SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR, THE: SMOTHERED SKETCHES {THE GLASER FOUNDATION FIRST AMENDMENT COLLECTION} (TV)
Summary
These clips from the comedy/variety series "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" were censored by CBS executives and never broadcast. In the first sketch, Tommy Smothers and a black woman sing about their love in the springtime. After Tommy rants about the difficulties their love will face in a world with a history of slavery, the woman gladly offers her love to a black man serving drinks. In the next sketch, guest comedian David Steinberg performs a stand-up "sermonette" in which all the jokes revolve around religious tenets. Following this, singer Harry Belafonte performs the song "Don't Stop the Carnival" to a backdrop of footage from the 1968 Democratic Convention. One of the program's writers then recites a poem about censorship. In an introduction to the final set of sketches, Dick Smothers explains that movie censors have had to increase their vigilance as films have become more suggestive. Tommy and guest Elaine May then act out a skit in which they play overzealous movie censors. In a companion skit, the two play adults from a small-town screening board who watch the same film the censors have just edited. Finally, they act out the reaction of young people watching the same edited scene. This last skit depicting censorship in the movies is repeated, the actors making small changes throughout.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by The Glaser Foundation.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE:
- RUNNING TIME: 0:43:41
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:22125.Snierson
- GENRE: Comedy/Variety
- SUBJECT HEADING: Censorship; Democratic National Convention - 1968; Interracial marriage - Satire; Motion Pictures - Censorship - Satire; Race relations - U S - Satire; Sermons - Satire; African-American Collection - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1967-1969
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Harry Belafonte
- Elaine May
- Dick Smothers
- Tom Smothers
- David Steinberg