David Ketchum, who was known for his role as Agent 13 on Get Smart, has died at age 97.
The actor’s family announced that he died on August 10, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“He leaves behind a legacy of laughter, warmth and timeless television moments — reminding us all that sometimes, the simplest surprise (like someone perched in a mailbox) can yield the biggest smile,” his family said in a statement published on Friday, August 22, adding that fans could honor him by watching one of his Get Smart performances “in remembrance of his quick wit, gentle heart and cinematic spirit.”
Ketchum joined the cast of Get Smart — which included Don Adams as Maxwell Smart, Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 and Edward Platt as the Chief — during season 2 in 1966, making his debut in the episode titled “The Only Way to Die.” His character, Agent 13, was the centerpiece of a long-running gag that saw him squeezing into a series of random places such as mailboxes, grandfather clocks and planters as part of his undercover missions.
In a 2002 interview with Filmfax, Ketchum reflected on how the show pulled off the stunts.
“There would be a party, everybody would stand up, and I’d be inside the sofa with a girl and a drink. Stuff like that was tricky,” he explained. “And then they put me in a locker at the airport, and then an ice machine, and it kept getting more and more ridiculous.”
Some setups were more difficult for Ketchum given his size.
“The hardest part for me was when they put Agent 13 in a washing machine,” he said. “I’m 6-foot-2, so I can’t fit easily into cramped places, and a washing machine is about as cramped as it gets. They also built an eight-foot tube I got into so I could be spun around in the front. You try remembering your lines while you’re spinning around with water and soap squirting in your face!”
Ketchum ultimately appeared in 13 episodes of Get Smart — which ran for five seasons from 1965 to 1970 — and returned for the 1989 TV movie Get Smart, Again and the 1995 reboot of the sitcom.
Aside from Get Smart, Ketchum landed roles on I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster, Camp Runamuck, The Andy Griffith Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He was also a TV writer for series such as Hey, Landlord, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, MAS*H, MacGyver and Full House.