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:

Before The Naked Gun, There Was . . . The Nude Bomb [USA Video]

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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 criminal organization KAOS appears in this movie but the intelligence agency from the original TV series, CONTROL, does not. The latter is replaced by PITS which stands for Provisional Intelligence Tactical Service. As with the original TV series, both KAOS and CONTROL were supposed to be acronyms, but co-creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry never came up with anything for them to stand for.

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Goofs

When Max and Larrabee are driving together, there is no window post ('B pillar') between the front and rear doors, yet the car used for the outside shots has one.

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Quotes

Sauvage: Maxwell Smart is a fool and a bumbler.
Nino Salvatori Sebastiani: So how do you explain how this bumbler has been able to thwart KAOS constanly in the past?
Sauvage: He's a lucky bumbler.

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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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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

Missed It By THAT Much...

"THE NUDE BOMB" looks and feels like a cheap attempt to resurrect a 60's TV show for 80's Movie audiences - a la "Star Trek". And it is. But there's nothing terribly wrong with the film, if only that it jettisons practically every character the "Get Smart!" show created and introduces an all-new spy agency for Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) to work for. The film might make die-hard fans a little disappointed, but casual viewers probably won't care.

The plot makes very little sense - a evil fashion designer blackmails the clothes-wearing world with potential, full-blown nudity via The Nude Bomb - and it seems to zig-zag in an half-hearted attempt to string together as many mildly-silly gags, low-budget set pieces and James Bond-ian spoofs into it's brief running time. For a very tenuous plot point, Agent 86 ends up cavorting through many of the attractions of the Universal backlot in a lengthy chase scene that plays out as a mid-film "When In Southern California, Visit Universal Studios" advertisement. It serves less to the story than as a very visual and perhaps only reason why this film was greenlit by executives in the first place.

But it does have it's charms. Pantyhosed Vittorio Gassman is a good villain, and of course Don Adams is a treat. Adams' energy and delivery does about as much as British director Clive ("What's New, Pussycat?") Donner to keep this thing moving. Agent 86's gadgets are inspired, and Don's bell-bottom slacks collection are also quite funny, although probably in only retrospect.

"THE NUDE BOMB" has a breezy pace, is relatively sunny and undemanding. The film and has some funny moments, including a nifty opening credit sequence and some zingy one-liners - and for that Maxwell Smart gets a pass - but of what could have been? Missed it by THAT much.