RIP Tom.
Posted on 12/27/2023 12:56:37 PM PST by 11th_VA
He and his brother, Dick, "turned television upside down" on 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' before they were canned.
Tom Smothers, the countercultural comedy icon admired for the 1960s variety program he created and hosted with his younger brother, Dick, and for the tenacity he displayed in frequent clashes with CBS censors, has died. He was 86.
Smothers died peacefully Tuesday at his home in Santa Rosa, California, after a battle with cancer, his brother said in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter by a spokesperson for the National Comedy Center.
“Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,” Dick, 84, said. “I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years. Our relationship was like a good marriage — the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.”
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ran from February 1967 until April 1969, when the pair were fired after 72 episodes (and with their show in the top 10 and already renewed for a fourth season). Up against NBC powerhouse Bonanza at 9 p.m. on Sunday nights, their program succeeded by attracting younger, hipper, more rebellious viewers — while also launching the careers of Steve Martin, Rob Reiner, Bob Einstein, Mason Williams and many others…
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Did they have a brother named Harry? These guys knew how to make you laugh.
RIP Tom.
Tommy Smothers had a unique style of humor that I enjoyed very much. RIP Tommy.
They were among the first Leftist entertainers spewing opinion on TV.
Smothers Brothers introducing a fantastic performance by Glen Campbell of “Wichita Lineman” back in 1968:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g310GZiNrgY
A live performance, don’t see that much anymore.
I saw their act live in San Diego around 1985. Tommy was such a natural comedian. R.I.P.
He did a killer Johnny Carson, too.
Tommy Smothers dead-on imitation of Johnny Carson - Feb 20, 1992
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oghxf-HS6go
Hated his politics but respected his talent.
Always thought he was the younger of the two…
Nice picture. However, Dick reminds me a little of Alfred E. Neuman in that picture.
That’s why CBS canceled them
Funny how things change, now they would be prime time 5 nights a week.
I remember the Smothers brothers. I don’t remember them being controversial and by todays standards their comedy would be considered mild by comparison.
We weren’t allowed to watch that show - back in those days there was one TV and we watched whatever the grown-ups wanted.
The times I did manage to sneak a few episodes, I loved it.
RIP
Memory Eternal!
I remember in 1968 when the Beatles played “Hey Jude” live on their show.
It was pretty cool.
I never thought they were that funny. My mother liked the show.
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