About
"It was a pretty good comedy act, and that's all we were, except that we happened to meet at the scene of the accident and it elevated it above what we really are -- just performers and pretty good ones. That little scene of the accident elevated us, and we handled ourselves well in that environment of confrontation, and maintained our integrity. That's a sweet little thing."
In the half-hour solo portion of his interview, Tom Smothers (1937-2023) chronicles his early years and influences. He discusses his interest in music growing up, getting into comedy, and the formation of the “Smothers Brothers.”
In the two-and-a-half-hour joint portion of their interview, Tom Smothers and Dick Smothers talk about their work as the "Smothers Brothers." They speak about their first network series, the short-lived situation comedy The Smothers Brothers Show. They discuss in detail The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and the controversy surrounding the series' topical material that led to its cancellation by CBS in 1969. The two describe the series' comedy sketches, guest stars who appeared, and the tempestuous era in which it ran. They also talk about their resurgence as performers and the legacy of their comedy act. Karen Herman conducted the interviews on October 14, 2000 in Las Vegas, NV.
Highlights
Tom and Dick Smothers on the origin of Tom's "mom always liked you best" catchphrase
Tom and Dick Smothers on the difficulties and their subsequent firing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on the changing social and political views in the sixties as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour came on the air
Tom Smothers on the formation of The Smothers Brothers
The Smothers Brothers on their legacy
Full Interview
Chapter 1
Full solo interview with Tom Smothers
Tom Smothers on his early life and strong interest in music
Tom Smothers on the formation of The Smothers Brothers
Tom Smothers on first seeing TV; on his "slow" character; on his early fame; and his life outside of performing
Tom Smothers on his brother Dick Smothers
Chapter 2
[START OF JOINT INTERVIEW WITH DICK SMOTHERS] On their first professional job and the evolution of their comedy as part of their performance
On their first forays into television
On their sitcom The Smothers Brothers Show
On the development of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
On the changing social and political views in the sixties as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour came on the air
Chapter 3
On the start of The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour and the difficulties of producing a variety show
On some of the confrontations they had with CBS and unions regarding the material on The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour
On their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Chapter 4
On CBS' cancellation of The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour for breach-of-contract
On some of their censored pieces on The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour, including a guest-starring appearance by Harry Belafonte
On working with CBS executives; and their eventual firing and subsequent lawsuit
On their short-lived series The Smothers Brothers Show (1975) and the importance of creative control
On "Yo-Yo Man" sketches, The Tom and Dick Smothers Brothers Special, and some of the shows they were involved in after their television series went off the air
Chapter 5
On the collaborative nature of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
On their opinion on the power of television and their advice to future television professionals
On blacklisting and their hiring of Pete Seeger
On their then-current projects and lifestyles
On the legacy of the Smothers Brothers
Shows
Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The
Tom and Dick Smothers on the origin of Tom's "mom always liked you best" catchphrase
On the development of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on the changing social and political views in the sixties as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour came on the air
Tom and Dick Smothers the start of The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour and the difficulties of producing a variety show
Tom and Dick Smothers on some of the confrontations they had with CBS and unions regarding the material on The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on CBS' cancellation of The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour for breach-of-contract
Tom and Dick Smothers on some censored portions of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on their relationship with the Johnson administration
Tom and Dick Smothers on the variety show genre and working with CBS executives on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on the variety show genre and working with CBS executives on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on the collaborative nature of The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour
Smothers Brothers Show, The
Tom and Dick Smothers on their sitcom The Smothers Brothers Show
Tom and Dick Smothers on their short-lived Smothers Brothers Show
Steve Allen Show, The (1956-61)
Tom and Dick Smothers on their early TV appearances
Tonight Starring Jack Paar aka The Jack Paar Show
Tom and Dick Smothers on their early TV appearances
Topics
Censorship / Standards & Practices
On some of the confrontations they had with CBS and unions regarding the material on The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on CBS' cancellation of The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour for breach-of-contract
Tom and Dick Smothers on some censored portions of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on the variety show genre and working with CBS executives on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on the free speech of The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour
Characters & Catchphrases
Tom and Dick Smothers on the origin of Tom's "mom always liked you best" catchphrase
Creative Influences and Inspiration
Tom and Dick Smothers on the variety show genre and working with CBS executives on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Hollywood Blacklist
Tom and Dick Smothers on hiring blacklisted singer Pete Seeger
Lyndon B. Johnson
Tom and Dick Smothers on their relationship with the Johnson administration
Pop Culture
Tom and Dick Smothers on the changing social and political views in the sixties as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour came on the air
Richard M. Nixon
Tom and Dick Smothers on their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Studio and Network Management
Tom and Dick Smothers on their lawsuit following the firing of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
TV Theme Songs
Tom and Dick Smothers on the origin of The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour theme song
Underrepresented Voices
Tom and Dick Smothers on their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Vietnam War
Tom and Dick Smothers on the changing social and political views in the sixties as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour came on the air
Tom and Dick Smothers on their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Professions
Performer
Tom Smothers on the formation of The Smothers Brothers
Genres
Music Shows & Variety Shows/Specials
Tom and Dick Smothers on the changing social and political views in the sixties as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour came on the air
Tom and Dick Smothers on the variety show genre and working with CBS executives on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on how their comedy show transcended the variety format
People
Steve Allen
Tom and Dick Smothers on their early TV appearances
Joan Baez
Tom and Dick Smothers on their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Harry Belafonte
Tom and Dick Smothers on some censored portions of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Glen Campbell
Tom and Dick Smothers on their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Michael Dann
Tom and Dick Smothers on their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on the variety show genre and working with CBS executives on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Joe Hamilton
Tom and Dick Smothers on their short-lived Smothers Brothers Show
Lyndon B. Johnson
Tom and Dick Smothers on their relationship with the Johnson administration
Perry Lafferty
Tom and Dick Smothers on the development of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on the variety show genre and working with CBS executives on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Steve Martin
Tom and Dick Smothers on the development of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Jack Paar
Tom and Dick Smothers on their early TV appearances
William S. Paley
Tom and Dick Smothers on their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Pat Paulsen
Tom and Dick Smothers on the development of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Tom and Dick Smothers on their dealings with CBS, their firing, and their thoughts about the larger political issues which may have contributed to the demise of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Rob Reiner
Tom and Dick Smothers on the development of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
Roseanne
Tom and Dick Smothers on Roseanne Barr's transition from stage to television work
Pete Seeger
Tom and Dick Smothers on hiring blacklisted singer Pete Seeger
Dick Smothers
Tom Smothers on his brother Dick Smothers
Aaron Spelling
Tom and Dick Smothers on their sitcom The Smothers Brothers Show
David Steinberg
Tom and Dick Smothers on CBS' cancellation of The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour for breach-of-contract
Danny Thomas
Tom and Dick Smothers on their sitcom The Smothers Brothers Show
Mason Williams
Tom and Dick Smothers on the start of The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour and the difficulties of producing a variety show
Tom and Dick Smothers on their post-TV stage shows and "Yo-Yo Man" character
Tom and Dick Smothers on the collaborative nature of The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour