Interview with Barbara Feldon

by Karen Morris     (Fall 2024 interview)

Would you believe that a charming and mysterious secret agent has shared an array of intriguing anecdotes purely for us to enjoy!?

And, would you believe that secret agent is the gracious and stylish leading lady, BARBARA FELDON, better known as Agent 99! No 'cone of silence' is necessary here!

Barbara Feldon is a versatile and accomplished actress who earned two Emmy nominations for her sophisticated and cool interpretation of the role of Agent 99 in the original award-winning hit television series, Get Smart (1965-1970). Created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, the sitcom-spy-spoof co-starred Don Adams, who portrayed the bumbling but delightfully wacky character, Maxwell Smart (Agent "86").

However, Barbara achieved so much more than just her popular "99" co-star status!

Her eclectic background and resume reveal a bevy of multi-talents, from her youthful beginnings as a graceful ballerina, becoming an alluring showgirl and fashion model, then segueing into fine acting roles and eventually developing her natural writing skills as an engaging and gifted author of two books, Getting Smarter: A Memoir, and Living Alone and Loving It.

Some may be surprised to learn that Barbara's entrance into the world of entertainment and show business began when she became a chorus line dancer at the Copacabana in New York City, a highlight of her career.

But soon her talent, luck, and smarts would lead her to experience a significant thrilling moment, as she would give the precise answer on the high-rated American TV game show, The $64,000 Question (1955- 1958), ultimately winning the jackpot!

Television was a natural step for Barbara, and guest starring roles would beckon, as she appeared in a variety of shows: 12 O'Clock High; Flipper; and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Her star was rising, not only as an ongoing sought-after chic supermodel but as an in-demand actress.

Commercials came calling as Charles Revson, the head of Revlon, chose her to be cast in a subtly sexy television spot for his company's men's hair-dressing product, Top Brass. Suddenly, her recognition and visibility grew.

Very soon Barbara Feldon would become a household name. Her acting credentials blossomed: Get Smart, Laugh-In, The Name of the Game, Mad About You, Cheers, to name a few!

She had film roles in Fitzwilly with Dick Van Dyke, and reprised her role as "99" in the made-for-television film Get Smart, Again! (1989) and also the revival of Get Smart (1995) plus many more.

Keen-eyed Dean Martin fans will remember her from her appearances on NBC's The Dean Martin TV Show.

But how did Barbara evolve from the world of television commercials and land the pivotal role in Get Smart?

I asked Barbara if she was cast as "99" after perhaps Mel and Buck saw her acting prowess in the sultry Revlon commercial.

BF: I'm sure they saw the Revlon commercial because it was played constantly in those days. But, it was actually George C. Scott, who I knew who had asked me to do a guest shot on his show, East Side West Side, which was produced by Talent Associates (and who also produced Get Smart). And I did East Side West Side, and then they cast me again (as an industrial spy) in a show they were doing with Craig Stevens, Mr. Broadway. And, they saw it and said that's her. That's the ["99"] role. That's the character. So I never auditioned for [Get Smart] or anything. They just gave it to me. They had just given it to me because the role I had done in another show of theirs, Mr. Broadway, was exactly what they were looking for Get Smart.

We can all agree Barbara was perfect as Agent "99". Her chemistry with Max, Agent "86", was evident on screen, but was there a special moment or episode of Get Smart that was her favorite?

BF: It was when "99" and Max are dressed as Charlie Chaplin. They were undercover in a variety show, and they are both dressed as Charlie Chaplin with mustaches and bowler hats. And in the course of the episode, they get locked in a room and "KAOS" is closing in, and they're sure they're going to die. So that is the point where "99" takes advantage of it, and Max proposes to her. And that was their first kiss, in mustaches! There was just something so sweet and vulnerable about that scene. Oh. And then, of course, when they're rescued, Max is, like, trapped.

Get Smart continued to be a popular series, but Barbara was considering other TV opportunities, including multiple guest appearances on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (the American sketch comedy TV program that ran from 1968 to 1973).

BF: I had to decide whether to leave Get Smart because my contract was up and I didn't have to return to it, thinking whether to switch horses and do Laugh-In. But, of course, I was not going to give up Agent "99" for anything! So I did the first five seasons of Laugh-In during a hiatus from Get Smart and then I went back to Get Smart. 

BF: But it was it was eye-opening to be part of something that was so cutting edge. Sometimes I didn't quite understand what the joke was, because it was so far out. [Producer George Schlatter] was a brilliant thinker, and he laughed at me because he realized half the time I didn't know where he was going. But, I was happy to go there with him. In terms of material, it was a unique show (Laugh-In). I mean, there was nothing ever again like it, and there had been nothing before like it. So it was very interesting to be part of that creative process, although my role was not creative. But it was the original cast with Goldie Hawn and, Ruth Buzzi, Artie Johnson that I was working with, and I was fond of all of them. They were all so talented and so much fun.BF: 

Barbara had worked alongside such wonderful comedic performers, including Dean Martin. But curious, had she ever met Frank Sinatra?

BF: Yes. I did. His daughter Tina (Sinatra) was going with a friend of mine, Dan Melnick. Dan invited me and Burt Nodella (producer of Get Smart) who was the man I was with for 11 years, out for Thanksgiving weekend at Frank Sinatra's estate in Palm Springs. It was a really wonderful time to spend with him and in a group. I mean, it wasn't just us. There were a number of other people, but we were staying on the grounds and had meals together, and he was so warm, so down to earth, so absolutely genuinely affable. And it's a surprise sometimes when you meet people like that, they're very down to earth. It was just, a wonderful opportunity to be able to see him personally and, also to realize that people who are, on that level of stardom, are just regular people.

It was time to ask about Dean Martin, as Barbara had appeared on The Dean Martin Show five times! She had a marvelous sense of Dean's personality and working style.

BF: He was charming in a way that was unique in all of the experiences I had working with him as a male star. He was lovable, just the sense of him was lovable. Although it's not like I spent any time with him or ever had a conversation with him. Because as you know, he he didn't rehearse [with his guests]. And that was that was part of the fun of it. What was so unique about the experience was that I would rehearse with someone else not Dean. And then when they were all ready to shoot and you're just ready standing on your marks, Greg Garrison, who was the producer, would call out, 'Bring out the kid,' and out would come Dean and he would sit down and they would say action. And my job was to get reactions out of him, which was not hard because he was so responsive. The whole atmosphere of the show was one of fun and permission and there was no sense of, like, the big star Dean. He was just like a big puppy. A big teddy bear. And you could just scratch his ear, which in the scene in the one picture where we're both close- up, the one of Dean and me where we're both laughing in that sketch, I may have scratched his ear! Much of what is the best of acting is play. And the whole atmosphere was so playful. And yet, [The Dean Mar- tin Show] was extraordinarily well rehearsed. So if everything works it's because of the way the structure of the rehearsal was set up. From the time you went to rehearsal, and when you were performing, you had just a sense of permission and fun and play. And, it was my favorite show to be on, and, I just thought I just want to do this forever, you know, do sketch comedy. But, of course, in one year all the variety shows went off the air! Which was a good life lesson that things change. I do miss variety shows. I really do. That's what I grew up on. That's the era I grew up in with my parents and always watching variety shows. But the kids today, it's very different. Oh, boy, is it different.

And Barbara was taken with Dean's ease and humility:

BF: He was so down to earth. I felt he was so comfortable in his skin. And he was a real person. He was an icon, but he had none of the characteristics you usual- ly think of as an icon of loftiness or, a kind of separation. You know, like he's up there and you're down here. He wasn't like that. He was just like a play- mate. Now that being said, I never had a conversation with him. I don't even remember meeting him formally. It's just that there you are on the set and out comes this dear man, this dear human being who is going to do you no harm and who is there with you for those mo- ments, just absolutely turning himself over to you and, having fun with you. He's like the best playmate in the whole world for a few minutes.

Did she have a favorite Dino song or album?

BF: His album SLEEP WARM [Capitol, 1959]. And I think a song was on that album, "Cuddle Up A Little Closer". It is so wonderful. It is all of the best of Dean. The The SLEEP WARM album. A friend of mine told me that Frank Sinatra conducted that album. Another song that may be on that album, don't quote me, is the song, "Dream". Dream when you're feeling blue. Dream. That's the thing, too. Oh, I love that song. And a friend sent me a file of it last night, and it was just like a tonic because he sings it so slowly and with that beautiful, relaxed delivery that he has. And it's the relaxed sense, the easiness of it, the tension-free, the kind of floating that you can't find today anywhere. And it was like a vacation just listening to it last night. Well, that's the highest compliment I think you can give to Dean, too. The way he slows time down. Slows the pace down. It just felt like something we need today.

Barbara said it best. Dean's music does slow down time, and in today's fast-paced world, we agree, we do need a bit more of that now.

In closing, a catchphrase and classic one-liner repeated in Get Smart by Agent "99" to "86" was: 'Good thinking, Max.'

Let's change that

Good thinking, Barbara!

Thank you for a warm, thoughtful chat, and for kindly sharing meaningful moments with us!