Television Reviews : A Dumb Excuse for ABC’s ‘Get Smart, Again’

Developed by no less than Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, “Get Smart” was one of the hippest comedy series of the late ‘60s. A decade after the demise of the show in 1970, nostalgia for it spawned a theatrical film called “The Nude Bomb” (later shown on TV as “The Return of Maxwell Smart”). It was bad enough, but a new feature-length sequel, “Get Smart, Again,” this time made for TV (Sunday at 9 p.m. on Channels 7, 3, 10 and 42) is even worse.

Maybe somebody at least had the right idea: Bring back most of the old characters (and original actors, including Don Adams as Maxwell Smart), gimmicks (shoe phones, etc.) and routines, then put them in a typical, albeit updated, “Get Smart” plot having to do with the apparent plans of an evil organization (maybe K.A.O.S., the old nemesis of Smart’s now-defunct agency C.O.N.T.R.O.L., maybe not) to mess up the world’s weather.

There’s some fun in hearing all those old bits--”Would you believe . . . ,” “Sorry about that,” “. . . and loving it.” And some other mildly amusing moments tickle the funny bone during these two hours. It’s also nice to see the old, semisweet, semikooky interaction between Adams and Barbara Feldon (Agent 99), whose characters are now married.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, though, “Get Smart, Again” just gets dumb. Again and again. Adams looks and sounds tired, but next to the script he’s a spring chicken. Apparently, “Police Squad!” and “Airplane!” were as much an influence as the old “Get Smart” shows, but instead of one bad joke for every good one a la the formula of those movies, the ratio is more like 10-to-1.

As if realizing how bad it is, the film becomes desperate for laughs: A “Dr. Hottentot” gets shot. He asks Smart for a cigarette. “Forget about the cigarette,” says Max, “they could be hazardous to your health.”

When all else fails--and it does--heads are bumped on doors (repeatedly) and coffee cups are kicked out of hands--repeatedly. The visual jokes don’t click. The verbal jokes don’t click. Only the remote controls will click. Sorry about that.