Tom Smothers died at his house in Santa Rosa, California, at the age of 86. Half of the Smothers Brothers, iconic comic duo, and co-host and producer of the successful television show where they shared daring political satire humor and major music acts, at the beginning of this year he was diagnosed with stage two lung cancer.
His brother and other half of the duo, Dick Smothers, shared a statement made by the National Comedy Center, on behalf of his family. “Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was 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”, he wrote. “Our relationship was like a good marriage–the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.”
Born in New York, the Smothers family moved to California where the brothers attended high school and where they started performing. At the beginning of their career, the Smothers Brothers wanted to be folk musicians, with Tom playing guitar and Dick playing stand-up bass. But they turned out to be better at comedy. They became regulars on “The Tonight Show” with Jack Paar, “The Garry Moore Show” and “The New Steve Allen Show.”
They signed and finally gained creative control over their program The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour for CBS in 1967. After the first episode, it was immediately a hit. Everyone–especially baby boomers, the majority of their audience–remembered their satirical sketches and youthful irreverence on any political and pop cultural topic–from the Vietnam War to the hippies, throughout religous fundamentalism, racial strife and recreational drug use. The show won an Emmy in 1969.
For its political involvement, they faced hard criticism. This escalated to the cancellation of their program, when CBS claimed they didn’t submit an episode in time for the censors to review it. “Here we are regarded as rebels and extremists”, Tom said to reporters at a news conference the day after. It is not an exaggeration to say that they were emblematic of the counter cultural spirit of the 1960’s.
