The Smothers Brothers Show back in the late '60's was a eye opener

[WCGreen]

for this 11 year old. I remember watching, seeing the Beatles perform live, I believe the last time, on closed circuit video from London. There was all the needling of the establishment and Pat Paulson.

But I really remember this song by an obscure group from NYC called the Hello People.

It was a protest song that even a 11 year old could understand.

It's tame compared to others but it struck a cord in me, really changed the way I viewed political stuff back then.

The introduction by Tom and Dick Smothers really captures what their show was all about and why it was also controversial.

From the Smothers Brothers Show, the Hello People and Anthem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2MiODsMY30&feature=related

[Maccagirl]

1. Bless Tommy & Dick

They got screwed royally by speaking truth.

[mediaman007]

2. Lots of good stuff by Tom and Dick on YouTube!

Do you think that Tommy was really the brains behind the team?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. There was no Internet, no cable news, no "live blogging," no avenue for "going viral"...

...at the time of the Smothers Brothers, there were the three television networks who told us what the government thought we needed to know about the Vietnam war.

I don't think the Smothers Brothers will ever get full credit for the manner in which they consistently and gleefully bit the hand that fed them.

You may enjoy this clip, which I posted recently on DU...Tom & Dick playing it straight with Joan Baez in a very, very nice version of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dG4XwRBlx0

:toast:

[blondeatlast]

4. Ah, sweet! I remember her appearance even though I was just a wee one.

My whole family sat down to watch together every time it was on; mom, dad, my two much older sisters, and me--along with a rare treat for us: popcorn and sodas!

[WCGreen]

6. We had to fight with my dad about the show....

But he usually gave in...

[struggle4progress]

9. Nobody ever did a Dylan song better than Joanie: I could listen to Bob grate through his works

all day, but when I hearing the same stuff from Baez my jaw just hangs slack: Whoa! There's really a beautiful tune there!

[JohnnyLib2]

5. I felt like they were kindred souls, way back then.

And it was hard to find that. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[donquijoterocket]

7. kindred souls

Indeed, and I remember the Brothers being more or less of a piece with Rowan and Martin's Laugh in and the NBC rip off from the BBC TW3(that Was The Week That Was)All were excellent satirical showcases that had no problem skewering the foolish regardless of their position or profession.I'd consider all of them to be the spiritual and artistic ancestors of Stewart and Colbert.We could use more like all of them today. There'd certainly be no shortage of material what with the likes of Palin, Angle,O'Donnell,Boehner,and any number of the right wingnut babbling bobble heads.

[bobbolink]

27. TW3 was a "ripoff"????????????

Wow.. that is really..... weird.

Tom Lehrer was a great voice for thinkers everywhere, and still is.

You need to recallibrate.

[nolabear]

8. It was a time of great bravery in television, and we've gone backward.

I'll post the phenomenal Pete Seeger segment here because it should always be posted when the Smothers Brothers' bravery in the face of censorship comes up. This was originally censored from the show but, after the Smothers Brothers went to bat for it, he was able to return and perform it. The allegory in the song still stands today; we are being led into disaster, and someone needs to stop it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3SysxG6yoE

I wonder where that kind of bravery is today, the kind of thing that had Maude dealing with the decision to have an abortion, the perfect moments when Archie Bunker wasn't just a buffoon but a poignant, frightened man, the anti-war sentiments of M*A*S*H, not just snark and nyah-nyah-nyah, but genuine risky behavior, done with the quiet confidence that this is the right thing to do. Where are the Smothers of yesteryear?

[Smarmie Doofus]

11. CBS thought the "big fool" was LBJ.

And the media feared the govt back then

Now it's the other way around.

[WCGreen]

16. It's all snark and Whatever!

No real commentary except on the Daily Show and Corbert.

20-30 million people watched the Smothers Bros.

Fox News has about 3-4 million and the Daily Show and Corbert get about 2.5 million.

It really says something about our country now.

[KittyWampus]

36. among other things, there's a LOT more on tv. I grew up with on old black/white tv

in the house that our wealthy relatives gave us. We didn't get cable well until after I finished college even though it was becoming common place in the early 80's.

[WCGreen]

44. Same here...

[mrdmk]

21. If you like that, here is the encore

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kajnEIQGINw&feature=related

[Smarmie Doofus]

10. I remember. K and R

[drm604]

12. My family loved the Smothers Brothers.

The whole family watched it. I was at an age where I was beginning to be vaguely aware of the political content. I remember my parents explaining to me that it was taken off the air for political reasons.

[grasswire]

13. I love you Tommy Smothers

A good-hearted man. Courage and grace.

[Brother Buzz]

22. Still is, and despite his TV persona, he was the brains of the duo

[Scuba]

14. They were good, but...

... I liked "That Was the Week That Was" better.

[Warpy]

18. That was another wonderful show

and I'd show up early to Sunday dinner to catch it.

[BuelahWitch]

15. Season 2 and 3 are out on DVD

Tommy had season 3 released first because he feared if season 1 didn't sell they wouldn't get the chance to put out season 3. So glad he finally got his Emmy, even if it was several decades late.

[Dappleganger]

28. Seasons 2 and 3 are on Netflix...

both are uncensored. Unfortunately, not on instant watch.

[Warpy]

17. I visited my parents once a week to see that show

and my favorite was during the musicians' strike when all the music was done a capella. It was truly a beautiful show that left everybody uplifted as the strike was respected and supported with no sour grumbling from anyone.

It was the only thing worth watching during those years I didn't have a TV. "Laugh In" got stale after the first season and Archie hadn't appeared yet.

[jwirr]

19. I loved them and our family watched every show. For me compared

to today that era seems like a protest of hope. However, I wish we had concentrated on the role of corporations more than government. If we had we may not have ended up in the mess we are in now. Many of us wanted to go "back to the earth" but when the war ended too many of us forgot the idea and moved on to the "me generation".

I have wondered why we do not have any good music for this mess. The great depression had it's Woodie and Pete, etc. The 60-70s had these great activist and who is it we have? The only ones I can think of are comedians like Stewart & Colbert.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

20. K&R for the good stuff!

[felix_numinous]

23. K & R

I loved the Smothers Brothers, even my parents laughed at their jokes.

[Curmudgeoness]

24. Thanks for the reminder of how great The Smother Brothers were.

I got side tracked after watching this, watched other videos too. The Pat Paulsen editorials were funny, and depressing. I realized that the same issues continue to be a problem today...Social Security, gun control, medical costs. It is sad to think that these were the talk of editorials in 1967-68. And where have we come?

[AnArmyVeteran]

25. I supported Pat Paulsen for president.

I was a kid and I sent a one dollar bill to Pat Paulsen because he had a fake campaign for president. A few weeks later I got the same dollar back autographed by Pat Paulsen. What other 'politician' would return money to a donor? For that reason alone made him the best candidate in the election. Pat was one of those comedians who made you laugh just looking at his expressions.

[laughingliberal]

26. K & R nt

[LWolf]

29. I grew up watching them, but I didn't see this one.

Thanks for sharing it.

Even though I knew I'd never seen it, the song sounded familiar. I finally figured out that I was thinking of Dylan's "With God on Our Side."

[Bluenorthwest]

30. I love the Smothers Brothers, the Smothers' mother, and others

That show, it was an inspiration. Tom, Dick, Pat Paulson, Steve Martin typing away....

[Cetacea]

31. Tommy sang and played on Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance"

He is even mentioned in the song. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLTw_ouiLCQ&ob=av3n

[ThatsMyBarack]

32. Some cable station....

Or even a LOCAL one, needs to pick up these classic TV gems, rather than crank out the same old FAKE-ality trash everyone else does!

[Motown_Johnny]

33. I remember them doing a "news 20 years from today" segment and talking about President Ronald Reagan

scary

[annabanana]

34. Bookmarked for the good stuff. . . n/t

[sendero]

35. The Smothers Brothers..

... were completely awesome! I'm pretty sure the political stuff was mostly Tommy.

[Kat45]

37. I used to love that show when I was a kid.

But I don't recall seeing this one.

[WCGreen]

39. This is one that had an impact on me....

All the shows just ran together but this one was important...

[loudsue]

38. I'm in your same age group & my siblings &I all sang along

with all of their songs when we were riding in the car on trips. I still love them. :loveya:

[Art_from_Ark]

40. I never got to watch the Smothers Brothers

or Rowan and Martin, or even Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour, since my mother was afraid that I'd go spouting off lines from those shows when we visited my very conservative grandparents.

[Douglas Carpenter]

41. Good Lord I most certainly do remember that song and have even hummed lines from

it at times over the past 40+ years.

[old mark]

42. They had the Byrds 3 times, IIRC, after the terrible incident on Carson...

Byrds first national TV appearance on Carson was hosted by Bob Newhart, who really hated the band's appearance and music,and said so throughout their only song (Tamborine Man). He made very nasty comments on an open mike while they were playing the song, and after, and they never went back.

Smothers Brothers loved the band and joked with them several times on camera.

It was a very different country at that time, and it is sad we have come to be such a militant police state, which is what we thought we were back then...


mark

Added: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x12jgs_byrds-mr-spaceman_music

Byrds on Smother's Brothers in 1967 - Mr. Spaceman, w/ Gene Clark recalled to replace the just-fired David Crosby. This version of the band lasted only a few months - Gene Clark was very afraid to fly, and could not tour...He continued to write songs.

[madmax]

43. K&R Thanks for the memories

[kimmerspixelated]

45. Wow that takes me back! Laugh-In, The Monkees

Ahhh.. Life was good!