God Got Smart
 

Agent Maxwell Smart has "missed it by *that* much" for the last time. Don Adams, the unmistakable voice of Tenessee Tuxedo and Inspector Gadget, as well as the inimitable Agent 86 of 60's spy parody hit show "Get Smart" has gone to the great cone of silence in the sky at age 80.

Adams was exactly the right person to play the bumbling oaf secret agent conceived by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. The 60's was the decade of the Cold War's highest heights, and spy stuff was *the* defining fad. TV had its serious Bond imitations in The Man from UNCLE and other shows, but Get Smart was the definitive parody of the spy movie genre, at least at first.

Over the four year run of the show, it got rather predictable and the slapschtick became stale, but Adams gamely played his character to the hilt. His popularity and fame was cemented in the 80's when a new generation heard him voice the equally bumbling and bionic Inspector Gadget. Don Adams was typecast, but his stereotype was just as lovable as Gilligan, Barney Fife and Uncle Jed, characters who burdened their portrayers for life as well.

Don Adams was a terrific comic both before and after his Get Smart run, but it is Maxwell Smart for whom he shall be remembered. I think *I* could deal with a life where I was remembered for making people laugh a little.

Activate the cone of sadness. :(

Very nice line. Don Adams reminds me a lot of Bob Denver. Both were brilliant comedians who got too successful to the point where they ruined their careers. I heard both men were very smart off-screen.

Don Adams knew how to speak. He could say the same line hundreds of different ways and always seemed to pick the one that would get the biggest laugh. I'm very sorry that he never got much work after Get Smart. He was a genius.

Sorry about that, Chief. Don Adams will be missed.

I was having a conversation with my friend Tester-San over the weekend in which he discussed the "Stereo Revolver" Get Smart episode, then I watched the premiere of E-Ring during it's repeat on USA Network on Sunday night. There was a scene where Benjamin Bratt's character had to pass through a series of vault-like doors ... which he did while humming the theme from Get Smart with no other commentary. That set me to thinking that it would be a wonderful thing if TV Land would start running the shows. I now really hope that they do.

Now I have to check my cell phone company's custom ringtone section to see if they have the theme song ...

Check.

Best part of the whole episode. I laughed out loud. Sadly, I think the joke was missed by many more than "Got it."