The Nude Bomb (1980)

Maxwell Smart is recalled to duty to help fight a villian who threatens to detonate a weapon that destroys clothing.

Director:

Clive Donner

Writers:

Mel Brooks (characters), Buck Henry (characters)

Stars:

Don Adams, Andrea Howard, Sylvia Kristel

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Don Adams	...	Maxwell Smart
Sylvia Kristel	...	Agent 34
Rhonda Fleming	...	Edith Von Secondberg
Dana Elcar	...	Chief
Pamela Hensley	...	Agent 36
Andrea Howard	...	Agent 22
Norman Lloyd	...	Carruthers
Bill Dana	...	Jonathan Levinson Seigle
Gary Imhoff	...	Jerry Krovney
Sarah Rush	...	Pam Krovney
Vittorio Gassman	...	Sauvage / Nino Salvatori Sebastiani
Walter Brooke	...	American Ambassador
Thomas Hill	...	President
Ceil Cabot	...	Landlady
Joey Forman	...	Agent 13

Storyline

An unknown terrorist has developed a new type of bomb that will destroy clothing, but leave people unharmed. Agent Maxwell Smart (this time without 99 or Hymie) is taken out of retirement and sent back into the field to track down who this madman is and put a stop to his plans.

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Plot Keywords:

campy | upskirt | psychotronic film | redheaded woman | actor reprises previous role | 

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Taglines:

"The Nude Bomb" . . . . Would You Believe It ? [Lobby Card]

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 May 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Return of Maxwell Smart

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,565,066, 11 May 1980

Gross USA:

$14,662,035

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,662,035

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Time Life Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was critically reviled and was a major box-office flop.

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Goofs

During the chase scene at the movie set back-lot, Sebastiani fires one shot, but two bullet holes appear in the set.

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Quotes

Maxwell Smart: [referring to Jonathan Levinson Seigle] He's too weak to talk, he's humming the information to us!

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are based on Don Adams/Maxwell Smart's catch phrase "Would you believe...?" The words literally form the backdrop of the action; at one point "Would you believe a movie called 'The Nude Bomb' could receive a PG rating?" appears; and after Max inadvertently blows up the bad guy, the words "Would you believe a helluva explosion?" appear on screen.

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Alternate Versions

In an overzealous attempt to soothe offended censors, several seemingly innocuous lines were dubbed when first broadcast on television including:

• In the original version of a scene where Max and 22 interrogate a hospital patient who has trouble speaking, the patient whispers in Max's ear and 22 asks what he said - "He asked me to take my hand off his groin," Max replies. When the patient whispers in his ear again and 22 asks what he said, Max replies "He wants you to put YOUR hand on his groin." In the television version "gown" is replaced for groin in both lines.
• In the original version of a scene where Max drags 22 by her legs out of a collapsing room (because she's seemingly paralyzed), she says "Max, I think I'm getting some feeling down there!" Max replies, "There's no time for that now, 22." In the television version, Max simply replies "That a girl."
• Most oddly, in the original scene where Max accidentally discharges his gun when slipping it down the front of his pants, he looks down his pants and utters his trademark "Missed it by THAT much." In the edited version, he now says "Missed the bone by that much," which certainly sounds a whole lot dirtier!

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Connections

Referenced in Frank Zappa: New York and Elsewhere (1980)

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Soundtracks

You're Always There
Sung by Merry Clayton
Lyrics by Don Black
Music by Lalo Schifrin

User Reviews

More bawdy spy spoof than true Get Smart

Okay, I was 11 when I first saw The Nude Bomb -- it was on HBO, I taped it and watched it over and over and over and over again. A huge fan of Get Smart, yes, I was disappointed Don Adams was the only original from the series. But I do remember enjoying the film's opening - a spoof of the Bond-films, with women fawning over Smart as a hokey ballad played over the credits. And of course, Sylvia Kristel ... need I say more.