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==History== ==History==
The evolution of The Comedy Hour was unique to a medium that was, and still to a degree, fearful of change. The show debuted in the winter of 1967 as a slightly "hip" version of the typical comedy-variety show of its era. But within weeks it rapidly evolved into a program that extended the boundaries of what was considered permissible in television satire.<ref>Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, by David Bianculli, Touchstone, 2009.</ref><ref> with Dave Davies, Nov. 30, 2009</ref> A case in point would be the very series which The Comedy Hour replaced. Returning to weekly television following a two year hiatus, broadcasting pioneer Garry Moore attempted a revival of his popular comedy-variety program which produced high ratings at CBS for six seasons starting in 1958. It also became a launching pad for the career of Carol Burnett. But Moore's comeback could not halt the ratings avalanche he faced coming from NBC's hit western, "Bonanza," then placing solidly at number one. The Smothers duo were in the second year of a five year contract with CBS following a failed sit-com the previous season, a series they were pleased to see rap. The network approached the brothers to host a mid-season replacement for the Moore hour with a 20 week commitment and complete artistic control. Ed Sullivan, who presided over the most the most successful variety show in history would be their lead in. Sullivan was chosen to introduce the opening program with a tongue-in-cheek bio of the brothers which lead into a song taken from one of their hit Mercury Records albums,"We are marching to Pretoria." The formula was now set. While the Smothers themselves were at the forefront of these efforts, credit also goes to the roster of writers and regular performers they brought to the show, including ] (who served as their head writer and producer), ], ] ("]"), ] ("Mike Stivic"), Presidential candidate ], ] ("]", "]", and "Officer Judy"), Einstein's brother, Albert (who works professionally as ]), and resident ] ] ("Share a Little Tea with Goldie"). The show also introduced audiences to pop singer ] (originally billed as Jennifer Warren or simply Jennifer), who was a regular on the series. The television premiere of ]' hit record, '']'', took place on the show, and Williams himself received an Emmy for his work as a staff writer. The evolution of The Comedy Hour was unique to a medium that was, and still to a degree, fearful of change. The show debuted in the winter of 1967 as a slightly "hip" version of the typical comedy-variety show of its era. But within weeks it rapidly evolved into a program that extended the boundaries of what was considered permissible in television satire.<ref>Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, by David Bianculli, Touchstone, 2009.</ref><ref> with Dave Davies, Nov. 30, 2009</ref> A case in point would be the very series which The Comedy Hour replaced. Returning to weekly television following a two year hiatus, broadcasting pioneer Garry Moore attempted a revival of his popular comedy-variety program which produced high ratings at CBS for six seasons starting in 1958. It also became a launching pad for the career of Carol Burnett. But Moore's comeback could not halt the ratings avalanche he faced coming from NBC's hit western, "Bonanza," then placing solidly at number one. The Smothers duo were in the second year of a five year contract with CBS following a failed sit-com the previous season, a series they were pleased to see rap. The network approached the brothers to host a mid-season replacement for the Moore hour with a 20 week commitment and complete artistic control. Ed Sullivan, who presided over the most the most successful variety show in history would be their lead in. Sullivan was chosen to introduce the opening program with a tongue-in-cheek bio of the brothers. Tom and Dick then launched into a typical song taken from one of their many hit Mercury Records comedy albums,"We are marching to Pretoria." The formula was now set. A national audience now witnessed what nightclub and concert goers had known for more than seven years. Here was a finely polished stage act, connecting music with contemporary satire not seen seen since the days of early radio vaudeville. But their image was, for its time, more cutting edge than most musical comedy revues. Underneath a playful sibling rivalry act, one smart, one dumb, The Smothers Brothers persona contained a confrontational imbalance that became commonplace in the late 1960's. While the brothers themselves were at the forefront of these efforts, credit also goes to the roster of writers and regular performers they brought to the show, including ] (who served as their head writer and producer), ], ] ("]"), ] ("Mike Stivic"), Presidential candidate ], ] ("]", "]", and "Officer Judy"), Einstein's brother, Albert (who works professionally as ]), and resident ] ] ("Share a Little Tea with Goldie"). The show also introduced audiences to pop singer ] (originally billed as Jennifer Warren or simply Jennifer), who was a regular on the series. The television premiere of ]' hit record, '']'', took place on the show, and Williams himself received an Emmy for his work as a staff writer.


===Musical guests=== ===Musical guests===

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1967 American TV series or program
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick as Romans in a 1967 skit.
GenreVariety
Directed byBill Davis
Stan Harris
Tim Kiley
Marty Pasetta
StarringDick Smothers
Tom Smothers
Pat Paulsen
Peter Cullen
Narrated byRoger Carroll (announcer)
Theme music composerMason Williams
Nancy Ames
Opening theme"The Brothers Theme"
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes72
Production
Executive producerKen Fritz
ProducersAllan Blye
Ernest Chambers
Saul Ilson
George Sunga
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time45– 50 minutes
Production companiesComedic Productions, Inc.
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseFebruary 5, 1967 (1967-02-05) –
June 8, 1969 (1969-06-08)

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour is an American comedy and variety show television series hosted by the Smothers Brothers and initially airing on CBS from 1967 to 1969.

The series was a major success, especially considering it was scheduled against the major NBC television series, Bonanza, with content that appealed to contemporary youth viewership with daring political satire humor and major music acts like Buffalo Springfield, Pete Seeger and The Who. Despite this success, continual conflicts with network executives over content led to the show being abruptly pulled from the schedule in violation of the Smothers' contract in 1969.

History

The evolution of The Comedy Hour was unique to a medium that was, and still to a degree, fearful of change. The show debuted in the winter of 1967 as a slightly "hip" version of the typical comedy-variety show of its era. But within weeks it rapidly evolved into a program that extended the boundaries of what was considered permissible in television satire. A case in point would be the very series which The Comedy Hour replaced. Returning to weekly television following a two year hiatus, broadcasting pioneer Garry Moore attempted a revival of his popular comedy-variety program which produced high ratings at CBS for six seasons starting in 1958. It also became a launching pad for the career of Carol Burnett. But Moore's comeback could not halt the ratings avalanche he faced coming from NBC's hit western, "Bonanza," then placing solidly at number one. The Smothers duo were in the second year of a five year contract with CBS following a failed sit-com the previous season, a series they were pleased to see rap. The network approached the brothers to host a mid-season replacement for the Moore hour with a 20 week commitment and complete artistic control. Ed Sullivan, who presided over the most the most successful variety show in history would be their lead in. Sullivan was chosen to introduce the opening program with a tongue-in-cheek bio of the brothers. Tom and Dick then launched into a typical song taken from one of their many hit Mercury Records comedy albums,"We are marching to Pretoria." The formula was now set. A national audience now witnessed what nightclub and concert goers had known for more than seven years. Here was a finely polished stage act, connecting music with contemporary satire not seen seen since the days of early radio vaudeville. But their image was, for its time, more cutting edge than most musical comedy revues. Underneath a playful sibling rivalry act, one smart, one dumb, The Smothers Brothers persona contained a confrontational imbalance that became commonplace in the late 1960's. While the brothers themselves were at the forefront of these efforts, credit also goes to the roster of writers and regular performers they brought to the show, including Jim Stafford (who served as their head writer and producer), Steve Martin, Don Novello ("Father Guido Sarducci"), Rob Reiner ("Mike Stivic"), Presidential candidate Pat Paulsen, Bob Einstein ("Super Dave Osborne", "Marty Funkhouser", and "Officer Judy"), Einstein's brother, Albert (who works professionally as Albert Brooks), and resident hippie Leigh French ("Share a Little Tea with Goldie"). The show also introduced audiences to pop singer Jennifer Warnes (originally billed as Jennifer Warren or simply Jennifer), who was a regular on the series. The television premiere of Mason Williams' hit record, Classical Gas, took place on the show, and Williams himself received an Emmy for his work as a staff writer.

Musical guests

The series showcased new musical artists that other comedy-variety shows rarely gave airtime to, due to the nature of their music or their political affiliations. George Harrison, Joan Baez, Buffalo Springfield, Cass Elliot, Harry Belafonte, Cream, Donovan, The Doors, Janis Ian, Yank Barry, Jefferson Airplane, Peter, Paul and Mary, Spanky and Our Gang, Steppenwolf, The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, Ray Charles, The Hello People and Pete Seeger were showcased during the latter years of the show despite the advertiser-sensitive nature of their music.

Seeger's appearance on the Season 2 premiere which aired on September 10, 1967 was his first on network commercial television in 17 years since being blacklisted in 1950. His performance of "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" was dropped from the broadcast after his refusal to comply with CBS's request to remove the sixth verse. The song, its story related to the present by the controversial stanza, was a metaphor for President Lyndon B. Johnson and his Vietnam War policy. Seeger was eventually allowed to reappear on the show to perform the song again on Episode 24 later that season.

In 1968, the show broadcast several promotional videos (later known as "music videos") for The Beatles' songs "Hey Jude" and "Revolution". Before a rowdy crowd at the Los Angeles Forum, Jimi Hendrix dedicated "I Don't Live Today" to the Smothers Brothers, as heard on The Jimi Hendrix Box Set.

Controversies and cancellation

With the focus of the show having evolved towards a more youth-oriented one, the show became both popular and controversial for those same references to youth culture and the issues that both interested and affected this particular target audience. Three specific targets of satire — racism, Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam War — would wind up defining the show's content for the remainder of its run, and eventually lead to its demise.

Whereas most older audiences were tuning into shows like the western Bonanza, the younger generation — ages 15–25 — were watching the Smothers' more socially relevant humor.

The Brothers soon found themselves in regular conflicts with CBS' network censors. At the start of the 1968/69 season, the network ordered that the Smothers deliver their shows finished and ready to air ten days before airdate so that the censors could edit the shows as necessary. In the season premiere, CBS deleted the entire segment of Belafonte singing "Lord, Don't Stop the Carnival" against a backdrop of the havoc during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, along with two lines from a satire of their main competitor, Bonanza. As the year progressed, battles over content continued, including a David Steinberg sermon about Moses and the Burning Bush.

With some local stations making their own deletions of controversial skits or comments, the continuing problems over the show reached a boiling point after CBS showed a rerun on March 9, 1969. The network explained the decision by stating that because that week's episode did not arrive in time to be previewed, it would not be shown. In that program, Joan Baez paid tribute to her then-husband–David Harris–who was entering jail after refusing military service, while comedian Jackie Mason made a joke about children "playing doctor." When the show finally did air, two months later, the network allowed Baez to state that her husband was in prison, but edited out the reason.

Despite the conflict, the show was picked up for the 1969-70 season on March 14, seemingly ending the debate over the show's status. However, network CEO and President, William S. Paley, abruptly canceled the show on April 4, 1969. The reason given by CBS was based on the Smothers' refusal to meet the pre-air delivery dates as specified by the network in order to accommodate review by the local affiliates before airing. Another of the network's presidents, Robert Wood, stated that it became evident that the brothers "were unwilling to accept the criteria of taste established by CBS." This cancellation led the Brothers to file a breach of contract suit against the network. On April 6, 1973, after four years of litigation, the Federal court ruled in favor of the Smothers and ordered CBS to pay them $766,000. Despite the Smothers' legal victory, the show never returned to the air.

Despite this cancellation, the show won the Emmy Award that year for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy, Variety or Music.

The saga of the cancellation of the show is the subject of a 2002 documentary film, Smothered.

Revival

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was revived for the 1988–1989 television season, which included the return of cast regular Pat Paulsen as well as new, aspiring performers. The revival lasted one season. The revived Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour began production during a 1988 Writers Guild of America strike, resulting in the brothers being allowed to perform their own material.

In 1993, the series was repackaged for broadcast on the E! Network featuring introductions by the Smothers Brothers and new interview footage by participants in the original series.

References

  1. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967) at IMDb
  2. Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, by David Bianculli, Touchstone, 2009.
  3. Fresh Air with Dave Davies, Nov. 30, 2009
  4. Gent, George. "Seeger Accuses C.B.S. Over Song; Act Cut When He Refused To Drop Verse, Says Seeger," The New York Times, Friday, September 15, 1967.
  5. ^ The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour – The Museum of Broadcast Communications.
  6. CBS Evening News, 4 April 1969. "CBS announced today that The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour will not be returning to the CBS television network next season. Network president Robert Wood said it became evident that the brothers 'were unwilling to accept the criteria of taste established by CBS.' CBS News efforts to reach the brothers for comment have been unsuccessful."
  7. Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour at IMDb
  8. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1988) at IMDb
  9. museum.tv

Further reading

External links

The Smothers Brothers
Albums
Television
Categories: