Comedian Tom Smothers, One-Half Of The Smothers Brothers, Dies At 86

Tom Smothers, half of the Smothers Brothers and co-host of one of television’s most socially conscious and revolutionary series, has died at age 86.

Smothers died Tuesday at home in Santa Rosa, California, after a cancer struggle, according to a statement released by the National Comedy Center on behalf of his family on Wednesday.

“Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,” his brother and the other half of the partnership, Dick Smothers, said in a statement. “Our relationship was similar to a good marriage in that the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected each other.” We were very fortunate.”

When “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” aired on CBS in the fall of 1967, it was an instant hit, much to the astonishment of many who had felt the network’s expectations were so low that their show was positioned opposite the top-rated “Bonanza.”

Comedian Tom Smothers, One-Half Of The Smothers Brothers, Dies At 86

With its sharp eye for pop culture trends and young rock stars like the Who and Buffalo Springfield, the Smothers Brothers would prove a turning point in television history, and its daring sketches — mocking the Establishment, railing against the Vietnam War, and portraying members of the era’s hippie counterculture as gentle, fun-loving spirits — found an immediate audience with young baby boomers. In its debut season, the show ranked 16th in the ratings.

It also irritated network censors. After years of wrangling with the brothers over the creative substance of the show, the network abruptly cancelled it in 1970, accusing the siblings of failing to submit an episode in time for the censors to approve.

When Smothers was granted an honorary Emmy for his contributions to the program over 40 years later, he playfully praised the writers he said had gotten him fired. He also demonstrated that the passage of time had not blunted his candour.

“It’s difficult for me to remain silent when I keep hearing that peace can only be achieved through war,” Smothers stated at the 2008 Emmy Awards as his brother sat grinning in the audience. He dedicated his prize to individuals “who feel compelled to speak out and are not afraid to speak to power, won’t shut up, and refuse to be silenced.”

Comedian Tom Smothers, One-Half Of The Smothers Brothers, Dies At 86

Throughout the show’s three-year run, the brothers battled CBS censors and occasionally outraged viewers, most notably when Smothers joked that Easter “is when Jesus comes out of his tomb and if he sees his shadow, he goes back in and we get six more weeks of winter.” When other hosts delivered Christmas greetings to soldiers fighting overseas, Smothers sent his to draft dodgers who had relocated to Canada.

In another show, the brothers aired for the first time in years, blacklisted folk singer Pete Seeger. He sang “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” which was generally interpreted as a satire of President Lyndon B. Johnson. When CBS declined to broadcast the section, the brothers brought Seeger back for another episode, and he sang it again. It made the air this time.

Following the show’s cancellation, the brothers sued CBS for $31 million and were awarded $775,000. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour’s fights with the network were documented in the 2002 documentary “Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.”

“Tom Smothers was not only an extraordinary comedic talent, who, together with his brother Dick, became the most enduring comedy duo in history, entertaining the world for over six decades — but was a true champion for freedom of speech, harnessing the power of comedy to push boundaries and our political consciousness,” Journey Gunderson, the executive director of the National Comedy Center, said in a statement following the news.

Thomas Bolyn Smothers III was born on February 2, 1937, on Governors Island, New York, where his father was a Navy major. Two years later, his brother was born. Their father was transferred to the Philippines in 1940, along with his wife, two sons, and their sister, Sherry.

The family was returned home after the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor, but Maj. Smothers stayed. During the war, he was seized by the Japanese and perished in captivity. The family later relocated to Redondo Beach, a Los Angeles suburb, where Smothers assisted his mother in caring for his brother and sister while she worked.

Comedian Tom Smothers, One-Half Of The Smothers Brothers, Dies At 86

The brothers appeared unlikely to go down in television history. They’d spent years performing in nightclubs and colleges and making TV appearances, crafting an odd comic performance that mingled folk music with a fair dose of sibling rivalry.

They’d walk on stage, Tom holding a guitar and Dick holding an upright bass. They’d break into a traditional folk song, like “John Henry” or “Pretoria.” After a few bars, Tom, the dumb one, would make a mistake, then immediately say he didn’t mean to. “Mom always liked you best!” exclaimed Dick, the serious, short-tempered one, as he criticized him for failing to recognize his fault.

They carried on with that gag on their show but also surrounded themselves with a great ensemble of rookies, both writers and actors.

Smothers’ writing team included future actor-director Rob Reiner, musician Mason Williams, and comic Steve Martin, who presented Smothers with the lifetime Emmy. John Hartford, Glen Campbell, and Jennifer Warnes were among the regular musical guests.

Bob Einstein played Officer Judy, a glum Los Angeles cop who once fined guest Liberace for playing the piano too fast. Leigh French, who played the hippie earth mother in “Share a Little Tea With Goldie,” always seemed to be drinking something made with more than simply tea leaves.

When Tom, then a San Jose State University student, created the Casual Quintet and urged his younger brother to study the bass and join, the siblings began their own act. After the other musicians dropped out, the brothers remained as a pair but began interspersing comedy with their limited folk music repertoire.

Their big break came in 1959 when they performed at San Francisco’s Purple Onion, a hot spot for emerging talent. They were booked for two weeks and remained for a record 36 nights. They were booked into New York’s Blue Angel and were praised by The New York Times as “a pair of tart-tongued singing comedians.” However, they could not appear on “The Tonight Show,” which was then hosted by Jack Paar.

“Paar kept telling our agent that he didn’t like folk singers — except for Burl Ives,” Smothers said to The Associated Press in 1964. “But he had a cancellation one night, so we went on.” That night, everything worked perfectly.”

Comedian Tom Smothers, One-Half Of The Smothers Brothers, Dies At 86

The brothers went on to appear on Steve Allen, Ed Sullivan, Garry Moore, Andy Williams, Jack Benny, and Judy Garland’s TV shows. Their comedy albums sold well, and they toured the country, particularly colleges.

In 1965, they were cast in “The Smothers Brothers Show,” a sitcom about a businessman (Dick) plagued by his late brother (Tom), a budding guardian angel. It only lasted one season.

After CBS cancelled the “Comedy Hour,” ABC picked it up as a summer substitute but did not return in the fall. In 1975, NBC offered them a show, but it failed to establish an audience and lasted only one season. In the 1970s, the brothers went their separate ways. Among other things, Smothers ventured into the wine industry, establishing Remick Ridge Vineyards in Northern California’s wine district.

“Originally the winery was called Smothers Brothers, but I changed the name to Remick Ridge because when people heard Smothers Brothers wine, they thought something like Milton Berle Fine Wine or Larry, Curly and Mo Vineyards,” Smothers was quoted as saying.

They eventually reunited to star in the Broadway hit “I Love My Wife,” which lasted two years. They then went back on the road, performing at casinos, performing arts centres, and business meetings across the country, where they remained popular for decades.

“We just keep resurfacing,” said Smothers in 1997. “We’re just not in everyone’s face long enough to really get old.”

CBS buried the hatchet and brought them back after a successful 20th anniversary, “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” in 1988.

The show was swiftly cancelled, but it remained on the air long enough for Smothers to introduce the “Yo-Yo Man,” a routine in which he demonstrated his remarkable skills with a yo-yo as he and his brother maintained a regular pattern of comedy. The routine lasted in their act for many years.

Smothers has three children and married three times. His wife Marie, daughters Bo and Riley Rose, and brother Dick, as well as other family, survive him. His son Tom and sister Sherry predeceased him.

SOURCE – (AP)