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 April 22, 1966, co-sponsored by Alberto-Culver's VO5 hairdressing products and American Tobacco's Tareyton cigarettes. It was the first television show to feature the Smothers Brothers as regulars, following a series of night club and guest appearances.[2] It lasted one season, consisting of 32 episodes.
| The Smothers Brothers Show | |
|---|---|
 Tom and Dick Smothers, 1965 | |
| Genre | Fantasy sitcom |
| Created by | Aaron Spelling[1] Richard Newton |
| Written by | Dee Caruso Gerald Gardner Lila Garrett Alex Gottlieb Bernie Kahn Arnold Margolin Jim Parker Arthur Weingarten Allan Burns (uncredited) Chris Hayward (uncredited) |
| Directed by | Charles Barton Frederick De Cordova Sidney Miller H. Bruce Humberstone |
| Starring | Smothers Brothers |
| Theme music composer | Perry Botkin Jr. |
| Composer | Perry Botkin Jr. |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 32 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Aaron Spelling |
| Producers | Frederick De Cordova Phil Sharp (uncredited) |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company | Four Star-Knave |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 17, 1965 – April 22, 1966 |
It was the network's last sitcom filmed in black-and-white; shortly after its final telecast, all CBS prime-time series were transmitted in color.[3] In 1986, two decades after cancellation, reruns were seen on Nick at Nite.[4]
Synopsis
editDick Smothers 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 earn his wings and become a full-fledged 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. Harriet Costello, and on occasion, Ann Elder as Dick's co-worker and girlfriend, Janet. Eileen O'Neill also appeared in several episodes as another of Dick's girlfriends, Wanda. As was typical of the Smothers Brothers in The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Dick was typically the straight man to Tom's humorous antics.
Creative control struggles
editThe series was produced by Four Star Television in association with the brothers' Knave Productions (named for Tom's catchphrase "Curb Your Tongue, Knave!" and the title of their 1963 record album).
This series may have inspired the Brothers' more successful later series The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour 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 sang the theme song.
Episodes
editThis article needs a plot summary. (August 2018) |
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "There's Something About a Sailor" | Fred de Cordova | Alex Gottlieb | September 17, 1965 | |
|
Dick's life is turned upside down when his dead brother Tommy returns to Earth as an apprentice angel. An uncredited Gary Owens narrates the opening. | |||||
| 2 | "Take a Tramp to Lunch This Week" | Fred de Cordova | Arnold Margolin & Jim Parker | September 24, 1965 | |
|
Tommy searches for a writer. | |||||
| 3 | "A Boarding House Is Not a Home" | Charles T. Barton | Lila Garrett & Bernie Kahn | October 1, 1965 | |
|
Tommy tries to save a local boardinghouse. With Madge Blake and Charles Lane. | |||||
| 4 | "Is Your Wig Wam?" | Charles T. Barton | Arthur Weingarten | October 8, 1965 | |
|
Tommy's assigned to help a native tribe get permission to build a hospital. | |||||
| 5 | "Pay the Man the $27.95" | Fred de Cordova | Alex Gottlieb | October 15, 1965 | |
|
Tommy gets a job selling magazine subscriptions. | |||||
| 6 | "Tear Out the Presses, Stop the Front Page" | Sidney Miller | Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso | October 22, 1965 | |
|
Tommy tries to convince Dick's boss to invest in a failing newspaper. | |||||
| 7 | "You're Only Old Once" | Sidney Miller | Jack Raymond | October 29, 1965 | |
|
Tommy is aged 70 years in order to help the residents of a nursing home. | |||||
| 8 | "I Wouldn't Miss My Own Funeral for Anything" | Charles T. Barton | Unknown | November 5, 1965 | |
|
Dick is presented with the death benefit from Tommy's policy -- $800. | |||||
| 9 | "Halo in the Ring" | Fred de Cordova | Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso | November 12, 1965 | |
|
Tommy must track down a missing prizefighter. | |||||
| 10 | "It Don't Mean a Dang if It Ain't Got That Twang" | H. Bruce Humberstone | Arnold Margolin & Jim Parker | November 19, 1965 | |
|
Tommy tries to help a struggling songwriter. | |||||
| 11 | "Boys Will Be Playboys" | H. Bruce Humberstone | Ralph Goodman & Ray Allen | November 26, 1965 | |
|
In order to protect a Texas millionaire, Tommy assumes the identity of a wealthy playboy. With Wayne Rogers. | |||||
| 12 | "Immaterial Witness" | Fred de Cordova | Gene Thompson | December 3, 1965 | |
|
Tommy latest assignment is to help a reformed gangster. | |||||
| 13 | "Here Comes the Bridegroom" | Sidney Miller | Joseph Hoffman | December 10, 1965 | |
|
Tommy tries his hand at matchmaking. With Betty Lynn. | |||||
| 14 | "'Twas the Week Before Christmas" | Sidney Miller | Teleplay: Alex Gottlieb Story: David Zeitlin | December 17, 1965 | |
|
Dick and Tommy struggle to get toys for needy children at Christmas. Featuring a small role for a very young Eve Plumb. | |||||
| 15 | "Happiness Is a Guy Named Happy" | Unknown | Unknown | December 24, 1965 | |
| 16 | "The Rise and Fall of the Wedding Cake" | Unknown | Unknown | December 31, 1965 | |
| 17 | "Outside Inside Hollywood" | Charles T. Barton | Gerald Gardner & Dee Caruso | January 7, 1966 | |
|
Tommy is assigned to save Dick from unemployment, as his job will be taken over by a machine. With Alan Reed. | |||||
| 18 | "The Hawaiian Caper" | Charles T. Barton | Alex Gottlieb | January 14, 1966 | |
|
When Mr. Costello vacations in Hawaii, he has to summon Dick when he gets himself into trouble -- and Tommy comes along to help. With Keye Luke. | |||||
| 19 | "Never Trust a Naked Rembrandt" | Fred de Cordova | Art Weingarten | January 21, 1966 | |
|
Tommy tries to reform a burglar, who still wants to pull off one last heist. | |||||
| 20 | "Harried, Italian Style" | Norman Foster | Jim Parker & Arnold Margolin | January 28, 1966 | |
|
Dick's job involves him keeping watch over an impetuous and high-strung Italian movie actress; Tommy's help just makes things more chaotic. | |||||
| 21 | "The Big Newsboy War" | Norman Foster | Jack Raymond | February 4, 1966 | |
|
In an effort to move beyond probationary angel status, Tommy poses as a newsboy so he can find deserving people to help. | |||||
| 22 | "We'd Rather Switch Than Fight" | Unknown | Unknown | February 11, 1966 | |
| 23 | "The Ghost Is Clear" | Unknown | Unknown | February 18, 1966 | |
| 24 | "Heaven Help the Dropout" | Unknown | Unknown | February 25, 1966 | |
| 25 | "His Honor, the Crook" | Unknown | Unknown | March 4, 1966 | |
| 26 | "Her Number Is 36-22-35" | Unknown | Unknown | March 11, 1966 | |
| 27 | "The Girl from R.A.L.P.H." | Unknown | Unknown | March 18, 1966 | |
| 28 | "The Boss Who Came to Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner" | Unknown | Unknown | March 25, 1966 | |
| 29 | "How to Succeed in Business and Be Really Trying" | Unknown | Unknown | April 1, 1966 | |
| 30 | "I'm in Love with a Mortal" | Unknown | Unknown | April 8, 1966 | |
| 31 | "A Wolf in Sheik's Clothing" | Unknown | Unknown | April 15, 1966 | |
| 32 | "Wash You Were Here" | Unknown | Unknown | April 22, 1966 | |
References
edit- ^ Spelling, Aaron; Graham, Jefferson (2002). Aaron Spelling: A Prime-Time Life. Macmillan p. 54. ISBN 978-0-3123-1344-9.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ McKairnes, Jim (January 31, 2017). "50-year flashback: The rebellious 'Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'". USA Today. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ Dalton, Mary M.; Linder, Laura R. (2016). The Sitcom Reader, Second Edition: America Re-viewed, Still Skewed. SUNY Press p. 81. ISBN 978-1-4384-6131-1.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Mendoza, N. F. (June 25, 1995). "Nick's Nites to Remember". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 9, 2019.