Would You Believe These “Get Smart” Factoids?!

Mel Brooks and Buck Henry were asked by film producer Daniel Melnick to create a show that was a combination of James Bond and The Pink Panther. The end result was the sitcom Get Smart, which made stars out of Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, and Edward Platt. The sitcom lasted 138 episodes and earned seven Emmys, including two for Outstanding Comedy Series. The show has spawned a handful of film adaptations, including the popular 2008 remake starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway. Let’s take a look back at the stars from the hit show and dig up some fun trivia from the hit TV series!

The Smartest Man Alive

Don Adams’ portrayal of Maxwell Smart earned him three consecutive Emmy Awards in the category of Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series. Smart was Agent 86; 86 is bartender slang for cutting off a drunk patron. Adams played the character of Smart with a panache that only he could pull off. Barabara Feldon told Today Show in 2002, “WHen you got in a scene with Don, it was like stepping onto a surfboard, and you just flew over those waves… And it was exhilarating.”

The actor is also known for lending the voice of Inspector Gadget until 1999. On September 25, 2005, Adams passed away at the age of 82 from lymphoma and a lung infection.