Customer Reviews

Get Smart: Season 4

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For three seasons, Maxwell Smart and his partner 99 have flirted around with a sorta-kind-attraction. If only he weren't so oblivious.

But things change drastically in the fourth season of the classic spy spoof. Oh, there's still the usual struggles on behalf of the forces of goodness and niceness, with plenty of whacked-out spoofery and weird plots, but the real focus here is on the new developments in Max and 99's relationship. First comes love, then comes marriage... what next?

A mission at a TV station leads to some interesting problems for Max and 99 -- when cornered in Chaplin costumes, Max confesses his feelings to 99. And she interprets it as a proposal!

On their way to the altar, Max and 99 have other problems to deal with, including impersonating the infamous bank robbers Connie and Floyd, unfortunate "accidents" that befall Max's best men, andSiegfried's diabolical vegetable-decimating scheme... right down the street from 99's mother. And the wedding itself is thrown into KAOS when Max is fed a secret map which requires him to stay vertical for 48 hours.Obviously this may cause problems for the wedding, not to mention the honeymoon.

And the newlyweds are confronted by many other problems: a laser blazer, disappearing couriers, toxic neighbors, a giant diamond, an invisibility formula (by a gorgeous female scientist), the infamous Leadside, missile explosions near gold courses, a budget cut that forces 99 to get a new job, an awkward visit by Max's doppelganger (the king of Coronia!), the Chief dating a very young woman, undead KAOS couriers sent by a mad scientist, and KAOS kidnapping countless Control agents.

Obviously the biggest change in "Get Smart: Season 4" is that Max and 99 finally get together, get engaged, and marry. It does take away some of the simmering tension now that they've reached the romantic finish line, but fortunately the fourth season still has enough insane Evil Plots and clever film spoofs ("Ironside," "Frankenstein," "Rear Window," "Great Escape") to compensate.

Along the way, there are plenty of bizarre plots by the evil KAOS (KAOS zombies stealing trucks!) and bizarre puzzles that Max and 99 somehow work out, often by putting themselves in comical danger, ranging from airfights to fencing matches with a wheelchair-bound art-lover. But there are also some more down-to-earth problems that the newlyweds face, such as Max meeting his future mother-in-law, or 99 freaking out at Max's lateness to the wedding.

And the dialogue and comic relief are absolutely priceless ("HOLY KUMQUAT!" a poor tailor howls as Max drives him off the deep end), and fortunately wedding bells don't signal the end of gutsplitting comedy (Max gets shot in the backside). Seriously, it hardly ever gets serious -- even the wedding has 99 and the tattered Chief solemnly stepping over unconsious bodies.

Don Adams is the heart of the series, with his quirky face, nasal voice, odd body language and confident catchphrases ("And loving it!"). Barbara Feldon plays a wonderful straight woman to Max's goofiness, and they both fit well as both romantic and professional parters -- even when they end up marooned on a KAOS island for their honeymoon. Only 99 could put up with the kind of things Max does... like blow up the boat and discard the paddles.

On the supporting side, Edward Platt is just wonderful as the long-suffering Chief, and Bernie Kopell gets to have LOTS of fun as "Ziegfried." Not only does he get to be the Red Baron, pilot a floating island, and be the commandant of POW camp Camp Gitchee Goommee Noonee Wa-Wa ("When they get here and find we are running a prisoner of war camp without a license, we'll be arrested!").

"Get Smart Season 4" loses the romantic tension, but it still has plenty of hilarity and insanity -- secret plans, spies, and the occasional evil maid.

I loved Get Smart when I was growing up and decided to buy the CD for our kids to watch, since we new they were pretty safe, although there are a few "seductive" scenes here and there that you may need to watch for. These days even Disney leaves alot to be desired - you can't trust much of what they put out to be safe for your kids.

We all love the characters from Max and 99 to the chief and Larabie! Highly recommended!

These shows are hilarious. I highly recommend it. Unhook the cable and just buy these. Its more entertaining and you don't get the subliminal messages that control your mind. That last part was a joke.

Love the series and think it is pretty funny. Of course I was there for the original run on TV.

We love Get Smart! The humor is a mix of slapstick and clever witticisms that make us laugh, though the drama isn't too heavy-it's all about the laugh. And there's hardly a thing that could be questionable for family watching, except that sometimes Smart himself makes faces at the ladies, or there might be a tall curvy girl in tight skirts. However the humor is clean and there's never any swearing. We love 99. She is a good, brave girl and for some reason puts up with Max's bumbling ways. And Siegfried is the most lovable bad guy ever!

Season 4 of Get Smart opens with Max proposing to 99. From there, we have various spoofs and parodies of famous movies. More bungling, clumsy antics by Control Agent Maxwell Smart. The DVD was a good copy, the color is just as vivid as it was back in 1968-69. All the regulars return, including more activities for Larabee. An absolute must for any classic television collector.

bought this for my kids and hubby-they can't get enough of Maxwell Smart....good clean fun!

This is a review for Season FIVE of Get Smart.In a fittingly "Smart" fashion Amazon has put my Season Four review in Season Five and I have had to put Season Five in Season Four!!So if you want to read Season Four's review go to....well you know what to do!
This four DVD set contains the final eps of one of the funnier shows of the 1960s,Get Smart,starring Don Adams as Agent 86,Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 and Ed Platt as The Chief.Certainly a more dynamic and funnier trio of characters were/are hard to find.Thrown into the mix was Agent Larabee,the Chief's assistant,played in a wonderfully droll fashion by Robert Karvelas.He became the unofficial fourth member of the Get Smart team;given more funny lines and scenes in which to play than in previous seasons.Also you may or may not recall there were some other changes made this final year.The show switched over from NBC to CBS part way through,the opening sequence was totally revamped with new music and Smart's traditional Sunbeam was now an Opal sports car.
What didn't change though were the laughs from this wonderful show,all based around the then popular genre of the spy movie,thanks in a HUGE part to Sean Connery's 007 character on the big screen.Also Adams continues his Stan Laurel like mugging;always a delightful touch.In fact if you watch the two parter ep "House of Max 1 & 2",you will see Laurel and Hardy in action,so to speak.It takes place in a house of wax and there are two "wax" figures of Laurel and Hardy which eventually come to life.They are played by then Laurel and Hardy look a likes Ed Shuster(Ollie) and Jim MacGeorge(Stan),who did a nice job in their impersonations.This season also parodies,as before,movie and/or book titles such as "House of Max"(House of Wax),"Ice Station Siegfried"(Ice Station Zebra),"How Green was my Valet"(How green was my Valley"),etc,etc.In the ep "Ice Station Siegfried" Adams and Platt both appear only briefly at the beginning,as comedian Bill Dana takes Max's place as a CIA agent.Don had some personal problems to contend with at the time and had to pass on the full shooting schedule.Bill incidentally ,I believe,was the brother to Irving Szathmarthy the man who wrote the theme for the show.I know Dana's real name was Szathmarthy so it surely can't be coincidental.
For loyal fans of the show this season will not fail to disappoint.The only disappointment to me however is the lack of any specials.There are only a couple of commentaries included.It is a shame the producers elected to leave most of the special features in the entire season set,which I tried to purchase but had to return a few copies of due to scratches and defects on the set discs.Individual set buyers have paid more and I think deserve the features in the set as much if not more than the entire seasons buyers.But what do I know?
The final season has been transferred quite well and I have no complaints in that or in the sound department
Enjoy Don Adams in the character portrayal that made him and the show he starred in a household name:Get Smart.It may be the final season but the laughs are still coming on strong.

We have reintroduced a new generation to the Originial Agents 86 and 99! The kids thought the present movies were good but they absolutely love these old classics. Now father and son have running gags between them, dad gets to be the Chief of course. Great time for the whole family together watching quality good old black and white!!

Get Smart was getting a little worn and predictable by season 3. But having Max and 99 get married gave the show a new twist that
was really needed by the 4th season. Gave them a whole new range of gags and material to use. And they made good use of them.
The show became more domestic, adding another dimension to the James Bond spoof. And adding just that much more room for gags
and good laughs.