Posts: 1401
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 12-04-2002 09:28 PM            

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Just finished watching "Smothered" on Bravo about the Smothers Bros. show & their losing censorship battle waaay back in the days when there were only 3 networks. Some of my favorite comedians got their starts on that show, David Steinberg & Steve Martin come to mind. I love how straight the bros. looked in their suits & ties yet how subversive their lyrics & skits were! Anyone else see this documentary or the originals back 1966-1969?

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posted 12-04-2002 10:02 PM            

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Yeah, they had one of the most infamous Who performances on the show. I vaguely remember seeing that episode.
A bit too much charge in the pyrotechnics as I recall.

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posted 12-05-2002 01:55 AM            

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That's the one featured in "The Kids Are Alright", I imagine. Roger from Oz, indeed.

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posted 12-05-2002 02:19 AM            

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Yeah, the Who did "I Can See for Miles" which inexplicably was not a huge hit. My favorite bit was when Tommy Smothers asked Keith Moon for his name and he said, "My friends call me Keith. You can call me John." "The Smothers Brothers Show" had other great musical guests too: the Doors doing "Touch Me" and the Beatles doing "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" (in pre-recorded films) come to mind.

I think they were running the shows on the Comedy Channel or Nick at Nite a few years ago. The show was daring for its time but it's kinda tame now. They got away with pot references and stuff like that -- it was the political humor that got them in trouble, with the Vietnam War becoming more and more divisive. "Laugh-In" went on the air in early 1968 during the Smothers Brothers run, but they didn't do that much overtly political/anti-war material, which could be why they lasted longer.

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posted 12-05-2002 11:15 AM            

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The Smothers Bros. were on CBS whose president had close ties to the Johnson administration, which probably hastened their demise. Laugh-In was on NBC as I recall.

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posted 12-05-2002 01:06 PM            

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I watched that last night, and liked it quite a bit. It reminded me how radical they were, and how sad the state of prime time network tv is now. Tommy Smothers was funny, interesting, political, and more.

[This message has been edited by Yuck Foo (edited 12-05-2002).]

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