Blogger Rick29 has recently been taking a look at the greatest TV characters of the 1960s. In today’s guest post, he focuses on the funniest secret agent ever to grace the small screen.
Name: Maxwell Smart, aka Agent 86
Portrayed by: Don Adams
TV series: Get Smart (1965-70)
Occupation: Secret agent for CONTROL.
Early Life: Born in Washington, DC, in 1930. Had a brother. Served in the Army during the Korean War. Failed the torture class three times in spy school, but still apparently graduated.
Family and Friends: He eventually married his partner, Agent 99; they had twins, whose names were never revealed. Max’s boss is The Chief (first name Thaddeus), who went bald within a few weeks of Max becoming a CONTROL agent. Max’s friends included fellow agent Larabee, Agent 13 (who hides in furniture, trash cans, mail boxes, etc.), Agent 44, and Hymie the robot.
Awards: Won “Spy of the Year” in 1965 and 1966.Voted one of the “Ten Best Dressed Spies.”
Nemesis: Siegfried, the Vice President of Public Relations and Terrorism for KAOS.
Useful Skills: Karate expert; fluent in several languages.
Classic quotes: “Missed it by that much!” “Would you believe (fill in the blank)?” “The old (fill in the blank) trick.” “And loving it!”
Classic episodes: “A Spy for a Spy” (first appearance of Siegfried); “The King Lives” (a The Prisoner of Zenda spoof with Don Adams doing a great Ronald Colman impersonation); and “The Impossible Mission” (a spoof of Mission: Impossible…and Max proposes to 99).
Rick29 is a film reference book author and a regular contributor at the Classic Film & TV Café , on Facebook and Twitter. He’s a big fan of MovieFanFare, too, of course!