Current:Home > NewsTom Smothers, half of the provocative Smothers Brothers comedy duo, dies at 86 -ProfitPioneers Hub
Tom Smothers, half of the provocative Smothers Brothers comedy duo, dies at 86
View
Date:2025-04-17 10:08:47
Tom Smothers, one-half of the comedy duo Smothers Brothers, has died "following a recent battle with cancer." He was 86.
In a statement via the National Comedy Center, the comedian's brother and "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" co-host, Dick Smothers remembered Tom Smothers as "a one-of-a-kind creative partner."
"I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years. Our relationship was like a good marriage – the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another," Dick Smothers concluded. "We were truly blessed."
Together, Tom and Dick Smothers helmed the highly controversial comedy hour on CBS from 1967 to 1969. The hot takes on American life paved the way for sketch shows like "Saturday Night Live" and cultural commentary in modern late night television such as "The Daily Show" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers."
"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, National Comedy Center Executive Director, said in a statement. "Tom was a true pioneer who changed the face of television and transformed our culture."
Viewer complaints grew as Smothers' ratings did, and conflicts with the network became routine as CBS, perhaps influenced by chief Frank Stanton’s relationship with President Lyndon Johnson, tried to reign in the stars. (One issue: Calling the Vietnam War a folly as the sons and daughters of viewers were dying there.) But given creative control of their series early on, the brothers dug in their heels.
As David Letterman would do decades later, they frequently targeted network bosses in their monologues: After a sketch about TV censors was deemed unacceptable by CBS’s own censors, Tom Smothers poked fun at the action during a subsequent episode and then showed close-ups of the offending script’s pages to the audience.
Eventually, CBS demanded delivery of shows well in advance for review. The Smothers cried foul. (By the third season, advance screeners were offered as appeasement to local stations, too, since some were refusing to air the show.) War was declared. The press, often tipped by Tom, ate it up. By the spring of 1969, in the wake of one showdown too many, CBS finally pulled the plug, citing a technicality (failure to deliver episodes).
He changed television forever.Why we all owe thanks to the genius of Norman Lear.
A breach-of-contract suit against the network followed. It was a battle the brothers eventually won more than four years later, after CBS had much earlier won the war. "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" was ancient history, but it also made history.
The brothers were voted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2008.
Tom Smothers is survived by his children Bo and Riley Rose Smothers as well as his grandchildren.
Contributing: Jim McKairnes
50-year flashback:The rebellious 'Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'
veryGood! (84554)
prev:Sam Taylor
Related
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Heavy rain and landslides have killed at least 72 people this week in an Indian Himalayan state
- Kendall Jenner Shares Her Secret to “Attract” What She Wants in Life
- From a '70s cold case to a cross-country horseback ride, find your new go-to podcast
- Kehlani Responds to Hurtful Accusation She’s in a Cult
- Campfire bans implemented in Western states as wildfire fears grow
- The Killers booed in former Soviet republic of Georgia after bringing Russian fan onstage
- Kellie Pickler Breaks Silence on Husband Kyle Jacobs' Death
- Illinois governor calls for resignation of sheriff whose deputy fatally shot Black woman in her home
- 166-year-old San Francisco luxury store threatens to close over unsafe street conditions
Ranking
- Bet365 ordered to refund $519K to customers who it paid less than they were entitled on sports bets
- Investment scams are everywhere on social media. Here’s how to spot one
- Bruce Springsteen forced to postpone Philadelphia concerts with E Street Band due to illness
- 'The Blind Side' lawsuit: Tuohy family intends to end conservatorship for Michael Oher
- Breaking debut in Olympics raises question: Are breakers artists or athletes?
- Sea temperatures lead to unprecedented, dangerous bleaching of Florida’s coral reef, experts say
- Sam Asghari Responds to Claim He’s Threatening to Exploit Britney Spears Amid Divorce
- Madonna turns 65, so naturally we rank her 65 best songs
Recommendation
Vance jokes he’s checking out his future VP plane while overlapping with Harris at Wisconsin airport
This week on Sunday Morning: By Design (August 20)
Swifties called announcement of '1989 (Taylor’s Version)' and say they can guess her next three releases
Water managers warn that stretches of the Rio Grande will dry up without more rain
51-year-old Andy Macdonald puts on Tony Hawk-approved Olympic skateboard showing
Standards Still Murky for Disposing Oilfield Wastewater in Texas Rivers
Democratic National Committee asks federal judges to dismiss case on Alabama party infighting
Pentagon review calls for reforms to reverse spike in sexual misconduct at military academies