"Get Smart" to open with unique Sisters connection

When Sisters resident Bob Bridgeford bought a sharp-looking 1966 Sunbeam Tiger for his car collection, he had no idea he had purchased the personal car of "Get Smart" television and movie star Don Adams.

"I bought it as a restored car on eBay, not knowing its history," said Bridgeford. "In the process of restoration and trying to figure out what had been done to it over the years, I discovered who the original owner was."

Bridgeford has a copy of Adams' original California title to prove it!

When the new "Get Smart" movie opens on Friday at Sisters Movie House, Steve Carell will be standing-in for the late Don Adams as Maxwell Smart. But Adams' personal "Get Smart" car will be on display for moviegoers to get an up-close and personal look.

The original "Get Smart" was a campy television comedy that ran four seasons on NBC from 1965 to 1969. The fifth and final season appeared the following year on CBS. Don Adams, the first owner of Bridgeford's unusual car, played the lead character in the popular series. Adams portrayed the bumbling secret agent, Maxwell Smart, who invariably made a mess of every mission but always triumphed in the end.

Smart's improbable successes as a secret agent often resulted from the intervention of his partner, Agent 99. Played by the adorable Barbara Feldon, Agent 99 spent a lot of time rolling her eyes at Smart's antics before bailing him out time after time.

"Get Smart" was an obvious spoof of the ever-popular James Bond spy franchise. Adams' fictional character worked for the equally fictional secret U.S. spy agency, CONTROL, and was always locked in semi-mortal combat with the evil organization known as KAOS, run by "Mr. Big." The series, which was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, was nominated for a total of 21 Emmy Awards, winning seven.

Adams' Sunbeam Tiger was not the vehicle used in the series but was the one personally owned by Adams and used in promotional events. Bridgeford explained that the reason for the second car was twofold. A real Tiger, with its monster V-8 engine, didn't have enough room left under the hood for the retractable machine gun and other secret agent gadgets. As a result, a smaller-engined Alpine model was used with fake Tiger markings slapped on to achieve the look of the more prestigious version.

The other reason for the second car had to do with some of Adams' personal foibles.

"Don Adams was a very talented and much loved actor who was also famous for being a kind of a flake," Bridgeford said. "A philanderer and gambler, he had three wives and seven children and is rumored to have eventually lost this car in a poker game.

"According to Dorothy (Adams), his wife at the time, the studio provided him with this car because they didn't want him ruining the production car. She said that one time he left the car out in the rain with the top off, and when the car door was opened, water ran out of the car."

The car was also wrecked multiple times while in Adams' possession.

Bridgeford plans to have Adams' meticulously restored car on display for the Friday opening of the new "Get Smart" movie at Sisters Movie House.

Lisa Clausen, owner of Sisters Movie House, said, "I've been talking with Bob about this, and we wanted to do something special for the opening. This is one of those 'only in Sisters' things."

Clausen said that the Adams Tiger will be on display Friday, June 20, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., outside Sisters Movie House. The Sisters premiere of the "Get Smart" movie is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

Bridgeford has taken the vehicle to several car events. At the Sunriver Exotic Car Show, the Tiger won an award for "Best Car to drive down Highway 101 in," prompting disgruntled Ferrari owners to create their own "Best Ferrari" award. The car won "Best in Class" at the British Field Meet, held at the Portland International Raceway last year. It was also second fastest in the autocross.

"So it has some credentials," said Bridgeford.

According to Bridgeford, the big V-8 is so tightly packed-in under the hood that rapid acceleration can torque the frame enough that the hood may suddenly pop open.