Episode Guide - Season Four

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 5

Season 4
1968- 1969

 

Copyright 1995-2008 Carl Birkmeyer
No portions of this episode guide can be reproduced without my explicit, written permission.

 

The Impossible Mission
Airdate: Saturday, Sept. 21, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan, Leonard Stern, Alan Burns, and Chris Hayward
Director: Bruce Bilson
Carl's Rating: **

Max arrives at a bus station locker and receives his orders from a self-destructing tape recorder, a la Mission: Impossible. The tape recorder explodes, destroying everything but the tape. Max assembles his team (he and 99) and their mission is to stop The Leader from smuggling The Hellman Theory out of the country. When they discover that The Leader is a member of Herb Talbot's Tijuana Tin, Max goes undercover as a trumpet player and 99 as a dancer dressed like Charlie Chaplin. Unfortunately, The Leader discovers their real identities and Max and 99 end up trapped in a room with KAOS agents on each side. Since death is inevitable, Max confesses to 99 that he loves her and that he would marry her if they could only get out of this situation. Suddenly inspired, 99 comes up with a plan and they manage to escape KAOS, saving their lives but forcing Max to eventually endure the slow death of marriage.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* The marriage of Max and 99 was forced upon the show's creative staff by the network in an attempt to drive up the show's ratings. I think that's why this show is so unnatural and forced to me.
* As Anthony H. points out, The Leader is a parody of musician and entertainer Herb Alpert. Anthony adds that "Alpert's tudio was formerly the lot for the Charlie Chaplin Studios. There is also a video clip from his Singer show in 1967, which has many Charlie Chaplains walking around the studio to the song Whipped Cream" and that may have served as inspiration for the doors scene.
* The entire Chaplin chase scene also seems more at place in an episode of Scooby Doo instead of Get Smart.
* Barbara has said that this is her favorite episode.

Characters:
* Jamie Farr has a small role as a record shop worker and informant.
* Eddie Hice, Max's stunt double, plays the drummer in this episode.
* Dr. Simon makes her first appearance.
* Aunt Rose appears as a customer in the record store.

  Catchphrases:
* "The old poison needle in the phonograph trick"
* "The old double door deception trick."
* "Sorry about that." 

  Snoopy Smart vs. the Red Baron
Airdate: Saturday, Sept. 28, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writer: Mike Marmer
Director: Reza S. Badiyi
Carl's Rating: ****

KAOS has devised a new chemical that has wiped out ninety percent of the U.S. potato crop. While flying to Idaho to solve the case, Max becomes convinced that he sees the Red Baron through the jet's window. Since they're investigating in Idaho and 99's mother lives outside of Twin Falls, Max and 99 stop in her house so that Max can meet his future mother-in-law. During coffee, Max looks out the window and sees the Red Baron again, but it's only 99's mother's new neighbor, Mr. Smith. 99 and Max go to investigate Mr. Smith's farm and discover that Mr. Smith is actually Siegfried. He is working as a crop duster, secretly spraying the germ that is killing off all the potatoes. Max and 99 escape the clutches of Shtarker and Max is forced to take on Siegfried in an aerial duel.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* Director Reza Badiyi has directed more hours of episodic television than anyone else in history, according to DGA records. A brilliant visionary, Badiyi created the openings of Hawaii Five-O and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
* 99 claims to have been raised in the country and Max claims to have been raised in the city. It's not known if one of them is a little bit country and one a little bit rock and roll.
* This is a parody of Charles Schultz's Peanuts comic strip.

Characters:
* This is the first appearance of 99's mother. She calls 99 "dear" or "sweetie." There is no scene where she calls 99 "Barbara," as was long rumored.

  Catchphrases:
* This episode marks the first use of "Zis is KAOS, Ve don't ___ here" and it's used twice.
* "Zis is KAOS, ve don't dududu here."
* "Zis is KAOS, ve don't (airplane motor sound) here."
* "Sorry about that Chief"
* "I asked you not to tell me that."
 

  Closely Watched Planes
Airdate: Saturday, Oct. 5, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan, Leonard Stern, Alan Burns, and Chris Hayward
Director: Bruce Bilson
Carl's Rating: ****

Max is assigned to protect CONTROL Courier Busby during a plane ride, but Busby mysteriously disappears from the bathroom in mid-flight.  Max becomes the next courier and 99 works as a flight attendant to discover how KAOS is kidnapping the agents. After drinking twelve cups of coffee, Max discovers that the bathroom has a trap door in the floor and that's how KAOS is eliminating the couriers. Two laugh out loud scenes really make this episode stand out in my mind - the cockpit fight with the No Smoking sign and 99 searching Shandar the Magician.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* This is the third straight episode that features scenes in a jet. I'm not sure if they needed to save money on sets or what, but it's very odd, as the same interior plane set is used for two episodes.
* Max reveals that he has known 99 since she was 24.
* My favorite phones are used - the coffee and donut phone.
* The title is based on the Oscar-winning foreign film Closely Watched Trains.

Characters:
* Aunt Rose makes her biggest appearance as the passenger across the aisle from Max.
 

  The Secret of Sam Vittorio
Airdate: Saturday, Oct. 12, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan, Leonard Stern, Alan Burns, and Chris Hayward
Director: Gary Nelson
Carl's Rating: ***

Thirty years earlier bank robbers Connie and Floyd met up with Sam Vittorio, who had robbed 192 banks. Now dying, Vittorio will only reveal the location of his hidden loot to his protégés, who look remarkably like Max and 99. Using their appearance to its advantage, Max and 99 visit Sam, and attempt to worm the secret out of Vittorio. Unfortunately, the real Connie and Floyd break jail and also show up at Sam's bedside.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* The episode is a parody of  Bonnie and Clyde, a huge hit at the time.
* The My Mother the Car insult is a in-joke against writers Hayward and Burns, who created that series.
* I've always felt this to be one of the weaker episodes, especially as we're supposed to believe another villain looks exactly like Max. However, Jodi Goldfinger made me rewatch it and she was right, it's a lot better than I had given it credit for being, especially the pie scene.

  Catchphrases:
* "Sorry about that"
* "Missed me by that much."

 

  Diamonds Are a Spy's Best Friend
Airdate: Saturday, Oct. 19, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan, Leonard Stern, Alan Burns, and Chris Hayward
Director: Jerry Hopper
Carl's Rating: **1/2

KAOS is using its League of Bald Headed Men to steal diamonds and smuggle them out of the country and fund their European payroll. At the same time, Max decides to go shopping for 99's engagement ring. He unknowingly stumbles on a robbery at Spiegel's Jewelry Store. In order to keep the Morris Diamond out of the hands of KAOS, Mr. Spiegel sells it to Max. Unbeknownst to Max, the diamond is worth $275,000, so the Chief suspects Max of stealing the diamond. With 99, they return to Spiegel's Jewelers and find two bald men searching the place for the very diamond Max got the day before. The bald men trick Max out of the diamond, but get away by bowling Max over with a garbage can. The bowling motion leads Max and 99 to a bowling alley to break up the League.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* The League of Bald Headed Men is based on the Sherlock Holmes short story, The Red-Headed League.

Characters:
* Mr. Spiegel is played by the late Dick Wilson, who also was Mr. Whipple of Charmin fame.

  Catchphrases:
* "Sorry about that."
 

  The Worst Best Man
Airdate: Saturday, Oct. 26, 2968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan, Leonard Stern, Alan Burns, and Chris Hayward
Director: Gary Nelson
Carl's Rating: ***

As soon as Max asks someone to be his best man, they get killed or severely injured by KAOS. The Chief orders Max to make Hymie his best man, since Hymie is indestructible. This falls right into KAOS' plans to ruin Max's bachelor party by planting a bomb in Hymie. The Chief also works to ruin the party, forcing Max to hold it in the CONTROL Banquet Room, with The CONTROL Rhythmnaires as the band.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* Gautier is fantastic in this episode, especially with his line, "Here's your fudgicle."
* This is another episode that has confused many trivia buffs. Though this episode clearly has Hymie about to become best man, Hymie is not in the actual wedding episode.
* In the chalkboard list of CONTROL agents Max has asked to be his best man is the name "Karvelas," referring to Don's real best friend.
* Larabee is the leader of the CONTROL Rhythmaires.

Characters:
* Avery Schrieber plays Oleg, KAOS Agent and Ice Cream Man.

  Catchphrases:
* "Sorry about that." - Twice
* Missed me by that much."
 

  A Tale of Two Tails
Airdate: Saturday, Nov. 2, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan, Leonard Stern, Alan Burns, and Chris Hayward
Director: Jerry Hopper
Carl's Rating: **

Max fills in at spy school for an afternoon and is forced to deal with two students whose grades are "alarming in disarming and failing in tailing." After a brief disarming session, he assigns 198 and 199 to tail 99 as she picks up wedding items. Unknown to Max, 99 is also on assignment and is really picking up the Gaul Formula. She spots the tails and believes them to be KAOS agents.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* The Chief reveals that Professor Cone invented the Cone of Silence.
* We also learn that 99 won the Lamont Cranston Award for Shadowing three straight years.

Characters:
* Agent 198 is played by Fernwood 2-Night's Fred Willard.

  Catchphrases:
* "The old flat iron in the hot coals trick."

 

  The Return of the Ancient Mariner
Airdate: Saturday, Nov. 9, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan, Leonard Stern, Alan Burns, and Chris Hayward
Director: Gary Nelson
Carl's Rating: ****

CONTROL is on a high security alert as The Chameleon, another KAOS master of disguise, is on the loose. He is planning to kidnap Admiral Hargrade and take his place at a top secret conference. In order to protect the admiral, the Chief orders Max to use the admiral as best man at his wedding and have him stay at Max's apartment for protection. One of my favorite bits in this episode is when the admiral falls asleep so Max and 99 disguise him as a lamp.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* We learn that the admiral is 95 years old.
* 99 has an answering machine that answers the phone by saying, "Hello, this is 99."

Characters:
* Jack Cassidy has a hilarious bit part as Mr. Bob, Interior Decorator.

  Catchphrases:
* "The old drug his prunes, fake the fight, ransack the apartment, and switch places with the admiral trick"

 

  With Love and Twitches
Airdate: Saturday, Nov. 16, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan, Leonard Stern, Alan Burns, and Chris Hayward
Director: Gary Nelson
Carl's Rating: ****

On the day before his wedding, Max meets with Dr. Madre, who's escaped from KAOS with the plans to the Melnick uranium mine. Dr. Madre has Max unknowingly drink the map, which will appear as a map on his chest, but only if Max remains standing for 48 hours. Max attempts to postpone his wedding for 48 hours until the map appears, but no one believes his story, instead accusing him of cold feet. KAOS and Dr. Madre then return to Max's apartment and hold him hostage so that they can read the map off Max's chest. With the aid of the admiral, Max and Dr. Madre escape and rush to the wedding. Every minute of this episode is outstanding, from the opening spaghetti bit to the car chase to the epilogue.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* For those of you wondering how they had wedding vows without saying 99's name, the admiral is seen and heard snoring over that part of her vows.
* When making this episode, no one was allowed to see 99's dress until the actual filming of her coming down the aisle.
* The Melnick Uranium Mine again refers to Talent Associates partner Dan Melnick.

Characters:
* Don Adams' wife and agent play members of the wedding party. The couple arguing over whether or not to get into the fight are Dorothy Adams and Mace Neufeld. On the other side you will see Arne Sultan and other members of the Get Smart production team. Director Gary Nelson forgot to shot cutaways of one side of the audience and so they had to recruit everybody in the office to do a quick re-shoot.
* 99's mother.

 

  The Laser Blazer
Airdate: Saturday, Nov. 30, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writer: Mike Marmer
Director: Jay Sandrich
Carl's Rating: ***1/2

Max goes to a Hong Kong tailor (Hong Kong Tailors - We Dupricate Anything!) to pick up a new secret weapon, but all the tailor gives him is a blue blazer. To make matters worse, it's not even Max's size! He returns home to find that 99 has hired a maid to keep the apartment clean because they both work. Leaving the suit for 99 to send to the cleaners, Max goes to the Chief to tell him his mission was a failure. The Chief reveals that the blazer is the weapon and it fires a laser every time you put your hand in its pocket. CONTROL then must beat KAOS to Max's dry cleaner before he accidentally fires the laser and destroys the city.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* This is the first of several episodes directed by comedy legend Jay Sandrich. Sandrich went on to direct The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Soap, The Golden Girls and The Cosby Show, among others.
* When Max drives up to his apartment it's in a suburban neighborhood, but when the laser burns a hole in the wall, his apartment overlooks a city block.

Characters:
* Leonard Strong, who played the Craw, also plays tailor Lin Chan in an absolutely hysterical scene with Max in the open.
* The lovely Julie Newmar plays Ingrid the maid.

  Catchphrases:
* "Would you believe..."

 

  The Farkas Fracas
Airdate: Saturday, Dec. 7, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan, Leonard Stern, Alan Burns, and Chris Hayward
Director: Jay Sandrich
Carl's Rating: ***

While Max and the Chief are involved in a gunfight with KAOS, 99 is preparing dinner at home for Max. As she cooks and cleans, 99 spends time talking with her new neighbor, Naomi Farkas. Max invites the Chief over for dinner, upsetting 99 because she has no dessert ready and the Chief loves dessert. In the nick of time, Naomi shows up with extra chocolate mousse and 99 serves it to the Chief and Max. Unfortunately, the Farkas' are KAOS spies who poisoned the mousse so that they can steal the Chief's briefcase filled with top secret papers. The scene where Max and the Chief are suffering stomach pain is a scream.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* This episode is the favorite of famed ESPN Baseball Reporter Tim Kurkjian.
* Emil Farkas was the name of Don Adams' karate teacher.

Characters:
* Tom Bosley and Alice Ghostley appear as the Farkas Family.

  Catchphrases:
* "Would you believe..."
* "I asked you not to tell me that." - said by the Chief

 

  Temporarily Out of CONTROL
Airdate: Saturday, Dec. 14, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan, Leonard Stern, Alan Burns, and Chris Hayward
Director: James Komack
Carl's Rating: ***

Max and 99 are preparing to leave on their honeymoon, a two week Caribbean cruise, when Max gets a telegram calling him to active duty in the Navy. He rushes to the office to get the Chief to intercede, but the Chief has been called up too. Even worse, in the Navy Max is the Chief's superior officer. While painting a battleship, they realize that they must get back to the office to prevent a KAOS spy from getting the Obermeyer Papers. They're unable to convince the captain that they're spies and Max and the Chief are sent to the brig. Max, a confined space, and an inflatable raft make for trouble in this episode. 

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* The battleship scenes were filmed on the USS Yorktown and more details on that can be found here.
* We learn that the Chief suffers from acrophobia.

  Catchphrases:
* "Sorry about that Chief"
* "Sorry about that."

 

  Schwartz's Island
Airdate: Saturday, Dec. 21, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan, Leonard Stern, Alan Burns, and Chris Hayward
Director: Bruce Bilson
Carl's Rating: ****

While sailing on their honeymoon, Max blows up their rented ($8 an hour) boat, marooning them on a deserted island. They can't find any food on the island, but Max and 99 do find footprints. They track the footprints, but unfortunately they lead right to a hut inhabited by Siegfried and Shtarker. The island is an artificial island, built by KAOS and commanded by Siegfried. It contains a giant magnet that, despite what Max believes, will not be used to pull watches off of sailors on passing ships. Instead, it will pull the Sixth Fleet into the island, where an even bigger magnet beneath the island will pull ships to the ocean bottom. My favorite scene in this episode is when Siegfried and Shtarker escape the island.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* The island is named Schwartz's Island after Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of Gilligan's Island, because this show was shot on that set.
* For some bizarre reason, the NBC censor wouldn't let them use quicksand, so they were forced to use "synthetic sand."
* The sailboat Max rents was actually owned by Burt Nodella.

Characters:
* The glorious team of Siegfried and Shtarker make an appearance.

  Catchphrases:
* "Zis is KAOS, ve don't (motorboat engine sound) here!"

 

  One Nation Invisible
Airdate: Saturday, Dec. 28, 1968, 8:00 PM
Writers: Lloyd Turner and Whitey Mitchell
Director: Harry Falk
Carl's Rating: ***

CONTROL receives word that KAOS scientist Dr. Canyon has invented an invisibility spray and wants to defect with it. Coupled with that is the news that KAOS has stolen the Ginsberg Papers. The only way to get the papers back is to have Dr. Canyon use her invisibility spray to sneak into KAOS HQ and retrieve the papers. Max is ordered to pick up and protect Dr. Canyon by hiding her at his apartment. With 99 out of town on an assignment it's the perfect place for Dr. Canyon to be safe and learn how to get into KAOS HQ. Unfortunately, the invisibility spray wears off to reveal Dr. Canyon is a gorgeous woman just as 99 returns home and finds Dr. Canyon lying in her bed.  To prove he's not fooling around and that the gorgeous woman in his apartment is a scientist, Max uses the invisibility spray on himself. Since he's used the last of the invisibility spray, Max must sneak into KAOS HQ and retrieve the Ginsberg Papers himself. This leads to a very funny scene where Max believes himself to be invisible and taunts two KAOS agents. 

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* The restoration of the episodes in the DVD is so strong that you can now see the wires used to manipulate the drinking glass in the scene in the Golden Frigate Cafe.
* Director Harry Falk is the brother of actor Peter Falk

  Catchphrases:
* "I asked him not to tell me that."

  Hurray for Hollywood
Airdate: Saturday, Jan. 4, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writers: Chris Hayward and Arne Sultan
Director: Don Adams
Carl's Rating: **

CONTROL has broken up KAOS' communication strategy of using confetti to contact its agents so now KAOS has put a new communications plan in place. They are using Victor Polo's plays to pass information, but CONTROL can't figure out how. After receiving acting instruction, Max and 99 take small roles in the play in an attempt to discover how the information is being relayed. Max "goes Hollywood" and takes hamming it up to new heights. KAOS discovers that they're double agents and makes plans for Max to die onstage, not that he doesn't with his performance.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* This episode has some real funny bits, but it just bothers me when Max "goes Hollywood." This is the first step in the transformation of the show to a more traditional sit-com that really took hold in the 5th season. Earlier, Get Smart parodied sit-com conventions, not followed them. I think that's why I give this a lower rating than it probably deserves.
* We learn that Max has a cousin who is a used car salesman.

Characters:
* Larabee has a nice part in this one.

  The Day They Raided the Knights
Airdate: Saturday, Jan. 11, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writer: Rick Mittleman
Director: Reza S. Badiyi
Carl's Rating: ***1/2

A computer orders 99 laid off when CONTROL winds up over budget, despite the Chief needing every agent to help find the new KAOS munitions depot. She goes to work at Knight's Stamp Redemption Center as a salesgirl, which is actually the KAOS depot. KAOS overhears 99 being told that Max and all CONTROL agents are conducting a raid out of town so they implement a plan to arm all their DC agents immediately with their new stereophonic pistol. The massive run on item 949 alerts 99 and she finds a pistol in one of the packages. She gets captured while relaying the information to the Chief. Since they're the only agents not on the big raid, the Chief and Larabee disguise themselves as housewives to penetrate the center and rescue 99. Though both Karvelas and Platt are excellent actors, they're definitely not attractive women!

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* The stereophonic pistol is a take-off on the new invention of stereo radios and record players, which were advertised heavily at the time.
* Larabee reveals that his wife works nights as a babysitter.
* 99's knockout lipstick makes an appearance
* 99 also gets to use her compact phone
* For you youngsters who are unfamiliar with trading stamps they were a very popular item in the 50's and 60's. Many stores would give out trading stamps with purchases and consumers would place the stamps in a book. When your book was filled, you could trade it in for items and the more books you had, the better the item you would get would be.

Characters:
* Aunt Rose has not one, not two, but three different appearances in this episode. She gets a corn popper in the center, returns in a different hat to pick up a 949, and later is also seen in the background waiting to get a 949.
* This episode really marks the start of Larabee's integration into the series. For the first time, he has significant lines and he carries them off well, which led to his being used more and more.
 

  Tequila Mockingbird
Airdate: Saturday, Jan. 18, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writers: Chris Hayward and Arne Sultan
Director: Don Adams
Carl's Rating: **

CONTROL Agent Esperanza manages to get The Tequilla Mockingbird away from KAOS, but she's killed before she can reveal its location. Max and 99 are sent to Mira Loma, Mexico to find it and keep it out of KAOS' clutches. Max poses as a bad doctor and 99 as a dancer and singer to infiltrate the town. They run into KAOS Agents Valdez and Dietrich, who are looking for the mockingbird as well.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* This is a mild spoof of The Maltese Falcon, with Dietrich playing Sidney Greenstreet's character.
* The showdown at the end is a spoof of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, one of Clint Eastwood's biggest movies
* The title also refers to the classic movie To Kill A Mockingbird.

  Catchphrases:
* "Sorry about that."
 

  I Shot 86 Today
Airdate: Saturday, Feb. 1, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writer: Burt Nodella
Director: Jay Sandrich
Carl's Rating: **1/2

KAOS has been blowing up U.S. space centers every time they test a new missile. Every base destroyed has been next to a golf course, and Chuck Cramer has been the golf pro at every club.  Max and 99 join the Pomona National Golf Club in order to find out how Cramer is causing the explosions. With the help of some trick golf equipment, Max is able to prevent Cramer from carrying out his plot.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* Don Adams was a big golf player, which may have led to this episode.

Characters:
* Irwin Charone, who played Professor Whitaker in The Expendable Agent, appears as Upjohn, the club manager.
* Dr. Simon appears to give Max his golf spy gadgets.

  Catchphrases:
* "The old mortar in the rocks on the 14th hole trick."
 

  Absorb the Greek
Airdate: Saturday, Feb. 8, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan and Chris Hayward
Director: Richard Benedict
Carl's Rating: **1/2

The Chief takes up computer dating and winds up dating a gorgeous young woman. The Chief's boss (unseen) orders Max and 99 to follow the Chief to make sure that this romance is not a security risk. 99 also thinks that the Chief should be dating someone more his age, like her mother. The young woman is actually the wife of Dr. Paponickolini, who is giving the Chief a secret formula for eternal youth. The Chief arrives at Max's apartment for a dinner date with 99's mom but instead KAOS shows up and kidnaps 99's mother, thinking she's the wife of Dr. Paonickolini.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* The title is a parody of Zorba the Greek.
* KAOS Agent Preminger is a takeoff on director Otto Preminger.

Characters:
* 99's mother.

 

  To Sire, With Love Part I
Airdate: Saturday, Feb. 15, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan and Chris Hayward
Director: Gary Nelson
Carl's Rating: ***

Max's resemblance to the King of Coronia is needed as the King is endangered by Rotten, Ruthless, Rupert of Rathskeller. Rupert is after the king's scepter and Max must hide it and the king. The king and Max switch identities, and the King moves in with Max and 99. Max hides the scepter so well that he and the Chief can't find it, leading to a great scene that shows off Ed Platt brilliantly. Rupert discovers the switch and has his henchmen send a trained tarantula into the apartment to kill everyone.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* We see a close-up of Max's ID card which shows him as an agent of the "Department of Investigation."
* This is the show's second parody of The Prisoner of Zenda starring Ronald Colman.
* The title is a parody on To Sir With Love.
* This is one of the rare episodes where KAOS is not the opponent.

Characters:
*  James Caan and Don Adams were close friends and Caan did these episodes as a favor to Adams. Caan also insisted that his real name not be used, which caused a great deal of difficulties with the Screen Actors Guild.

  Catchphrases:
* "Sorry about that Chief"
* "Sorry about that 99."
* "The old sever the cord of the lamp trick." - said by Rupert in a quite nice imitation of Don Adams.

 

  To Sire, With Love Part II
Airdate: Saturday, Feb. 22, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writers: Gloria Burton and Don Adams
Director: Jay Sandrich
Carl's Rating: **

After defeating the tarantula with the 2nd biggest jar of horseradish I've ever seen, Max gets jealous over 99 accidentally kissing King Charles. 86 takes off his wedding wing and pretends to be the king to fool 99 and find out if she's faithful. 99 discovers his ruse and to take revenge on Max, she pretends that she likes the king and not Max. If you're not confused by my description, you can follow Max down into the catacombs where he defeats Rupert's henchmen and then Rupert.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* Adams was a huge fan of Ronald Coleman and The Prisoner of Zenda, which accounts for the multiple parodies.
* I've never been a fan of the "identical double" sitcom plot and the forced jealousy scenes are another sign of Get Smart descending to the level of ordinary sitcoms. On the other hand, the jealousy/romance plot is enormously popular among the show's female fans.

Characters:
* Don Rickles makes an appearance as a henchman. Rickles, Adams, and Caan were all off-screen buddies.
* James Caan again is Rupert.
* Gloria Burton is still Don Adams' sister.
* Hugh Hefner's brother Keith plays a henchman. He is listed as a KAOS agent in the credits, but nowhere in the episode do we hear of KAOS having any involvement.

 

  Shock it to Me
Airdate: Saturday, March 1, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan and Chris Hayward
Director: Jay Sandrich
Carl's Rating: ***

KAOS has been hijacking trucks filled with electronic equipment, so Max goes undercover as a truck driver and promptly has his truck hijacked. Max can identify the hijacker, but the man he identifies was killed months earlier. That leads the Chief to suspect top scientist Dr. Eric Zharko of having perfected a machine to bring the dead back to life. Max and 99 journey to a small island off the coast of Newfoundland to search for Dr. Zharko's lab in the island's caves. Unfortunately, Zharko finds them first and he attempts to place Max and 99 in suspended animation for five years.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* "Sock it to me!" was a huge catchphrase from Laugh-In.
* We learn that Max needs a teddy bear to sleep and that Max has a cousin named Harvey who's a cab driver.

Characters:
* Tom Poston, who was the original choice to play Max, appears in a great over-the-top performance as Dr. Zharko.

  Catchphrases:
* "I asked you not to tell me that."
* "If only he had used his genius for niceness."

 

  Leadside
Airdate: Saturday, March 8, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writers: Lloyd Turner and Whitey Mitchell
Director: Gary Nelson
Carl's Rating: ****

Wheelchair bound mastermind Leadside is caught in a robbery by Max and announces a three-part plan. Phase one, he will escape from Max. Phase two, he will destroy CONTROL. Phase three, he will kill Maxwell Smart. After Leadside follows through on Phases One and Two, Max holes up in his apartment, vowing "Leadside will only complete Phase Three over my dead body." This is one of my favorite episodes and Ronald Long is brilliant as Leadside. "My mother gave me Norman." The wheelchair in the back of the truck bit is still side-splittingly funny.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* Leadside is a parody of Ironside, the police drama starring Raymond Burr.

 

  Greer Window
Airdate: Sat., March 15, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writers: Chris Hayward and Arne Sultan
Director: Edward Ryder
Carl's Rating: ***

CONTROL corners KAOS Agent Klineschmidt in a house and attempts to take him alive. Before they can do that, he manages to shoot Max in the buttocks. Forced to stay at home, Max amuses himself by using binoculars to spy on the office building across the street. The office he's watching belongs to Otto Greer, who is a government contractor. Top secret papers have been disappearing from his office so the Chief assigns 99 to work undercover as secretary to Greer. Max keeps an eye on 99's progress and discovers too late that Greer is a KAOS agent planning to kill both of them.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* This is a parody of the Hitchcock classic, Rear Window.
 

The Not-So-Great-Escape, Part I
Airdate: Sat., March 22, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan and Chris Hayward
Director: Don Adams
Carl's Rating: ****

Max is assigned to see Agent Kendall safely on a plane to Europe. However, Kendall mysteriously disappears from the airport after being paged. When Max takes the Chief to the airport to find out what happened, the Chief also disappears after being paged. With the Chief gone, there's chaos at CONTROL and even worse, Harvey shuts down the CONTROL Deli. Max appoints himself temporary chief and decides to get himself kidnapped to find out what is happening to the missing agents. He defeats the gang at the airport and discovers that the agents are being sent to Camp Gitchee Goommee Noonee Wa-Wa, a KAOS P.O.W. camp in New Jersey. Even worse, the commandant of the camp is Siegfried, assisted by Shtarker. Max disguises himself as Major Kessler and tries to break the agents out of the camp, but his disguise is penetrated and he must flee the camp's dogs.

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* It's parody time again, this time of the movies, The Great Escape and Stalag 17.

Characters:
* William Yarmy, Don Adams' father, plays "Old Timer", the guy in the line of prisoners.
* Aunt Rose appears twice in the airport, both times when Max is there with the Chief
* Siegfried and Shtarker appear

  Catchphrases:
* "The old check the baggage, take out the insurance, page 'em to the phone, spin the booth trick."
* "Zis is KAOS, ve don't (motorcycle revving noise) here."
* "Zis is KAOS, ve don't chickee, chickee here." - said by Max as Major Kessler.

 

The Not-So-Great-Escape, Part II
Airdate: Sat., March 29, 1969, 8:00 PM
Writers: Arne Sultan and Chris Hayward
Director: Don Adams
Carl's Rating: ****

Max survives being eaten by the dogs thanks to Shtarker's idiocy, but he becomes another prisoner at Camp Gitchee Goommee Noonee Wa-Wa. Max then tries to lead the prisoners on several escape attempts, but each fails because a CONTROL agent is informing on the details of the plans to Siegfried. Finally, Max is forced to tunnel west. Or is it east? South?

CONTROL Insider's Report:
* These episodes are my absolute favorite episodes and Bernie Kopell is brilliant as Siegfried in them.
* This episode was originally written to include Hymie, but Gautier was unavailable and so his part was rewritten.

Characters:
* John Flinn, who was then a camera assistant but went on to be an award-winning Director of Photography, plays a prisoner.
 

  Catchphrases:
* "Zis is KAOS, ve don't tic tac toe here."
 

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 5

 

All of the screen captures on this page were taken from Time-Life/HBO's DVD release and are copyright HBO.

 

Copyright 1995-2008 Carl Birkmeyer
No portions of this episode guide can be reproduced or used on another web page without my explicit, written permission.


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