DVD Commentary Review: Get Smart Seasons 1-3 · 1:45am May 26th, 2014
A television series? Why not? I've been watching it a lot lately. I rediscovered my love of 'Get Smart' and it's been great fun. Now there technically isn't commentary on every episode, but there is a quick comment on every one. Barbara Feldon introduces each episode, sometimes with just a simple quip and the title but occasionally with more info such as the title inspiration or the plot inspiration or about the guest stars and the regular recurring characters. There is some interesting information. For example, a lot of stars were on before they were stars. Leonard Nimoy was in "The Dead Spy Scrawls" as a KAOS assassin a year before Star Trek.
Now over the three seasons there are seven commentaries on episodes. The pilot has two, from the creators Mel Brooks his own self and Buck Henry. "Kisses for KAOS" has Barbara Feldon, Agent 99. "How to succeed in the spy business without really trying" has Bernie Kopell, Siegfried. "A man called Smart, part 1" has Leonard Stern, one of the executives. "Little Black Book, part 2" has a short commentary from Don Rickles (plus some bloopers; never has the phrase "little Jew dwarf" been uttered with such affection and good humor.) And "99 Loses CONTROL" has Buck Henry and Barbara Feldon.
In depth...
Buck Henry is quiet reserved. He is quiet, understated, a bit dull. He puts in a lot of lulls and doesn't quite track with the episode. At least some of the stories are interesting, like how he let down Michael Dunn by neglecting to write in the word "egregious" into his dialogue.
Mel Brooks is... Mel Brooks. He's full of infectious energy and manic glee, even though he's an old fellow. He opens the thing not with his name, but a cheery declaration that he's getting a kick out of watching the episode. He tracks the episode well and still manages to go in-depth about production issues, such as the opposition to the show (there were actually objections to Fang, Agent K-13 because the network people felt that a cowardly, inept dog was subverseive and unamerican.) If you're a Mel Brooks fan the commentary is a winner. Even if not, it's great. And he plugs his son's first book.
Barbara is really laid back but not in a great way. She leaves a lot of lulls and just is sort of lackadaisical. She just sort of floats through her commentary. The only interesting thing is her talking about how her height (she's manifestly taller than Don Adams) was an issue. She frequently took off her shoes, threw out her hips, stood on her ankles and sat down to make it look like Don was at least somewhat taller than her. Also that Ed Platt (the chief) was an opera singer, and that he used to flub his lines a lot, and Don would take bets about how quickly henwould flub them and how many times he would.
Bernie has some decent energy, and as a bonus is game enough to do his Siegfried voice every so often. He also talked about how addictive both his accent and Don Adams' Smart voice were for the crew. He really talks up his costars, and even mentions his time on That Girl, with a little covert dismissal.
Leonard Stern was actually the one who created the iconic Get Smart opening, with the doors and such and talks about how Don did the phonebooth thing (it wasn't a trap door; he just dropped to his knees.) He's actually a funny guy and likes to make subtle jokes, like talking about the three parts of "A man called Smart" then saying a fourth part is available for purchase made to order. He doesn't follow the episode much, it's mostly reminiscences.
Don Rickles is just as wry and ascerbic as ever, and gets away with a few gags that talk about Don Adams being dead and unable to counter what he says. It's clear that he really was good friends with Don Adams and loved working with him. It sounds more like he was being interviewed while watching the episode but we only hear his responses. It's only 16 minutes long so, a bit short.
Barbara and Buck do not mix well. Or they do mix well but sadly, they mix understated with lackadaisical and end up with something I can only describe as beige sound. It's dull and flowing, sort of drifting along. A lot of reminiscing, which isn't bad, but it's not engaging or interesting. A weak commentary from two folks who ought to be better at it.
Averaged Commentary Score: 7/10
