Relatively Speaking

The Smothers Brothers, who have endured changing comedic climates for more than 40 years, bring their old-fashioned humor to New Brunswick Oct. 4.

By: Jim Boyle
   Comedians have a long history of fighting for their first-amendment rights. Lenny Bruce had numerous run-ins with police officers. The Supreme Court banned George Carlin’s "Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV" routine from television and radio. In today’s world of Howard Stern, Chris Rock and Adam Sandler, it can be hard to believe that some of the biggest pioneers for free speech in the 20th century were the Smother Brothers.

Tom, left, and Dick Smothers, who have endured changing comedic climates for more than 40 years, bring their old-fashioned humor to the State Theatre Oct. 4.

   Tom and Dick Smothers debuted their variety show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, on CBS in 1967. While the contract they signed gave them creative control over the program, they fought with network censors on a regular basis.
   "Sometimes you just argue your case and they listen politely," says Dick Smothers. "One trick we did was have a bunch of red herrings. Then, we’d compromise which ones we’ll take out. ‘We’ll take that one out if we can leave this one in.’ "
   The duo was brought on by CBS to help break the stranglehold that NBC had on the ratings with Bonanza. Previous shows by Jack Benny, Judy Garland and Garry Moore fell to the Cartwright family. The Smothers Brothers ended the first season in the top 20 and by the second season, helped knock Bonanza out of the number-one spot. Despite the success, the controversial subject matter of the show was too much for CBS. After three seasons of songs and sketches that criticized the Vietnam War and the Lyndon Johnson administration, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was canceled.
   While the show blazed the trail for future late-night programs like Saturday Night Live and Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, the 61-year-old Smothers brother questions whether primetime television will ever again have something as biting as his show.
   "There is no hard-hitting political show in primetime," he says. "Dennis Miller has a hot show, but that’s on cable. He doesn’t get the kind of numbers a network show would get. Most people are not watching him."
   The Smothers Brothers found themselves in and out of television during the ’70s and ’80s. Their most recent return to the television arena was in the late ’80s with another variety show. Again, it was on CBS, and again, they had the same old problems.
   "We were going to do a skit on Central America," says the younger Smothers (Tom is 64). "The country was involved with a lot of stuff down there. The network said, ‘Be controversial, but make sure everybody agrees with you.’ It wasn’t very practical."
   The revival only lasted a few months, but the Smothers Brothers’ popularity never waned. The pair is still a beloved live act throughout the United States and Canada. Tom and Dick will appear at the State Theatre in New Brunswick Oct. 4. They are veterans of the road, and the experience is starting to take a toll on them.
   "The travel gets harder," says brother Dick, who practices and teaches yoga in his spare time. "We used to go out and party. Now, we just go back to the hotel and get our rest. That does allow us to stay more focused on the show. I’m surprised we didn’t burn ourselves out back then.

"The secret to the craft is keeping the relationship believable and funny rather than pathetic," says Dick Smothers. "We don’t want to be pathetic."

   "The show really flows. It’s usually about an hour to 90 minutes, so if you don’t laugh, it’s still very short."
   The tricky aspect to the Smothers Brothers’ career has been keeping fresh. Most of that is accomplished by relying on the interaction of the two personalities, the straight-laced Dick and the goofy Tom.
   "The secret to the craft is keeping the relationship believable and funny rather than pathetic," says Dick. "We don’t want to be pathetic."
   While their show was popular with the young crowd, Smothers recognizes that today’s teen-agers and 20-somethings might not be interested in their comedy style.
   "Youth does not want to hear from older people," he says. "They are into Caddyshack-style stuff. Carlin can still hit the college stuff because the college kids like him. We have our crowd, we’re OK with that. When the parents do force the kids to see us, we still have funny stuff."
   Their origin dates back to the ’50s, when they appeared at a San Francisco folk club once a week. After one of the club’s regular acts moved on, they were invited to have an extended stay.
   "We dropped out of school and played there for five weeks," says Smothers. "We just said, ‘Let’s give this a shot.’ "
   They performed as a folk-comedy duo, already showing signs of their unique entertainment approach.
   "We made fun of a lot of folk songs," Smothers says. "They were so serious and had 28 verses in a minor key. We made them short and silly. There weren’t any comedy stores like there are now. Comedy was the quickest nightclub act to make it."
   Through the help of a friend, the Smothers Brothers signed with the William Morris Agency and moved to New York. Another friend, actor Pat Harrington, helped get the pair a spot on the Tonight Show in 1961.
   "It was hosted by Jack Paar," says Smothers. "He was like Oprah. You go on that show and your career has a good shot."
   They were invited back several times and recorded a few albums before CBS approached them. The Smothers Brothers had enough experience to be unfazed by the responsibility of their own show.
   "We played in a lot of clubs and bars with drunk college guys swearing at us," says Mr. Smothers. "Nothing is hard after that. We took advantage of the luck with hard work. We didn’t try to be unique, our personalities just worked that way."
The Smothers Brothers and The Yo-Yo Man will appear at the State
Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, Oct. 4, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20-$40.
For information, call (732) 246-7469. On the Web: www.statetheatrenj.org
and www.smothersbrothers.com