Would you believe “Get Smart- The Complete Series” is one of the best TV DVD sets?

For those that don’t know, “Get Smart” revolves around a bumbling spy named Maxwell Smart (AKA Agent 86) who works for an organization called CONTROL. CONTROL’s sole purpose is to prevent the evil organization (KAOS) from carrying out their evil plans. Agent 86 is almost always helped out by the female Agent 99 and the man in charge- Chief. “Get Smart” lasted 5 seasons and had 138 episodes.

 

Like most sitcoms, “Get Smart” is uneven in the story and laugh department at times, but that is to be expected considering how many episodes were produced per season back in the 60’s. With that said, “Get Smart” is still arguably one of the finest American sitcoms.

 

In addition to having generally sharp scriptwriting and clever spoofs on everything from the James Bond series to “Casablanca,” the real reason ‘Smart’ is largely due to the characters. Both Agent 86 and Agent 99 are iconic characters that are wonderfully played by Don Adams and Barbara Feldon. Even though Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway did a respectable job playing the characters in the new “Get Smart” film, they don’t hold a candle to Adams and Feldon. Few actors can pull of Adams’ goofy and clueless humor/mannerisms. He’s simply a one of a kind actor. Barbara Feldon is also one of the relatively few actresses who can hold their own with Adams. Feldon is equally charming and delightful in her role and she is even better when sharing the screen with Adams. Of course, Adams and Feldon are not the only stars of the show. In my humble opinion, Fang the dog (played by Red the dog), Agent 44 (Victor French), and Hymie (played by Richard Gautier) are the most enjoyable characters to watch. Even though these three characters only appear in a handful of episodes, they steal every scene they are in. Fang, who is actually in the pilot episode Mr. Big, would have made a great ongoing companion, but it seems he was rather troublesome to work with. Agent 44 is utterly hilarious as an Agent who is always stuck doing a terrible job hiding in some contraption for long periods of time. As for Hymie, he’s a hilarious, straight faced robot who does everything he is told (literally). In some respects, he is sort of pre-cursor to the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” character Data only far more amusing.

 

As for the individual seasons themselves, I would have to say the earlier seasons are the strongest. Season 1 is definitely the most exciting as we were just getting to know the characters. It didn’t hurt that the season included superb Fang and Hymie episodes as well. Season 2 and 3 have their moments, as well as some fun cameos by the likes of Don Rickles, Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, and even Carol Burnett. Season 4 and 5, however, is where the series started to drop in quality. Whenever marriage and children are introduced into a series, they tend to lose their way and ‘Smart’ is no exception. Having Agent 86 and 99 marry (and have children) eliminates the sexual tension and playfulness of the earlier seasons which was undeniably one of the main draws of the series. To me, seasons 4 and 5 just feel off and stale, even if the episode plots weren’t much different from the first 3 seasons. I understand that the writers wanted to further explore the characters and spice up the show a bit, but these two seasons simply did not work well.

 

In conclusion, “Get Smart” is by no means a perfect television series, but it’s generally a fun-filled spoof that is endlessly quotable to boot. At $200 the set is pricey, but you have to keep in mind that the set consists of 25 discs and contains countless hours of entertainment. Highly recommended.

 

 “Get Smart- The Complete Series” is only available on the Time Life website Click Here

The picture quality is absolutely phenomenal. If you ever watch old sitcom re-runs on television, you will notice they are not in the best of shape. The frame could be jumpy at times, the picture could be overly grainy, etc. While there are spots of grain here and there, the episodes look better than they ever have. The restoration team certainly deserves much praise for their work here.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track is far better than I ever expected it to be. Most old sitcoms have poor sound, but that is not the case here. The music and dialogue have been cleaned up to near perfection.

* Booklets for each season containing credits, interviews, etc.
* Barbara Feldon provides introductions for every single episode.
* Commentaries for:
Mr. Big- One track by Mel Brooks and one by Buck Henry. Note: My personal favorite track was the Mel Brooks. He can always make you laugh.
Kisses for KAOS- Barbara Feldon.
A Man Called Smart Part 1 by Leonard Stern.
How to Succeed In The Spy Business Without Really Trying by Bernie Kopell.
99 Loses Control- One track by Barbara Feldon and another by Buck Henry.
The Little Black Book Part 2 commentary by Don Rickles
To Sire with Love Part 2 by James Caan.
Last, but not least Bill Dana provides commentary on Ice Station Siegfried.
* Bloopers on each disc. The funniest, in my opinion, were the bloopers with Don Rickles and Don Adams. It looked like they had a hoot on set.
* Individual interviews (spread out on the first four season sets) with Leonard Stern, Buck Henry, Bruce Bilson, Barbara Feldon, and Bernie Kopell. Fans will no doubt want to watch these to learn more about the actors/crew members as well as their experiences in making the show.
* Interactive bonus features including Spy Aptitude Test, Max's Apartment, Agent 99’s Purse, The Chief's Office, and Max's Sunbeam Tiger.
* 29 TV Appearances including White Castle commercials, Don and Barbara at the Rose Parade, TV promos, Emmy Award footage, talk show guest spots, etc.
* A 7 part “Get Smart” clip-reel.
* An 80 minute Don Adams memorial service video.
* “Get Smart” reunion seminar (60 mins.).
* “The Secret History Of Get Smart”- Interviews and opinions about the series.
* “Barbara Feldon: Real Model To Role Model”- An in-depth featurette on Feldon’s life and the infamous Agent 99 character.
* “Spooks, Spies, Gadgets And Gizmos”- A featurette on the kick-ass gadgets.
* “Code Words And Catch Phrases”- Self-explanatory.
* “The Fans Of Get Smart” is arguably the best extra on this set. It’s great to see some of the nifty merchandise people collect as well as hear about the influence/effect it has had on fans
* Don Adams 75th Birthday Celebration- A 50 plus minute roast of sorts that also features a heartfelt Adams speech.