Monday, September 26, 2005

RIP Don Adams


Don Adams of 'Get Smart' Dies at 82 - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES - Don Adams, the wry-voiced comedian who starred as the fumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in the 1960s TV 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 that 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-cellphone telephone in a shoe.

EVERYONE was walking around tossing off "would you believe..." or "sorry about that Chief," lines, and I do mean everyone. After the first show of the second season the normally staid, outright dour Monsignor who was saying Mass I was attending incorporated would you believe into the sermon, and the kids never respected him more.

Save us a seat, Don.

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