I’ve always loved Get Smart.
There were so many spy movies and tv shows during the Spy Craze of the 1960’s it’s hard to even calculate how many showed up.
Countless imitators to the James Bond films – most done on the cheap and have been forgotten. Some are pretty amusing to watch today since they’re so clearly knock-offs trying to capitalize on the success of 007.
We got Matt Helm, Derek Flint, Harry Palmer who each had a series of popular films. They’re on the higher end of spy movies that came out from the 60’s whether parody-wise or straight thrillers.
Then we got TV spy shows. The Avengers, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., I Spy, Mission: Impossible. But one of my favorite spy shows has always been Get Smart starring Don Adams.
It was such a silly, dopey show with such outlandish stories and gags. Don Adams was perfect as Maxwell Smart Agent 86 who each week would battle the evil organization KAOS. Luckily he would have Barbara Feldon’s reliable and competent Agent 99 by his side to assist him. They were sure to accomplish their mission, save America and Max would drive CONTROL Chief Edward Platt crazy.
My affection for Get Smart was the reason I wanted to do a project about it for a long time. I finally settled on a bit of dramatic retelling of a Get Smart movie with Agent 86 becoming embroiled in more of a hardcore spy thriller than he was accustomed. Sort of Get Smart mashed with a Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy vibe. I wanted to use as many of the recurring characters and supporting actors in this as I could.
This is something of a pipe dream for me. Fans will never get a true Get Smart movie. Despite recasting the parts and making a big-budget action comedy like the Steve Carrell Get Smart movie attempted, Don Adams will always be Maxwell Smart to me. The closest was the 1989 reunion movie and The Nude Bomb (which I don’t want to talk about). So this will have to do.
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