"The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour – Best of Season 3" review

Another find on the local library shelves to which I was also looking forward with great anticipation.  I’d heard of the Smothers Brothers for years, but had never seen their famous TV show.  I knew that my wife (who is a bit older than me) would remember it from her childhood.  However, I was not even born when the show originally aired, and it’s not something that you can easily find on cable, much less regular broadcast.  This particular DVD set is not a complete collection of the entire third season, but rather a selection of episodes chosen specifically by the brothers themselves.  I was excited to take a trip back in time to a place I had never been, but unfortunately for me, this journey, while being interesting historically, musically and politically, did not provide much entertainment value.

In this case, I felt that I was unable to appreciate the value of what the show managed to accomplish because the sixties were not my generation.  I wasn’t there to see the fervent deconstruction of political, social and sexual conventions.  My mind was not suddenly expanded by the new attitudes and topics in music, politics, social mores and the burgeoning drug scene. I wasn’t there to feel the winds of change ruffling my long hair or to smell the familiar sweet smoke wafting through the air during an outdoor concert in the park.  I was not galvanized by the propulsive desire to end the war and try to bring peace to the world.  It must have been an amazing time!

However, a significant portion of the populace was not ready for such radical ideas and changes.  They did not look kindly upon the criticisms and mockery directed so vehemently at their old-fashioned way of life.  In particular, those who walked the corridors of power in politics and other institutions did their level best to deter, dissuade and destroy the growing movement of young people dedicated to transforming American society.  Control and censorship were exercised with heavy hands whenever and wherever possible, and the Smother Brothers Comedy Hour was not an exception.  Even though Tom and Dick were very sympathetic to the changin’ times, they were not allowed by CBS to speak their minds fully, even on a television show which carried their name.  Aside from a few sparks of rebellion, the cold hand of conservative power cast a chill over the proceedings.

We watched three episodes before my interest bottomed out.  While I could appreciate the historical importance of watching Tom and Dick use every trick that they could to slip things by the censors, the sense of omnipotent oppression lurking just off-screen taints even the good-natured and silly sketches.  You can feel the Brothers trying their best to be funny, irreverent and topical, yet you know that they are not being allowed to bring their particular perspectives, attitudes and opinions to the forefront.  The culture clash between old and new was still so fresh, so raw and at times so painful that it ceases to be interesting or entertaining and instead makes you feel as if you’ve suddenly stumbled into the middle of a heated political debate at what you thought was supposed to be a fun and relaxing family gathering.  It just feels so awkward.

There were a few moments, such as the performances by The Doors, where the safe atmosphere was expunged so powerfully and with such bravado that I was immediately captivated by the mind-reeling mix of freedom, chaos and orgasm.  Jim Morrison’s persona, even in so staid an environment, radiates potent sexual power and confidence.  He dares you to look into his eyes and maintain contact.  The psychological challenge that Morrison directs at the audience with his thousand-yard stare burns through the camera lens like the heat of the sun on a sweltering summer day.  It is palpable, seductive and totally alluring.  The Doors performed “Touch Me” and “Wild Child”, two songs which are both heavily laced with the surging feelings of sex, anarchy and reinvention which were sweeping through young hearts and minds everywhere.  The Doors howled out all the emotion, rage and conflict of a new youth culture trying to find its own way while at the same time angrily defining itself against the perceived safety and conformity of previous generations.  It was hot, nasty and true.  

The Smothers Brothers are to be heartily commended for having such musical guests on their show.  Mama Cass, Harry Belafonte, the First Edition and the West Coast cast of “Hair” attempt to add further cultural relevancy, and their performances in general are appealing and entertaining.  However, they feel, even at this time, dated and passé.  The Doors walked in and threw down the gauntlet of the sexual revolution with the confidence of a lover who has been around the block and is ready to take the uninitiated on a whirlwind tour of pleasures unknown and vistas unseen.  I guess you can tell that I like The Doors!  Well, out of all the musical numbers we watched, theirs had lost not one iota of its immediacy, relevance and hip-swivelin’ appeal.  The songs and their meaning are just as applicable now as they were then.  These timeless qualities in The Doors’ music and lyrics have ensured that future generations will continue to discover them.  At the same time, I hope that in the process, we learn how and why they came about, and give thanks to the brave people who made it possible for their message of love, hope and renewal to reach every corner of the globe.