Don Adams (born Donald James Yarmy; April 13, 1923 – September 25, 2005) was an American actor, comedian, game show panelist and occasional director, who in his five decades of television was best known for his role as Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) in the TV situation comedy Get Smart (1965–1970, 1995), for which he also directed and wrote. Adams won three consecutive Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Smart (1967–1969). He also provided the voices for the animated series Tennessee Tuxedo (1963-1966) and Inspector Gadget (1983-1985) as their respective title characters.
Early life
Adams was born in New York City, the son of Consuelo (née Dieter), a housewife, and William Yarmy, a soda clerk. His father was a Hungarian Jew and his mother a Roman Catholic of Dutch and Irish heritage.[1] He was not raised in any religion but after praying to God for survival during his blackwater fever illness he went from being an atheist to a life-long Catholic.
After Don dropped out of New York City's DeWitt Clinton High School at age 18 (his senior year) in 1941, one of his first jobs was a theatre usher, and he later worked as a comic and mimic, taking the stage name of Adams after marrying singer Adelaide (Dell) Efantis, who performed under the name Adelaide Adams. After their divorce, he still went by the stage name "Adams," explaining (perhaps comically) that he kept it because he got tired of being last during alphabetical auditions.
Adams served with the United States Marine Corps during World War II in the Pacific Theatre. He was wounded during the Battle of Guadalcanal, became ill with blackwater fever, and nearly died.[2] Upon his recovery and return to the States, he served as a drill instructor.[3] As a Marine Corps drill instructor he was commended by his superiors for being able to exceed the performance of his recruits at every required physical task.citations needed
The Bill Dana Show
His work on television began in 1954, when he won "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" with a stand-up comedy act written by boyhood friend Bill Dana. In addition to appearing on numerous comedy, variety, and dramatic series, Adams had a role on the NBC sitcom The Bill Dana Show (1963–65), as a bumbling hotel detective named Byron Glick — a character nearly identical to what was soon to become "Maxwell Smart" on Get Smart. (The hotel manager was played by Jonathan Harris who later did a guest role on Get Smart in 1970.)
Get Smart
Creators Buck Henry and Mel Brooks wrote Get Smart as the comedic answer to all of the successful 1960s spy television dramas such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Avengers, I Spy and It Takes a Thief. They were asked to write a spoof that combined elements from two of the most popular film series at the time: the James Bond and Pink Panther (Inspector Clouseau) movies.
Get Smart had been written for Tom Poston to be piloted on CBS. When CBS turned the show down, it was picked up by NBC, which cast Adams in the role because he was already under contract but without a showcitation needed. When it debuted in 1965, it was an immediate hit.
Adams endowed the character with his voice and clipped, unique speaking style. Co-star Barbara Feldon, who played the role of Smart's partner, Agent 99, said, "Part of the pop fervor for Agent 86, was because Don did such an extreme portrayal of the character that it made it easy to imitate." Adams created many popular catch-phrases with the character (some of which were in his act prior to this show) including "Sorry about that, Chief", "And loving it!", "Would you believe...?" and "Missed it by 'that much.'" These helped make the series a hit in over 100 countries.
In addition to acting, Adams also produced and directed some episodes of the show. Off the set, he occasionally feuded with Jay Sandrich, who served as writer.citation needed For his portrayal of Agent 86, he was nominated for Emmys 4 seasons in a row, between 1966 and 1969, and won 3 Emmys, for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series.
For its final season, the show moved to CBS, though ratings began to decline as spy series went out of fashion. Get Smart was canceled in 1970, after 138 episodes.
Typecasting
Adams was very happy about the show's cancellation, as he wanted to move on to other projects, but his projects after Get Smart were less successful, including the comedy series The Partners (1971–1972), a self-titled game show called Don Adams Screen Test (1975–1976) and three attempts to revive the Get Smart series in the 1980s. Even his movie, The Nude Bomb, was a box-office failure. Adams was typecast as Maxwell Smart and unable to move beyond that image, though he did have success as the voice of Inspector Gadget.
He continued to make the majority of his income from his work on stage and in clubs. Because Adams had chosen co-ownership of the Get Smart property over an increased salary during the series' production period, he received regular income in later years.
The Don Adams Screen Test
The Don Adams Screen Test was a syndicated game show which lasted 26 episodes during the 1975–76 season. The show was done in two 15-minute segments, in each of which a randomly selected audience member would 'act' to re-create a scene from a Hollywood movie, such as the bat scene from 'The Lost Weekend' or the beach scene from 'From Here to Eternity', aided by Adams and other guest celebrities. Hokey effects, bad timing, forgotten lines, prop failures and the celebrity's 'ad libs' were maximized for comic effect. At the end of the program, the 'screen test' of each of the two contestants would be played, with audience reaction determining the winner, who would receive a trip to Hollywood and a real screen test.
Voice-over and later work
Adams worked as a voice actor in Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963–1966), but he was more famous as the voice of Inspector Gadget in the initial run of that television series (1983–1985) and the Christmas special, as well as in later reprises; he even voiced himself in animated form for a guest shot in an episode of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "The Exterminator," which first aired on CBS October 13, 1973.
He attempted a situation-comedy comeback in Canada with Check it Out! in 1985; the show ran for three years in Canada, but it was not successful in the United States. The show also starred Gordon Clapp, an unknown star at the time, who developed a rapport with Adams. In an A&E Biography, Adams said that he made more money working on a series, better than on Get Smart. He reprised his Maxwell Smart role on Get Smart for FOX in 1995, which co-starred Barbara Feldon and rising star Andy Dick as Max's & 99's only son. Unlike the original version, this show did not appeal with younger viewers and it was canceled after only 6 episodes. He later went on to voice the character of Principal Hickley in the late-90s Disney cartoon, Pepper Ann.
In 2003, Adams joined a Get Smart tribute at the Museum of Television and Radio. Also appearing at the convention were surviving stars of Get Smart: Barbara Feldon, Bernie Kopell and Dick Gautier.
Adams stated in interviews that his famous "clippy" voice characterization was an exaggeration of the speaking style of actor William Powell. Occasionally, he also enjoyed doing a more explicit impersonation of Ronald Colman.
Adams was the voice of Brain the dog in the end credits for the film version of Inspector Gadget in 1999.
In the teaser trailer for The Venture Brothers third season, the sea captain character (who led a crew of fake ghost pirates ala Scooby Doo villains) proudly explains that his career lets you meet people "who used to be famous. Like Cher and the guy who did the voice for Inspector Gadget."
Personal life
Adams was married and divorced three times:
- Adelaide "Dell" Efantis, in 1949, divorced in 1958. They had four children: actress Cecily (born February 6, 1958 and died March 3, 2004), Carolyn, Christine and Cathy.
- Dorothy Bracken in 1960, divorced in 1973. They had two children, Stacey Noel (born on June 17, 1966) and Sean Adams (born on December 4, 1970 and died on June 28, 2006).
- Judy Luciano on June 10, 1977, divorced in 1990. They had a daughter, Beige Dawn Adams, born on June 6, 1979.
Don had two siblings, actor Dick Yarmy (1932–1992) and writer Gloria Yarmy Burton.
Death
On September 25, 2005, he died in Los Angeles, California from a lung infection following a long battle with bone lymphoma. He was interred in Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California. His funeral mass was held at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. He was survived by six of his seven children along with 5 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.[4]
References
- ^ Don Adams Dies
- ^ www.spiritus-temporis.com/don-adams
- ^ "U.S. Marine Don Adams". Truth or Fiction. Retrieved on 2007-04-22.
- ^ "Don Adams, Television's Maxwell Smart, Dies at 82", New York Times (September 27, 2005,). Retrieved on 2008-06-17. "Don Adams, who played Maxwell Smart in the 1960's sitcom "Get Smart," combining clipped, decisive diction with appalling, hilarious ineptitude, died on Sunday at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 82."
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