Get Smart – “The Spirit is Willing”

Original Air Date: October 14, 1967

Directed by: Norman Abbott

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this episode!

Synopsis: Maxwell Smart (Don Adams) finds he must hold a seance to contact a deceased witness.

Kitty Cameo: In the opening segment, Max is meeting with a woman named Ann Ferris (Ina Balin) in a cemetery. A noise attracts Max’s attention and he walks away to investigate with his gun drawn. He warns whoever is there to come out with their hands up. But it is a ginger tabby cat who exits the bush and runs away, followed by a second ginger tabby who pauses just long enough to give Max a look.

Get Smart - The Spirit is Willing - ginger tabby cat walking out of bush
Get Smart - The Spirit is Willing - ginger tabby cat walking out of bush
Get Smart - The Spirit is Willing - ginger tabby cat walking out of bush

Finding out that Ann Ferris was murdered some time ago, Max explains to Agent 99 (Barbara Feldon) and Agent 37 (Byron Morrow) what happened in the graveyard and shows Ann’s lighter as proof. “Ann got frightened and rushed off without taking her lighter, not knowing it was pussycats,” Max explains. “Pussycats, Max?” Agent 39 asks incredulously. “Yes,” Max insists, “There were two pussycats playing in the bushes. At least I thought they were playing. Well, whatever they were doing they had a healthy attitude about it.”

Get Smart - The Spirit is Willing - two ginger tabby cats walking out of bush animated gif

Final Mewsings: Cats may have a healthy attitude but that doesn’t keep them from having kittens!

Many thanks to Ted Davis for letting us know about the cats in this episode.

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