The TV Zone

No disrespect intended, but the passing of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the guru to the stars, made me immediately think of one of my favorite ‘60s episodes of all time.

That would be the 1968 “Groovy Guru” episode of “Get Smart,” which captured perfectly how adult TV writers tried to get their heads around the youth culture of the 1960s. In it, Larry (“F Troop”) Storch plays the title character, whose evil spells are causing the nation’s teenagers to incessantly dance. It’s up to Max and 99 to thwart his insidious plans.

Here’s a more detailed description of the episode, courtesy of the “Get Smart”-obsessed folks at wouldyoubelieve.com:

The episode, by the way, was ranked as one of the 100 best episodes ever by TV Guide.

Again, apologies to M.M. Yogi (as the Newsday obit’s headline called him — I’ve never seen him referred to as such), but what can I say, this is how my mind works.

Photo: Larry Storch as the Groovy Guru