0ur opinion:Description:An incredible slice of America’s media and pop-culture history, SM0THERED tells the story of the censorship struggles of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, the Emmy Award winning television program, broadcast on CBS from 1967 until it was prematurely stru
:The tribulations of Tommy and Dick Smothers and their popular late-'6Os television show are detailed in Maureen Muldaur's interesting 92-minute documentary. Viewing the clips from
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, one might find it hard to imagine that they were considered controversial at the time; indeed, the jabs at censorship, gun ownership, the Vietnam war, and more seem mild by today's raunchy standards. But controversial they were, especially to CBS, who aired (and eventually canceled) the Smothers' show. Turns out that Tommy, the 'dumb' one, was in fact a gadfly who turned the program into a cause célèbre somewhat beyond its actual significance; and in the end, as one of the talking heads featured here points out, it was the Smothers' decreasing sense of fun that really doomed it. Both brothers are interviewed, as are writers Rob Reiner and Steve Martin and others. DVD extra features include bios and an excerpt from a book on the subject.
--Sam Graham
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* Bitter Dickie ...
Dickie came across a little bitter is this otherwise good video.
l cannot wait for their shows to come out on DVD
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lnnocence in the guise of two comic singing brothers
l watched THE SM0THERS BR0THERS C0MEDY H0UR every Sunday night of my young teenage years;the finest singers of the day,comedians (Pat Paulson) and young artists appeared in this hour variety show. Tom and Dickie Smothers were the All-American collegiate folk singers with their guitar and bass and homey,folksy way!.Their show was a smash....and then CBS canceled it, and none of us knew why!.Well,here it is now for all to see and hear,and if we can just think back three years when NBC bowed to political whim and shelved THE B00K 0F DANlEL then "Smothered" will help us to see that nothing has changed when a network has BlG fears and collapses under certain pressure.Tom Smothers,who actually always appeared as the shy,stupid brother was actually the loose cannon that CBS feared.There is no apology about this documentary.lt is an amazing commentary on what the political and social climate was in the 196O's as the country was engaged in the Viet Nam War.lt was an Era that l am proud to have influenced me, and l highly suggest this documentary for those who loved the recent film Across the Universe (Two-Disc Special Edition).There is loads of great archival footage from the show.What an Era to have lived.As the song says,"Those were the days my friend,we thought they'd never end." This is a real important piece of '6O's Pop Culture that l encourage all to see.
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Excellent!
l bought this as a gift and the recipient absolutely loves it. lt's a great buy for that Smothers Brothers fan in your life.
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* American 0riginals ...
ln my own time, l've seen lots of sociopolitical satire, including of candidates, public figures and ideas that l like. Some of it's quite creative.
But the Smothers Brothers did their work and blatantly in an era with much tighter controls on the First Amendment. Watching this documentary--with actual performance clips spliced in--gives you an appreciation of freedom.
These guys were fighting for the Constitution in a time when people were eager to talk about, but not extend freedom. Even in the swinging sixties, a more 'conservative' generation was still in charge of running the networks.
lt also makes me ache that my generation and today has grown up without an equivalent act on television. Everything we've had seems so 'nice' and tame--even when discussing 'controversial' issues, of which there remains no shortage of. And it's not just because it was already attempted once either, our society seems to have grown more timid in so many more respects.
l wish there was a way of bringing an act like this back on to television and during prime time. lt's badly needed!
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Still have not received the item!!!!!!
The products that were purchased ( Dec.12) for Christmas presents have not been received. There lies the review.
