Just a few days ago, half of the Smothers Brothers passed away. Tom Smothers died at the age of 86 due to his battle with cancer. We are all saddened by this news – especially the other half of the Smothers Brothers: the younger brother himself, Dick Smothers. The brother duo had stuck by each other since the start of both their personal and professional lives. It’s because of them that television, as we know it today, is so different.

But how did the two brothers change the course of history when it comes to television? What did they do that was so significant? Those who know of the Smothers Brothers know of a certain show that aired in the late 1960s. One that was both hilarious but touched on topics that, back in the day, were unthinkable to talk about on TV. It was a show that featured guest comedians and musical artists who will become incredibly famous today. The show that made television change drastically is The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Who Are the Smothers Brothers?

The Smothers Brothers, before his passing, consisted of Tom and Dick Smothers. They were American comedians and folk singers/musicians who frequently appeared in television variety shows and performed on stage as a folk song duo. The two had a significant comedic facade that still exists today. Tom was the elder, but slow “funny man” brother, while Dick was the deadpan “straight man” brother. This basically means that Tom was essentially your classic comedian while Dick had the more dry sense of humor.

Since their first album in 1962, the brothers have released 12 albums and eight singles/EPs. Their first ever television appearance happened back in 1961 on the show The Jack Paar Show, a talk show under the Tonight Show franchise until 1962. Their first television show was The Smothers Brothers Show, a sitcom back in 1965 that only lasted until 1966 because of poor ratings. The brothers continued to work together and independently until Tom Smothers’s death.

The Smothers Brothers are famous for breaking the limits of censorship. This is especially true for their 1967 sitcom, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The show lasted only about three years, with CBS ultimately canceling the sitcom in 1970. CBS had accused the brothers of, according to Fortune, “failing to submit an episode in time for the censors to review.”

It’s no secret that the Smothers Brothers were very expressive with their views/opinions on politics and pop culture trends during the show’s time. The show started as your typical black-and-white variety show in the ’60s but pushed the boundaries of censorship and what sitcoms were meant to portray. This would pave the way for the sitcoms and variety shows we know today that tackle specific topics despite the restricting rules of censorship.

What does this mean, exactly? For starters, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour became just as popular as it was controversial. The show had three specific topics of satire: the Vietnam War, racism, and the President of the United States. The brothers and CBS were in a back and forth in terms of creative content, with the brothers pushing for their skits to be aired as is while CBS pushed to censor and edit out specific segments (for example, CBS deleted the entirety of “Lord, Don’t Stop the Carnival” sung by Belafonte with a backdrop of the 1968 Democratic National Convention). The brothers were also the first to introduce the hippie subculture into the mainstream television medium. The conflict over content would continue until the show’s cancelation.

Platform for Stars We Know Today

 

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour wasn’t just one of the best early sketch TV shows. The show featured regular performers and musical artists who grew into stardom over time. Not only that but these artists/performers were people who did not appear regularly in any other variety show. But why exactly is that? The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour featured rock as its primary music of choice, and that particular music genre was not shown much on TV during that time. Some artists also had particular political affiliations for which national television didn’t provide airtime. Yet it is because of the Smothers Brothers and their show that we even know of musical artists today, such as Simon and Garfunkel, Buffalo Springfield, and Pete Seeger.

Other comedy guests have appeared on the show throughout its three-year lifespan. Some have become stars today and are well-known for their craft. A great example is Steve Martin, an American comedian and producer who became one of the most frequent and funniest hosts of Saturday Night Live. He first came to public notice as a writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. He became one of the most popular US stand-up comedians in the ’70s, and his legacy still lives on today. Martin was inspired by Albert Brooks, who was also a guest on the brothers’ show at one point; in which Brooks inspired other post-modern comedians at that time.

Let it be known that his and Dick Smothers’s legacy, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, will continue to be remembered. Not only did the show change television forever, but it changed our perspective on censorship outside of TV, radio, music, art, literature, etc. So much about censorship has changed since the 1960s. We have The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour to thank for that because while it was not the first form of media to tackle censorship, it still had a crucial part to play.