MovieChat Forums > Get Smart (1965) Discussion > Buck Henry was a JERK

Buck Henry was a JERK

posted 5 years ago by [email protected] (1732)
8 replies | jump to latest

Finally broke down and bought the box set of the entire series, which includes several
commentaries and an interview with creator Buck Henry.

He was a brilliant man, but he truly comes off as an ASS when talking about the last three
years when he no longer was involved with the show. He's very dismissive of other people's
ideas, trashes the marriage of Max and 99, stating he would've never allowed the two
characters to marry (I disagree big time, as it opened up the show to new themes and ideas).

In his commentary for "Love and Twitches", which he does with Feldon, he comes across
very dismissive once more, stating at one point, "Where are we now - I'm lost." He then
states he was too "cynical" to believe the characters could wed. Feldon is classy (as always),
laughing at certain moments, while Henry just pours out more sour grapes.

His solo interview reveals him as a very arrogant man. Too bad, as this box set is otherwise
delightful.

[–] [email protected] (6082) 5 years ago

That's sad to hear as I always thought the show was brilliantly written and very funny.

Max and 99's marriage was a great move. I especially loved the scene when they went on their honeymoon. Max had to stay upright all night, hanging on a door in order to reveal some weird map on his chest. I forget the details, but it was Kaos inspired chaos.

An agent said to Max, "I'm sorry."

The new groom Max replied, "YOU'RE sorry?" lol

As a child I didn't get the full meaning of that statement. I thought he was just upset at his uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.

I also thought it was cute (and odd) that Max always called his wife 99. Did he ever use her name?

[–] [email protected] (1732) 5 years ago

No, PJ, 99's "real" name was never revealed. In the third season's "99 Loses Control", 99 decides to live a "real life"
and marry a handsome French gambler (who turns out to be a KAOS agent). During the body of the show, 99 says
her real name is "Susan Hilton." When the episode concludes, 99 reveals to Max that "Susan's not my real name, Max."

If ONLY Bewitched followed suit and had Endora NEVER say "Darrin." One of the show's few great flaws, in my opinion.

[–] [email protected] (6082) 5 years ago

Guess I worded my question wrong. I WAS fairly certain that 99's name was never revealed. I was just wondering if Max ever called her by her real name after they were married, off camera, ya know? Like the way we speculate about Lucy and the others doing things that the audience didn't see on ILL.

i just thought that it would be strange for Max to call his wife 99 in their most private (intimate) moments. "Oh 99, you always give 100%". lol

Now that I mention it, I recall the episode when she said her name was Susan. Later when they got married, I thought, "That's it. She's Susan Smart."

It wasn't until later when I saw a rerun of that earlier episode that I heard her say her name wasn't Susan. Must've missed that the first time!

They also never named their twins, did they? I think they always just referred to them as the twins.

[–] Redsfan001 (6187) 5 years ago

[deleted]

[–] liscarkat (19031) 4 years ago

Henry was right--they should never have married or had kids. That's when the show began to go downhill. Injecting babies into a previously all-adult sitcom is almost always a jump-the-shark mistake.

[–] gary4movies (174) 4 years ago

Disagree big time. The EPs leading up to, and including the wedding day itself, are classic. And since we know 99 loved him from the beginning, it felt like a giant "0" when Max finally confesses his love for her. Whenever they were in danger, the emotional power was greater, as "Mr. and Mrs. Smart" had so much more to lose being a married couple. Bottom line: the marriage never interfered with the show; it only added more laughs and story ideas.

As for the twins, the shows leading up to the birth are also strong, although it does give one the odd feeling that the newborns were subjected to so much gunfire and such. In any case, the show was getting a tad stale by the end of season three. The marriage, and to a lesser extent, the twins injected new life into the show. It went out strong in season five.

Henry confessed to being "bitter" after leaving the series at the end of season two. He appears to have also possessed great jealousy by the contribution of others.

[–] [email protected] (6082) 4 years ago

I definitely enjoyed the "Smarts" as a married couple. They always seemed like the perfect couple to me right from the start...and I was only a little kid when I watched the show.

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

I recall that for awhile, Buck Henry was the most frequent host of SNL. I had never heard of him (no IMDB at the time), and had no idea what he ever did. I was never impressed.