Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast GGACP Rewind: Episode #17: Barbara Feldon
Mar 2, 2026
Barbara Feldon, actress and comedian famed as Agent 99 and author of Living Alone and Loving It. She recounts meeting co-stars, on-set tricks to appear shorter opposite Don Adams, winning the $64,000 Question on Shakespeare, auditioning for unexpected jobs early in her career, thoughts on the Steve Carell film, and performs the '99' song live.
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Early Audition As A Stripper
- Barbara Feldon auditioned as a stripper early in her career when she needed $33 and showed up overdressed in a blue A-line dress with a little hat to a grimy stage door and was immediately told to get out.
- The story illustrates her early hustle in New York and how odd jobs and setbacks were part of her path to acting success.
Why Get Smart Felt Perfectly Timed
- Get Smart was conceived as an extreme comic take on James Bond at a moment when spy culture dominated TV and film, created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry for Talent Associates.
- Dan Melnick's idea to push the spy concept to cartoonish extremes matched the era's Bond/spy parodies and made the show timely and original.
How Agent 99 Casting Happened
- Barbara recalls Don Adams discovering her from watching her in Mr. Broadway and deciding she was perfect for Agent 99, then being surprised at their similar height when she stood up.
- She developed stage tricks (slouching, pedestal holes) to appear shorter opposite Don Adams during filming.