NBC wanted to get advertisers excited about its 1965-66 program lineup. What would be the best way to do it? Would you believe the network hired Don Adams, in character as Maxwell Smart, to tell the advertisers what programs would be on that year? It begins with a clip from the Get Smart pilot in which Max was stuck in a closet. The presentation picks up from there:
Max makes these comments about his own show, starting around the 21:09 mark: “People who have caught advanced screenings of Get Smart have called this series the most hilarious satire on espionage they’ve ever seen. Now one couldn’t attribute all of the show’s brilliance to the genius of its star, Don Adams. On the other hand, one could.” We also see Maxwell Smart going through the doors at Control headquarters without any titles.
There are clips not only from Get Smart but I Spy, the serious Robert Culp-Bill Cosby spy drama and The Incredible World of James Bond special. The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is mentioned near the end as a returning hit show.
There are also some interesting non-spy aspects about the presentation. It hypes the start of Joe Namath’s pro football career with the New York Jets (NBC carried American Football League games, “the league that tries harder,” as Max tells us) and talks about NBC News documentaries, including a long one about American foreign policy.
Filed under: James Bond Films, The Other Spies | Tagged: Bill Cosby, Don Adams, Get Smart, I Spy, James Bond Films, Joe Namath, NBC, NBC uses Maxwell Smart to tell advertisers about its 1965-66 lineup, Robert Culp, The Incredible World of James Bond, The Other Spies |
The Spy Command 
That’s a fun clip! Really captures the era with its addition of music, sports, etc.
-Jason (Spy Vibe)