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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Agent 86 eighty-sixed |
| 2005-09-26 |
| Don Adams, the wry-voiced comedian who starred as the fumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in the 1960s television spoof of James Bond movies, "Get Smart," has died. He was 82. Adams died of a lung infection late Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, his friend and former agent Bruce Tufeld said Monday, adding the actor broke his hip a year ago and had been in ill health since. As the inept Agent 86 of the super-secret federal agency Control, Adams captured TV viewers with his antics in combatting the evil agents of Kaos. When his explanations failed to convince the villains or his boss, he tried another tack: "Would you believe ... ?" It became a national catchphrase. Smart was also prone to spilling things on the desk or person of his boss - the chief (actor Edward Platt). Smart's apologetic "Sorry about that, chief" also entered the American lexicon. The spy gadgets, which aped those of the Bond movies, were a popular feature, especially the pre-cell-phone telephone in a shoe. "Get Smart" twice won the Emmy for best comedy series with three Emmys for Adams as comedy actor. He was born Donald James Yarmy in New York City on April 13, 1926, Tufeld said, although some sources say 1923 or 1927. The actor's father was a Hungarian Jew who ran a few small restaurants in the Bronx. In 1941, he dropped out of school to join the Marines, lying about his age. In Guadalcanal he survived the deadly blackwater fever and was returned to the States to become a drill instructor, acquiring the clipped delivery that served him well as a comedian. A drill instructor? Back then, it was normal for an actor to be a patriot and do his duty. |
| Posted by:Jackal |
| #1 I don't know how I missed Raj's post. Sorry about the duplicate. Please delete. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-09-26 20:13 |