# Get Smart! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2008, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488 "2008-02-28T08:22:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/1 "2008-02-28T08:22:15Z")
I love this show. I said to my wife just the other day, “Man, I wish Get Smart was still on in reruns.” We have 300 channels on out TV, and as far as I know, not one of them is showing Get Smart. That’s a crime on par with Democratic Party(:p). Not to despair, there is a Get Smart movie coming out. [Here is the trailer](http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/getsmart/trailer2/medium.html). Oh, how I want this to be a fond return to the greatness of yesteryear, but honestly, after watching that, I can’t decide if it’s going to be a rollicking ride down memory lane or if it’s going to just plain suck. I’ve seen movies suck before, but watching that preview I’m worried that this movie is going to be the suckiest bunch of suck that ever sucked. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/2 "2008-02-28T08:31:37Z")
I think a large part of the appeal and comedy of the original Get Smart was that 99 was the smarter, more capable member of the team, trapped by social conventions into being the foil for the bumbling agent 86, a dynamic that was completely possible in the 60s but one that is totally impossible to portray in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/3 "2008-02-28T08:41:01Z")
[QUOTE=Weirddave] I think a large part of the appeal and comedy of the original Get Smart was that 99 was the smarter, more capable member of the team, trapped by social conventions into being the foil for the bumbling agent 86, a dynamic that was completely possible in the 60s but one that is totally impossible to portray in 2008. [/QUOTE] Well, also that it was at the _beginning_ of 40 years of spy parody on film and television, not the end. And I gotta assume you’re being sarcastic with the 99 thing not playing in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![atomicbadgerrace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@atomicbadgerrace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atomicbadgerrace)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/4 "2008-02-28T08:47:00Z")
I’m not a huge fan of Steve Carell in that I have nothing against him, I just don’t find a lot of his schtick patently funny. Here’s hoping, though. Between that and The Dark Knight, I simply can’t wait for the summer season to begin. ETA: You’re right that this has the potential to be a huge disaster to us die-hard Get Smart fans. I truly hope that they try to stay true to the original humor of the series rather than pull any of this “2008 humor” crap 😉 FYI, Time Life sells [the entire series on DVD](http://www.timelife.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=1001&langId=-1&productId=211683) for $199.95. I yearn -SO- badly, but I’m just broke right now. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/5 "2008-02-28T09:27:31Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] And I gotta assume you’re being sarcastic with the 99 thing not playing in 2008. [/QUOTE] Really? You think I’m sarcastic? Can you honestly see the total 86/99 dynamic playing out today? Really? 99 being the woman who knows what’s going on but being ignored because she’s a woman? You can riff off it pretty well, but do you not see the way we (as a society) view women today as light years beyond Get Smart in the 60s? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/6 "2008-02-28T12:02:58Z")
A) I think you’re likely right. Even Kim Possible has the girl being the hypercompetent one and her male sidekick the helpless one. B) Who the fuck cares? Anne Hathaway is playing 99. I’m there. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/7 "2008-02-28T12:09:57Z")
[QUOTE=Weirddave] I think a large part of the appeal and comedy of the original Get Smart was that 99 was the smarter, more capable member of the team, trapped by social conventions into being the foil for the bumbling agent 86, a dynamic that was completely possible in the 60s but one that is totally impossible to portray in 2008. [/QUOTE] ahem-ahem-ahem…Disney’s _Kim Possible_ does that…ahem-ahem-ahem ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/8 "2008-02-28T13:41:00Z")
The trailer doesn’t look promising. Siegfried without a thick, fake German accent? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/9 "2008-02-28T13:44:03Z")
There has already been a [Get Smart](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111982/) TV revival that was the suckiest bunch of suck that ever sucked. Sorry about that Chief, it appears your Op has “Missed it by that much.” ---
**Author:** ![LionelHutz405](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lionelhutz405/32/536_2.png) [@LionelHutz405](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LionelHutz405)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/10 "2008-02-28T13:56:47Z")
I always thought it was only 86 who didn’t realize 99 was the smart one. Didn’t the chief always treat her with respect? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/11 "2008-02-28T14:13:23Z")
As much as I like Steve Carrell, I find movie adaptations of old TV are bad news. Mel Brooks isn’t involved in this, as far as I know, so I don’t expect much. [QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] ahem-ahem-ahem…Disney’s _Kim Possible_ does that…ahem-ahem-ahem [/QUOTE] No it doesn’t, because she is the hero and gets all the credit, and he’s the sidekick. **Weirddave** ’s point (echoed by **Jonathan Chance** ) is that 99 did all the work, but Max got all the credit because he was the man. There are plenty of duos where the smart sidekick does all the work and gets no recognition, but not for reasons of sexism. Whether or not that’s an accurate summary of what happened at CONTROL, I have to leave to other people who have seen more episodes. I liked _Get Smart_ a lot, but I only saw it in reruns as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/12 "2008-02-28T14:25:25Z")
I was less than enthusiastic when I first heard of this project. But the commercial I saw last night actually looked funny. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/13 "2008-02-28T17:02:35Z")
[QUOTE=Weirddave] I can’t decide if it’s going to be a rollicking ride down memory lane… [/QUOTE] Would you belive, a mildly amusing bit of notalgia… I think it could be done well in a modern setting, but I’m not sure they will. One of the things I liked about _Get Smart_ was that they never played for anything but laughs. I have a horrible premonition of the movie suddenly trying to be heartbreaking or touching, and then going back to the high concept stuff as if nothing had happened. ---
**Author:** ![Nuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea666f/32.png) [@Nuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuke)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/14 "2008-02-28T17:15:04Z")
I guess nobody remembers this fine movie: > **[The Nude Bomb (1980) ⭐ 5.1 | Action, Comedy, Crime](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081249/)** > > 1h 34m | PG ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/15 "2008-02-28T17:24:00Z")
[QUOTE=LionelHutz405] I always thought it was only 86 who didn’t realize 99 was the smart one. Didn’t the chief always treat her with respect? [/QUOTE] Yes, the chief certainly knew she was smart and respected her, but it never seemed to occur to him to tell Max, “99’s in charge, just follow her lead.” I think that supports Weirddave’s point. > [@Nuke](#): > > I guess nobody remembers this fine movie: Way to drop a turd into the punchbowl. I also remember a TV reunion that wasn’t so awful, but maybe I’m remembering through rose-colored… rememberers. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/16 "2008-02-28T17:24:13Z")
In restaurants I always pictured a cone of silence dropping down over smokers. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/17 "2008-02-28T17:30:41Z")
[QUOTE=Weirddave] We have 300 channels on out TV, and as far as I know, not one of them is showing Get Smart. That’s a crime on par with Democratic Party(:p). [/QUOTE] Nice try. However, the rest of us have not forgotten Bush’s response, when asked specifically why there were no \*\*Get Smart \*\* reruns on cable: “I have no idea and really don’t care. It’s not that important. It’s not our priority.” …Would you believe: “No one could have predicted this?” ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/18 "2008-02-28T17:32:05Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] There are plenty of duos where the smart sidekick does all the work and gets no recognition, but not for reasons of sexism. [/QUOTE] Such as one of Don Adams’s other TV ventures, _Inspector Gadget_. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/19 "2008-02-28T17:46:26Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] Such as one of Don Adams’s other TV ventures, _Inspector Gadget_. [/QUOTE] Dammit, that’s what I was going to say. Missed it by _that_ much! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488/20 "2008-02-28T17:49:44Z")
[QUOTE=TWDuke] Yes, the chief certainly knew she was smart and respected her, but it never seemed to occur to him to tell Max, “99’s in charge, just follow her lead.” [/QUOTE] But that wouldn’t have been funny: two spies competently defeating their opponents. The main joke about _Get Smart_ was that Smart was a superspy and ultimately thwarted KAOS. A smart agent wouldn’t have been funny. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-smart/439488.md?page=2)