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    Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"
    Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"
    Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"
    Audiobook11 hours

    Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"

    Written by David Bianculli

    Narrated by Johnny Heller

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Decades before The Daily Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour proved there was a place on television for no-holds-barred political comedy with a decidedly antiauthoritarian point of view. In this explosive, revealing history of the show, veteran entertainment journalist David Bianculli tells the fascinating story of its three-year network run-and the cultural impact that's still being felt today.

    Before it was suddenly removed from the CBS lineup (reportedly under pressure from the Nixon administration), The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was a ratings powerhouse. It helped launch the careers of such comedy legends as Steve Martin and Rob Reiner, featured groundbreaking musical acts like the Beatles and the Who, and served as a cultural touchstone for the antiwar movement of the late 1960s.

    Drawing on extensive original interviews with Tom and Dick Smothers and dozens of other key players-as well as more than a decade's worth of original research-Dangerously Funny brings listeners behind the scenes for all the battles over censorship, mind-blowing musical performances, and unforgettable sketches that defined the show and its era.

    David Bianculli delves deep into this riveting story to find out what really happened and to reveal why this show remains so significant to this day.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateFeb 8, 2010
    ISBN9781400185702

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    Reviews for Dangerously Funny

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    • 5/5
      This is an excellent recounting of not only the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour", but of the entire career of the Smothers Brothers. Even if you are too young to remember the show, its a fascinating story of the effort they made to battle the forces trying to control the flow of information and ideas.

      Unfortunately, that battle still continues and will probably never be won decisively.
    • 4/5
      The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour premiered in 1967 and quickly became one of my favorite TV shows. I also credit it with being one of my earliest political influences. This book chronicles the Smothers Brothers origins and how the show began, and the running battles that Tommy had with network brass, who had no intention of adhering to a verbal "hands-off" promise that Tommy swore he extracted from them before signing on. The show was cutting edge for the day, although the troublesome skits and jokes seem innocuous indeed to modern sensibilities. A number of talents launched their careers with the show, including Steve Martin and Rob Reiner. I particularly enjoyed reading about the final and contentious third season, while watching my DVD collection of that season's shows. I'm glad to see the Smothers Brothers' reputation restored these days, and modern humorists and performers giving them their just due.
    • 4/5
      If you grew up in the United States, and were born after 1960 or so, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour may be the most significant television program you’ve never heard of. It ran for only three seasons (1967-1969), but in that time it was television’s premier showcase for up-and-coming musical acts and topical humor. It booked some of the leading musical acts of the late sixties—Donovan, Jefferson Airplane, Joan Baez, and the Who—and broke the 17-year network-television blacklist of folksinger Pete Seeger, but its impact on comedy was even greater. Guided by Tom Smothers, who produced helped to write the show as well as sharing hosting duties with his younger brother Dick, Comedy Hour joked about once-taboo subjects (sex, drugs, religion) and hot-button political issues such as race relations and the Vietnam War. It was something unheard of at the time (and still rare): an entertainment program with a distinct political point-of-view. The show’s constant pushing of the envelope made battles between the creative staff and the network censors inevitable, and Tom’s combative personality, and fierce commitment to his political principles intensified them. Both the network and the nation acquired new, more conservative presidents during the show’s third and final season, making the battles even more ferocious. CBS eventually won the battle—terminating the brothers’ contract on a flimsy legal pretext—but it lost culture war. The Smothers Brothers became heroes to the young, the educated, and the politically engaged . . . and inspirations for virtually every topical-comedy program that has aired on American television since.David Bianculi sets out, in Dangerously Funny, to recount the history of the show and make a case for its significance. Both parts work brilliantly. The narrative of the show’s three seasons is meticulously detailed, but the details are carefully chosen to make the case for the Smothers Brothers as powerful, influential voices in a turbulent time. Bianculi writes with the warmth and enthusiasm of a fan, but the discrimination and analytical bent of a cultural historian. He takes care to move beyond “Isn’t it cool that Pete Seeger appeared on the show?” and into why—at that particular moment in 1968—it was revolutionary. Dangerously Funny is, as a result of Bianculi’s eye for detail and ear for dialogue, not just a great book about a legendary television series—it’s an important contribution to our understanding of America in the 1960s.
    • 3/5
      I like the Smothers Brothers but not as much and Bianculli appears to, if this book is anything to go by!

      I'll admit to not finishing it because there is too much detail. If you want to know every guest, every song and every fight with CBS censors then this is the book for you. Me, I think I'm saving some pennies to buy the complete set of the series on DVD to enjoy each guest, each song and just know in the back of my mind that much of this came at a great cost to Tom and Dick Smothers in their fight to bring political awareness to their audience. Tom in particular fought with his heart and it got dented badly as a result.

      Although I was overwhelmed with the detail I did skim a great deal of this and there is some information here and I'm glad I got a chance to look it over.
    • 4/5
      Fired not Canceled and other irrelevant distinctions of the Genius Tommy SmothersI just finished Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” by David Bianculli. It is a wonderful recounting of Tom and Dick Smothers overcoming the death of their father in a POW camp on Bataan, and the revolving door of men in and out of their mother’s life. I laughed and laughed, and Mr. Bianculli does a wonderful job of capturing their rise to fame that at first seemed like as arbitrary and strange as driftwood washed up on a beach. Their self-destruction seems just another of the many vast right wing conspiracy stories that like a chronic drug induced paranoia hang over what is left of the brains many of the 1960’s flower power warriors. Like many, many other examples in their career, they were possibly the first recorded case psychedelic battle fatigue. Some self-disclosure: From a political standpoint, there in not a single position of Tom and Dick that I know about that I agree with. But I have always loved their humor, and for some reason the Smothers Brothers show is one I actually remember from my early childhood. I was only 6 or 7 when it went off the air. Politics aside, Tommy was a genius. The caliber of talent Tommy was able to place in front of America over and over and over again was and remains unparalleled. The writers alone included names like Steve Martin and Rob Reiner. The Who, the Doors, Jefferson Airplane all appeared on the Smothers Brothers before they were widely known to America and the world. Tommy worked with the greatest straight man, his brother Dick, since Gracie Allen. All of this was fueled and focused by Tommy very real and passionate idealism. Each week Tommy used his persona as a not too bright, but warm hearted little boy whose only desire was to have his mother’s love, trapped in the body of a grown man who took positions each week that put the counter in counter culture – and he killed. KILLED!The Smothers Brothers went up against the biggest baddest television icon of American independence and grit – Bonanza; and the Smothers Brothers achieved what no one before them had ever done. The Smothers Brothers drew more viewers. This is what makes Tommy’s actions so infuriating and incomprehensible. Apparently Tommy is allergic to censorship. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not about to defend CBS standard and practices, the Nixon administration, or even the lemming like mindset of the greatest generation who by this time were in their 40’s and just wanted a century or so of peace after surviving WWII. But Tommy was fighting the wrong battle.Almost from the start CBS began limiting what he could say, and how he could say it. Over and over again, the anti-war, anti-establishment, anti-conformity present in Tommy’s humor resonated with his audience, and he had the love of the American people to prove it. Rather than using his immense talent to express his ideas in a different way. Knowing CBS would veto a bit with a not too subtle marijuana reference “Tea with Mary Jane”, the name that followed “A Little Tea with Goldie O’Keefe”. It got past the censors, but not the Smothers Brothers audience. With each battle Tommy became more entrenched, and victory with the audience was superseded by Tommy’s demand for a victory with the CBS censors. Tommy’s stubbornness was equivalent to Vincent Van Gogh demanding praise from the blind. Ultimately, Tommy was not the loser, but rather the American people. In the arena of ideas the best idea does not always win. Look no further than the words our own Declaration of Independence “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”, an idea that was almost immediately vanquished in constitution that did not outlaw slavery. Tommy had the chance to elevate the ideas being discussed in his day, and he missed it. Satire by its very nature is subversive, but Tommy became more interested in preaching about the hypocrisy of the censors. Yell at a fat man about his obesity, and he will remain fat. Make him chase you and like or not, his physical condition will improve. From the moment CBS took the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour off the air, and to this day, Tommy has argued with all his might that the show was not canceled, but that he and Dick were fired. A federal court would later agree with Tommy. But the Vietnam war continued for five more years, Nixon was elected to a second term before endangering our republic and disgracing his office, and Tommy’s ideas, censored or not, were no longer in front of a massive American audience. Tommy is certainly not to blame for these events. But there is a cliché of note which says that a rising tide lifts all boats Had his ideas remained in the American arena now known as “the ‘60’s” it may have been enough to raise us past these outcomes. Sadly, all we know for sure is that Tom and Dick Smothers were fired and not canceled.
    • 4/5
      When I was young I discovered records by The Smothers Brothers in my family records collections and became a fan of their witty interpretations of folk music classics. I even went to see them perform live one time and was sorely disappointed by what felt like a phoned-in performance. The show was days after The Gulf War began in 1991 and since I knew the Smothers Brothers' tv show was notoriously anti-war during the Vietnam era and expected some commentary on the contemporary situation but there was none to be had.Well, I can't explain that bad show but after reading Bianculli's book I've learned much about their great show that aired for three seasons on CBS in the the late 1960s. The first thing I learned is that the Smothers Brothers are unlike their onstage personas. Tommy Smothers, the dumb brat in the act is actually the brains behind it all. Bianculli depicts Tom as a keen talent scout giving young musicians tv exposure before they had mainstream appeal and hiring great comedians and writers (many of the musicians, comedians, and writers would go on to greater fame). It was also Tommy who would lead the fight against network censors to who tried to squelch political and anti-war speech in the show. While the network censorship battles are detailed with all the gory details and seem unfair (and often absurd due to how tame the Smother Brothers show seems in retrospect), Bianculli also show that Tom Smother over-earnest desire to fight fanned the flames of the show's demise.Each episode is described in detail with Bianculli emphasizing the innovation, stand-out performances, and counter-cultural undertones of the shows. The backstage story is also rollicking with humorous anecdotes of multiple generations of entertainers working on the show. The show didn't last long but its legacy remains. Bianculli credits the Smothers Brothers with laying the groundwork for innovative shows of the 1970s from Saturday Night Live to M*A*S*H to the comedies of Norman Lear. I need to find the DVDs and catch up.
    • 4/5
      I've only discovered the Smothers Brothers fairly recently, and I've never seen their show (I was 18 months old when it went off the air). After reading this book, I'd really like to fix this.I knew them as funny folk singers. I'd heard they had a political bent as well, as many folk singers of that era did. I had no idea what they'd accomplished on their show, and how much more they tried to do, but were stopped by CBS and the censors.I really enjoyed the look at the brothers as people, and I particularly liked finding out about how they influenced the world. Tom Smothers had an eye for talent, featuring writers, comedians and musicians that had never been heard from before, but are well known now.The late 60s/early 70s were a time of change, and the conflicts within the show were representative of this. On the one hand, there was a desire (particularly among the younger set) for more openness about sexuality (we're talking use of the word "breast", not anything that would be seen as steamy today), about religion (the first skit that caused problems was one that was actually enjoyed by audiences of clergy of multiple denominations), and drugs. On the other hand, there was a feeling that the airwaves should be safe for everyone-- that no one should be offended by what they see on TV, and that the network censors had a responsibility to make that happen.Then there was the political landscape-- the changing views about the Vietnam War, and what was appropriate to say about it was an ongoing issue for the show, and popular opinion underwent a significant change over the three years the show was on the air. I really only know the big facts about Nixon and his presidency-- this book showed me a part of the kind of control he tried to wield over the entire nation, including the world of television. The book also does a very good job of showing the influence the Smothers Brothers have had on later generations of shows and entertainers. The content of the book gets a full 5 stars from me. Unfortunately, the writing style did not work quite as well.I can't quite describe what bothered me about it-- the best I can say is that I was often aware of the narrator over the story being told, and I usually didn't see the value to this. In addition, the same information was repeated multiple times, perhaps in an effort to make each chapter able to stand on its own.I didn't have any major problems with the writing, but it did dampen my enjoyment of the book a little.Overall, this was a wonderful read, and I'd recommend it for anyone with an interest in television, in politics, or this era. Think holiday present!
    • 5/5
      Excellent and insightful overview of the careers of Tom and Dick Smothers, with particular emphasis on the groundbreaking and tempestuous three-year run of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on CBS during some of the turbulent years in American culture and politics. Bianculli details the ongoing battles between Tommy and the other writers and the management of CBS. It's an unbiased examination of the underlying issues, with Tommy fighting for artistic control and total freedom of speech and the network censors trying to appease the sensitivities of viewers in more conservative markets in order to keep the show on the air.It's fascinating to read this story over 40 years later. The points of contention seem so mild now that it's astounding to realize how much public sensitivities have changed in the intervening generations.
    • 4/5
      Folks who are even remotely interested in the media, the 1960s entertainment world or censorship struggles will find this book a wonderful sprint down memory lane. Bianculli meticulously -- in some spots to an excess -- chronicles the many on-screen and off-screen twists that defined this remarkable television show. While the brothers' celebrated battles with CBS is the main entree here, readers are also treated to some fascinating nuggets involving many of the famous performers who appeared on the Comedy Hour. True, the reportage becomes a bit over-done in some spots. For example, the many sections on Pat Paulson start to feel as long and drawn out as a presidential campaign. But for the most part, Bianculli does a stellar job documenting this important era. In particular, I was impressed by his even-handed approach as he tried to address the question of whether Dick Nixon had a direct role in silencing the Smothers Brothers.
    • 4/5
      This is a good history of the Smothers Brothers. The majority of the book covers the story of their show and their fights with CBS. It does a good job of portraying the facts of the issue and does not pretend to portray the brothers (Tom) in the best of light. It clearly shows Tom going to far to create problems where compromise or moderation would have served his own goals better. The book does a very good job of putting the events into their place in history. Clearly the Vietnam War is an important part of this, but it also draws on the general politics with LBJ and others, social movements, CBS, and the CBS battles with NBC and ABC. The one disappointment was that some of the stories were repeated. They were in different contexts, but it seemed like whole paragraphs were copied and pasted. I would have preferred that a different perspective were provided, or different details to keep the information fresh.
    • 5/5
      An excellent history of the Smothers Brothers' battle with the CBS censors over their ground-breaking variety show, "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour". It will bring back many memories for the middle-aged reader!
    • 4/5
      I wasn't as interested in the show and the battles as I thought I was. Loved the stuff about their comedy routines.
    • 5/5
      My first encounters with the Smothers Brothers were their records in the 60s. It feels like I played the albums until one side bled into the other, and I can still quote some of the routines verbatim (and I still can’t listen to Hava Nagila without thinking it is a Venezuelan rain dance.) I remember the horrible situation comedy they starred in where Tommy was an Angel (and I still remember the theme song which I will not bore you with at this time.) So, when they got their own variety show, I was right there in front of the screen. I remember very specific scenes, as diverse as George Burns and Jack Benny playing Tom and Dick, and Buffalo Springfield singing “For What It’s Worth”. I also remember wondering why they moved so far astray from that funny material I remembered. Yes, I was just a touch too young to realize what they were achieving. Not to say that it didn’t have an affect, but it wasn’t as immediate for me as it was for many other people.All this is background to provide context for the comment that this book does an excellent job of bringing back all stages of that memory. The first chapter provides the obligatory background of how the brothers grew up, there are then a couple of chapters on how their stage act developed, and then the story of how they got their own variety show. The Smothers Brothers fan in me would have really liked to have seen more about how those original stage personae developed (much like the biographies/autobiographies of Steve Martin and George Carlin.) But there is a bigger story to tell here than just how a comedy duo developed. And so, the major portion of this book is about that variety show (even so far as to dissect individual episodes) and the battles that Tom fought with the network and the censors. This detail almost beats the dead horse, but it really is an important part of telling this important story.The final three chapters (of 28 – see what I mean about the majority being about the show) wrap up the story and talk about their legacy. In fact, that last chapter about their legacy may be the weakest – far too much rehashing and “what everybody thought”. But that is a small quibble. This is probably a more important book than most would realize. Throughout, while describing censored portions of the show, the author reminds us that these seem tame by today’s standards. And he is right. But he also makes another interesting point. He states that there was nothing like it on television at the time. Then he reminds us that there is nothing like it on network television today. Yes, these two paved the way for Saturday Night Live, John Stewart, and Steven Colbert – but (shy of SNL which has been relegated to late night) those who challenge the status quo are relegated to Cable. It is important that these types of show are now on the air. But it is also important to note that the networks still don’t want to play that game.If this book did nothing but tell the story of two comedians, it would be good. If it did nothing but remind us the way things used to be, it would be good. The fact that it (subtly) reminds us we may not have come as far as we thought is what makes it so much better.
    • 4/5
      If you remember the Smothers Brothers, read this book for a tiptoe thru the tulips (I know it was on a competing show, but timeliness was the aim) buried under the neiges d'antan. If either phrase has left you scratching your wig-holder, look THAT up in your Funk and Wagnalls.But don't read this rather dense, somewhat longwinded recap of the three-season run of the Smothers Brothers's show. It will mean little to you, and the density of the behind-the-scenes material won't fascinate. The author clearly knows his onions about TV, about the time period, and about the brothers. His style isn't sparkling, but it is very informative and it's never dry. Just thick. Like a fallen souffle, it still has the savor but the texture's just a little off.I grew up on Smothers Brothers material because my sisters are both much older than I am, so were listening to their albums, and Kingston Trio albums, and Vaughn Meader albums, and Bob Newhart albums. *sigh* What a way to grow up. Then along came the Beatles, and out went everything else...except the Smothers Brothers, the eldest sister was a granola-and-granny-gowns girl to the horror of our Balenciaga-wearing mother.So along comes the TV show the clean-cut young men put on, on Sunday night opposite "Bonanza" which neither of my parents cared diddly about (if it had been opposite "Gunsmoke" I'd've never even heard of it); the closing-in-on-50 mom and closing-in-on-40 dad tried to be gravy (joke on "groovy," slang of the times...they were as inept at modern slang as I am, and you will be, youngsters) by watching it with their teens and the caboose.We all loved it. Pat Paulsen was so funny that my arch-conservative parents thought he was the highlght of the show with his first-time-ever-done fake run for President. My sisters loved "Share Tea with Goldie", with a flower child making in-jokes about drugs that Mama and Daddy didn't get. I was in love with Mason Williams, of "Classical Gas" fame. Still one of my very favorite pieces of pop music, up there with "In Your Eyes" and "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel.No one used dirty words. No one was more than mildly salacious, to my father's disgruntlement. But everyone was ethically opposed to the Vietnam war, and my mother's nephew was a Navy pilot at risk, plus she'd lost "someone close" in the Ia Drang battle (never discussed in detail, quite mysterious), so we as a family were opposed to the unwinnable war (Dad's name for it).Hard to imagine now, in this fractured entertainment landscape, but the Smothers Brothers drew 35% (THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT) of the TV-viewing audience...and got canceled! If someone drew a 35% share today, the network execs would offer their grandchildren as slaves and their houses as rewards to the people who delivered such monster ratings. Then, well...that was just ordinary. What wasn't ordinary was the men delivering the ratings were young and idealistic and ready to talk about things that were taboo (eg, religious hypocrisy, racial politics) without hesitation. The people who watched the Smothers Brothers were mostly young, mostly rich, mostly well-educated and almost always all three. What an audience!!And they got canceled.Even my arch-conservative parents thought that was stupid. "Can't stop people thinkin' and best not to try," said Mama. "What's the use of a Constitution if you can only agree with powerful people?" asked Dad.Yeah. That's what I'm sayin' after reading this book. They didn't back down from any fight, and they lost the war...but damn, it's hard not to admire their spirit. Tommy, though, comes across as a self-righteous little pisher and Dickie as a self-absorbed bore. But hey, they fought a good fight and today's TV landscape looks the way it does in good part because of these guys and their irritating ways.Someone give them a show, quick! They're still alive, but who knows for how long!