Article from "The Nude Bomb." Variety May 7, 1980 v299 p10 (2)

The Nude Bomb
(Color)
 
Recycling of Don Adams as Maxwell Smart. The TV reruns are better.
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Producer: Jennings Lang
Director: Clive Donner
Screenplay by: Leonard B. Stern, Arne Sultan and Bill Dana
Cameras: Harry L. Wolf (Editor), Walter Hannemanni and Phil Tucker
Music: Lalo Schifrin
Production designer: William Tuntke
Set decorator: Mark E. Meyer, Jr.
Sound: Lowell Thomas
Costumes: Burton Miller
Assistant Director: Don Zepfel
 
 Reviewed at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, May 1, 1980
 
 MPAA Rating: PG
 
Running time: 94 minutes
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Cast:
 
Maxwell Smart: Don Adams
Agent 34: Sylvia Kristel
Edith von Secondberg: Rhonda Fleming
Chief of P.I.T.S.: Dana Elcar
Agent 36: Pamela Hensley
Agent 22: Andrea Howard
Carruthers: Norman Lloyd
Jonathon Levinson Seigle: Bill Dana
Jerry Kroveny: Gary Imhoff
Pam Kroveny: Sarah Rush
Nino Salvatore Sebastiani: Vittorio Gassman
American Ambassador: Walter Brooke
U.S. President: Thomas Hill
Landlady: Cecil Cabot
Agent 13: Joey Forman
 
    The resurrection of bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart from television heaven seems at the very least to suggest a sorry lack of original ideas for film fodder. Although Don Adams still manages to retain the humor of the character he brought to national attention via "Get Smart", the hit sixties vidseries, "The Nude Bomb" bears little of the scathing satire and sharp dialogue that lured audiences to the original. The pic has its moments, but it is questionable how many Smart fans are left in the filmgoing public.
    Television nostalgia buffs will no doubt be appreciate to producer Jennings Lang for giving Smart another chance but disappointed that so little of the show's original elements are left. Sadly lacking are Barbara Feldon's Agent 99 and Ed Platt (now deceased) as the Chief, as well as many of Smart's enemies from his counter org, KAOS. Unfortunately, their original portrayers are too much a part of the engaging ambience of Smart for this version not to suffer.
    In terms of attention to the original gimmicks, some attempt is made to resurrect original Smart paraphernalia (e.g. use of Adams' infamous shoe phone is first rate), but it is given short shrift in favor of the new story.
    That wouldn't be so bad had writers Arne Sultan, Bill Dana, and Leonard B. Stern, all of whom were involved in the original, presented something at least to par with "Get Smart." A plot line of Smart's attempt to prevent a villain from launching missiles that will cause everyone in the world to be to naked, is initially amusing, but weak, turning entirely into the latter as the pic progresses.
    Andrea Howard provides some pleasant moments as Adams' new spy partner and Clive Donner directs the script ably. But fans of the vidshow will derive much more enjoyment by crowding around their television sets with a bowl of popcorn watching "Get Smart" reruns. 
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WEBMASTER'S NOTE: I would like to make note of the fact that any factual, grammatical, or spelling errors found in this article are not the fault of the transcriber or webmaster.  I would also like to thumb my nose at the anonymous author of this piece for not getting the facts straight about Stern, Sultan, and Dana.  The trio, having been banned from the set of The Nude Bomb, lost all power to salvage their original script once it fell into the hands of the director and was changed to suit that particular director.  Don't shoot the writer!  

I'd like to give a big thanks to Ryan Schroer who provided this article!!! J

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