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Although most of today's viewing audiences weren't watching 1960s television live, it speaks to the quality and relatability of shows from that decade that many of its shows are cemented in popular culture. If they're not being rerun on cable or made available on several different streaming apps, they're being transformed for modern viewers with feature-length homages, for better or worse.

From spy dramas and family sitcoms to science fiction adventures and dark gothic soap operas, the 1960s had a little something for everyone. When we look back on the decade's television, we see a rapidly changing landscape, one where shows nostalgic for a simper time screen opposite imaginative, forward-thinking programs. Although many 1960s shows feel very much of their time, there's a stylish charm that makes them still enjoyable to watch today.

Here are some of the best TV shows that the 1960s has to offer -- take a...

Nicholas Pryor, the busy character actor who portrayed Tom Cruise’s father in Risky Business and Kathleen Robertson’s dad on Beverly Hills, 90210 during a career that spanned seven decades, has died. He was 89.

Pryor died Monday of cancer at his home in Wilmington, North Carolina, his wife, actress Christine Belford, told The Hollywood Reporter.

In a note to be delivered to THR after his death, he wrote: “Nicholas Pryor was enormously grateful to have been, for nearly 70 years, a working actor.”

From 1997-2002, Pryor played the former spy Victor Collins on the General Hospital spinoff Port Charles, culminating a long career in daytime soap operas that included stints on The Secret Storm, The Edge of Night, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, All My Children and Another World.

Pryor recurred on Fox’s Beverly Hills, 90210 as A. Milton Arnold, the chancellor of California University and father of Robertson’s Claire Arnold,...

Before "Austin Powers," "Johnny English," and "Top Secret!" there was "Get Smart," the 1960s spy sitcom that mined the genre for laughs when the James Bond and "Mission: Impossible" franchises were still in their infancies. Co-created by comedy legends Mel Brook and Buck Henry, "Get Smart" ran for five seasons from 1965 to 1970, earning seven Primetime Emmys and plenty of other accolades along the way.

Stand-up comedian Don Adams starred as Maxwell Smart, the sometimes inept top-secret agent who regularly held the fate of the world in his hands ... and often almost fumbled it. By his side was the beautiful, super-cool Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon), who loves Maxwell despite his clumsiness and penchant for messing up missions. The central trio was rounded out by Edward Platt's The Chief, the supportive leader of the intelligence agency Control, which employed both Agent 99 and Maxwell.

"Get Smart" inspired a follow-up film, sequel TV show,...

A new study from nonprofit environmental firm Good Energy and the USC Norman Lear Center found few references to climate change and environmental crises in a survey of more than 37,000 scripts from 2016 to 2020.

The study aimed to track the level of “climate change representation” in mainstream scripted entertainment. The data showed that only 2.8 of 37,453 scripts analyzed used any “climate change keywords,” while only 0.6 featured the words “climate change.” Only 10 of stories that depicted “extreme weather events” tied the occurance to any form of climate change, while a mere 12 of those tied the problem to the use of fossil fuels.

CBS and HBO Max were cited as the broadcast and pay TV platforms with the highest rate of climate change-related scripted content, with CBS clocking in at 7.5 and HBO Max at 6.4. That compares with research indicating that some 40 of Americans live in countries that have been affected by extreme weather events.

Exclusive: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is set to be the latest center of crime fighting.

Fox is developing a drama series set in that world from Madam Secretary creator Barbara Hall and Criminal Minds writer Erik Stiller.

The untitled series is set amongst the Port Authority Police Department, which is responsible for all threats and criminal activity at New York and New Jersey’s bridges, tunnels, airports, seaports and the World Trade Center.

It will follow the Papd’s first female chief as she leads its elite major crimes unit and also must contend with the mafia, governors from two states, the NYPD, the FBI and her own powerful police union — all while managing the tangled, messy lives of her team.

Hall, who has worked on series including Homeland and Army Wives, will serve as showrunner and executive producer, with Stiller writing and exec producing.

Like everyone else, we love Lucy and celebrate the anniversary of Lucille Ball‘s landmark laffer “I Love Lucy,” which debuted on CBS exactly 70 years ago today on Oct. 15, 1951. The show won the Emmy for Best Situation Comedy twice and Ball claimed two trophies as well.

Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).

Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...

Near the pinnacle of director-driven ’70s cinema is this marvelous comedy about a ‘American Miss’ contest, and the swirl of personalities that come to support, promote and ogle the teen beauties just learning the ropes of the good old U.S. hype machine. Bruce Dern, Barbara Feldon and Michael Kidd are just wonderful as the adults in charge of the pageantry; Annette O’Toole, Joan Prather and Melanie Griffifth are among the hopefuls, learning an early lesson in a time honored, entirely bogus Americana ritual: as Michael Kidd says, he teaches these sweet kids to dance and behave like Vegas showgirls. It’s deceptively, distractingly funny — and as true as the day is long.

Smile

Blu-ray

Fun City Editions

1975 / Color /1:85 widescreen / 113 min. / Street Date May 25, 2021 / Available from Vinegar Syndrome / 34.99

Starring: Bruce Dern, Barbara Feldon, Michael Kidd, Eric Shea, Geoffrey Lewis, Nicholas Pryor, Titos Vandis, Paul Benedict, William Traylor, Dick McGarvin,...

Like everyone else, we love Lucy and celebrate the anniversary of Lucille Ball‘s landmark laffer “I Love Lucy,” which debuted on CBS exactly 69 years ago today on Oct. 15, 1951. The show won the Emmy for Best Situation Comedy twice and Ball claimed two trophies as well.

Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, “The Lucy Show”. In 1967, she edged out “Bewitched” stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and “That Girl’s” Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition: Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon (“Get Smart”) and Paula Prentiss (“He and She”).

Watch that moment from the 1967 Emmycast when Ball wins. As her...

“I Love Lucy” is the subject of a heartfelt tribute from “Will & Grace” on April 9. In “We Love Lucy,” Grace (Debra Messing), Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally) each imagine themselves as Lucy Ricardo opposite Will (Eric McCormack) as her hubby Ricky. Part of the fun is seeing this trio of talent also play Fred and Ethel in various combinations.

“Will & Grace” and “I Love Lucy” both won Best Comedy Series at the Emmys. The former did it in 2000; Hayes and Mullally won that year as well. McCormack prevailed in 2001 and Messing in 2003. “Will and Grace” is only the third TV series in Emmy history in which all four of the main cast won awards, following “All in the Family” and “The Golden Girls.”

Of the quartet of talent on “I Love Lucy,” it was only the women — Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance — who won over the TV academy voters.

Tony Sokol Jan 9, 2020

Buck Henry, who created classic comedy for big and small screens, dies at 89.

Genius comedy writer and actor Buck Henry died of a heart attack at Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Health Center at the age of 89, according to Variety. Henry was a frequent host on Saturday Night Live, wrote the screenplays for such comedy classics as The Graduate and What’s Up, Doc? and co-created Get Smart with Mel Brooks.

Buck Henry, who was born Henry Zuckerman on Dec. 9, 1930, was the son of silent film actress Ruth Taylor, who was also the star of the original Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. His stockbroker father was a retired Air Force brigadier general named Paul Steinberg Zuckerman. Given Henry’s penchant for comic corruption, this may have informed the educational subterfuge he mined to adapt, along with collaborator Calder Willingham, Charles Webb's novel The Graduate for Mike Nichols' 1967 classic generational comedy. “I...

Buck Henry, the legendary screenwriter behind The Graduate and What’s Up, Doc? who also co-created Get Smart and was a regular presence in the early years of Saturday Night Live, died tonight of a heart attack at Cedars-Sinai Health Center in Los Angeles. He was 89.

A family member confirmed the news to Deadline.

Henry scored a pair of Oscar nominations — one for his and Calder Willingham’s adapted screenplay for The Graduate and another for directing with Warren Beatty the 1978 movie Heaven Can Wait. He also won a writing Emmy in 1967 for Get Smart, the spy spoof he created with Mel Brooks, among many other accolades.

He became a familiar face to a new generation of TV viewers by hosting Saturday Night Live several times during its first five seasons. He might be best remembered as John Belushi’s foil in the classic “Samurai” skits.

Henry also had more...

TV opening sequences are the lifeblood of television shows -- they can be short or long, but no matter what, they set the mood for a series. Dramas often use more symbolic sequences, while comedies typically utilize humorous material from the show itself to engage viewers.

Opening sequences may be right at the beginning of the episode, right after the cold open, or not present at all for narrative purposes. Shows may also utilize variations of opening sequences in order to best facilitate the storytelling of a show.

Related: Enjoy Unlimited access to thousands of Movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video

The best of them are pliable and moldable while still servicing the show it's for, and they not only deliver crucial information about a show but also convey important narrative and aesthetic information. If you have the urge to skip them, don't!

There are hundreds of incredible sequences out there.

Anne Hathaway stars in the 2018 film “Ocean’s 8,” a female reboot of the “Ocean’s 11” films with George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. The new version includes an all-star cast featuring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling and Rihanna.

Stardom came quickly for Hathaway when she first began her career. After one season on an unsuccessful sitcom, Hathaway found herself cast as the star of Garry Marshall’s film “The Princess Diaries.” It was kind of a case of art imitating life since in the film a young high school girl finds out she is really a princess and is launched into the public eye. The same thing pretty much happened to Hathaway. The acting bug though wesent in her system since after all she was named after the wife of William Shakespeare and her mother was a former actress who gave up her career to raise a family.

For George Schlatter, the creator of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, there was a key moment when the Classic TV comedy sketch series had gone from an oddity to cultural phenomenon: Sammy Davis, Jr., an old friend, was making a guest appearance on the show. They were joking around with comedy bits involving a judge, when, according to George, Sammy came up with the phrase, "Here come da judge!", which would lead into a sketch about the banter between a defendant and a judge dressed in black robe and oversized wig (becoming a national catchphrase in the process). "We taped 'Here Come Da Judge' at two in the morning," says George exclusively. "It was so funny that we put it on the next show. Suddenly people were walking down the hall saying, 'Here come da judge.' The show went on that Monday night, and Tuesday or Wedneday morning when the Supreme Court came into the courtroom,...

The Classic TV series Get Smart introduced the world to Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, secret agent 86, and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99, both working for the secret government agency Control and taking on the world-threatening Kaos. The show itself is a full-blown parody of the spymania boom created by the James Bond films throughout the 1960s, though what's interesting is that a spoof usually comes at the end of a creative cycle, many of them signaling a last gasp of sorts from whatever subject is being parodied. Get Smart, on the other hand, came three years into the boom. When the show premiered in the fall of 1965, there had only been three 007 movies, with things really exploding at the end of that year with the release of the fourth, Thunderball. Donna McChrohan Rosenthal, author of the non-fiction exploration of the show The Life and Times of Maxwell Smart, explains in an exclusive interview,...

Back in 1964 a lot of people still thought dolphins were fish, but by the time this TV show was finished, we all knew that our happy undersea friend was smarter than the average bear and lives in a world full of wonder. Ivan Tors’ grandly successful Florida-shot family show kept a lot of seagoing movie veterans in green seaweed, including both original ‘Creature’ Gill Men.

Flipper, Season One

Blu-ray

Olive Films

1964-65 / Color / 1:33 flat TV / 780 min. / Street Date August 29, 2017 / available through the Olive Films website / 39.95

Starring: Brian Kelly, Luke Halpin, Tommy Norden.

Cinematography: Clifford H. Poland Jr., Lamar Boren

Original Music: Henry Vars, song by

Written by: Jack Cowden, Ricou Browning, Peter L. Dixon, Laird Koenig, Stanley H. Silverman, Orville H. Hampton, Lee Erwin, Art Arthur, Jess Carneol, Key Lenard, Ivan Tors, Alan Caillou, Arthur Richards, Robert Sabaroff.

Produced by Ivan Tors, Ricou Browning, Leon Benson, Andrew Marton

Directed by: Ricou Browning,...

Smile, Michael Ritchie’s aptly named 1975 film, takes aim at American beauty pageants and the sunnily eager contestants, their ravenous parents and long suffering chaperones. But the real reason to smile is Bruce Dern’s funny and touching performance as Big Bob Freelander, head judge of the contest and sometime used car dealer. Once again Ritchie takes an overflowing cast of characters (including Barbara Feldon and Melanie Griffith) and gives each one of them their due. Annette O’Toole has a memorable moment as a demurely sexy contestant who finds a provocative way to catch the judges’ attention.

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Evil goatees, facial ticks and eyepatches… Remember these classic takes on TV’s ‘evil twin’ trope?

Warning: contains spoilers for Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who series 6, Knightrider, and a 1969 episode of Star Trek.

When it comes to shenanigans and shock value, it’s hard to go past the trope of the evil twin on television. It’s so much fun seeing old-school split-screen on the small screen, where the same actor plays two (or more) parts. It ramps up the fun and fantasy, or delivers a fabulous freak-out moment.

Science fiction feels like the natural habitat of doubles. The audience is already suspending their disbelief, so what’s one more?

Hands-down one of the best uses of twins (or multiples) is from the 2004 reboot of Battlestar Galactica. Cylon hybrids were flawless versions of humans who looked, sounded, acted and believed they were just like you and me. It...

Like everyone else, we love Lucy and celebrate the fact that Lucille Ball's landmark laffer "I Love Lucy" debuted on CBS exactly 64 years ago today on Oct. 15, 1951. The show won the Emmy for Best Situation Comedy twice (1953, 1954) and Ball claimed two trophies as well (Best Comedienne, 1953; Best Actress, Continuing Performance, 1956).  -Break- Ball went on to win two more Emmys for the last two seasons of her second series, "The Lucy Show" (1967, 1968). In 1967, she edged out "Bewitched" stars Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead and "That Girl's" Marlo Thomas. By the way, Montgomery never won an Emmy, despite nine nods, including five for her work as that witch with a twitch. The following year, in what was to be her final Emmy race, Ball prevailed yet again. Her competition:  Montgomery and Thomas, as well as Barbara Feldon ("Get Smart") and Paula Pr...

Join us for a fun filled laugh fest as we look back on 50 years of one of TV's most beloved sitcoms, Get Smart! Barbara Feldon (Secret Agent 99) and special guests TV and film actor Joseph Sirola (the villain Bronzefinger and Harvey Satan), Carl Birkmeyer (www.WouldYouBelieve.com), Lee Pfeiffer (Cinema Retro magazine) and Get Smart enthusiasts Nathan Sears and Paul Scrabo look back at this groundbreaking comedy in a benefit for the HoFoPro Foundation. 

Theatre 80 St Marks is a New York theatrical landmark with a long history of supporting the arts and aspiring artists.  

The special $50 package includes preferred seating for the event, plus an Exclusive post-show meet and greet with Barbara Feldon!

HoFoPro is a Not For Profit, 501 (c) 3 Corporation that seeks to preserve the tradition of off Broadway theatre by providing grants to artists who could not otherwise afford to produce their work in an off Broadway venue.

The holidays are almost upon us, and if you just can't wait to re-watch seasonal classics like "White Christmas" or "The Muppet Christmas Carol," they're available right now on Netflix. There are also a few Thanksgiving-themed movies you can stream, our favorite being, of course, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles."

There's something for almost every taste, whether you want something nice like an animated film for the kids or something very naughty, like "Bad Santa."

Thanksgiving Movies

1. "American Son" (2008) R

Nick Cannon stars as a young Marine who's just completed basic training and is about to ship out to Iraq: But first, he's home for a volatile four-day Thanksgiving with friends and family.

2. "The House of Yes" (1997) R

Parker Posey proves why she was the '90s Indie Movie Queen in this film where she plays a Jackie Kennedy-obsessed who is unreasonably jealous when her brother (Josh Hamilton) brings home...

Red Widow alum Clifton Collins Jr is returning to ABC with a co-starring role alongside Ryan Phillippe, Juliette Lewis and KaDee Strickland in the network’s drama pilot Secrets & Lies, which has a series penalty. It centers on Ben (Phillippe), a family man who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a young boy when he finds the body. Clifton, repped by Industry Entertainment, Resolution and attorney David Krintzman, will play Ben’s childhood friend and tenant in Ben’s pool house who is unwaveringly supportive of Ben. He most recently was seen in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim and next appears in Transcendence alongside Johnny Depp. Private Practice alum Tim Daly will co-star opposite Tea Leoni in CBS’ drama pilot Madam Secretary. The project, written by Barbara Hall, directed by David Semel and exec produced by Morgan Freeman, explores the personal and professional life of a maverick...

The Warner Archive Collection is really starting to put out some great DVDs that feature titles you aren’t going to find anywhere else, and the latest to be made available is Search. A massively fun show from the early 70s, Search starred Hugh O’Brian, Doug McClure, and Tony Franciosa, and was (although I’m testing my memory) a show that pulled great tech ideas into the espionage drama realm, at a point when some of the ideas were practically sci-fi.

The complete series is available now, and it’s a lost classic that deserves a look. Unfortunately, it’s hard to get a taste of it to know if you’re interested in buying, but for those who remember the series, this is a real treat.

Catch the full info below, and don’t let this one escape your notice.

Look no further: You can now find Search...

Chicago – The TV show “Get Smart,” which had its original run on the NBC network from 1965-1970, was an oddball classic. Created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, the sitcom was a goofy satire on cold war politics of the 1960s, with a hapless operative named Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) working for the Control agency, spying against a foreign menace called Kaos. Barbara Feldon (Agent 99) and Bernie Kopell (Sigfried) were part of the supporting cast.

Feldon and Kopell were also part of The Hollywood Show, a two day gathering of favorite TV and movie stars to meet fans and sign autographs. The next show in Chicagoland will be at the Hilton Rosemont on September 7th and 8th, 2013 (details below the article). The Show will have over 30 celebrities in attendance, including Barbara Eden and Bill Daily (“I Dream of Jeannie”); Tippi Hedren (“The Birds”); Barry Livingston, Stanley Livingston and Tina Cole...

Zachary Quinto and Judith Light share a laugh in NYC.

Birthday shoutouts go to Aaron Eckhart, who is 45, Al Jarreau is 73, and Barbara Feldon is 80. In ratings news, The Carrie Diaries held steady, and is on the bubble for renewal.. Karl Urban will star in an untitled futuristic pilot for Fox, produced by Jj Abrams. It's "set in the near future when all Lapd officers are partnered with highly evolved human-like androids." Good Times is the latest classic sitcom to get the big screen treatment..Jane Lynch will star in the web series Dropping The Soap, which "goes behind-the-scenes of faux daytime sudser “Colliding Lives” as the program struggles to stay afloat in the new era of TV." Jane is exec. producing as well, along with the Web Therapy team of Dan Bucatinsky, Don Roos, and Lisa Kudrow. Is Zachary Quinto getting ready to propose to Jonathan Groff? Who wouldn't?...

Chicago – One of the most unique happenings in Chicago every year is “The Hollywood Show.” This annual event presents celebrities from TV and film, both from the nostalgic past and the current scene. In September of 2012, the show included Loni Anderson (“Wkrp in Cincinnati”), Oscar Winner Martin Landau and the reunited cast of “Lost in Space,” all meeting fans and signing autographs.

HollywoodChicago.com covered the event, and photographer Joe Arce put the show’s participants in front of the lens. “The Hollywood Show” will be back in Chicago in September, 2013. Click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All images © Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com.

HOLSHOW1: Loni Anderson of ‘Wkrp in Cincinnati.’ HOLSHOW2: Another view of Loni Anderson. HOLSHOW3: Oscar winner Martin Landau of ‘Ed Wood’ and ‘The Majestic.’ HOLSHOW4:...

The New Normal's Justin Bartha and Andrew Rannell

Someone has to say it: It's rare that a sitcom father is a sexy beast. Historically, dads on sitcoms are sarcastic, exhausted, or flatly chipper, and therefore not nearly as libidinous as we want them to be. As NBC's upcoming gay daddy comedy The New Normal proves, fatherhood can look pretty hot on a man. (Justin Bartha and Andrew Rannells are pretty choice specimens, wouldn't you say?) So today, we're looking back at 10 sitcom dads who beat the odds and came out sexy. I'm hooting "Babaloo!" already.

10. Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo on I Love Lucy

Have we finally reached the first generation that won't grow up on reruns of I Love Lucy? Kind of crazy, right? Especially since it means they'll miss their tutorial in fiery Cuban fatherhood. Desi Arnaz may not have been the most patient or open-hearted husband,...

Mad Men, thank you for knowing exactly what I wanted this Memorial Day: an episode about your delightful, quasi-doomed lady characters. I know I'm a gay-ass gaything and all, but it's clear that Peggy and Joan are the show's most interesting people, with Pete and Megan running behind in a close third and fourth. (Pete ranks just because he's a quivering pile of suicide potential.) Frankly, the more focus on the show's distaff half, the better. No more Hare Krishna adventures for Harry or forgery follies for Lane, thanks. Save their exploits for a spinoff webseries called "Douche Lessons at Scdp" or something.

But what revelatory turns our dames took last night! Peggy got uppity and left Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, Joan agreed to the shadiest, saddest scheme in advertising history, and Megan shifted from "self-righteous defier of Don's misogyny" to... well, "productive defier of Don's misogyny." Subtle but important difference.

It's Christmas in the hellish, whiskey-drowned snoglobe of Mad Men, and you know what that means: A not-particularly-festive malaise! Awwww. Don, thank you, but I'm still using the one you got me last year.

The post-Thanksgiving season is sinister: Lane Pryce, who is Rango, decided to embezzle a little Scdp money. That rascal-y, owl-y dude! Joan was served divorced papers by her Very Manly, Thank You husband Greg, who is doing a great job over at the Vietnam Macho War Camp War he loves so much. And Harry Crane meets up with onetime Freedom Rider Paul Kinsey, who, since being cut from Scdp, has taken up a new life with some Hare Krishnas. And can you believe this: Paul's still a douchebag. "Remember how anxious, how insecure, how terrified I was of living life?" he asks Harry. "It's gone. Can you imagine living that way?" He may as well have...

We're owed an apology after last night's episode of Mad Men, because it just re-confirmed everything we know about this klatch of swingin' victims: Betty's petty, Pete is pete-thetic, Megan is a responsible and understanding diplomat in the nightmarish Draper cult, Peggy is Lady Bird Johnson's superfly niece, and Roger is a thin rectangle with some silver on it. Oh, and Don? He is Don right now, which is neither a compliment nor an insult. He simply remains the most static and uninteresting character on the show, and he shows no sign of upending his unthinkably monotonous arc. Fortunately, I was still able to unearth five fuh-haaaaabulous moments from last night's investigation of Betty's lingering resentment, Ginsberg's quirky rage, and Sally Draper's potential to be an adorable version of Aileen Wuornos someday. Let's clap at some fabulous things, gents and gentleladies.

1. Forget 1966: Megan's autumnal ensemble is all ready for the '70s.

Fitzwilly is an underrated, oft-ignored Delbert Mann film from 1967. It might be a cult classic if slightly more people knew about it! I first heard about the comedy through a family friend eight or nine years ago, and I loved it at first viewing. The movie can be watched year-round, but I prefer to wait until December.

Dick Van Dyke plays butler Fitzwilly to Miss Vicki (Edith Evans), a generous benefactress who has no idea of her true financial standing (she's almost broke). He leads her doting staff, compiled of fantastic character actors (John McGiver as Albert is a particular favorite of mine) and soon-to-be-big-names (Sam Waterston plays the chauffeur in one of his first film roles). To keep Miss Vicki in the style to which she is accustomed, Fitzwilly is running several con games. One thing may throw a wrench in his plans -- Miss Vicki decides to write...

Netflix has revolutionized the home movie experience for fans of film with its instant streaming technology. Netflix Nuggets is my way of spreading the word about independent, classic and foreign films made available by Netflix for instant streaming.

This Week’s New Instant Releases…

Promised Lands (1974)

Streaming Available: 04/19/2011

Cast: Documentary

Director: Susan Sontag

Synopsis: Set in Israel during the final days of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, this powerful documentary — initially barred by Israel authorities — from writer-director Susan Sontag examines divergent perceptions of the enduring Arab-Israeli clash. Weighing in on matters related to socialism, anti-Semitism, nation sovereignty and American materialism are The Last Jew writer Yoram Kaniuk and military physicist Yuval Ne’eman.

Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen (2009)

Streaming Available: 04/19/2011

Cast: Barbara Sukowa, Heino Ferch, Hannah Herzsprung, Gerald Alexander Held, Lena Stolze, Sunnyi Melles

Synopsis: Directed by longtime star of independent German cinema Margarethe von Trotta, this reverent...

With the Academy Awards airing this Sunday, much attention is being placed on the show's young hosts, actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco.

We think they'll make a great team since their careers have followed such a shockingly similar path.

So similar, in fact, that we decided to put them head-to-head in a career-off of epic proportions. Which of these performers has what it takes to win?

Short-Lived TV Show

Franco: "Freaks & Geeks" is the landmark chronicle of life among outcast high schoolers in 1980s Michigan. Besides launching Franco, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, and Seth Rogen, the Judd Apatow-produced 18-episode run is one of the most beloved in TV history.

Hathaway: Running in the same 1999 TV season as "Freaks" was Fox's "Get Real," about a San Francisco family that also included future Facebook founder Jesse Eisenberg. It had a 22-episode run.

Winner: Franco, by a mile… make that several million miles.

The bromide is that satire is what closes on Saturday night, and the boxoffice reception to Michael Richie's expose of small town beauty pageants certainly bears that out. The American Dream comes in for a drubbing, but Richie and screenwriter Jerry Belson have such affection for their characters that it's uplifting rather than a downer. Bruce Dern and Barbara Feldon are terrific. Film debuts of Annette O'Toole, Colleen Camp and Melanie Griffith.

Photo by Pop Culture Passionistas

While some little girls were dreaming of being Marcia Bradyor Laurie Partridge, we had more cosmopolitan tastes. We wanted to be Cissyfrom Family Affair. After all shelived in a high-rise apartment in New York City, with a gruff but lovableuncle, and a butler. That beats the heck out of sharing a bathroom with fivesiblings, if you ask us.

So meeting Kathy Garver, who played Cissy on the show’s runfrom 1966 to 1971, was a real treat. Kathy was at Larry Edmunds Bookshop inLos Angeles recently for a signing of her book The Family Affair Cookbook.

There, she was joined by two more Hollywood TV legends—Dawn Wellsaka Mary Anne from Gilligan’s Islandand Alison Argnrim, Little House on thePrairie’s Nellie Oleson. Garver had met Arngrim at a TV Land convention andhas known Wells for a long time, reuniting with her on a Still Hip Chicks...

Many Cinema Retro readers have enjoyed producer David V. Picker's interview in issue #17 in which he recalls the filming of the acclaimed 1975 comedy Smile, which deftly satirized teenage beauty contest. The movie was critically acclaimed at the time, but was not a box-office success for reasons Picker points out in the interview. Turner Classic Movies (North America) will show the movie tonight (Tuesday/Wednesday)  at 1:00 Am. It stars Bruce Dern, Barbara Feldon and Melanie Griffith in an important early career role.

You will not believe this. I can hardly be lieve this. Monday, Barbara -- do not ask Barbara who? -- called. We do not speak of Barbara Eden or Barbara Feldon. Barbara -- the Barbara -- was phoning from the Icu or maybe its next-door neighbor, the step-down unit. Who the hell -- how the hell -- do you smuggle a phone into the Icu? Only someone who could make 12 pages in a book on Steinbrenner when she didn't even sleep with him. Only someone who in 1977 could actually schlep arch enemies,...

I wanted this so bad last year. The elevator packaging was one reason. But the main one was that whenever I've caught an episode on TV in the last few years it's made me laugh just as hard as it did when I was a kid watching its initial run. Airing from 1965-1970 Get Smart boasted a writing team that included Buck Henry, Mel Brooks and a young Woody Allen. As an antidote to the obnoxious machismo offered by James Bond and his ilk Max, the Chief and Agent 99 offered plenty of good humor and commentary on the the cold war and the human condition.

Besides all five seasons of the show you get hours and hours of extras done right.

The Collection includes:

• 25 DVDs in special collectors packaging

• 5 eight-page booklets with liner notes written by actor Dave Ketchum (Agent 13) and Alan Spencer, creator of the TV comedy series "Sledge Hammer!

Though there doesn't seem to be much public demand for a Get Smart sequel, would you believe bumbling Maxwell Smart is returning to theaters anyway?

The recent Get Smart movie is based on the classic TV series that stars Don Adams and Barbara Feldon as spies, working for the government agency known as Control. The series ran for five seasons and inspired a couple reunion movies and a short-lived sequel series.

The 2008 film adaptation stars Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway as Agents 86 and 99. It premiered on June 20th to mixed reviews. That didn't seem to hurt the opening weekend grosses which totaled $38 million. After that, mediocre word-of-mouth and reviews seemed to catch up with the movie and ticket sales slowed down significantly. The movie grosses declined to $20 million in week two, $11 million in week three, and a bigger decline from there. In the end, Get Smart became a moderate financial success,...

Mel Brooks and Buck Henry's TV spoof Get Smart has proven nearly as durable as the James Bond and Pink Panther franchises that inspired it. Since its initial run ended in 1970, it's been resurrected for a feature-film adaptation (1980's aptly named The Nude Bomb), a 1989 reunion TV movie (Get Smart Again), a short-lived 1995 television show also called Get Smart, and this year's big-budget blockbuster adaptation. Part of its venerability can be attributed to the ripeness of its satirical target; though the James Bond series regularly skirted self-parody—at least before 2006's scowling, cold-blooded Casino Royale—it offers a rich cornucopia of goofy conventions begging for spoofery. In a role that won him three Emmys, Don Adams stars as a secret agent whose stupidity and incompetence never seems to get in the way of saving the day. Barbara Feldon co-stars as Adams' love interest and foil, a foxy fellow...

Unless you've been locked in a telephone booth somewhere, you're well aware that the new Get Smart movie is being released in theaters this week. It's a remake of the classic spy-spoof television series that stars Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, and Edward Platt.

The new movie stars Steve Carell as Agent 86, Anne Hathaway as Agent 99, and Alan Arkin as the Chief. Others in the film include Dwayne Johnson, Terence Stamp, David Koechner, Terry Crews, Masi Oka, Nate Torrence, Ken Davitian, Dalip Singh, Bill Murray, and Patrick Warburton.

As we discussed several months ago, most of the castmates from the original series have passed away while others were either not invited to participate or opted not to.

Dick Gautier, who played Hymie the Robot, was initially going to play the President of the United States but that fell through when James Caan became available. Gautier was offer a smaller role and...

Not satisfied with merely creating a big-screen adaptation of Get Smart, Warner Bros. now has plans to issue a direct-to-dvd sequel -- 10 days after the movie release. And they've got a couple of NBC actors to star in it.

Masi Oka (Heroes) and Nate Torrence (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) are currently shooting roles in the film Get Smart. Smart of course stars Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway in the roles made famous by Don Adams and Barbara Feldon in the 1960s TV series. Oka plays Control techie Bruce while Torrance will play a geeky analyst for the spy agency. Both are now set to reprise their roles in a Warner Bros. direct-to-dvd release.

Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control will parallel content in the feature film and will be released just 10 days after the Get Smart film, presumably to take advantage of the movie advertising. The...

What if I told you the world's greatest detective is heading to the big screen for the first time? No, huh? Would you believe the most dashing super-spy ever? No? How about a bumbling government agent from a 1960s TV show?

The sitcom Get Smart debuted on September 18, 1965 on NBC. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry and was envisioned as a spoof of James Bond and the then popular spy trend. The series focused on inept Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, played by Don Adams (who later voiced Inspector Gadget). Max worked for the secret U.S. government organization known as Control, with fellow agents like his boss (the long-suffering Chief played by Edward Platt) and the beautiful and warm Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon). Control's greatest nemesis was an organization named Kaos, and Max's chief main opponent was the Vice President of Public Relations and Terror, Siegfried (a pre-Love Boat...

Warner Bros. has Anne Hathaway's number. Per Variety, the Devil Wears Prada star is thisclose to playing Agent 99 opposite Steve Carell's 86 in the studio's feature adaptation of the hit series Get Smart. Hathaway would take on the role created by Barbara Feldon in the Mel Brooks and Buck Henry sitcom about a bumbling secret agent. Failure to Launch scribes Tom Astle and Matt Ember have penned the most recent draft of the screenplay. Filming is expected to begin next March after Carell wraps his third season of "The Office."...

Don Adams, the comedic actor who won three consecutive Emmys for his role as Agent Maxwell Smart in the hit comedy series Get Smart, died yesterday in Los Angeles; he was 82. The actor died of a lung infection at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and had apparently been in ill health for the past year, after suffering a broken hip. Adams began his Hollywood career after World War II, working as a stand-up comedian and writing and performing for television. Changing his last name from Yarmy to Adams, reportedly because he wanted to be called first and not last at auditions, the actor provided the voice of animated character Tennesee Tuxedo, and his numerous appearances on talk shows provided him with the opportunity to star in Get Smart. A spy spoof created after the surging popularity of the James Bond films, the show wasn't something that interested Adams initially, until he found out that Mel Brooks and Buck Henry had written the pilot. As the snappy but not-quite-intrepid secret agent Maxwell Smart, he was paired with the much smarter and much sexier Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon), and his standard line "Would you believe?!" became a national catchphrase; fans will also remember Smart's infamous "shoe phone" and the agency names CONTROL (the good guys) and KAOS (the bad guys). Adams became an instant star, and the show ran from 1965-1970, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy award in 1968 and 1969. Adams himself won three Emmys and received a fourth nomination. After the series ended, Adams continued to make numerous television appearances, and even starred in a Maxwell Smart movie, The Nude Bomb (1980), after the show became a hit in syndication. In the 80s, Adams also provided the lead voice for the popular animated series Inspector Gadget, which spawned another well-known phrase, "Go, go, Gadget!" After a failed attempt to revise the Get Smart show in 1995, Adams worked mainly offscreen, providing Inspector Gadget's voice and others for various animated shows. Adams was married and divorced three times, and had a total of seven children from the three marriages. --Prepared by IMDb staff...

We can't wait to see the new shoe-phone! Variety reports that comedian Will Ferrell has signed Warner Bros. to star in a big screen version of Get Smart. Now that Ferrell is attached, the studio is now on the lookout for writers, with no timeframe currently set. The original Get Smart TV series starred Don Adams and Barbara Feldon as bumbling secret service agents, and ran for five years, from 1965-1970..