A short obit on the BBC site announces that
Actor Don Adams, best known as bumbling spy Maxwell Smart in 1960s TV spy spoof Get Smart, has died at the age of 82.
Farcical and repetitive though it was, I did rather enjoy Get Smart. Good theme tune too. Ten years ago, the series was briefly resurrected (with Smart retired, so not a Columbo-esque delayed detective retirement), and there were a 1980 film and a 1989 TV movie (the latter featuring John de Lancie, Trek fans) – but the classic 60s series, co-created by Mel Brooks, ran from 1965 to 1970.
What the BBC story doesn’t mention is that Don Adams would be better known to those under forty as the voice of 1980s cartoon character Inspector Gadget, who was himself based on Maxwell Smart. The original series ran from 1983-1986 and Adams went on to voice the spin-off Gadget Boy and voiced Brain in the Matthew Broderick film version.
Do dee doo dee do Inspector Gadget, do dee doo dee doo dee dooooo WAHH WAHH, Do dee doo dee do Inspector Gadget… ah. Inspired theme tune.
I never liked get smart but the opening scenes were good!