would you believe...

don adams, best-known as stupor-spy maxwell smart, passed away recently.

now...it seems like most bloggers are focusing on the gadgetry and screwball comedy of the classic spy-genre spoof get smart.

but i'd rather focus on something that i think was more revolutionary about the series: barbara feldon, and her portrayal of agent 99 as maxwell's partner and (later) paramour.

tough and sweet, smart and devoted, and always dependable, 99 seemed a perfect meld of both the modern liberated woman and the devoted wife of previous generations.

obviously, not a super-sexy assassin like diana rigg's emma peel from the just-as-classic avengers. but ms. peel always came off a bit cold for my taste.

ok, so maybe not that cold...