MovieChat Forums > Get Smart (1965) Discussion > Did you know the Chief (Edward Platt) ki...

Did you know the Chief (Edward Platt) killed himself??


That's just awful! It seems he had financial troubles and his son confirmed it was a suicide. I wonder why people don't try and seek help instead of killing themselves?

Jesus NEVER existed! He is Judeo Christian MYTH!

reply

Back in the 70's they didn't have all the help they do now. But, his family should have done something , cause he attempted suicide twice before.

Readiness is all.

reply

Wow, I never knew he had previous suicide attempts. He always seemed fine on the show.

Jesus NEVER existed! He is Judeo Christian MYTH!

reply

He always seemed fine on the show. - megafauna005

I'm not being glib or sarcastic, but he would not have been much of an actor--and thus not on the show--if he didn't "seem fine."

It is one profession in which you leave your personal problems at home, or at least channel them into what you are doing, so maybe those sighs of exasperation he gave Don Adams's Max were his cry for help but they fit so well within the context of his character than no one connected them with his unhappiness.

More significantly, Platt died nearly four years after GS ended. It is possible that the unhappiness that precipitated his suicide did not begin until after the series had ended.

------------------
I'm stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again. - Lifted from Zimmy

reply

Very sad. But he won't be forgotten, he'll live on as the Chief.



Marriage is between one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others.

reply

And the doctor on the superb Twilight Zone episode "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim".

reply

He was also in Rebel Without a Cause and North By Northwest, which are both super classic movies, enjoyed by many generations. Also shows up in about 100 TV shows I think. A good actor, a sad way to go. On the 1989 TV reunion movie (which is the best TV reunion movie ever made) they dedicated it to Ed, which I thought was a nice touch.

reply

I have what used to be called "The Nude Bomb" on DVD, but I'm not familiar with the later one.

reply

http://www.hulu.com/watch/493144

It's called 'Get Smart Again'

Written by one of the writers for the original series. It's a scream.

reply

Who plays the chief in the movie and how did he do?

Jesus NEVER existed! He is Judeo Christian MYTH!

reply

In the movie, "Get Smart, Again" they referenced that the Chief had died several years prior.

reply

Yep. Well they didn't make any mention of him in the movie itself but the whole thing was dedicated to his memory in the ending credits.

reply

Also on the little seen Atlantis, the Lost Continent

on location with SUPERMAN I,& OTHER STARS
http://www.vbphoto.biz/

reply

I wonder why people don't try and seek help instead of killing themselves?

Assuming he suffered from melancholia or depression, the very nature of the disease inhibits the victim from seeking help. You can imagine the downward spiral that ensues from this.

Ironically, those who truly intend to take their own lives rarely give off any signs, they just make up their minds and do it; then it's too late. The ones who call 911 or wherever to announce that they want to kill themselves really don't intend to do it, rather this is a cry for help.

If only we could ask those who went through with it what drove them to it, maybe we could help others. It's sad.

reply

It is sad bote.

If anyone needs help you can go to www.feelingkindablue.com

Jesus NEVER existed! He is Judeo Christian MYTH!

reply

More often than not, the decision comes in a moment of seeming clarity, rather than in the despondent stage. It's easy to confuse that state with "getting over it."

Fortunately, Ah keep mah feathers numbered for just such an emergency!

reply

I sounds like no one, at least on this thread, is privy to the cause of his suicide. He may have been suffering from a fatal illness,and took his own life to spare his family.

reply

His son said in an interview that he was suffering from financial problems and had untreated depression or something like that. He had previously attempted suicide twice before, so his family knew he had issues. Due to the stigma of mental issues then, they didn't coerce him to get the help he needed. If you Google you can find info about it from his own family, they lied about it for several years saying it was a heart issue or something. That's sad bc his situation could have been used to help others in the same boat.

reply

The word is problem, not issue, you politically correct baboon.

reply

Don't listen to the post right above mine; your post was just fine, and he's completely out of line. Sounds like a troll.

reply