''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

'' films. It was created by

Mel Brooks Melvin James Brooks (né Kaminsky; born June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodie ...

and

Buck Henry Buck Henry (born Henry Zuckerman; December 9, 1930 – January 8, 2020) was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's ''The Graduate'' (1967) for which he re ...

, and had its television premiere on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

on September 18, 1965. It starred Don Adams (who was also a director on the series) as agent Maxwell Smart (Agent 86), Barbara Feldon as Agent 99, and

Edward Platt Edward Cuthbert Platt (February 14, 1916 – March 19, 1974) was an American actor widely known for his portrayal of the Chief in the 1965–1970 NBC/ CBS television series ''Get Smart''. With his deep voice and mature appearance, he pl ...

as The Chief. Henry said that they created the show at the request of Daniel Melnick to capitalize on

and Inspector Clouseau, "the two biggest things in the entertainment world today". Brooks described it as "an insane combination of James Bond and Mel Brooks comedy". The show generated a number of popular catchphrases during its run, including "sorry about that, Chief", "...and ''loving'' it", "missed it by ''that much''", and "would you believe...". The show was followed by the films ''

The Nude Bomb ''The Nude Bomb'' (also known as ''The Return of Maxwell Smart'') is a 1980 American spy comedy film based on the 1965–70 television series ''Get Smart''. It stars Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, and was directed by Clive Donner. It ...

'' (a 1980 theatrical film made without the involvement of Brooks and Henry) and '' Get Smart, Again!'' (a 1989 made-for-TV sequel to the series), as well as a 1995 revival series and a 2008 film adaptation. In 2010, ''TV Guide'' ranked ''Get Smart''s opening title sequence at number two on its list of TV's top 10 credits sequences as selected by readers. The show switched networks in 1969 to CBS. It ended its five-season run on May 15, 1970, with a total of 138 episodes. The

Museum of Broadcast Communications The Museum of Broadcast Communications (MBC) is an American museum that showcases historic and contemporary radio and television content. It is headquartered in Chicago. Museum locations (1987–present) The Museum of Broadcast Communications wa ...

found the show notable for "broadening the parameters for the presentation of comedy on television".

Premise

The series centers on bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart (Adams), also known as Agent 86, and his unnamed female partner, Agent 99 (Feldon).Buck Henry and Barbara Feldon, Season 3 DVD commentary. They work for CONTROL, a secret U.S. government

counterintelligence Counterintelligence (counter-intelligence) or counterespionage (counter-espionage) is any activity aimed at protecting an agency's Intelligence agency, intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering informati ...

agency based in Washington, D.C., fighting against KAOS, "the international organization of evil". While Smart always succeeds in thwarting KAOS, his incompetent nature and insistence on doing things "by the book" invariably cause complications. The enemies, world-takeover plots, and gadgets seen in ''Get Smart'' were a parody of the ''James Bond'' film franchise. "Do what they did except just stretch it half an inch", Mel Brooks said of the methods of this TV series.

Production

Talent Associates commissioned Mel Brooks and Buck Henry to write a script about a bungling James Bond–like hero. Brooks described the premise for the show that they created in an October 1965 ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine article:

I was sick of looking at all those nice, sensible situation comedies. They were such distortions of life. If a maid ever took over my house like ''
Hazel Hazels are plants of the genus ''Corylus'' of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family, Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K ...
'', I'd set her hair on fire. I wanted to do a crazy, unreal,
comic-strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
kind of thing about something besides a family. No one had ever done a show about an idiot before. I decided to be the first.

Brooks and Henry proposed the show to ABC, where network executives called it "un-American" and demanded a "lovable dog to give the show more heart", as well as scenes showing Maxwell Smart's mother. Brooks strongly objected to the second suggestion:

They wanted to put a print housecoat on the show. Max was to come home to his mother and explain everything. I hate mothers on shows. Max has no mother. He never had one.

The cast and crew contributed joke and gadget ideas, especially Don Adams, but dialogue was rarely ad-libbed. An exception is the third-season episode "The Little Black Book".

Don Rickles Donald Jay Rickles (May 8, 1926 – April 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include ''Run Silent, Run Deep (film), Run Silent, Run Deep'' (1958), ''Enter Laughing ...

encouraged Adams to misbehave, and he ad-libbed. The result was so successful that the single episode was turned into two parts. The first four seasons on NBC were filmed at

Sunset Bronson Studios The Old Warner Brothers Studio, now known as the Sunset Bronson Studios (formerly known as KTLA Studios and Tribune Studios), is a motion picture, radio and television production facility located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Ca ...

, while the final season, shown on CBS, was filmed at

CBS Studio Center Radford Studio Center, alternatively CBS Studio Center, is a television and film studio located in the Studio City district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California, United States. The lot has 18 sound stages from , of office spac ...

Production personnel

Brooks had little involvement with the series after the first season, but Henry served as story editor through 1967. The crew of the show included: * Leonard B. Stern – executive producer for the entire run of the series * Irving Szathmary – music and theme composer and conductor for the entire run * Don Adams – director of 13 episodes and writer of two episodes * David Davis – associate producer * Gary Nelson – director of the most episodes * Bruce Bilson – director of the second-most episodes * Gerald C. Gardner and Dee Caruso – head writers for the series *

Reza Badiyi Reza Sayed Badiyi (also known as Reza Badiei; Persian: رضا بدیعی; April 17, 1930 – August 20, 2011) was an Iranian-born American film and television director. His credits also include developing the title sequence montages for ' ...

– occasional director *

Allan Burns Allan Pennington Burns (May 18, 1935January 30, 2021) was an American screenwriter and television producer. He was best known for co-creating and writing for the television sitcoms ''The Munsters'' and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show''. Early life ...

and

Chris Hayward Christopher Robert Hayward (June 19, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American television writer and producer. He was the co-creator, with Allan Burns, of the television shows ''The Munsters'' (1964) and '' My Mother the Car'' (1965), and the ...

– frequent writers and producers * Stan Burns and Mike Marmer – frequent writers *

Richard Donner Richard Donner (born Richard Donald Schwartzberg; April 24, 1930 – July 5, 2021) was an American film director, producer and actor. Described as "one of Hollywood's most reliable makers of action blockbusters", Donner directed some of the mo ...

– occasional director * James Komack – writer and director * Arne Sultan – frequent writer and producer * Lloyd Turner and Whitey Mitchell – frequent writers and producers of season five

Characters

Maxwell "Max" Smart, Agent 86, ( Don Adams) is the central character of the series. Despite being a top-secret government agent, he is absurdly clumsy. Yet Smart is also resourceful, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, a proficient marksman, and incredibly lucky; all of this makes him one of CONTROL's top agents. Brooks decided on Smart's code number, 86, as a reference to the slang term, meaning to forcibly eject someone, such as a patron from a bar or casino. In 1999, ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' ranked Maxwell Smart number 19 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list. The character appears in every episode (though only briefly in "Ice Station Siegfried", as Don Adams was performing in Las Vegas for two weeks to settle gambling debts). ( Barbara Feldon) works alongside 86 and is another one of the top agents at CONTROL. Her actual name is never revealed. In the episode "A Man Called Smart Part 3" (S2 E30), Max calls her Ernestine and she says, "Too bad that's not my name." In another episode, "99 Loses CONTROL" (S3 E19), she uses the name Susan Hilton, but later in the same episode tells Max that it is not her real name. When 99 marries Max in Season 4, Admiral Hargrade snores when the minister says her name, making it inaudible. Several instances refer to her high level of professionalism; in one episode the Chief says an assignment requires extreme bravery and competence but since 99 isn't available, Max could do it. According to Feldon, 99 is deeply in love with Max and either overlooks or understands his quirks, while he is clueless about her affection yet often demonstrates his care through his concern for her well-being. (

) is the head of CONTROL. His first name is revealed to be Thaddeus but his surname is never revealed. On some occasions he uses the "code name" "Harold Clark" for outsiders, but this is understood among CONTROL agents not to be his real name. He is supportive of Agents 86 and 99 and considers them to be his two closest friends, but he is often frustrated with Smart. When he was a field agent, his code name was "Q." ( Robert Karvelas, Don Adams' cousin) is the Chief's assistant, even more slow-witted and incompetent than Max. Ludwig Von Siegfried (

Bernie Kopell Bernard Morton Kopell (born June 21, 1933) is an American character actor known for his roles as Siegfried in ''Get Smart'' from 1966 to 1969 and as Dr. Adam Bricker ("Doc") on ''The Love Boat'' from 1977 to 1986. Early life Kopell was born in B ...

) is a recurring villain, and the vice president in charge of public relations and terror at KAOS, though his title does vary. Despite his gruff and proper demeanor, he is as incompetent as Max. ( King Moody) is Siegfried's equally ruthless but often inept chief henchman, prone to silly behaviors which annoy his boss as unbecoming of KAOS. (

Dick Gautier Richard Gautier ( Go- tee- AY) (October 30, 1931 – January 13, 2017) was an American actor. He was known for his television roles as Hymie the Robot in the television series ''Get Smart'', and Robin Hood in the TV comedy series '' When Things ...

) is a

humanoid robot A humanoid robot is a robot resembling the human body in shape. The design may be for functional purposes, such as interacting with human tools and environments and working alongside humans, for experimental purposes, such as the study of bipeda ...

built by KAOS, but in his first mission, Smart manages to turn him to the side of CONTROL. Hymie had a tendency to take instructions too literally. ( David Ketchum) is an agent who is usually stationed inside unlikely, sometimes impossibly small or unlucky places, such as cigarette machines, washing machines, lockers, trash cans, or fire hydrants. He tends to resent his assignments. ( Victor French) Six episodes (1965–66). French's first role was the insurance man in "Too Many Chiefs", and subsequent episodes as Agent 44. He is the predecessor to Agent 13 in season 1. Agent 13 takes over the function of Agent 44 for seasons 2 to 4, but Agent 44, now played by Al Molinaro, returns in season 5. Carlson ( Stacy Keach Sr.) is a CONTROL scientist and inventor of such gadgets as an umbrella rifle (with a high-speed camera in the handle) and edible buttons. Dr. Steele (

Ellen Weston Ellen Weston (born Ellen Weinstein) is an American actress, producer, and writer. Early years Born in New York City, Weston is the daughter of educators; her mother was a teacher, and her father was a superintendent of schools. She attended Pe ...

) is a beautiful, sexy, and brilliant CONTROL scientist who develops formulas while undercover as a dancer and strip-tease artist. She remains oblivious to Smart's clearly discomfited attraction to her. The character appeared in three episodes in season 3, replaced the next season by Dr. Simon who has the same cover (played by different actresses in two episodes).

Production notes

Gadgets

Telephones

In ''Get Smart'', telephones are concealed in over 50 objects, including a necktie, comb, watch, and a clock. A recurring gag is Max's shoe phone (an idea from Brooks). To use or answer it, he has to take off his shoe. Several variations on the shoe phone were used. In "I Shot 86 Today" (season four), his shoe phone is disguised as a golf shoe, complete with cleats, developed by the attractive armorer Dr. Simon. Smart's shoes sometimes contain other devices housed in the heels: an explosive pellet, a smoke bomb, compressed air capsules that propelled the wearer off the ground, and a suicide pill (which Max believes is for the enemy). Agent 99 used concealed telephones in her makeup compact and her fingernail. To use the latter device, she would pretend to bite her nail nervously while actually talking on her "nail phone." On February 17, 2002, the prop shoe phone was included in a display titled "Spies: Secrets from the CIA, KGB, and Hollywood", a collection of real and fictional spy gear that exhibited at the

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the presidential library and burial site of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States (1981–1989), and his wife Nancy Reagan. Located in Simi Valley, California, the library is administere ...

Simi Valley, California Simi Valley (; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in Simi Valley (valley), the valley of the same name in southeastern Ventura County, California, United States. It is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it part of the Greater ...

Flinders University Flinders University, established as The Flinders University of South Australia is a public university, public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across a number of locations in South Australia and ...

in South Australia has researched medical applications for shoe phone technology after being inspired by the show. Gag phones also appear in other guises. In the episode "Too Many Chiefs" (season one), Max tells Tanya, the KAOS informer whom he is protecting, that if anyone breaks in, to pick up the house phone, dial 1-1-7, and press the trigger on the handset, which converts it to a gun. The phone-gun is only used that once, but Max once carried a gun-phone, a revolver with a rotary dial built into the cylinder. In the episode "Satan Place", Max simultaneously holds conversations on seven different phones: the shoe, his tie, his belt, his wallet, a garter, a handkerchief, and a pair of eyeglasses. Other unusual locations include a garden hose, a car cigarette lighter (with the lighter being hidden in the car phone), a bottle of perfume (Max complains of smelling like a woman), the steering wheel of his car, a painting of Agent 99, the headboard of his bed, a cheese sandwich, lab test tubes (Max grabs the wrong one and splashes himself), a

Bunsen burner A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a kind of ambient air gas burner used as laboratory equipment; it produces a single open gas flame, and is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion. The gas can be natural gas (which is main ...

(Max puts out the flame anytime he pronounces a "p"), a plant in a planter beside the real working phone (operated by the dial of the working phone), and inside ''another'' full-sized working phone.

Cone of Silence

In another of the show's recurring gags, Smart often insists on speaking under the "Cone of Silence" when discussing highly confidential things in the Chief's office. The device, consisting of two transparent plastic hemispheres, is electrically lowered on top of Smart and Chief and is intended to prevent their conversation from being heard outside. The joke is that the apparatus actually makes it impossible for those inside the device–and easy for those outside it–to hear the conversation. The Cone of Silence first appeared in the pilot episode " Mr. Big", which aired on September 18, 1965. The Cone of Silence scene was shot ahead of the rest of the pilot episode, and was used to sell ''Get Smart'' to

. The series also depicts a Portable Cone of Silence.

Other gadgets

Other gadgets include a bullet-proof invisible wall in Max's apartment that lowers from the ceiling, into which Max and others often walk; a camera hidden in a bowl of soup (cream of

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

) that takes a picture (with a conspicuous flash) of the person eating the soup with each spoonful; a mini magnet on a belt, which turns out to be stronger than KAOS's maxi magnet; and a powerful miniature laser weapon in the button of a sports jacket (the "laser blazer").

Cars

The car that Smart is seen driving most frequently is a red 1965 Sunbeam Tiger two-seat roadster. This car had various custom features, such as a machine gun, smoke screen, radar tracking, and an

ejection seat In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the aircraft pilot, pilot or other aircrew, crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an exp ...

. The Sunbeam Alpine, upon which the Tiger was based, was used by customizer Gene Winfield because the Alpine's four-cylinder engine afforded more room under the hood than the V8 in the Tiger. AMT, Winfield's employer, made a model kit of the Tiger, complete with hidden weapons. It is the only kit of the Tiger, and has been reissued multiple times as a stock Tiger. Adams received the Sunbeam and drove it for 10 years after the end of the show. It was wrecked and repaired several times, and its current whereabouts are unknown. In the black-and-white pilot episode only, Smart drives a 1961

Ferrari 250 The Ferrari 250 is a series of sports cars and grand tourers built by Ferrari from 1952 to 1964. The company's most successful early line, the 250 series includes many variants designed for road use or sports car racing. 250 series cars are chara ...

GT PF Spider Cabriolet. In the opening credits, the Tiger was used for seasons one and two. In seasons three and four, Smart drives a light blue Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, because

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

had become a sponsor of the show. The Volkswagen was never used in the body of the show. In season five (1969–1970),

Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...

became a show sponsor, so the Tiger was replaced with a gold 1969 Opel GT, which also appears in the body of the show. In season four (1968–1969), Adams uses a yellow

Citroën 2CV The Citroën 2CV (, , lit. "two horses", meaning "two Tax horsepower#France, ''taxable'' horsepower") is an economy car produced by the French company Citroën from 1948 to 1990. Introduced at the 1948 Paris Paris Auto Show, Salon de l'Automobi ...

in the wedding episode "With Love and Twitches", and a blue 1968 Ford

Shelby Mustang The Shelby Mustang is a high-performance variant of the Ford Mustang built by Shelby American from 1965 to 1967 and by the Ford Motor Company from 1968 to 1970. In 2005, Ford revived the Shelby nameplate for a high-performance model of the Fo ...

GT500 convertible with a tan interior and four seats (as required by the plot) in the episodes "A Tale of Two Tails" and "The Laser Blazer". In the short-lived 1995 TV series, Smart is trying to sell the Karmann Ghia through the classified ads. In ''Get Smart, Again!'', Smart is seen driving a red 1986 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce. The Sunbeam Tiger, the Karmann Ghia, and the Opel GT all make brief appearances in the 2008 film. The Sunbeam Tiger is seen in the CONTROL Museum, along with the original shoe phone, which Smart also briefly uses. The Opel GT is driven by Bernie Kopell and is rear-ended by a truck. Smart steals the Karmann Ghia to continue his escape.

Notable guest stars

''Get Smart'' used several familiar character actors and celebrities, and some future stars, in guest roles, including: * Ian Abercrombie *

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer, and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and ...

Merry Anders Merry Anders (born Mary Helen Anderson; May 22, 1934 – October 28, 2012) was an American actress who appeared in a number of television programs and films from the 1950s until her retirement from the screen in 1972. Early life Anders was born ...

* Barbara Bain *

Billy Barty Billy Barty (born William John Bertanzetti; October 25, 1924 – December 23, 2000) was an American actor and activist. In adult life, he stood tall, due to cartilage–hair hypoplasia dwarfism. Because of his short stature, he was often cast i ...

* Jacques Bergerac * Lee Bergere * Shelley Berman *

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over eight decades, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and ...

* Joseph Bernard * Lynn Borden *

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine ( ; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perf ...

Tom Bosley Thomas Edward Bosley (October 1, 1927 – October 19, 2010) was an American actor, television personality and entertainer. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham (Happy Days character), Howard Cunningham on the American Broadcasti ...

* Geraldine Brooks *

Kathie Browne Kathie Browne (September 19, 1930 – April 8, 2003) was an American stage, film and television actress. Early life Browne was born Jacqueline Sue Browne on September 19, 1930, in Humansville, Missouri, to Winn Roscoe Browne and Erma Mae Wood ...

* Victor Buono *

Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American comedian, actress, singer and writer. Burnett has played dramatic and comedic roles on stage and screen. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Carol Burnett, nu ...

* John Byner *

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Academy Award an ...

(uncredited) * Howard Caine *

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson is a cultural phenomenon and w ...

* Jack Cassidy * Del Close *

Ellen Corby Ellen Hansen Corby (June 3, 1911 – April 14, 1999) was an American actress and screenwriter. She played the role of List of The Waltons characters#Esther Walton, Esther "Grandma" Walton on the Columbia Broadcasting System, CBS television ...

Wally Cox Wallace Maynard Cox (December 6, 1924 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He began his career as a standup comedian and played the title character of the popular early American television series '' Mister Peepers'' from 1952 to 195 ...

Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Willie Stark in the film ''All the King's Men'' (1949), which earned him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Of ...

Robert Culp Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an American actor and screenwriter widely known for his work in television. Culp earned an international reputation for his role as Kelly Robinson on ''I Spy (1965 TV series), I Spy'' ( ...

John Dehner John Dehner (DAY-ner; born John Dehner Forkum; November 23, 1915February 4, 1992), also credited Dehner Forkum, was an American stage, radio, film, and television character actor. From the late 1930s to the late 1980s, he amassed a long list o ...

Phyllis Diller Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, Actor, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric stage persona, Self-deprecation, se ...

* Jane Dulo (recurring; as 99's mother) * Michael Dunn * Robert Easton *

Dana Elcar Ibsen Dana Elcar (October 10, 1927 – June 6, 2005) was an American television and film character actor. He appeared in about 40 films as well as in the 1960s television series ''Dark Shadows'' as Sheriff George Patterson and the 1980s and 1 ...

* Bill Erwin * Jamie Farr *

John Fiedler John Donald Fiedler (February 3, 1925 – June 25, 2005) was an American actor. Recognizable for his high, flutey voice, Fiedler's career lasted more than 55 years in stage, film, television and radio. Fiedler was typecast beginning ear ...

* Joey Forman * Lisa Gaye *

Alice Ghostley Alice Margaret Ghostley (August 14, 1923 – September 21, 2007) was an American actress and singer on stage, film and television. Ghostley was best known for her roles as bumbling witch Esmeralda (1969–72) on '' Bewitched'', as Cousin Alice ...

* Jack Gilford *

Stu Gilliam Stewart Byron "Stu" Gilliam (July 27, 1933
datalounge.com; accessed July 21, 2018. – October 11, 2 ...

* Arlene Golonka * Leo Gordon * Farley Granger *

Buddy Hackett Buddy Hackett (born Leonard Hacker; August 31, 1924 – June 30, 2003) was an American comedian and comic actor. Known for his raunchy material, heavy appearance, and thick New York accent, his best remembered roles include Marcellus Washburn in ...

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* Marcel Hillaire *

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

* John Hoyt *

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Gordon Jump Alexander Gordon Jump (April 1, 1932 – September 22, 2003) was an American actor best known for playing Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson in the series ''WKRP in Cincinnati'' (1978–1982); he reprised the role in its spinoff '' The New WKRP in Cincin ...

* Kitty Kelly * Helen Kleeb *

Ted Knight Ted Knight (born Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka; December 7, 1923August 26, 1986) was an American actor known for playing the comedic roles of Ted Baxter in ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', Henry Rush in '' Too Close for Comfort'' and Judge Elihu Sm ...

* James Komack * Nancy Kovack *

Kurt Kreuger Kurt Kreuger (July 23, 1916 – July 12, 2006) was a Swiss-reared Germany, German actor. Kreuger once was the third-most-requested male actor at 20th Century Fox. He starred with, among others, Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. Life and career ...

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* Charles Lane *

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* Laurie Main * Kenneth Mars * Judith McConnell * Pat McCormick *

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* Howard Morton * Burt Mustin * Mace Neufeld * Barry Newman *

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* Simon Oakland *

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* Pat Paulsen * Angelique Pettyjohn *

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* Ann Prentiss *

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* Maudie Prickett (appeared in different episodes as different characters) * John S. Ragin *

* Alex Rocco *

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* Joseph Ruskin * Vito Scotti *

Gale Sondergaard Gale Sondergaard (born Edith Holm Sondergaard; February 15, 1899 – August 14, 1985) was an American actress. Sondergaard began her acting career in theater and progressed to films in 1936. She was the first recipient of the Academy Award ...

* Larry Storch * Vic Tayback * Torin Thatcher * Janet Waldo *

Fred Willard Frederick Charles Willard Jr. (September 18, 1933 May 15, 2020) was an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work with Christopher Guest in his mockumentary films ''This Is Spinal Tap'' (1984), ''Waiting for Guffman'' (1996), ''Be ...

* Jason Wingreen * Dana Wynter * Victor Sen Yung Both Bill Dana and

, with whom Adams appeared on '' The Bill Dana Show'', also appeared, as did Adams' father, William Yarmy, brother, Dick Yarmy, and daughter, Caroline Adams. The series featured several

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

s by famous actors and comedians, sometimes uncredited and often comedian friends of Adams.

appeared, credited as "special guest conductor", in "Aboard the Orient Express". Carson returned for an uncredited cameo as a royal footman in the third-season episode "The King Lives?" Other performers to make cameo appearances included

(as a waiter in an episode sending up Culp's '' I Spy''),

, and

. Actress Rose Michtom (the real-life aunt of the show's executive producer Leonard Stern) appeared in at least 44 episodes—usually as a background extra with no speaking role. In the season-one episode "Too Many Chiefs", when she is shown in a photograph, Max refers to her as "my Aunt Rose", but the Chief corrects Max by saying that she is actually KAOS agent Alexi Sebastian disguised as Max's Aunt Rose. Fans refer to her as "Aunt Rose" in all of her dozens of appearances, though her character is never actually named in most of them.

Broadcast

The series was broadcast on

-TV from September 18, 1965, to September 13, 1969, after which it moved to the CBS network for its final season, running from September 26, 1969, to September 11, 1970, with 138 total episodes produced. During its five-season run, ''Get Smart'' broke the Nielsen Top 30 twice. It ranked at number 12 during its first season, and at number 22 during its second season, before falling out of the top 30 for its last three seasons. The series won seven

Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

, and it was nominated for another 14 Emmys and two

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual Awards ceremony, award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally ...

. In 1995, the series was briefly resurrected starring Adams and Feldon with Andy Dick as Max's and 99's son Zack Smart and

Elaine Hendrix Katherine Elaine Hendrix (born December 28, 1970) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in ''Dynasty,'' '' Superstar'', '' Romy and Michele's High School Reunion'', the 1995 ''Get Smart'' series, the 1998 remake of '' The Parent Tra ...

as 66.

Emmy awards

Adaptations

Films

Four

feature-length A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation ...

films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...

have been produced following the end of the NBC/CBS run of the TV series: *1980: ''

'' (dir. Clive Donner)—also known as ''The Return of Maxwell Smart'' or ''Maxwell Smart and the Nude Bomb''—was theatrically released. It was panned by critics and barely returned its budget at the box office. *1989: The made-for-TV '' Get Smart, Again!'' (dir. Gary Nelson) on ABC *2008: ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the Spy fiction, secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s with the release of the ''James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Bu ...

'' (dir.

Peter Segal Peter Segal (born 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Segal has directed the comedic films '' Naked Gun : The Final Insult'' (1994), '' Tommy Boy'' (1995), '' My Fellow Americans'' (1996), '' The Nutty Profess ...

) starring Steve Carell as Smart alongside

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime ...

as 99. Distributed by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

, the film includes a dedication to Adams and Platt, who had died in 2005 and 1974, respectively. It received mixed critical reviews but was a commercial success, earning over $230 million worldwide. **2008: '' Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control'' (dir. Gil Junger), a made-for-DVD spin-off revolving around minor characters, Bruce and Lloyd ( Masi Oka and Nate Torrence), the masterminds behind the high-tech gadgets that are often used by Smart. In October 2008, it was reported that Warner Bros.,

Village Roadshow Pictures Village Roadshow Pictures is an American film production company founded in 1989. It is a division of Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (VREG), which in turn is majority-owned by Vine Alternative Investments and Falcon Investment Advisors, wi ...

and Mosaic Media Group were producing a sequel. Carell and Hathaway were set to return, but the status of other cast members had not been announced. As of 2019, ''Get Smart 2'' is no longer in development

Television

''Get Smart, Again!'' eventually prompted the development of a short-lived 1995 weekly series on Fox also titled ''

'', with Adams and Feldon reprising their characters with Maxwell Smart now being the Chief of Control as their bumbling son, Zach ( Andy Dick), becomes Control's star agent (Zach's twin sister is never seen nor mentioned – though the new leader of KAOS, a hidden female figure, would have been revealed as the other twin if the show had continued). And 99 is now a congresswoman. The beginning teaser shows Maxwell Smart and Zach driving to Control headquarters in a car wash separately; Smart, Zach and their secretary cram themselves into a secret elevator: a soda machine which "disappears". (A cleaning lady sits down in the open space when all of a sudden the machine pops up and knocks the woman into the ceiling.) A late episode of the 1995 series shows that just as Siegfried is leaving a room, Maxwell Smart accidentally activates an atomic bomb just before the end of the show. (The teaser for the episode shows an atomic bomb going off.) This ending is similar to a device used by the ''Get Smart''-inspired series '' Sledge Hammer!'' at the end of its first season. Hopes for the series were not high, as Andy Dick had already moved on to ''

NewsRadio ''NewsRadio'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from March 21, 1995, to May 4, 1999, focusing on the work lives of the staff of a New York City AM news radio station. It had an ensemble cast featuring Dave Foley, Stephen R ...

'', which premiered weeks later in 1995. With the revival series on Fox, ''Get Smart'' became the first television franchise to air new episodes (or made-for-TV films) on each of the aforementioned current four major American television networks, although several TV shows in the 1940s and 1950s aired on NBC, CBS, ABC and DuMont. The different versions of ''Get Smart'' did not all feature the original lead cast. ''Get Smart'' was parodied on a sketch in the Mexican comedy show called , making fun of the Spanish title of the series () and the way the series is dubbed. An early ''

MadTV ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by David Salzman, Fax Bahr, and Adam Small. Loosely based on the humor magazine '' Mad'', ''Mad TVs pre-taped satirical sketches were primarily parodie ...

'' sketch titled "Get Smarty" placed the Maxwell Smart character in situations from the film ''

Get Shorty ''Get Shorty'' is a 1990 novel by American novelist Elmore Leonard. In 1995, the novel was adapted into an eponymous film, and in 2017 it was adapted into a television series of the same name. Plot summary The story is about Ernesto "Chili ...

''. An episode of '' F Troop'' called "Spy, Counterspy, Counter–counterspy" featured Pat Harrington Jr. imitating Don Adams as secret agent "B. Wise". ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' episode " Bart vs. Lisa vs. the Third Grade" parodies the opening of ''Get Smart'' in the couch gag. Homer goes through many futuristic doors and passageways until he reaches the phone booth, falls through the floor, and lands on the couch, with the rest of the family already seated. This couch gag was later repeated in two other ''The Simpsons'' episodes: " The Fat and the Furriest" and " A Star is Torn".

Adams in similar roles

In the 1960s, Adams had a supporting role on the sitcom '' The Bill Dana Show'' (1963–1965) as the hopelessly inept hotel detective Byron Glick. His speech mannerisms, catchphrases ("Would you believe...?"), and other comedy bits were adapted for his "Maxwell Smart" role in ''Get Smart''. In 1971, Adams starred as Sgt. Lennie Crooks, a bumbling police detective similar to the bumbling secret agent he played on ''Get Smart'', on ''

The Partners ''The Partners'' is an American sitcom that aired on September 18, 1971, through September 8, 1972, on NBC. Synopsis The program featured Don Adams and Rupert Crosse as bumbling detectives, and John Doucette their exasperated commanding ...

''. His partner and best friend, Detective George Robinson, was a not-quite-as-bumbling policeman played by Rupert Crosse. They reported to Captain Andrews, played by John Doucette, a similarly harried supervisor in the tradition of Edward Platt's "Chief." Robert Karvelas, who had played Agent Larabee on ''Get Smart'', had a recurring role as Freddie Butler, who felt compelled to confess to crimes he did not commit. The series only lasted a half-season. When

WCGV-TV WCGV-TV (channel 24) was a television station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, which operated from 1980 to 2018. In its latter years, it was owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV; it had common ownership with ...

, a new

independent station An independent station is a broadcast station, usually a television station, not affiliated with a larger broadcast television network, network. As such, it only broadcasts broadcast syndication, syndicated programs it has purchased; brokered pr ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, signed on the air in 1980, Adams did in-house promos as Agent 86 to let viewers know when the reruns of ''Get Smart'' aired on the station by using his shoephone. In one of Adams' five appearances as a guest passenger in the series ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'', his character, even when he thought he had been shot, makes no attempt to visit the ship's doctor. The role of the doctor in ''The Love Boat'' was played by

, who played Siegfried in ''Get Smart''. In 1982, Adams starred as Maxwell Smart in a series of local commercials for New York City electronics chain Savemart. The

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan or a political, commercial, religious, or other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the public or a more defined target group ...

was "Get Smart. Get SaveMart Smart." In addition, Adams starred in a series of commercials for White Castle in 1992, paying homage to his ''Get Smart'' character with his catchphrase "Would you believe...?" In the 1980s, Adams provided the (similar) voice of the titular bungling cyborg secret agent in the animated series ''

Inspector Gadget ''Inspector Gadget'' is a media franchise that began in 1983 with the DIC Entertainment animated television series '' Inspector Gadget''. Since the original series, there have been many spin-offs based on the show, including additional animated ...

''. This later became a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

in 1999 starring

Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. He starred in ''WarGames'' (1983) as a teen government hacker, and ''Ladyhawke (film), Ladyhawke'' (1985), a medieval fantasy alongside Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. He play ...

in the title role of Inspector John Brown Gadget (in which Adams had a cameo), and its prequel series '' Gadget Boy & Heather''. Neither was directly related to ''Get Smart''. In the mid-1980s, Adams reprised his role of Maxwell Smart for a series of telephone banking commercials for Empire of America Federal Savings Bank in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. The telephone banking service was called SmartLine, and Sherwin Greenberg Productions (a video production company and bank subsidiary) produced radio and television ads, as well as a series of still photos for use in promotional flyers that featured Adams' Maxwell Smart character wearing the familiar trenchcoat and holding a shoe phone to his ear. The television commercials were videotaped in Sherwin Greenberg Productions' studio on a set that resembled an old alleyway which utilized fog-making machinery for special effect. The production company even secured a lookalike of the red Alpine that Adams used in the television series, making it a memorable promotion for those familiar with the series of nearly 20 years earlier. In the late 1980s, Adams portrayed Smart in a series of TV commercials for Toyota New Zealand, for the 1990 model Toyota Starlet. While it is customary for the actor to go to the foreign location for shooting, Adams' apparent intense dislike of long-distance flying meant that the New Zealand specification car had to be shipped to the US for filming. He also appeared in another series of Canadian commercials in the late 1990s for a dial-around long-distance carrier. In the movie '' Back to the Beach'' (1987), Adams played the Harbor Master, who used several of Maxwell Smart's catchphrases (including an exchange in which

Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American singer, actor and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including Record ...

's character did a vague impression of Siegfried). Adams played Smart in a 1989 TV commercial for

Kmart Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...

. He was seen talking on his trademark shoe phone, telling the Chief about the great selection of electronics available at Kmart. An exact replica of himself approaches him, and Smart says, "Don't tell me you're a double agent." (This was a reference to a running gag on the original series, in which Max detected some sort of setback or danger, and would say to 99, "Don't tell me..." and then 99 replied by stating a confirmation of whatever Max was afraid to hear, to which Max would always respond, "I ''asked'' you not to tell me that!") Adams also appeared in a number of

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

television commercials, which also featured numerous stars of TV series viewed as classic or with nostalgia, such as Barbara Billingsley from ''

Leave It to Beaver ''Leave It to Beaver'' is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It starred Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers. CBS first broadcast the show ...

'',

Buddy Ebsen Buddy Ebsen (born Christian Ludolf Ebsen Jr.; April 2, 1908 – July 6, 2003), also known as Frank "Buddy" Ebsen, was an American actor and dancer. One of his most famous roles was as Jed Clampett in the CBS television sitcom ''The Beverly Hillb ...

from ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...

'',

Bob Denver Robert Osbourne Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American comedic actor who portrayed beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 series '' The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis'' and Gilligan on the 1964–1967 television serie ...

from ''

Gilligan's Island ''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for th ...

'' and Al Lewis from ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom about the home life of a family of benign monsters that aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBS. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster (Frankenstein's monster),Episodes referring to the fact that Herman is ...

''. Adams also starred in a Canadian sitcom titled ''Check It Out'' in which he played a supermarket manager. Adams' running jokes in ''Get Smart'', such as "the old omething somethingtrick" and "I told you not to tell me that!" were used in the show but in a supermarket setting.

Books and comics

A series of novels based on characters and dialog of the series was written by William Johnston and published by Tempo Books in the late 1960s.

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...

published a comic book for eight issues during 1966 and 1967, drawn in part by

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko. Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular ac ...

Proposed movies

The 1966 ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'' movie, made during that TV show's original run, prompted other television shows to propose similar films. The only one completed was '' Munster Go Home'' (1966), which was a box office flop, causing the cancellation of other projects, including the ''Get Smart'' movie. The script for that movie was turned into a three-part episode, "A Man Called Smart", which aired on April 8, 15 and 22, 1967. During the 1980s, Dick Gautier was set to star in a Hymie the Robot Spin-off film to be made for TV. Following Hymie being recalled and then refurbished by the government. The film was never produced due to legal issues surrounding the ownership of Get Smart.

Play

Christopher Sergel adapted a play in 1967, ''Get Smart'', based on Brooks's and Henry's pilot episode.

Home media and rights

All five seasons are available as box sets in Region 1 (United States, Canada, and others) and Region 4 (Australia, New Zealand, and others). The Region 1 discs are published by HBO Home Video, and Region 4 by Time Life Video. Each Region 1 box contains 4 discs, while Region 4 editions have a 5th disc with bonus material. Region 4 editions are also available as individual discs with four to five episodes per disc. The Season 1 set was released in both regions in 2008. Seasons 2 and 3 box sets were released in Region 4 on July 23, 2008. Seasons 4 and 5 were released in Region 4 on November 5, 2008. Seasons 2–5 in Region 1 were released throughout 2009. Another box set of the complete series is available in both regions, first published in 2006 by Time Life Video. In 2009 the Region 1 edition was replaced by an HBO edition, and became more widely available. All editions contain a 5th disc for each season, with bonus material. The set has 25 discs altogether. The first four seasons were produced for NBC by Talent Associates. When it moved to CBS at the start of Season 5, it became an in-house production, with Talent Associates as a silent partner. The series was sold to NBC Films for syndication. Over decades, U.S. distribution has changed from

National Telefilm Associates National Telefilm Associates (NTA) was a distribution company primarily concerned with the syndication of American film libraries to television, including the Republic Pictures film library. It was successful enough on cable television between 19 ...

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

, to Worldvision Enterprises, to Paramount Domestic Television, to CBS Paramount Domestic Television, to

CBS Television Distribution CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Paramount Domestic Television and CBS Television Distribution) is the television broadcast syndication arm of CBS Studios, a division of the CBS Entertainment Group, in turn a division of Paramount Global, ...

, to the current distributor,

CBS Media Ventures CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Paramount Domestic Television and CBS Television Distribution) is the television broadcast syndication arm of CBS Studios, a division of the CBS Entertainment Group, in turn a division of Paramount Global, ...

. For decades, the syndication rights of all but a handful of the fifth-season episodes (that season being originally co-owned by Talent Associates and CBS) were encumbered with restrictions and reporting requirements; as a result, most of that season was rarely seen in syndication (though they were shown with more regularity on

Nick at Nite Nick at Nite (stylized as nick@nite since 2009) is an American nighttime programming block on Nickelodeon. List of programs broadcast by Nick at Nite, The block's programming broadcasts from prime time to Late-night television, late night, with ...

and

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division's MTV Entertainment Group. It was originally launched as Nick at Nite’s TV Land as a spinoff of Nick at Nite programing block consisting e ...

). The distribution changes (including the loosening of restrictions on the fifth season) were the result of corporate changes, especially the 2006 split of Viacom (owners of Paramount Pictures) into two companies.

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

owns the copyrights to the series itself, due to Time-Life Films' 1977 acquisition of Talent Associates. Home videos are distributed by HBO Home Video. For a time the DVD release was only available through Time-Life (a former Time Warner division). Warner Bros. Television owns international distribution rights. On August 10, 2015, the entire series was officially released on digital streaming platforms for the first time in preparation for its 50th anniversary.

References

External links

* {{Mel Brooks 1960s American mystery television series 1960s American parody television series 1960s American sitcoms 1965 American television series debuts 1970 American television series endings 1970s American mystery television series 1970s American parody television series 1970s American sitcoms American action adventure television series American English-language television shows American spy comedy television series American television series revived after cancellation CBS sitcoms Dell Comics titles James Bond parodies NBC sitcoms Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series winners Television series by CBS Studios Television series by Talent Associates Television series created by Buck Henry Television series created by Mel Brooks Television shows adapted into comics Television shows adapted into films Television shows adapted into novels Television shows adapted into plays Television shows set in Washington, D.C.