Get Smart (TV Series) I Shot 86 Today (1969) User Reviews

Playing Around

[zsenorsock · 8/10 · 10 January 2008]

Producer Burt Nodella contributes an inspired script that revolves around a KAOS plot to blow up US space agencies and set the space program back on its heels. Two space agency buildings next to golf courses have already been destroyed. The Chief orders Max and 99 to try and stop this one (apparently located next to the Pomona Golf Club if the signs on the golf carts can be trusted). To get an edge in his game with the suspicious golf pro Chuck Cramer (Charles Bateman) Smart again goes to the beautiful Dr. Simon (last time played by Ann Elder, not sure who's playing her in this episode) for some secret weapons. The weapons include a magnetic golf ball and an iron that will guarantee Smart's shot will be straight.

Irwin Charone (last seen as a British Intelligence officer in "Expendable Agent") plays the owner of the golf club, who turns out to be working with Cramer.

There's some great verbal byplay in this that we haven;t seen on the series in awhile between Max and the Chief ("Fred flew to Frankfurt on Friday") and Max and 99 ("Who will give us when and how..."). There is also a funny low speed gold cart chase and Larabee again shines when given a brief moment.

In fact the only thing really wrong with this one is the continuity as Max tries to bring down the mortar fired at the space agency. Although she is supposed to be in the cart chase, we hear 99's voice urging Max on. She's not supposed to even be there! Then there's a cutaway closeup of 99 urging Max on. A moment later she enters the scene, now wearing sunglasses not seen in either of the previous two shots. Very odd for a director as skilled as Jay Sandrich.

Yet despite these flaws, "I Shot 86" is one of the better efforts of the 4th season and shows that with a little work, the series might have had a little more juice left in it.

KAOS on a golf course

[FlushingCaps · 8/10 · 20 January 2021]

Almost everything takes place on a golf course in this one as the Chief wants our couple to find out why two space agency buildings next to golf courses have been destroyed and they are at the site of a third possibility. In each case, an explosion occurred at 4 p.m. Today a rocket is to be launched at that exact time from the base next to the course. Now golf pro Chuck Cramer is suspected because he was the pro at each of the other two courses, but each time he was posing for a publicity picture with the manager of the golf club-and the Chief shows the photos to Max and 99. 99 asks to keep them for a bit.

Here, there is a telltale clue we could see in the photos if we look quickly. The Chief introduces the manager of this course and reveals their identities to him. He gets it arranged that our couple will be playing a round with the golf pro that afternoon. In this way, they can make sure he is not involved, or so it is figured.

Before playing, Max goes back to the strip club and meets with Dr. Simon (second time for that character, first time for the actress playing her. Just like all the early season scenes in the lab at headquarters, this series seems to just use for their scientist whoever was hanging around the commissary that day. She gets Max special irons that will guarantee his shots will go straight. When Max asks if she has woods that will do that, she deadpans, "Does anybody?" She has a special golf ball that is magnetic, that he is to use only for putting. It will go into the cup all the time.

She also gives him a golf shoe phone, where you don't open it up like Max's regular shoe phone, just speak and listen to certain spikes. Later, when Max uses it to call the Chief, the Chief uses his golf shoe phone as Simon said, but Max reverse the way he uses his phone-speaking into the earpiece, listening where the speaker is supposed to be.

Actually, there were a few gaffes like this. Max is shown hooking a shot far to the left, and he says he sliced it. Then he slices one to the right and states that he hooked it. Later, 99 is racing-as best you can in a golf cart, away from the bad guys in their cart, with the Chief behind chasing one bad guy, being chased by another. Max got out to try to save the day with a golf shot, hoping to hit his magnetic ball to where it will block the KAOS missile that will blow up the space center. While Max is taking all sorts of extra time to get his shot just right, we hear 99 exhorting him to just shoot already, but she is not supposed to be close to him at this point.

Late in the episode, 99 figures out something and checks those photos to show Max what she just put together. It does explain the whole thing about the publicity photos that are always taken at just the right time, and why the photo revelation would be significant in the KAOS actions. I'm purposely being vague here to help readers enjoy the show more if they haven't seen it before reading my review.

Of course, this episode was a setup to show Max on a golf course. He does a few funny things here. One thing that truly didn't make sense: He was just supposed to play with the golf pro to keep track of him. It didn't really matter how well he shot. Why did he need the special clubs and ball that Dr. Simon gave him? In fact, the actions of his magnetic ball in one instance would have truly made that golf pro suspicious of him-had he not already known who Smart was.

Apparently the script was about a minute short, so they inserted a little tongue-twister bit where Max meets up with a Frank Fargo, brother of Fred Fargo, who isn't there because Fred flew to Frankfurt Friday. They got carried away and had part of it state that Fred is Frank's sister-in-law Frieda's father. Seems most unlikely someone's sister-in-law's father would have the same last name they do. I believe this got more laughs then than now because of an ongoing bit on the popular Laugh-In series about the Farkle Family, where every week Dan Rowen would re-introduce his family where almost every name begins with the letter "F" except for "the twins, Simon and Gar Farkle."

Despite the gaffes and unevenness, most of what we saw was fresh, unique, and rather funny. I happily give this one an 8.