Season three of Get Smart got underway on 16 September, 1967. It was written by Phil Leslie and Keith Fowler.

The impersonator division of KAOS is going to cause Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) and CONTROL a lot of problems as they infiltrate the spy agency. There are doubles running around everywhere, and who can be trusted, who is going to shoot who, and who’s going to solve it all by the end of the episode?

Siegfried (Bernie Kopell) is sending in doubles, and is delighted with his version of 86, Maxwell Smart. The Chief (Edward Platt) also has a double, but 99 (Barbara Feldon) is the only one who doesn’t seem to be doubled though she’s good at helping resolve everything before the story ends.

There’s lots of people getting hit, shot at, and it’s pretty funny. It comes down to Smart vs. Smart as they are both held by CONTROL to determine who is who, and it descends into gunfire with fake and real Smarts and Chiefs take out one another. Very funny stuff.

Adams is absolutely wonderful in the role of Smart, but I love every time Siegfried shows up! Kopell is just hilarious every moment he’s on screen.

And hey, there are no real gadgets in his episode. It’s all doubles, fisticuffs, gunfights and spycraft.

Viva Smart sees Smart and 99 heading to South America as Flamenco dancers in a mission to save the President of a country.

Written by Bill Idelson, Sam Bobrick, and Norman Paul, this episode debuted on 23 September, 1967.

It’s a fun episode, using backlot sets, and there are some fun sight gags, and comedic bits. They have to save the president from the general (Monte Landis) who know they are spies. Their dance moves leave something to be desired, and they end up in trouble with the authorities, and in prison. That could be a lot of trouble, because the democracy isn’t much of one, and they don’t ask questions until after you have been shot.

Someone tries to poison Smart and 99, drops a fake spider in their suitcase, and shoots at them from holes in the ceiling. There’s a lot of silliness happening here, stuff we’ve seen played straight in spy films – and that makes it really enjoyable.

It has some great stuff, but the previous episode was a stronger story, and done better. Still, it’s a lot of fun, and shows that there is a lot of comedic stuff to mine from the spy genre.

Witness for the Persecution first aired on 7 October, 1967. It was written by Sam Bobrick and Bill Idelson.

KAOS is determined to stop Smart from testifying in open court against one of their agents. To keep him safe, CONTROL has upgraded the security features of Smart’s apartment. And you can just imagine how that is going to play out for laughs.

Then, once KAOS is able to track him down and get to him, Smart shacks up with another fellow agent, not 99, and things get even worse.

The episode opens with a fun bit around an explosive football, which then sets up the story for the rest of the narrative.

Of course, by story’s end, Smart is able to outwit the KAOS agents, and save the day. Honestly, this is an episode that should have included Siegfried, it would have been fun to see Smart and Siegfried squaring off in this one.

The hilarious spycraft continues next week when I explore of season three of the iconic, Get Smart. Some of it really endures, some of it… not so much, but damn if the cast isn’t hilarious.