USA Today Network Karen Croke, The (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News Published 8:51 p.m. ET July 6, 2017 | Updated 7:54 a.m. ET July 7, 2017

Actress Barbara Feldon on her role as agent 99 on 'Get Smart' WOCHIT/Karen Croke

Actress Barbara Feldon attended A Get Smart Reunion at The Museum of Television & Radio November 5, 2003 in Beverly Hills, California.(Photo: Giulio Marcocchi, Getty Images)

For Barbara Feldon, 99 has been herlucky number.

99 was her character's moniker on the hit 1960sTV spy spoof Get Smart.

As anagent assigned to the shadowy and comicalCONTROL, a secret government agency, 99fought evilwith her partner Agent 86, akaMaxwell Smart, played by Don Adams.

Feldon was nominated for two Emmys for her role as the smart, glam spy girl,a cool level-headed foil to Max's bumbling self-delusion and classic one-liners that included "Missed it by that much," and "Would you believe ...?"

Feldon, who began her career as a dancer and model before getting into theater and then television,will do a Q&A with artistic directorJoe Brancato at Penguin Repin Stony Point, N.Y., as the theater celebratesits 40th anniversary July 16.

The actress appeared in two Penguin Rep shows, Love Letters,with Kier Dullea and The Unexpected Manwith David Canary of All My Children fame.

"Stone Widney was a friend of mine for many years and he introduced me to the Penguin Rep," saidFeldon.

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Widney,production manager for renowned Broadway lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, suggested Feldon to Brancato when hewas casting Love Letters.

Theater led to television roles. Writers Buck Henry and Mel Brooks were developing Get Smart andwhen they saw Feldon, she became their choice to play 99.

The show was characterized by its absurd plot lines, nutty characters (Dick Gautier'sHymie The Robot) and kitschy props like Max's shoephone and the Cone of Silence, a device that allowed to Max and The Chief to speak to each other without anyone overhearing, although it always malfunctioned, causing them to shout at each other while inside.

Feldon speculated on why 99 was never invited into the Cone of Silence: "The fact is, I was so un-evolved myself at that time that I never even questioned why I couldnt play with the big toys," she said.

Don Adams as Maxwell Smart in "Get Smart."(Photo: AP)

Feldon's 99 held her own against the juggernaut that was Max. On the phone from her Manhattan home, Feldon, who is in her 80s, (would you believe ...) saidfans still yell out "99"when they see her on the street, although sometimes, it's "86."

"Timedoes erode memory," she said."But I think they are sweetand Iam very grateful. I think, in its time, our show had the advantage of being onwhen there was only three networks. People could not avoid bumping into you when you were on the screen."

Of the undeniable attraction between Agents 86and 99, who eventually married and had twins in the show,Feldon says their chemistrywas non-existent.

Don Adams was very involved in the script and the production of Get Smart,so he rarely spent any time with his co-star until the director yelled, "Action."

"Its kind of a mystery, isnt it?"she said.

"When you are doing a character mine was in love with Maxwell there is this weird thing called chemistry and we had none at all. We didnt have that much to talk about.

"There were four people in every scene: Barbara Feldon, Don Adams, 99 and Max. And then the minute they said 'Action,' both of us surrenderedto those characters and they did what they did naturally."

After a 1989TV remake called Get Smarter,the pair became close friends, "in a way that we couldnt have at that time," Feldon said.

Don Adams and Barbara Feldon co-starred in "Get Smart."(Photo: Getty Images)

For all the fan fervor, the Emmy nominations and success, Feldon never became a Hollywood casualty. After the show went off the air in 1970, she simply went about her life, doing more theater and writing several books, including Living Alone and Loving It: A Guide to Relishing the Solo Life.

Agent Maxwell Smart, played by Don Adams, and 99, played by Barbara Feldon, in the classic spy series "Get Smart."(Photo: Handout)

"When you have a success like that, out of the blue, it does knock you off balance a little bit. I had tremendous anxiety;I wasnt ready to be successful," she saidof the initial wave of recognition."Then you learn, it doesnt change anything really.

"You can get a table in a restaurant, but you still have to wake up in the morning and get your breakfast and do the laundry. And I understood: it doesnt last forever. I just saved my money like crazy and I never settled into being into a certain position in the business. When you're in Hollywood, it is sobering: Is your status rising or are you falling? It is a very insecure thing, I decided to protect myself for the future."

She has seen the 2008Get Smart filmthat starred Anne Hathaway as 99 and Steve Carrell as 86.

"I thought it was entertaining," she said. "But it wasn't the same. It couldn't be. The characters we played were from such an innocent time. It had its own flavor and youcouldn'tremake it."

She was a showgirl at the Copacabana."That was my first professional job in New York and it wasprobably the highlight of my whole career. We got to dance with Jimmy Durante. Oh, my God, it was a thrill."

She correctly answered The $64,0000 Question, winning the grand prize on the popular 1950s game show.(Shakespeare was her area of expertise)."Icrammed some trivia on Shakespeare that had nothing to do with the profundity. It was a lot of memorizing, actually," she said.

Actress Colleen Dewhurst was a mentor.They met when Feldon was in The Tender Trap,and Dewhurst was a rising star. "She immediately took me under her wing for some reason," Feldon said. "She was always so kind to me and she gave me my first, grownup drink, a martini. It was a hot night and I was thirsty and I just drank it, like lemonade. I got sick. It was my first and last martini."

Feldon turned parts of 99'smod RudiGernreichwardrobe into ... throw pillows."I got to keep all the wardrobe, all the Rudi Gernreich and all those wonderful things," she said. "And Imade pillow covers. If I had saved them ... wow."

Follow Karen Croke on Twitter: @livinghereNY

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