The Cone of Silence, Written by Wanda Rodriguez, Written on April 23, 2026, Posted on May 6, 2026

The Cone of Silence

Written by Wanda Rodriguez

Written on April 23, 2026

Posted on May 6, 2026

Any others out there of the Get Smart generation?  I grew up watching reruns of this iconic TV show, which originally aired in the mid-60’s. The reliable comedy of the show provided a solid base to my humor and gifted me with many one liners that I still use to this day.  I only recently (today!) learned that Mel Brooks was a writer and creator of the program.  As an admirer of his work, that actually explains a lot.  I have long considered Mel Brooks to be an original, imaginative, hilarious, outside the box type of entertainer.  Many of my favorite movies and quotes can be traced back to inspirations provided by his creative genius.  Thank you Mr. Brooks for your many influences on my life over the years.  

Apologies for my digression.  Back to the subject at hand, which is quotes from Get Smart.  Here are some of my favorites: “Missed it by that much,” “Would you believe …,” “Sorry about that, Chief,” “And loving it” and, “I find that hard to believe.”  (For a deeper dive into catch phrases from Get Smart, and other iconic TV shows from the same time period, I encourage you to check out whatsitsgalore.com.  I found it to be a wealth of knowledge.)  Far and away my favorite quote of these is, “Missed it by that much.”  Naturally, I said it in my very best, and most nasally, Maxwell Smart voice.  

Lets not forget the amazing gadgets featured in the show.  I read that when it came to creating these gadgets, Mel Brooks' instructions were to take something that James Bond might use and make it a little bit dumber.  With this approach they came up with pretty amazing stuff like: the shoe phone (classic!); the blueprint blazer; the electromagnetic gun; the cone of silence; the inflato-coat and; the invisibility spray, just to name a few.  (For a deeper dive into this subject matter, I suggest  wouldyoubelieve.com. This site goes into greater detail about the numerous gadgets used in the show.  I was blown away just glancing at it!)  I love that the writers and creators of this show had the freedom to let their imaginations run wild!  Their creativity definitely shined and left a lasting impression on a generation and beyond.  I read that the CIA was a little concerned at the time of the show’s release as some of the gadgets were a little too realistic.  

Of all the iconic gadgets introduced by this show, my favorite was the cone of silence.  My husband of 30 years (deceased) and I shared a special connection to this contraption.  We both had the unique gift of not being heard in large, social settings.  Oftentimes, mid sentence, the person one of us was chatting with would simply walk away, turn towards another conversation, pull out their phone or just start talking about another subject.  We had no idea why this would happen because we, naturally, found each other to be hilarious, charming and quite engaging.  (Bahaha!)  Sometimes I would turn to another nearby person and inquire, “Can you hear me?” or “Am I talking out loud? Just curious.”  This didn’t just happen once, but often.  Maybe, just maybe, we weren’t as entertaining as we thought we were?  Nah, that ain't it.  Can’t be! 

The cone of silence!  

That’s the answer!  

It absolutely had to be the cone of silence!  

Without a doubt!

If you are familiar with the show then you know that the cone of silence was designed to allow for private conversations to be shared and heard by only those under the cone.  The caveat is that the cone never worked correctly, not ever!  No one under it could hear correctly, those outside the cone could hear what was being said, people were talking over and past each other.  It was complete chaos and communication, as intended, simply was not taking place.  Dave and I came to the realization that we must have fallen victim to the ever misfunctioning cone of silence.  (Joking, in case you are unsure at this point)  Perhaps it was dropped on us remotely, without our knowledge.  Perhaps someone hit it with invisibility spray so that we couldn’t see it.  No doubt “KAOS” was somehow involved.  

We developed a signal so that we didn’t even have to mention it out loud, which is smart because you never know when KAOS is listening (joking again).  We would simply look at each other and motion with a hand hovering high above our head that quickly releases, descending to just above our head where it stops abruptly and stays.  We had an animated sound that went with it, “Shoonk!!!”  If we were near each other when the cone fell on one or both of us, we would instinctively cycle through the motions above, in unison and burst out laughing.  We would often reassure each other that, yes, we were actually talking out loud.  Oftentimes we were not near each other when the cone would inevitably drop (and it always did and still does for me).  When this happened our eyes would immediately scan the room for one another and more often than not, as we locked eyes, the other person was already laughing as they had witnessed the whole thing in real time.  Naturally, we cycled through the motions from across the room, quietly acknowledging the presence of the cone.  This would always be followed by hysterical laughter.  I am sure any onlookers, who may have witnessed our routine, would have been highly confused.

Man, that guy could make me laugh!  From day one until our final goodbye, he brought a frequent smile to my face (he still does actually).  So much of our relationship involved shared laughter.  Honestly, it’s a huge part of what got us through the hard times and it is one of the things I still cherish and carry with me to this day.  I’ve often said, sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying.  

The other standout to me from this shared “Shoonk” experience is that he always heard me.  Whether he was physically near me or across the room, he could always hear me.  He could always see me.  On occasion I’ve tried to recount the story to others but apparently it does not translate well and usually ends with another cone landing squarely on my head.  He got me and I got him.  He was “my person.”  To this day I still get secretly sucker punched by KAOS (joking) when they drop the cone of silence on me.  I look around, but I no longer see Dave watching, gesturing or laughing.  I simply smile shyly off into the distance and continue onto making the hand gestures and the accompanying sound.  Nowadays, however, I add a wink, a nod and a quiet, “I love you.” to the routine.  I imagine him across from me, doing the same.  

People flow in and out of our lives during our journey on this earth.  Some for a short while and others for always.  Through it all, try to remember that you are never truly alone.  Certainly, I feel lonely and miss my love.  I mourn all of our lost laughter and the experiences never to come, but his memory fills me and brings me great joy.  I am also filled with the Holy Spirit, who is with me always, every step of the way.  It’s not just in social settings.  Sometimes, it feels like I live under a perpetual cone of silence and the accompanying quiet of being alone is unbearably loud.  Deafening, in fact. It is at these times that I am reminded that the Holy Spirit comforts and carries me.  He is always with me, and I am never really alone.  Even if I feel unheard or unseen, His voice provides constant comfort and reassurance.  I wonder if God ever feels like He is under the cone of silence?  I mean, He is speaking to us constantly in countless ways but how often do we simply walk away, turn towards another conversation, pull out their phone or just start talking about another subject.  Let that marinate for a minute.  

Now, tell me the truth here.  Is it wrong that, as I write this, I am imagining Jesus going through the “Shoonk!” routine with me right now???  Nah!  He’s gotta have a good sense of humor to put up with all of us!!  I’m gonna give Jesus a nod, a smile and an “I love you” in return.  I’ve got one for you as well, my friend.  Thank you for taking the time to read this and join me here and remember, cone of silence or not, God can always hear you and you are never truly alone. Remember to keep your eyes, ears and heart open so that you can hear Him as well.  

John 15:12 (NIV) - “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”