Tonight on "Mad About You," Barbara Feldon plays an actress who used to play "Spy Girl" on a 1960s television show.
It's an amusing turn, considering that Feldon played secret agent 99 on "Get Smart" from 1965-70. But there's no chance of confusing 99 with Spy Girl."The character's not at all like 99," Feldon said in a telephone interview. "In fact, she's very, very temperamental and difficult. She couldn't be farther away from the way 99 was portrayed."
In "Mad About You" (8:30 p.m., Ch. 2), Feldon plays Diane Caldwell, a self-absorbed, rather obnoxious actress who is also a client of Jamie's (Helen Hunt). Not to mention the fact that, as "Spy Girl," she was Paul's (Paul Reiser) fantasy girl.
But Paul's initial joy at meeting his idol is darkened when she takes a liking to his cousin, Ira, with whom Diane spends the night.
"It was just an amusing idea," Feldon said. "They asked if I'd do it and I looked at a couple of their shows and thought this would be fun. And it was.
"I don't, as a rule, do episodes on series. I haven't for years, except for one episode on `Cheers' - that's another show I admire very much."
The actress, who lives in New York, was considerably more enthusiastic about doing the guest shot on "Mad About You" than she was about starring in "Get Smart."
"When I was offered the series I turned it down. I didn't want to go to California," Feldon said. "I kept turning it down. And I said I could never in million years sign a five-year contract. So finally they said, `All you have to do is sign a two-year contract.' So I did it.
"I've never really watched much TV so I didn't know what they were talking about with ratings. I didn't know what was happening. The thing lasted five years. I mean, it always made me scared to do another one for fear it would last five years too."
While the series made her famous, it didn't make her rich.
"I never made very much money on that show," Feldon said. "Back then, it was just a fraction of what they make now. And we don't get residuals."
Not that she's complaining.
"Oh, it doesn't matter. I've been so fortunate. I, honestly, would rather work for my money," Feldon said. "I don't feel the least bit cheated. It was a very fortuitous thing in my life."
And she doesn't mind having been identified with "Get Smart" for almost 28 years.
"Oh, not in the least. Every single day somebody on the street yells, `Hey, 99!' `We're on the grandchildren (of the original viewers) now, I think," she said.
"The thing with being a television personality is you're in their living room. You're not like a movie star, where they see you on a big screen and you're bigger than life, you're just like one of them. So they all feel like they know you.
"So they just come up and say, `Gosh, I enjoyed the show' and `How's Max?' It's so sweet and it's so friendly."