"Freedom of expression and freedom of speech aren’t really important, unless they’re heard. The freedom of hearing is as important as the freedom of speaking. It's hard for me to stay silent when I keep hearing that peace is only attainable through war- and there's nothing more scary than watching ignorance in action. I dedicate this Emmy to all people who feel compelled to speak out, and are not afraid to speak to power, and won't shut up, and refuse to be silenced. " Tom Smothers on accepting his belated Emmy award in 2008
How can a goofy pair of brothers totally transform the television landscape in just 3 years? We didn't realize it while it was happening, but the sneaky duo tested the censors and boundaries of political speech in their 1967-1969 comedy variety show, and television was never the same again. I was only 10 when the Smothers Brothers debuted their revolutionary show, and those of us who lived through the tumultuous last days of the sixties could see that something big was happening in society at large.
The Vietnam War was raging and young people were rebelling at the thought of being sent over there as pawns in the fight against communism. The Hippie culture was in full swing in the music world, but on television you would hardly know anything different was happening. Some people point to the Beatles showing up on Ed Sullivan in 1962 as the transformative moment, but I would counter that the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was the turning point.
Variety shows were huge in the 50's, 60's and 70's. They combined recognized stars with musical performances, comedic sketches, and big production numbers. The closest we have to that in the 2020's is Saturday Night Live, and SNL owes a big debt to shows like this one. Early variety shows like Red Skelton, Jackie Gleason, or Your Show Of Shows worked on a reliable formula and almost never waded into controversy of any kind. Tom and Dick Smothers, with their clean-cut, well-dressed persona at first glance looked like harmless entertainers, but as the show played out, they showed their rebellious side.
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour aired on Sunday nights after the Ed Sullivan Show on CBS. Airing opposite the very popular western, Bonanza, not much was expected of them. Tom and Dick had perfected an act over the past decade where they play folks songs on guitar and bass while pretend arguing about how to play the songs. Tom played the dumb, silly brother, and Dick played the straight man, and they began each show with this pretend fight, milking it for laughs. The executives had no idea that the brothers would push the boundaries so hard, nor that the entire country would be erupting in violence as the entire culture changed in terms of dress, sexuality, mores, and musical tastes.
The show was a fascinating mixture of folk music, rock and roll bands, silly skits, and pointed political humor, mixing the stars of the past with those of the future in a huge experiment that would never happen again.
Here are some highlights I gleaned from my recent binge on Smothers Brothers shows. Note that as of 2023, the show is not available on any streaming or broadcast channels. DVD's exist for some of the shows, and quite a bit can be found on You Tube.
- Though Tommy Smothers played the dumb one, behind the scenes he was the workhorse that made the show what it was. His little brother Dick played his part, but preferred to work in the background and let Tom take the lead. (They also had a sister, Sherry, who never appeared on the show.)
- Given the imbalance of power and intense pressures of performing together, the two brothers held together for over five decades, never splitting up or publicly fighting. This makes them one of the most durable comedy partnerships in history.
- In the beginning of their act, they were not political performers. That all changed after an incident of police brutality that caused a false arrest and cost Dick hearing in one ear. Unlike George Carlin, who also started out as a straight-laced comedian around the same time, they never grew long hair or beards, preferring the same look even as they radicalized.
- Comedy Hour was a fascinating mixture of old guard comedians like Jack Benny, George Burns, Betty Davis, Jim Nabors, or Mickey Rooney, who appeared on the show in conjunction with the emerging musical royalty of The Doors, Simon and Garfunkel, Buffalo Springfield, Kenny Rogers, Glen Campbell, Joan Baez, and many more. While Ed Sullivan featured the Rolling Stones and the Beatles prominently, the Smothers Brothers were America's first exposure to a host of other future musical stars.
- Among the writers were future stars Rob Reiner and Steve Martin. Tom Smothers purposely removed his name from the writing staff when Emmy Nominations went out because of the controversy around his name. Decades later he got a writing Emmy during a special presentation during the awards show.
- Pete Seeger, who had been blacklisted during the anti-communist frenzy of the 50's was brought on the show in 1968 where he promptly sang antiwar songs. CBS tried to censor a lot of the anti-war content of the show, but with little success. The entire country was torn apart by the Vietnam War, and this show was one of the few places where it was even acknowledged.
- Pat Paulsen became a celebrity thanks to the show and to his slyly worded editorials that the show let him do. It eventually led to a fake presidential campaign in 1968 that poked fun at all of the real candidates that year.
- In 1969 the show was renewed and pulling good television ratings. But because of the controversies around the show and its politics (and possibly because of the recent election of President Richard Nixon), the Smothers Brothers were abruptly fired, and their final show was never aired. They ended up suing CBS for breach of contract and won a large settlement.
- Several attempts were made to bring back the show on other networks, but never quite worked out. Comedy Hour was a unique show at a unique time, and would never be repeated. The brothers continued performing together but never again came close to the zenith they saw with this show.
The ability to laugh at yourself, or find humor in the senselessness of the world is a precious talent. It keeps one sane. Humor exposes our vulnerability and connection, and we need great comedians once in a while to give us perspective and keep us from getting angry and depressed. The Smothers Brothers were clowns in a long line of court jesters who poked fun at the powers that be and made life livable. They gave rise to Rowan and Martin, Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, and a whole host of late night comics who regularly lambaste the leaders absurdities of our times. We all need to speak out against injustice, but we also need to be able to laugh at the injustices to give them less power over our lives.