The Smothers Brothers Posted Wed Aug 30 07:32:42 BST 2000 by Jon

[This is really just aimed at Mogwai...]

Who were they exactly? I read about them in "The Glass Teat", but I've never heard a reference anywhere else. I get the impression they were a late 60s US comedy duo, did some sort of topical satire, went a bit far with refs. to drugs etc, had trouble with their networks.

Joe: I did ask people in the pub, but they didn't know. The barman suggested trying here.

Subject: Re: The Smothers Brothers [ Previous Message ]
Posted By MM on Wed Aug 30 09:07:19 BST 2000:


http://www.smothersbrothers.com/

Subject: Re: The Smothers Brothers [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Bent Halo on Wed Aug 30 13:39:10 BST 2000:

Bravo showed every episode in the mid-Nineties. They were awful.

Subject: Re: The Smothers Brothers [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Jon on Wed Aug 30 13:48:17 BST 2000:

Really? Must be why I've never heard anyone claiming they invented comedy, or whatever.

But were they controversial at all?

Subject: Re: The Smothers Brothers [ Previous Message ]
Posted By MM on Wed Aug 30 16:31:43 BST 2000:


Fom their site:

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Featuring Tom And Dick Smothers.

With satirical and humorous sketches about politics,
The Viet Nam War and The Nixon Administration...
The Smothers Brothers helped shape American
political humor in the 1960's.
As a result of their out spoken views about politics,
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was canceled...

Subject: Re: The Smothers Brothers [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Jon on Wed Aug 30 16:41:04 BST 2000:

Harlan Ellison mentions that they had run-ins for (1) appearing full-frontal nude and (2) doing a sketch pointing up the hypocrisy in attitudes toward legal/illegal drugs. But it's 10 years since I read the book and I don't have a copy to check.

I'm sure he said though that they got replaced with a show called "What's It All About, World?" which tried to be a right-wing satire show, and actually had a pro-Nixon song and dance routine. I'm sure that's what I read, anyway.

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