What Get Smart did for the Bond films on primetime, Cool McCool did for the secret agent on Saturday mornings on NBC.
Batman creator Bob Kane was the man behind this spy spoof/comedic adventure, which featured the animated exploits of Cool McCool, a gadget-wielding, trench coat-clad, 007-type who fought against an array of bizarre villains.
Unlike the eternally smooth James Bond, however, Cool’s dashing looks belied his bumbling manner.
Cool’s boss, Number One, dispensed orders without ever being seen on camera, an idea which pre-dated Charlie’s Angels by a decade. Borrowing from yet another literary source, Number One’s secretary was referred to as ‘Friday’.
A recognisable predecessor to Inspector Gadget, Cool used an assortment of gadgets – including a moustache radio – to combat such foes as Gretta Ghoul, the Rattler, Madcap, the Owl and the Pussycat, the Jack-in-the-Box and Hurricane Harry.
But despite his ineptitude, Cool often earned his name. Driving around in the “Coolmobile,” wearing an ascot, and routinely uttering the catchphrase, “Danger is my business,” our hero occasionally rivalled even The Fonz in his level of coolness.
Another segment on the show featured Cool’s dad, Harry McCool. The segment, “Pop the Cop”, proved the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Harry was a member of the inept Komedy Kops, a knock-off of the old-time Keystone Kops.
Cool McCool
Bob McFadden
Harry McCool
Bob McFadden
Number One
Chuck McCann
Friday
Carol Corbett
Jack-in-the-Box
Chuck McCann
Madcap
Chuck McCann
Rattler
Chuck McCann
Hurricane Harry
Chuck McCann
Owl
Chuck McCann
