Smothered: The Great Smothers Brothers Censorship Wars
Chock full of hilarious, outrageous, and rarely seen clips from The Smothers Brothers Comedy hour, Smothered features interviews and appearances by a who's who of celebrity writers, performers, and network honchos, including Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, Pete Seeger, Rob Reiner, Bill Maher, and the Smothers Brothers themselves. Together, they reveal how this groundbreaking television program became a hot bed of controversy, where media, politics, and two funny guys clashed together-igniting laughter and social consciousness across a nation.
More than a film, Smothered is an incredible slice of America's media and pop-culture history. It tells the story of the censorship struggles of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, broadcast on CBS from 1967 until it was prematurely struck from the airwaves in 1969. As beloved hosts of the infamously funny variety show, Tom and Dick Smothers pioneered a turning point in American television history, using friendly folk music and wholesome charm to bring a new brand of political commentary to the American public. In the era of such escapist entertainment as Bewitched, Bonanaza, and The Beverly HillBillies, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour broke all the rules and captured our nation's attention, paving the way for such hit television shows as Saturday Night Live and Late Night With David Letterman.
Member Reviews
There is plenty to like about "Smothered" - TheShamus
There is plenty to like about the documentary, "Smothered". The duo seemed to be very involved in the production of this video. Some notibles aside from the brothers include Rob Reiner and Steve Martin.
I have always been interested to understand more about how a very popular CBS show was pulled from the air. To the credit of the documentary, there are CBS executives who are interviewed as part of the documentary. The documentary is mostly "one-sided" but the network's side of events is presented.
My favourite aspect of the DVD was the clips included from the actual show. I was very impressed with the quality of the comedy. It was a very smart show -- which is years ahead of its time. Much of it is still funny today.
This is not hard hitting journalism, but it does give you a good taste of what the "Smothers Brothers" show was about. It would be easy to talk about how their actions were "soft" by today's standards -- but the US is at war, and not many people use their prime time network show to express anti-war sentiments (many would be accused of being unAmerican).
If you are interested in the Smothers Brothers, this is a worthwhile release.
/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\Sadly,it hasn't changed that much... - valentinebrown
40 years ago the Smothers Brothers launched a comedy/variety show as a mid season replacement opposite "Bonanza". No one, including the Brothers, were expecting anything more than 12 weeks of work. Surprisingly, they were a success...more importantly, they changed television by pushing the boundaries and battling censorship.
This documentary covers the entire run of the show and the battles Tommy and Dick (and an amazing group of writers including Steve Martin, Rob Riener and Carl Gotleib)fought to express their views and artistic vision against the network and its archaic standards and practices.
By today's standards nothing seen here is at all controversial but as evident by the Bill Mahar/Politically Incorrect scandal just a few years ago, Network television hasn't changed all that much. It's still impossible to express an unpopular opinion on commercial run television. Thank God for Cable.
It would be great if the brothers would release the series with all the episodes intact but I imagine getting the rights to all the musical performances would be impossible.Oh...and one more thing...Pat Paulson for President!!Great Stuff - SheckyGrey
All I have to say is that it was great finally hearing what really happened in the case of The Smothers Brothers. Seeing the Bros and their controversial guests talking about what happened was a treat.
As for the DVD, it would have been a good idea (as an extra feature) to include all the controversial sketches in their entirety. I understand using clips in the documentary so that the pace will not be hampered, but extra footage of the full sketches as a bonus would have been good.
Watch for Dick's reaction when Tommy talks about lighting up a joint.
Member Reviews
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There is plenty to like about "Smothered" - TheShamus
There is plenty to like about the documentary, "Smothered". The duo seemed to be very involved in the production of this video. Some notibles aside from the brothers include Rob Reiner and Steve Martin.
I have always been interested to understand ...Sadly,it hasn't changed that much... - valentinebrown
40 years ago the Smothers Brothers launched a comedy/variety show as a mid season replacement opposite "Bonanza". No one, including the Brothers, were expecting anything more than 12 weeks of work. Surprisingly, they were a success...more importantly, they ...Great Stuff - SheckyGrey
All I have to say is that it was great finally hearing what really happened in the case of The Smothers Brothers. Seeing the Bros and their controversial guests talking about what happened was a treat.
As for the DVD, it would have been a good idea ...