29 replies to this topic

[Daddy Bond]

One of my favorite comedies is Get Smart. IMO it's the best comic take-off of Bond to date.

Has anyone tracked the similarities to Bond?

1. An evil organization with an acronym for a name: KAOS vs. SPECTRE (SP?)
2. Gadgets.
3. Cool sports car.
4. Opposite: Bond is handsome, tall and suave, Smart is goofy looking (somewhat), short and bumbling
5. Bonds number is 007, Smart's number is one number above and below "7" - 86.
6. Parodies in certain episodes: in one episode an agent is painted blue and dies.

Some of these are not original with myself - I think I remember reading a comparison somewhere.

Any thoughts? I am especially interested where episodes of Get Smart parody portions of Bond movies. Thanks!

[Clouseau]

interesting idea. i used to love that show!

this sounds very similar to what i tried to do showing connections between Bond and the Pink Panther and between Bond and Batman. i hope we're able to turn up a lot of these!

of course The Chief is Smart's version of M (that's obvious), but i'm not sure how many other characters are mirrors of Bond characters. and i can't really compare many GS episode plots to Bond films until i can get the GS episodes on DVD or something, i don't think, since it doesn't run on TVLand or anything anymore. i sure wish they'd release this series on DVD, but the last i heard there was a problem with the rights to the show or something, similar to why they haven't yet released the Batman TV series from the '60s.

Edited by Clouseau, 26 April 2006 - 05:46 PM.

[dunmall]

well from memory:
there was an episode about Goldthumb, an evil artist and forger which saw Max and 99 go undercover at an art gallery agent 13 (or was it 44 at this point?) was one of the paintings naturally and their gadgets included paint tubes that concealed knives.

the classic episode Dr. Yes is a brilliant parody of Dr. No of course.

An episode set at Control's spy school featured leathal Bowler hats and collapsable sniper rifles.

The 3 parter "A Man Called Smart" featured a multi purpose brief case that even featured a parachute.

Of course GS didn't limit itself to Bond, episodes parodied Mission Impossible, I Spy, the List of Adrian Messenger, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, Casablanca, the portrait of dorian grey, the maltese falcon among others...

[Bryce (003)]

Somebody PLEASE get this out on DVD.

Yeah, the "Dr. Yes" episode is priceless. All of the Doctor's minions from different countries reply with "yes" in different languages. There was also a great spoof of the Fugitive as well.

One of my favorite bits is an episode that opens up with Max strolling down a suburban street and, less than ten paces behind him, a guy in a tan trenchcoat, hat and dark glasses. Max is aware of his tail and rounds a corner. When the goon follows, Max steps out from an alcove and confronts him.

Max: I take it you're here from KAOS.

Thug: Yeah.

Max: Well, let's get on with it then.

Thug: OK.

Thug slugs Max and then decks him. Max (as ever) springs back up.

Thug: Had enough?

Max: (straightening his tie) No...I'd like a little more.

Thug: OK.

Decks Max again.

Max: OK...That's good enough for me. You?

Classic.

[dunmall]

there's an episode where max and 99 get shipwrecked on a Kaos controlled island called Shwartz' island...it was the set from Gilligan's Island created by sherwood shwartz...

another great one has Max under going plastic surgery to keep his cover, he confronts the chief with his new look, who immediately tells him to go and change it because it's too familiar, max turns around to reveal he now looks like Martin Landau of Mission Impossible

and of course who can forget simon the likable!?!

And I always liked the European Prince who looked like Max classic swash buckling fun!

[delfloria]

Get Smart was more a parady of the Man from UNCLE than James Bond.

[Red Barchetta]

Get Smart was a parody of Bond due to the Bond mania here in the US after Goldfinger came out. Max is the 'anti' Bond. I watched all the eps! They're great! The Chief was also kind of the 'anti' M, but he was great as well!

Classic gadgets-

shoephone

Cone of Silence

invisible wall

fountain pen that squirts ink (it's supposed to be a posion gas pen or something)

[Clouseau]

don't forget, also, that the villain in the first episode of Get Smart was "Mr. Big" - a good 8 years before LALD!

[spynovelfan]

don't forget, also, that the villain in the first episode of Get Smart was "Mr. Big" - a good 8 years before LALD!

A good 10 years after Fleming's novel, you mean.

And I always liked the European Prince who looked like Max classic swash buckling fun!

A PRISONER OF ZENDA parody? Never saw that - sounds fun.

[dunmall]

yeah i can't remember the character names or the episode title but in one of them this Prince resembled Max except for a mustache and British Accent, his evil brother a Count of some sort was trying to gain control of the country so Max went in as a decoy to protect the Prince. There was a cool little sword fight in an cave between Max and the Villain at the climax.

A follow up saw the Prince come to Washington to engage in some sort of important trade talks with the American's. He stays at Max's flat acting as Max while Max once again acts as a decoy... this one had a great scene where a Tarantula was coming to kill max and 99 saves him by dumping a jar of horseraddish on the spider. The Prince comes down to find out whats going on and asks what's that smell?

Max: oh thats just some horse raddish...

Prince: Really? It smells more like a turantula...

[spynovelfan]

yeah i can't remember the character names or the episode title but in one of them this Prince resembled Max except for a mustache and British Accent, his evil brother a Count of some sort was trying to gain control of the country so Max went in as a decoy to protect the Prince. There was a cool little sword fight in an cave between Max and the Villain at the climax.

A follow up saw the Prince come to Washington to engage in some sort of important trade talks with the American's. He stays at Max's flat acting as Max while Max once again acts as a decoy... this one had a great scene where a Tarantula was coming to kill max and 99 saves him by dumping a jar of horseraddish on the spider. The Prince comes down to find out whats going on and asks what's that smell?

Max: oh thats just some horse raddish...

Prince: Really? It smells more like a turantula...

The first bit is the precise plot of Anthony Hope's THE PRISONER OF ZENDA. Someone should add it to the Wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia....isoner_of_Zenda

Very obcure Bond connection - the same novel was parodied by OCTOPUSSY screenwriter George McDonald Fraser in ROYAL FLASH. Flashman claims that Hope used what happened to him to write his book.

GET SMART was the first spy-related show I can remember seeing. For some reason, I always thought of Maxwell Smart as being what my father would look like. When I met him years later, I was disappointed to discover he was nothing like him!

[TheSaint]

Looks like Get Smart may see the light of day on dvd sooner than later. Read the update here...

TVShowsondvd

[James Boldman]

Actually I just bought the entire collection off ebay. I can't wait to get my hands on them.

[TheSaint]

Methinks you should've waited for the official release. The picture quality will probably be better.

[FLEMINGFAN]

Looks like Get Smart may see the light of day on dvd sooner than later. Read the update here...

TVShowsondvd

Excellent! Thanks for that.

[James Boldman]

Methinks you should've waited for the official release. The picture quality will probably be better.

Yeah, you're right. Although it always happens. As soon as you go to the trouble of buying something that you don't think will be released for a while (or you can't wait that long) you find out the next day that it is in fact coming out! lol

[Clouseau]

my wife is gonna kill me when she finds out this is coming out!

[Daddy Bond]

Yeah! You're in trouble! Both Mission Impossible (TV) and Get Smart are coming out. It's a great day for the spy world!

[Flash1087]

I used to love Get Smart as a kid.

Back around when Nickelodeon was just starting out, my mom would let me stay up late enough to catch Get Smart on Nick at Night and I was shortly obsessed with it. I can remember the theme song to this day.

[JimmyBond]

I was so young when they showed the reruns on Nickelodian. What stuck out to me was that people actually died. Sure it was a comedy, but it was also very violent (not that I was a prude or anything).

Anyone remember "New Get Smart" with Andy Dick?

[Arch Stanton]

Can't wait for the DVD. Watched it when I was younger on Nick @ Nite, and TV Land was playing it for a while a few years ago. It's been a while since they've played it. VERY funny show, one of my favs. Good to see it'll be a high quality release with uncut (non-syndicated) episodes and some great bonus features. Still sad that Don Adams passed away last year. Would've been great if they had gotten some interviews with him, but, maybe on one of the seasons they can include the Inside TV Land special of the show which included new (at the time; 2000/2001, I think) interviews with him.

Edited by Arch Stanton, 03 June 2006 - 09:50 PM.

[Forward Look]

Smart, and Sean's 007 in DN, drove a Sunbeam Alpine roadster in their respective shows, which provided some product placement for that carmaker. They had their moment, even though it didn't help their sales.

[dunmall]

according to Dark Horizons, they are moving ahead with the Get Smart feature film for a 2008 summer release:

http://www.darkhoriz...s06/060814e.php

[Safari Suit]

Guess this is as appropriate a place as any to post this... more so than the predictably longer threads on the remake anyway

I watched the first two episodes recently (including the B/W pilot) and I can guess the answer but does Get Smart have an actual audience laugh track or is it canned? A lot of it didn't seem to be stage bound, and some of the laughter is quite obviously canned but then that could have just been some "enhancement" put on later.

[Ernst Stavro Blofeld Jr.]

There is no audience. The laugh track is a product of the show. Somewhat unfortunate, but most sitcoms had it back in the day so its something I've just come to except.

[Safari Suit]

Thanks, I expected as much. Like most I am not a huge fan of canned laughter but I can put up with it for the most part; and for me The Flintstones just seems wrong without it.

[Von Hammerstein]

well from memory:
there was an episode about Goldthumb, an evil artist and forger which saw Max and 99 go undercover at an art gallery agent 13 (or was it 44 at this point?) was one of the paintings naturally and their gadgets included paint tubes that concealed knives.

Funny, I remembered that character as Goldthumb too, but on the DVD collection its called Bronzefinger.
Of course, Dr. Yes. but don't forget another Dr. No clone The Claw. A very un PC yellow-peril-ish character in very un PC time who couldn't even say his name correctly

Max: Who are you?
Claw: The Craw!
Max: The Craw?
Claw: No! Not Craw! The Craw!

Couldn't get away with that nowadays.

The was also a very Fu-Machuish villain called The Whip who lashed his insubordinate lackies with his six foot long Fu-Manchu mustache.

The Treasure of Sierra Madre and Maltese Falcon combination which had Max searching for the legendary Tequilla Mockingbird (To Kill A Mockingbird was very popular at that time) dressed like Clint Eastwoods Man with No Name even with the signature serape flip when the showdown came.

Buck Henry and Mel Brooks are geniuses of the highest order.

Edited by Von Hammerstein, 06 November 2009 - 11:14 PM.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

yeah i can't remember the character names or the episode title but in one of them this Prince resembled Max except for a mustache and British Accent, his evil brother a Count of some sort was trying to gain control of the country so Max went in as a decoy to protect the Prince. There was a cool little sword fight in an cave between Max and the Villain at the climax.

A follow up saw the Prince come to Washington to engage in some sort of important trade talks with the American's. He stays at Max's flat acting as Max while Max once again acts as a decoy... this one had a great scene where a Tarantula was coming to kill max and 99 saves him by dumping a jar of horseraddish on the spider. The Prince comes down to find out whats going on and asks what's that smell?

Max: oh thats just some horse raddish...

Prince: Really? It smells more like a turantula...

Great episode. I just watched it tonight. I recently bought all 5 seasons of it at a very cheap price. A terrific show and possibly my favorite TV sitcom. One of my favorite supporting characters was 99's mother, a sweet-natured lady who was blithely unaware that her daughter and son-in-law were spies. She thought they worked in the greeting card industry. Another Bond connection: FRWL's Aliza Gur appeared in the "Absorb the Greek" episode.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Great website for Get Smart fans:

http://www.wouldyoubelieve.com/

[Matt_13]

Carrel penned a script for a sequel, but he said there's start date or anything, just a project for him to keep in the pipeline.