The Smothers Brothers Show
Encyclopedia
The Smothers Brothers Show is an American fantasy
sitcom
featuring the Smothers Brothers
that aired on CBS
on Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET from September 17, 1965 to September 9, 1966, co-sponsored by Alberto-Culver
's VO5 hairdressing products and American Tobacco (Tareyton
). It lasted one season, consisting of 32 episodes.
It was also the network's last situation comedy filmed in black-and-white
; shortly after its final telecast, all CBS prime-time series were transmitted in color.
played himself as a rising young executive at Pandora Publications, working for publisher Leonard J. Costello (Roland Winters
). Brother Tom
had been lost at sea
two years earlier and now shows up as an apprentice angel
assigned to do good deeds on Earth
to become a full-fledged regular angel. Of course, Tom's efforts to help people never seem to work as planned and Dick had to help him clean up the mess. Tom received his orders from Ralph, his unseen and unheard boss. The series also featured Harriet MacGibbon as Mrs. Costello and, on occasion, Ann Elder
as Dick's co-worker and girl friend, Janet (Eileen O'Neill also appeared in several episodes as another of Dick's girl friends, Wanda). As was typical of the Smothers Brothers in their later show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Dick was typically the straight man to Tom's humorous antics.
The series was produced by Four Star Television
in association with the brothers' "Knave Productions" (named for Tom's catchphrase, "Curb Your Tongue, Knave!", which also served as the title of one of their record albums).
, in that Tom Smothers had been critical of the series as not being compatible with the brothers' strengths (in fact, he fought with Four Star executives over more creative control of the series, earning an ulcer and irritating his marital relationship to the point of divorce at the end of the season).
For instance, neither brother played their instruments on the show (with one exception, at the beginning of "'Twas The Week Before Christmas" episode), and it was not until halfway through the season that they sung the theme song.
Fantasy television
Fantasy television is a genre of television programming featuring elements of the fantastic, often including magic, supernatural forces, or exotic fantasy worlds. Fantasy television programs are often based on tales from mythology and folklore, or are adapted from fantasy stories in other media...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
featuring the Smothers Brothers
Smothers Brothers
The Smothers Brothers are Thomas and Richard , American singers, musicians, comedians and folk heroes. The brothers' trademark act was performing folk songs , which usually led to arguments between the siblings...
that aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
on Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET from September 17, 1965 to September 9, 1966, co-sponsored by Alberto-Culver
Alberto-Culver
Alberto-Culver is an American corporation with international sales whose principal business is manufacturing hair and skin beauty care products under such brands as Alberto VO5, Andrew Collinge, St. Ives , TRESemmé, FDS, Consort, and Nexxus. It is a manufacturer in the multicultural beauty care...
's VO5 hairdressing products and American Tobacco (Tareyton
Tareyton
Tareyton is a brand of cigarettes originally manufactured by the American Tobacco Company. It began as a variation of Herbert Tareyton cork-tipped non-filter cigarettes . As filters gained in popularity in the late 1950s, Tareyton was created in 1954 as the filtered version of Herbert Tareyton,...
). It lasted one season, consisting of 32 episodes.
It was also the network's last situation comedy filmed in black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
; shortly after its final telecast, all CBS prime-time series were transmitted in color.
Synopsis
Dick SmothersDick Smothers
Richard Remick "Dick" Smothers is an American actor, comedian, composer and musician. He is best known for being half of the musical comedy team, the Smothers Brothers, with his older brother Tom.-Life and career:...
played himself as a rising young executive at Pandora Publications, working for publisher Leonard J. Costello (Roland Winters
Roland Winters
Roland Winters was an American actor who portrayed Charlie Chan in six films.-Biography:Born Roland Winternitz in Boston, Massachusetts on 22 December 1904, Winters was the son of Felix Winternitz, a violinist and composer who was teaching at New England Conservatory of Music...
). Brother Tom
Tom Smothers
Tom Smothers is an American comedian, composer and musician, best known as half of the musical comedy team The Smothers Brothers, alongside his younger brother Dick.-Early life:...
had been lost at sea
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
two years earlier and now shows up as an apprentice angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
assigned to do good deeds on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
to become a full-fledged regular angel. Of course, Tom's efforts to help people never seem to work as planned and Dick had to help him clean up the mess. Tom received his orders from Ralph, his unseen and unheard boss. The series also featured Harriet MacGibbon as Mrs. Costello and, on occasion, Ann Elder
Ann Elder
Ann Elder is an American Emmy Award-winning screenwriter. She won Emmy awards also for comedy writing, . She also wrote for Mama's Family as well. Elder appeared several times on The Match Game during its run in the 1970s.-External links:...
as Dick's co-worker and girl friend, Janet (Eileen O'Neill also appeared in several episodes as another of Dick's girl friends, Wanda). As was typical of the Smothers Brothers in their later show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Dick was typically the straight man to Tom's humorous antics.
The series was produced by Four Star Television
Four Star Television
Four Star Television, also called Four Star International, was an American television production company. Founded in 1952 as Four Star Productions by prominent Hollywood actors Dick Powell, David Niven, Ida Lupino, and Charles Boyer, the company produced many well-known shows of the early days of...
in association with the brothers' "Knave Productions" (named for Tom's catchphrase, "Curb Your Tongue, Knave!", which also served as the title of one of their record albums).
Creative control struggles
This series may have indirectly inspired the Brothers' more successful later series, The Smothers Brothers Comedy HourThe Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour is an American comedy and variety show hosted by the Smothers Brothers and initially airing on CBS from 1967 to 1969.-History:...
, in that Tom Smothers had been critical of the series as not being compatible with the brothers' strengths (in fact, he fought with Four Star executives over more creative control of the series, earning an ulcer and irritating his marital relationship to the point of divorce at the end of the season).
For instance, neither brother played their instruments on the show (with one exception, at the beginning of "'Twas The Week Before Christmas" episode), and it was not until halfway through the season that they sung the theme song.
Episode list
| Episode # | Episode title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | "There's Something About a Sailor" (pilot) | September 17, 1965 |
| 1-2 | "Take a Tramp To Lunch This Week" | September 24, 1965 |
| 1-3 | "A Boarding House Is Not A Home" | October 1, 1965 |
| 1-4 | "Is Your Wig Wam?" | October 8, 1965 |
| 1-5 | "Pay the Man the $27.95" | October 15, 1965 |
| 1-6 | "Tear Out the Presses, Stop the Front Page" | October 22, 1965 |
| 1-7 | "You're Only Old Once" | October 29, 1965 |
| 1-8 | "I Wouldn't Miss My Own Funeral For Anything" | November 5, 1965 |
| 1-9 | "Halo In the Ring" | November 12, 1965 |
| 1-10 | "It Don't Mean A Dang If It Ain't Got That Twang" | November 19, 1965 |
| 1-11 | "Boys Will Be Playboys" | November 26, 1965 |
| 1-12 | "Immaterial Witness" | December 3, 1965 |
| 1-13 | "Here Comes the Bridegroom" | December 10, 1965 |
| 1-14 | "'Twas the Week Before Christmas" | December 17, 1965 |
| 1-15 | "Happiness Is A Guy Named Happy" | December 24, 1965 |
| 1-16 | "The Rise and Fall of the Wedding Cake" | December 31, 1965 |
| 1-17 | "Outside Inside Hollywood" | January 7, 1966 |
| 1-18 | "The Hawaiian Caper" | January 14, 1966 |
| 1-19 | "Never Trust A Naked Rembrandt" | January 21, 1966 |
| 1-20 | "Harried, Italian Style" | January 28, 1966 |
| 1-21 | "The Big Newsboy War" | February 4, 1966 |
| 1-22 | "We'd Rather Switch Than Fight" | February 11, 1966 |
| 1-23 | "The Ghost Is Clear" | February 18, 1966 |
| 1-24 | "Heaven Help the Dropout" | February 25, 1966 |
| 1-25 | "His Honor, the Crook" | March 4, 1966 |
| 1-26 | "Her Number Is 36-22-35" | March 11, 1966 |
| 1-27 | "The Girl from R.A.L.P.H." | March 18, 1966 |
| 1-28 | "The Boss Who Came To Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner" | March 25, 1966 |
| 1-29 | "How To Succeed In Business and Be Really Trying" | April 1, 1966 |
| 1-30 | "I'm In Love With A Mortal" | April 8, 1966 |
| 1-31 | "A Wolf In Sheik's Clothing" | April 15, 1966 |
| 1-32 | "Wash You Were Here" | April 22, 1966 |