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 | redheaded woman | actor reprises previous role | cloning | 

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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, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$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 Agent 99 character does not appear in this movie. Instead, Maxwell Smart is given three love-interest agent accomplices typical of the Roger Moore James Bond movies of the 1970s and 1980s. The three female spy sidekicks are Andrea Howard as Agent 22; Sylvia Kristel as Agent 34 and Pamela Hensley as Agent 36. Together, their agent numbers almost add up to the number 99 but fall short totaling only 92 in what could have been a subtle reference to Agent 99. As mentioned in a trailer for this movie, what the numbers do reference is, are measurements such as 36-22-34, typical of that of a hot model.

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Goofs

In the chase scene where Max is driving his desk, chasing he chief the chief's car goes up on two wheels to get past the parked Pinto. As the Chief's car passes the Pinto, the ramp that forces the car up on two wheels can be clearly seen.

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Quotes

Maxwell Smart: Sorry about that... Normie.

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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

Network TV prints retitle the film Return of Maxwell Smart and use a different opening credits sequence.

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Connections

Followed by Get Smart, Again! (1989)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Would you believe... a funny but disappointing "Get Smart" followup

"Get Smart" is an often very funny TV series that aired in the late '60s that can be seen in syndication (it currently airs on the TV Land Channel). It's a spy spoof created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry and starred Don Adams as Agent 86 Maxwell Smart, the clumsy spy who Lt. Frank Drebin (of TV's "Police Squad!" and "The Naked Gun" movies) can easily relate to. "Police Squad!" was a flop on television (lasting only 6 episodes) but it was loyally supported and as a result led to three successful theatrical movies. Before "Police Squad!" was created, the "Get Smart" series did the same thing. The final result was the other way around. "Get Smart" was a success, lasting five seasons on the tube (1965-70) and winning Emmys as Best Comedy Series twice and Adams winning Best Actor in a Comedy Series three consecutive times. Then ten years after "Get Smart" went off the air, several Hollywood writers and producers (Mel Brooks was not one of them) tried to do justice to the TV show by reviving it as a big theatrical movie. This concept didn't work however. "The Nude Bomb" was the big screen spinoff of "Get Smart". Although I found it to be occasionally funny, it comes off rather disappointing. First of all, Barbara Feldon (who played Smart's sidekick and wife Agent 99) does not appear in this film and her presence is sorely missed. The relationship between Agents 86 and 99 was one of the reasons why "Get Smart" worked so well. Second of all, where's the old "Get Smart" music theme at? That classic theme music that plays during the opening credits of every "Get Smart" episode is nowhere to be found in this movie. I love that theme! How could the filmmakers not put it in this movie? And third of all, where are those KAOS villains Siegried and Starker? Instead, "The Nude Bomb" features new characters that for the most part don't come off well. The plot of the film is about a new KAOS villain who hatches a plan to make the world naked by destroying all the clothing, and it's up to Agent 86 to stop him. Maxwell Smart's sidekicks this time include not one but three new female agents (Agents 22, 34, and 36). The Chief this time is played by Dana Elcar (TV's "MacGyver"), and here it's understandable why a different actor is playing the Chief. Edward Platt, who played the Chief on "Get Smart" died a couple of years after the show's run ended. But the other actors who played their characters to great lengths on "Get Smart" should have been a part of this movie instead of these new characters. That doesn't make sense. Adams plays a great comic character once again, and he carries "The Nude Bomb" singlehandedly. That's not enough. He needed his "Get Smart" co-stars badly in this movie. Though those famous lines that Smart always said on the show ("Sorry about that Chief!", "Would you believe...", and "Missed it by that much!") are still intact. Those are good for some laughs. "The Nude Bomb" has funny moments, but missing elements keep this from being the laugh riot comedy that it should have been. That's a crime! And a shame!

** (out of four)