Don Adams | |
|---|---|
 Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (1968) | |
| Born | Donald James Yarmy (1923-04-13)April 13, 1923 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | September 25, 2005(2005-09-25) (aged 82) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1945–2001 |
| Notable work | Get Smart,Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales, Inspector Gadget |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 7, includingCecily Adams |
| Relatives | Dick Yarmy(brother) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Marine Corps |
| Service years | 1941–1945 |
| Conflicts | World War II-Battle of Guadalcanal |
Donald James Yarmy (April 13, 1923 – September 25, 2005), known professionally asDon Adams, was an American actor. In his five decades on television, he was best known as bumbling Maxwell Smart (Secret Agent 86) in the television situation comedyGet Smart (1965–1970, 1995), which he also sometimes directed and wrote. Adams won three consecutiveEmmy Awards for his performance in the series (1967–1969). Adams also provided voices for the animated seriesTennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963–1966) andInspector Gadget (1983–1986) as well as several revivals and spinoffs of the latter in the 1990s.
Adams was born Donald James Yarmy on April 13, 1923, inManhattan, New York,[1] a son of William Yarmy and his wife, Consuelo (née Deiter) Yarmy. His father was ofHungarian Jewish descent and worked as a restaurant manager;[2] his mother was Irish American. Donald and his brotherDick Yarmy were each raised in the religion of one parent: Don in the Catholic faith of their mother and Dick in the Jewish faith of their father.[3] The brothers had an elder sister, Gloria Ella Yarmy (later Gloria Burton), a writer who wrote an episode ofGet Smart. Dropping out of New York City'sDeWitt Clinton High School, he worked as a theater usher. He later remarked that he had "little use for school".[4][5]
Late in 1941, he joined the United States Marine Corps. Yarmy reported to the First Training Battalion in New River, North Carolina and then was assigned to I Company of theThird Battalion, Eighth Marines in San Diego.[5]
In May 1942, Yarmy's unit was transported toSamoa for further training and then participated in theBattle of Guadalcanal in August 1942 in thePacific Theater of Operations. Contrary to urban legend, he was not wounded in combat,[6] but did contractblackwater fever, a serious complication of malaria, known for a 90% rate of fatality.[5] Yarmy was evacuated and then hospitalized for more than a year at Silverstream Hospital, a US Navy hospital nearWellington, New Zealand.[1][7][8] After his recovery, Yarmy served as a Marine Drill Instructor in the United States,[9][10] holding the rank of corporal. He was an expert marksman and was noted for his competence.[5]
After his discharge in 1945, Yarmy went to Florida and worked as a comic in a strip club, doing impersonations of celebrities, but he refused to do"blue" material and was fired. In 1947, he married Adelaide Constance Efantis (1924–2016), nicknamed "Dell", a singer who performed as Adelaide Adams. He decided to take her name because performers were called up for auditions in alphabetical order. Adams also worked as a commercial artist and restaurant cashier to help support his wife and three daughters.[5]
Adams' work on television began in 1954 when he won onArthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts with a stand-up comedy act written by boyhood friendBill Dana. In the late 1950s, he made eleven appearances onThe Steve Allen Show, where Dana was part of the writing team. During the 1961–63 television seasons, he was a regular on NBC'sThe Perry Como Show as part of The Kraft Music Hall Players and frequently on theJimmy Dean Show.[11] He had a role on the NBC sitcomThe Bill Dana Show (1963–65) as a bumblinghotel detective named Byron Glick.[12]
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CreatorsMel Brooks andBuck Henry, prompted by producersDaniel Melnick andDavid Susskind,[1] wroteGet Smart as the comedic answer to the successful 1960s spy television dramas such asThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.,The Avengers,I Spy and others. They were asked to write a spoof that combined elements from two of the most popular film series at the time:James Bond andThe Pink Panther (Inspector Clouseau).
Get Smart was written as a vehicle forTom Poston, to be piloted onABC; when ABC turned it down, NBC picked up the show and cast Adams in the role because he was already under contract.[1] WhenGet Smart debuted in 1965, it was an immediate hit.Barbara Feldon co-starred as Max's young and attractive partner (later wife) Agent 99. They had great chemistry throughout the show's run, despite a 10-year age difference and they became best friends during and after.
Adams gave the character a clipped speaking style borrowed from actorWilliam Powell. Feldon 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."[citation needed] Adams created many popular catchphrases (some of which were in his act before the show), including "Sorry about that, Chief","Would you believe ...?", "Ahh ... the old [noun] in the [noun] trick. That's the [number]th time this [month/week]." (sometimes the description of the trick was simply, "Ahh... the old [noun] trick.") and "Missed it by 'that much'".
Adams also produced and directed 13 episodes of the show. He was nominated forEmmys four seasons in a row, from 1966 to 1969, for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series. He won the award three times. The show moved to CBS for its final season, with ratings declining, as spy series went out of fashion.Get Smart was canceled in 1970 after 138 episodes.
Adams' efforts afterGet Smart were less successful, including the comedy seriesThe Partners (1971–72), a game show calledDon Adams' Screen Test (1975–76, see below) and two attempts to revive theGet Smart series:Get Smart, Again! in 1989, andGet Smart in 1995. His movieThe Nude Bomb (1980) was unsuccessful at the box office. Adams had beentypecast as Maxwell Smart and was unable to escape the image, although he had success as the voice of the titular protagonist in the seriesInspector Gadget, a character that was heavily inspired by Maxwell Smart.[4]
He earned most of his income from his work on stage and in nightclubs. As Adams had chosen a lower salary in exchange for a one-third ownership stake inGet Smart during the show's production, he received a regular income for many years due to the show's popularity in reruns.[1]
Don Adams' Screen Test was a syndicated game show which lasted 26 episodes during the 1975–76 season. The show was filmed 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 as accurately as possible.
Such moments as the bar scene fromThe Lost Weekend, the duel scene fromThe Prisoner of Zenda or the beach scene fromFrom Here to Eternity were used, with Adams directing and a celebrity guest playing the other lead in the scene. Hokey effects, bad timing, forgotten lines, prop failures and the celebrity's "ad libs" were maximized for comic effect as the audience watched "bloopers" and "outtakes" as they happened. At the end of the program, the final, serious, fully edited version of 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 for a motion picture.[13]
Adams resurrected the Maxwell Smart character for a series of television commercials for Savemart, a retail chain that sold audio and video equipment.[14] He also did a series of audio/radio commercials in the 1980s for Chief Auto Parts, a retail automobile parts establishment later sold toAutoZone.
He also appeared in the filmJimmy the Kid (1982) and played a cameo role as a harbormaster inBack to the Beach (1987).
Adams attempted a situation-comedy comeback in Canada withCheck it Out! in 1985. Set in a supermarket, the show ran for three years but was not successful in the United States. The show also starredGordon Clapp, an unknown actor at the time, who developed a rapport with Adams.
In 1995, Adams reprised his Maxwell Smart role one last time onGet Smart forFox; it co-starred Barbara Feldon and rising starAndy Dick as Max and 99's son. Unlike the original version, this show did not appeal to younger viewers and it was canceled after just seven episodes. One of Adams's last public appearances was at the Get Smart Gathering on November 7, 2003, at a North Hollywood restaurant, in which fans of the show joined the cast and some of the creative talent of the series.
Adams was the voice of the title character inTennessee Tuxedo and His Tales (1963–66), with his bombastic catchphrase "Tennessee Tuxedo willnot fail!" Later, he voiced himself in animated form for a guest shot in an episode ofHanna-Barbera'sThe New Scooby-Doo Movies, titled "The Exterminator". His most notable voiceover work was that of the title character inInspector Gadget. He voiced the character in the original television series (1983–85) and a 1992 Christmas special, as well as in subsequent 1990s spinoffsGadget Boy andInspector Gadget's Field Trip. He retired from voicing Inspector Gadget in 1999.
His last roles were the voices ofBrain the Dog in the end credits for the 1999 film version ofInspector Gadget and Principal Hickey in theDisney animated seriesPepper Ann (1997–2001).
At the time of his enlistment in the U.S. Marines, he listed "none" on the section of the form asking about religion. During his difficult recovery from blackwater fever, he returned to his Catholic faith as he prayed to survive.[5]
Adams divorced Adelaide in 1960 and married Dorothy Bracken, an actress. He left Bracken in 1977 to marry actress Judy Luciano with whom he had one child. That marriage also ended in divorce.[5][8] He had seven children: Carolyn, Christine, Cathy,Cecily, Stacey, Sean and Beige. Cecily died of lung cancer in 2004 and his son Sean died in 2006 at age 35 of a brain tumor, a year after Don Adams's death.
His brother Richard Paul Yarmy, also known as Dick Yarmy (February 14, 1932 – May 5, 1992), was an actor. His sister Gloria Yarmy Burton was a writer.Robert Karvelas, who played the role ofAgent Larabee onGet Smart, was Adams' cousin on his mother's side of the family.
A compulsive gambler, according to his longtime friend Bill Dana, Adams "could be very devoted to his family if you reminded him about it, [but] Don's whole life was focused around gambling."[15]
Adams died on September 25, 2005, atCedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. He suffered fromlymphoma and a lung infection. His health had declined after the death of his daughter Cecily.[5][8] Before his death, Adams had joked about not wanting a mournful funeral, preferring, he said, to have his friends get together "and bring me back to life."[16]
Among his eulogists were his decades-long friendsBarbara Feldon,Don Rickles,James Caan,Bill Dana and his son-in-law, actorJim Beaver (widower of Adams' daughter Cecily). His funeral Mass was held at theChurch of the Good Shepherd inBeverly Hills.[1][8] He is interred inHollywood Forever Cemetery.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | The Longest Day | Ltjg Mackenzie | (uncredited) |
| 1980 | The Nude Bomb | Maxwell Smart | |
| 1982 | JimmytheKid | Harry Walker | |
| 1987 | Back to the Beach | Harbor Master | |
| 1999 | Inspector Gadget | Brain the Dog (voice) | Final film role |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963–1964 | The Bill Dana Show | Byron Glick | Main cast (15 episodes) |
| 1963–1966 | Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales | Tennessee Tuxedo (voice) | Lead role (70 episodes) |
| 1965–1970 | Get Smart | Maxwell Smart | Lead role (138 episodes) |
| 1966 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Himself (guest) | Episode: "Murder at NBC" |
| 1967 | The Carol Burnett Show | Himself (guest) | Episode: 1.11 |
| 1967 | The Danny Thomas Hour | Harry | Episode: "Instant Money" |
| 1968 | Laugh-In | Himself (guest) | Episode: 1.4 |
| 1970 | Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour | Dolf Clem | Episode: "Episode #1.9" |
| 1971 | Confessions of a Top Crime Buster | Det. Lennie Crooke | TV movie |
| 1971–1972 | The Partners | Det. Lennie Crooke | Lead role (20 episodes) |
| 1973 | Saga of Sonora | Himself (host) | Television special |
| 1973 | The New Scooby-Doo Movies | Himself (voice) | Episode: "The Exterminator" |
| 1973 | Wait Till Your Father Gets Home | Don Gibson Jr. (voice) | Episode: "Don for the Defense" |
| 1975 | Don Adams' Screen Test | Himself (host) | 13 episodes |
| 1976 | Three Times Daley | Bob Daley | Television pilot |
| 1976 | The Love Boat | Donald Richardson | TV movie |
| 1978 | The Love Boat | Lenny Camen | Episode: "One More Time" |
| 1979 | Fantasy Island | Cornelius Wieselfarber | Episode: "The Red Baron" |
| 1980 | The Love Boat | William Robinson | Episode: "We Three" |
| 1980 | Murder Can Hurt You! | Narrator (voice) | TV movie |
| 1982 | The Love Boat | Sidney Williams | Episode: "Safety Last" |
| 1983 | The Love Boat | Sam Corey | Episode: "The Very Temporary Secretary" |
| 1983–1985 | Inspector Gadget | Inspector Gadget (voice) | Lead role (86 episodes) |
| 1984 | The Love Boat | Walter Love | Episode: "Novelties" |
| 1984 | The Fall Guy | Sheriff | Episode: "Losers Wheepers: Part 1" |
| 1985–1988 | Check It Out! | Howard Bannister | Lead role (66 episodes) |
| 1989 | Get Smart, Again! | Maxwell Smart | TV movie |
| 1992 | Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas | Inspector Gadget (voice) | Television special |
| 1994 | Empty Nest | Don Adams | Episode: "Charley's Millions" |
| 1995 | Get Smart | Maxwell Smart | Lead role (7 episodes) |
| 1995–1996 | Gadget Boy & Heather | Gadget Boy (voice) | Lead role (26 episodes) |
| 1996–1998 | Inspector Gadget's Field Trip | Inspector Gadget (voice) | Lead role (27 episodes) |
| 1997 | Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher | Principal | Episode: "Gargoyle Guys" |
| 1997–1998 | Gadget Boy's Adventures in History | Gadget Boy (voice) | Lead role (26 episodes) |
| 1997–2001 | Pepper Ann | Principal Hickey (voice) | Additional voices (24 episodes) |
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