I had possessed a signed photo of Bernie Kopell for quite some time; my friend Bob had gotten it for me at one of the Hollywood Collector Shows in the late-1990’s. Bob had also filled me in that he wasn’t the most pleasant guys. All I needed from him was a picture taken with me, but with Bob’s warning, I wasn’t counting on trying to finagle a free one. I thought my chance might come to meet him at the Hollywood Show in February of 2011, but alas, the Love Boat reunion that was supposed to take place was ‘postponed’.
He was Doc, by the way. Or as true Love Boat aficionados (if there are such things) would know, his actual name in the series was Adam Bricker. He also had a recurring role on Get Smart, as agent Conrad Siegfried, the archenemy of Maxwell Smart. His career outside of those two shows was mostly centered around guest roles and cameo appearances in series like Bewitched, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Chico and the Man, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Monk.
I was able to finally meet the Doc when he appeared at the Hollywood Show on April 21, 2012. He was there as part of a mini two-person reunion of Get Smart, along with fellow actor Dave Ketchum. He was decked out in his Love Boat attire. I didn’t want to provoke anything uncomfortable, so I took the easy route and simply asked him how much he would charge for a photo with him. Ten bucks. Nice and easy, and from then on he was quite pleasant. So he might be Maxwell Smart and Bob’s arch nemesis, but I was okay with whole experience.
Celebrities of the Spring 2012 Hollywood Show will continue…
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