The Sequels
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The Sequels |
There have been three different sequels/reunions of Get Smart, all with varying degrees of success. Before I get into the details of each, I think it's important to remember one thing about sequels - they rarely work. Here's why. When we think of a show that we like, we remember things how they used to be. However, since a sequel is usually many years after a series, everything, by necessity, has changed. So the original dynamic that we loved no longer exists and everything is off slightly. That's why we'll never like a sequel as much as the original - everything has changed, and though it may have changed for the better, it's no longer the same. Remember, you can't go home again!
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The Nude Bomb was a 1980 Universal movie starring Don Adams as Get Smart. Originally planned as a TV movie, when Universal discovered how popular Get Smart was, they moved it to a theatrical release. The plot concerned KAOS' discovery of The Nude Bomb, a bomb that can destroy all clothing. They demand ten billion dollars a month from the United Nations or they will detonate the bomb, making everyone nude. Max, now working for PITS -Provisional Intelligence Tactical Service, teams up with several new agents to foil the plot- weapons specialist Carruthers (Norman Lloyd), teen geniuses Pam and Jerry Krubney, and Agents 22,34, and 36. Larabee also helps Max, especially with his plan for people to wear food instead of cloth, thereby defeating the purpose of the Nude Bomb.  Unevenly funny, the movie sorely missed the steadying influence of Ed Platt and Barbara Feldon. Platt had passed away and Feldon did not want to appear in a reunion movie. Don Adams and Robert Karvelas were excellent, but the movie lacked the normal bite of the television series. In terms of reunion movies, it was pretty good though. It was funny at times, but it just wasn't Get Smart. One thing about this movie that I learned in 2023 is that Aunt Rose is in the movie! You can see her doing one of her walking cameos in the hospital scene when Bill Dana is being wheeled into the hospital.
In December 2019 Kino Lorber released an amazing Blu Ray edition of The Nude Bomb. It can be ordered from Kino Lorber here. This is an amazing release with some great extras and I highly recommend it. Not only does it have image galleries and behind the scenes photos, noted writer and producer Alan Spencer provided an amazing audio commentary. His commentary discusses the real story of the movie - how and why it got made and how and why it got made the way it did. Alan was on the set for filming and he presents the true story of the film. His informative and first-hand account of working with Don on this movie truly exposes how Don worked to make this as funny as possible. Your respect for Don, and this movie, will grow dramatically after getting this release. If you want to get the inside story on how this movie was made and why they banned Leonard Stern from the set, you have to get this release and listen to Alan's commentary. A standard DVD ofThe Nude Bomb was released on DVD on June 17, 2008 and can be ordered on Amazon.com by following this link. |
Photo Courtesy BS Images
A 1989 TV movie, Get Smart Again was written by Leonard Stern and directed by Gary Nelson. This reunion saw Max currently working as a US government representative at funerals. When Siegfried returns with a new plot, the government reactivates CONTROL. Max reassembles his old team, finding Hymie working as a crash test dummy, and even gets Presidential permission for 99 to join him in the case. Together, they manage to outwit a very sentimental Siegfried and Shtarker.
While featuring the right cast, the script re-used too many of the old jokes. Max and Siegfried's new meeting in the park is a virtual replay of their first meeting. Instead of being fresh, it became predictable, though still funny. Nelson's direction was uneven and I believe they would have been better off allowing Don Adams to direct, as Adams directed some of the series' best episodes. There were several highlights, including Max's reunion with Hymie and a fantastic "Would You Believe" with Harold Gould. All in all, it was a good movie and definitely should be seen by all Smartians, who would probably be better off by forgetting about The Nude Bomb.
An incredibly poor copy appeared on DVD in 2003 and can be found at Amazon.com. However, there are no extras and the video quality is actually worse than the 1998 VHS version. A PAL version of Get Smart Again is available in Australia.
Fox continued its tradition of poor comedies by resurrecting Get Smart in 1995. Mercifully, only seven episodes made it onto the air. Don Adams reprised his role as Max, only he was now Chief of CONTROL. Barbara Feldon's 99 was now a Congresswoman, and one of the Smart twins, Zach, was now a Control Agent. Zach, portrayed by Andy Dick, was even more of a bumbler than Max, and was teamed with the gung-ho Agent 66 (Elaine Hendrix), who was forced to save Zach from himself. Robert Karvelas had passed away, so there was no Larabee, and no mention of Hymie was made. However, Bernie Kopell returned as Siegfried. This episode provided the biggest laugh for me when Zach is telling Siegfried’s daughter how tough it is to grow up with a spy for a father. She agrees, complaining that her father had lied to her for years, claiming to be a doctor on a cruise ship.
In my opinion, the series had two main failings in its design, one being Andy Dick, who was unable to handle a leading role. Far more damaging was the lack of a straight man. With both Max and Zach incompetent, there was no one for them to play off in scenes together. The series would have been much better if Zach was a great agent and he and Agent 66 tried to help Max, just as the Chief and 99 used to in the old series. There were all kinds of other issues and a big one was that Don Adams and Andy Dick did not get along, with Adams calling the show "poorly cast." To be fair to Andy Dick, I think a lot of that hostility came from Don, as Dick has always publicly stated that he enjoyed working with and getting to know Don. The show began pre-production without consulting Adams or even asking if he'd like to be a part of it, which was probably bad from a PR standpoint and definitely bad from a keeping Don happy standpoint. At the time, Fox was a new network and had a terrible record with comedies and developing them and so I don't think there was as much support for the show as there would have been on a network show. After the show had been shot, Andy Dick auditioned for and won a role on NewsRadio. However, he couldn't take the role if Get Smart was renewed, so he openly campaigned for the show to be cancelled. Those were just of few of its issues!
I do want to mention that I had the pleasure of meeting Elaine Hendrix and talking about the show with her and her memories were all wonderful. She praised Don both as a co-worker and as a friend. It was very touching when she revealed to me that Don had told her about classic movies that she would like and he gave her VHS copies to watch and Ms. Hendrix still had those tapes.
I did watch Andy Dick perform live and he discussed the show in his act. You can find a recap here.
There are fans who loved this version and they have told me that I'm too hard on it. So here to tell you why he loved this version is Zak Klaas:
KAOS in this iteration of the show had moved from being an international evil organization to an international evil corporation, headed by the unseen KAOS Chairwoman (Marcia Mitzman Gaven). Recurring characters included scatterbrained CONTROL secretary Trudy (Heather Morgan), a diminuitive agent known as Agent 9 because that's how old she is (Gabrielle Boni), and numerous actors and actresses playing Agent 0, an agent who is always in disguise and who could be masquerading as anyone from a factory worker to a nurse to Las Vegas performer Robert Goulet.
Get Smart 1995 was released by Sony on DVD on June 3rd. It is a normal retail release issued by Sony and also is available from Amazon.com.
For more details on this series, please check out Sergio's excellent page.
The episodes that aired were:
January 8, 1995 - Pilot
Zach moves up from research and becomes an agent. He's teamed with the violent and aggressive Agent 66. They must get the formula for Dutracalon
back from KAOS.
Writers: Michael J. DiGaetano & Lawrence Gay
Director: Nick Marck
January 15, 1995 - Casino Evil
KAOS is using a casino to bankrupt CEOs and take their companies. Zach and 66 go undercover to thwart the plot and get to listen to
Robert Goulet sing "Max the Knife."
Writers: Michael Carrington and Gary Apple
Director: Nick Marck
January 22, 1995 - Goodbye Ms. Chip
January 29, 1995 - Shooting Up the Charts
February 5, 1995 - Passenger 99
February 12, 1995 - Wurst Enemies
February 19, 1995 - Liver Let Die
Copyright 1995-2010 Carl Birkmeyer
Though transfer to DVD is of decent quality, there are no extras at all on this release.