Description
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, starring the folk singing, comedy duo Tom and Dick Smothers, premiered on CBS in February 1967. The controversial television
variety show featured regulars such as Pat Paulsen, Leigh French, and Bob Einstein and guest performers such as countercultural
icons like the Jefferson Airplane and the Doors to established favorites such as Kate Smith and Jimmy Durante. The collection
consists of bound volumes of scripts for The Smothers Brothers comedy hour television show.
Background
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, featuring the folk singing, comedy team Tom and Dick Smothers, premiered on CBS in February 1967. The variety show attracted
a younger, politically engaged audience. The show's content featured irreverent digs at many dominant institutions such as
organized religion and the presidency. It also included sketches celebrating the hippie drug culture and material opposing
the war in Vietnam. These elements made The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour one of the most controversial television shows in
television history. The Smothers Brothers' oppositional politics led to very public battles over censorship. As CBS attempted
to dictate what was appropriate prime time entertainment fare, the Smothers tried to push the boundaries of acceptable speech
on the medium. The recurring skirmishes between the brothers and the network culminated on 4 April 1969, one week before the
end of the season, when CBS summarily threw the show off the air. Network president Robert D. Wood charged that the Smothers
had not submitted a review tape of the upcoming show to the network in a timely manner. The Smothers accused CBS of infringing
on their First Amendment rights.
Extent
16.0 linear feet
(16 boxes)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Availability
Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located
on this page.