Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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96 of 101 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"The old spy in the spoof trick!", January 10, 2007
Smart. Maxwell Smart. The dumbest spy in the world, who fights on behalf of the forces of goodness and niceness, and succeeded in making democracy vs. communism a lot more entertaining. With the comic trio of Don Adams, Barbara Feldon and Edward Platt, this hilarious spy spoof is still funny today.
Don Adams is Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, a not-so-bright spy with an endless arsenal of strange devices and odd sayings. The bumbling spy at a top-secret government agency called Control, which is responsible for keeping the free world free. Backing him up is his beautiful partner/love interest Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) and his long-suffering Chief (Eward Platt) who puts up with Smart's constant mistakes.
Together with 99 (whom he marries late in the series), and the Chief (and his faithful dog Fang), Max battles the forces of badness and rottenness -- namely, the anti-Control called KAOS. They battle against their archnemesis Siegfried and a bunch of other KAOS agents, with explosive paintings, lovable robots, explosive pianos, evil hippies, and much more.
"Missed it by that much!" Maxwell Smart's catchphrases and goofy confidence made him the perfect antidote to the suave James Bond. Unlike Bond and similar movie spies, Max succeeds out of luck and bumbling more often than skill... but somehow, he still succeeds.
The comic timing is a little awkward at the very beginning, but rapidly gets its footing. What's really funny is the endless spoofery -- Max is given all sorts of weird gadgets, including the legendary "shoe-phone," and he faces off against all sorts of cartoonish villains. And it has dozens and dozens of movie spoofs -- "The Great Escape," "The Most Dangerous Game," "Maltese Falcon," "King Kong," and even the Bond movie "Goldfinger."
The political clime of the mid 1960s is all over the series, especially in the form of KAOS. But fortunately they don't get preachy -- KAOS is merely a big evil organization, no more. Some references are dated, and this definitely debuted before the era of political correctness (there's a bizarre episode about American Indians threatening the US government, and the Claw is funny if un-PC).
Don Adams MAKES this series, with his quirky facial expressions, nasal voice and odd body language. His Max overestimates his own skill and believes himself to be a sexy, karate-chopping Bondian treasure, though he survives mostly by luck ("Missed it by that much!").
Barbara Feldon is the least quirky of the cast, serving as the "straight woman" for Max, as well as the brains for his adventures. Edward Platt is just wonderful as the long-suffering, stressed-out Chief, who always looks slightly frayed, and Bernie Kopell is hysterical as the stiff-backed, volatile Siegfried.
It should be noted that right now, the entire series is only available directly from Time Life, with a big price tag (I was lucky enough to watch a relative's copy). Wait until Fall 2007, and it will be widely available at a lower price. They're also exquisitely remastered, with all that sixties colour, and they've reinserted little bits that were cut for commercials. It actually improves the flow.
It's been decades since "Get Smart" was first aired, but it is still gutsplittingly funny. You'll roll around on the floor, laughing yourself sick... and... loving it.
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45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Would you believe ... FINALLY out on DVD?, February 20, 2007
As a dedicated spy nut, I was ecstatic when I heard that Get Smart was being released on DVD at last. Even with the anticipation, the set still managed to exceed my expectations. The box is set up to look like the elevator Max disappears into during the title credits. In addition to sharp, bright and clean episode quality, each season is loaded with extras, including commentary from both Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, numerous documentaries, a touching clip from Don Adams' memorial service and commentary from Barbara Feldon before EACH EPISODE. The set also includes the black and white pilot episode which I had never seen before. In short, this sucker is loaded. Nick at Nite hasn't shown Get Smart for years now, so those of you going through advanced cases of Max and 99 withdrawl can have your Get Smart cravings satisfied forever with this great set. Here's hoping the set will soon be more widely available so Amazon can offer it at its usual rock-bottom price.
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
And...Loving It!!, January 25, 2007
I grew up watching "Get Smart", and watched an episode marathon on the TV Land network a few years ago, hosted by none other than Mr. Smart himself, Don Adams. Saying I'm a big fan is an understatement--I used to have a replica of the 1970 Opal GT that Max drove in the final season!
So when I first heard the news that the series was finally being released to DVD, I was ecstatic.
All the great catchphrases, all the goofy gadgetry & memorable characters (Max, Agent 99, the Chief, Sigfried, and even Larabee, who amazingly succeeded in being dumber than Max!) are finally here.
But why such a high selling price?? I would love to own this collection, but like most fans, will wait until the price comes down.
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