain "No Mr Smart, I find that very hard to believe"
Smart "well would you believe a girls scout and a pocket knife"
The Bill Dana Show featured Dana as the bellman of an old and expensive hotel in Los Angeles.Adams costarred as hotel detective Byron Glick.Glick packed a gun(always unloaded),and did the whole "Would you believe..." and "Sorry about that" stuff there first.And even then Adams was doing an impression of actor William Powell as the basis for Glick's speaking voice-which he brought to Maxwell Smart.I remember this show.And around that time Adams also did stand-up--including impressions of movie stars--on the Johnny Carson version of the Tonight Show.
And Ain't it Cool News recently reported that Anne Hathaway will be playing Agent 99 opposite Steve Carrell's Maxwell Smart.I really hope this movie's screenplay is a good one, because Get Smart was always dependent on the quality of the writing.Funny voices, pratfalls and a big budget won't be enough to make this film successful.Story and characterization should be the most important elements.Otherwise,it might just be another Johnny English--which was okay for what it was,but nothing special(in my opinion.anyway).
I like Don Adams as Tennessee Tuxedo though...
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
(also around the time there was all those Gilligans Island made-for-TV movies)
it got bad reviews, along the lines of "whats the point of parodying a film series thats become a parody of itself already?"
which is ironic in retrospect, as one of the rationales for reinventing 007 was "whats the point of continuing with the selfparody since Austin Powers now does it better?"
I do,unfortunately.It was called The Nude Bomb and was pretty bad.Adams looked fine as Smart but he was the only member of the series' original cast to appear in it.Dana Elcar played the Chief(Ed Platt had passed away years before)and there was another female agent taking the place 99 usually had.Bill Dana played an evil scientist(I think)The screenplay--about something that caused people's clothing to disappear--wasn't especially clever.More like a skit than movie material.
I've read about this show and how Don Adams's character had a lot of Smart's characteristics but have sadly never seen an episode. Any idea if TV Land or some similar channel has/had it?
That would be "The Nude Bomb"; it had some funny bits but on the whole was very forgettable. As I recall, 99 (Barbara Feldon) wasn't even in it and most of the elements of the show were discarded.
They also made a TV movie with just about all the surviving members of the original cast around 10 years ago in a vain attempt to revive the series. That was also utterly forgettable, poorly written, and not at all funny.
The original series still stands head and shoulders above any of these later efforts.
EDIT: What WG Said; I got a little ahead of myself and missed last his post. Sorry about that Chief. ;%
I don't know,Tony.I do know,however,that Bill Dana played his then famous "Jose Jimenez" character in this series, and at that time Jose didn't go over very well with many people in the Hispanic community--especially here in California.In fact,there was such a firestorm of protest over Jose in the 1970s,that Bill Dana eventually announced to his many friends in the Hispanic community that Jose Jimenez was "dead".
However, with the distance of time and the much greater acceptance of Hispanics in important roles in every aspect of network television--this character might now seem less offense.As presented by Bill Dana,Jose Jimenez was an eternal innocent--a nice guy for whom English was not his first language.He never mangled it beyond all recognition, and Jose was never played by Dana as unintelligent.And in all fairness, Jose wasn't intended to be the official representative of the Hispanic community--of course at that time The Cisco Kid and Pancho were also coming under fire by certain Hispanic critics for what they perceived as offensive stereotypes.
But that was a long time ago.Maybe a request to TV Land would reveal if the Bill Dana Show will be available for reruns.It'd be interesting to see.:)
Here's a link to the Amazon page:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005JNS8/ref=s9newr_c6_img3-rfc_p?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-6&pf_rd_r=071GEA01G094HAKJ5Y9G&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=279438601&pf_rd_i=507846
And here's a listing of the Season 1 episodes courtesy of TV.com:
http://www.tv.com/get-smart/show/1014/episode_listings.html