NEW YORK –– How does a happy-go-lucky comedy show come to embrace the
1960s antiwar movement, give its network fits with satire goring every
sacred cow in sight, then pass into legend by getting thrown off the air –
all in roughly two years?
Just ask the Smothers Brothers, whose wrangle with CBS and the rest of
the Establishment unfolds in "Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of 'The
Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'." Airing on Bravo Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST,
it's the saga of a long-defunct show that endures as a time capsule.
To examine the brief run of the "Comedy Hour" is to peek into the
national psyche of the late 1960s, when Americans were counting their dead
in Vietnam while clashing, even killing, at home.
The Smothers show "was a sort of microcosm of what was happening in the
streets," says "Smothered" producer-writer Maureen Muldaur, who loved
watching it as a youngster.
Of course, no one was looking for a street brawl when the "Comedy Hour"
premiered in February 1967 – least of all, its stars. A pair of clean-cut,
thirtyish lads, Tom and Dick Smothers landed the show on the strength of
their comedy-music act whose premise everyone could laugh about: sibling
rivalry.
Dick was the calm, mature brother (with a standup bass to prove it)
whose designated role was to gently scold the childish Tom (who played
guitar) when he got too silly or disruptive. Tom's petulant,
audience-pleasing comeback: "Mom always liked you best!"
All in all, these brothers were about as avant-garde as Cain and Abel
(though with lots more laughs). Then, soon after the "Comedy Hour" had
premiered, Tom Smothers decided laughs weren't enough.
Newly radicalized by that turbulent era, he gave the show's brash young
writers (including Rob Reiner, Mason Williams and Steve Martin) his
blessing to take on issues more pressing than which brother Mom liked
best. More and more, their comedy was fueled by civil rights, gun control
and the peace movement.
While retaining certain mainstream elements (veteran stars like George
Burns, Jack Benny and Bette Davis were among its guests), the "Comedy
Hour" distinguished itself as TV's crash pad for the radic-lib illuminati,
including Buffalo Springfield, Jefferson Airplane, Joan Baez and
blacklisted folk singer Pete Seeger.
Nearly a decade before "Saturday Night Live" declared itself not ready
for prime time, the Smothers Brothers held 16th place in the 1966-67
prime-time ranking – and did it scheduled against "Bonanza," TV's
top-rated series.
Clearly, they were ready for prime time. But was prime time ready for
their growing zealotry?
In interviews with the brothers as well as members of their creative
team and guests, "Smothered" traces the arc of the show – its soaring
popularity and comic daring, then the censorship squabbles that would
bring it down.
The fight began early. In only the ninth episode, CBS blue-penciled an
entire sketch – ironically, a sketch satirizing network censors. Week
after week, Tom Smothers grew more obsessed with resisting what he saw as
an assault on his freedom of speech.
He wasn't the only one who felt assaulted. At the White House on Sunday
nights, President Johnson tuned in, unamused, as the show skewered him and
his policies. Sometimes he watched with his friend, Frank Stanton, the
head of CBS – or so says former CBS exec Mike Dann, who, through his boss,
took the brunt of Johnson's disapproval.
Along with Dann, former West Coast VP Perry Lafferty appears in
"Smothered" to explain CBS' side of things. With the wistful manner of a
father whose son just wouldn't listen, Lafferty recalls telling Tom "the
harder you push, the harder (CBS is) gonna push back – and they're bigger
than you are."
The inevitable showdown took place in April 1969. CBS had demanded that
a tape of that Sunday's episode be hand-delivered from Los Angeles for
review at New York headquarters by the preceding Wednesday.
The brothers dragged their feet at this latest imposition. The tape,
somehow, didn't get there until Friday. It was too late, as a front-page
headline of The New York Times proclaimed: "CBS to Drop Smothers Hour;
Cites Failure to Get Previews." The brothers would successfully sue CBS
for breach of contract, but their show had been, well, smothered.
Nearly 34 years have passed since then, but fans still remember the
show with gratitude for rising to the occasion.
"It was an era of social unrest, and there we were with our series,"
says Tom Smothers.
He is speaking by phone from Las Vegas, where he and Dick, now 65 and
63 respectively, are performing.
As Smothers chats, he makes it clear his political views haven't
softened through the decades. But politics is absent from the brothers'
just-for-fun live act, the same way it was before their stormy TV run.
The "Comedy Hour" was different, shaped by the '60s as much as by the
brothers.
"We were at the scene of the accident," Tom sums up. To revisit it with
them, don't miss "Smothered."
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On the Net:
www.bravotv.com
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EDITOR'S NOTE – Frazier Moore can be reached at
fmoore(at)ap.org
