Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour - was it ever shown in the UK?

[stevej]

As per the title really! I spotted a Radio Times from 4/1/68 on ebay which includes a half-page feature on the Smothers brothers. This surprised me as I didn't think they were known outside the US at the time (hence article, presumably!) I suppose it's most likely that they turned up as musical guests on a BBC show, but I did wonder if their comedy hours were shown here. I've been watching several that have been uploaded on youtube and they are satisfyingly sharp and funny, as well as featuring some very hip musical guests, including a great set from Donovan. The show had a fascinating and turbulent history in its comparatively short run: Well worth reading up on or check out the documentary 'Smothered' also on the 'tube.

The other big US topical comedy series of the time 'Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In' of course was shown by the BBC, initially I think from January 1969 on BBC2, to take full advantage of colour (although I bet the initial 525-625 conversion looked ropey). In some ways it was a surprising import, as many of the political names lampooned would perhaps have meant nothing to British viewers. Psychedelic eye-full that it is, I wonder how it was received by UK audiences, whom I suspect were rather more conservative than today. I'm not sure what prompted BBC2 to repeat it sometime around 1983/4, but that would be when I first saw it as a thirteen year old, not exactly sure what I was seeing, but knowing I kind of liked it!

I'd be interested to hear other impressions or thoughts on these shows. The only home-grown series I can think of which compare were TW3, which ruffled a few feathers, and various other David Frost series, but these had pretty much run their course by the late 60s.

Steve

[johnpoole]

7.25 BBC1 Sunday evenings in early 1968
genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/26cf7b24e4884be4b28109acce8cf59c

[stevej]

Of course- I should have checked genome myself! Thanks for the info John. Mystery solved!

[Alan Turrell]

That's also a surprise to me i didn't realise that the Smothers Brothers were shown on uk tv as Steve says Donovan was on the show as well as The Byrds,The Turtles,Paul Simon,The Association,Roger Daltry,Electric Prunes,Herman's Hermits,Bee Gees and many more.

[stevej]

Yes, some really well-chosen musical guests were featured. The Donovan edition is great; recorded 'in the round', the audience are really with him and his performance of 'Lalena' is quite spellbinding...  George Harrison dropped by to spread a little love and peace on the edition I watched the other night and when the Who appeared, their performance ended with Keith Moon's infamous drum kit detonation, which legend has it took CBS momentarily off-air (really?)

If we were showing the series in early 1968, I guess it must have been the first season. I'll be interested to discover how long the BBC took it for. It ended suddenly and acrimoniously in April 1969 when CBS lost patience with the increasingly anti-establishment direction the show was taking. One of the first 1969 shows includes a pounding 4 minute film montage of stills and news film fragments set to music (Iron Butterfly maybe?) encapsulating the turbulent and often violent events of 1968. The brothers end the show hoping for a more peaceful new year in '69. You didn't get that with Morecambe & Wise...!

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour really is a compelling document of those times, thankfully surviving in it's entireity (I think) on colo(u)r videotape. I must save some pennies for the dvd releases.

[John Green]

stevej,I really should have checked my Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy,which also lists foreign shows broadcast in the UK.It has the Smothers Brothers as 7 Jan.-16 June,a total of 12 shows,broadcast in b&w on BBC1,mostly on Sundays @ 7:25.The show's said to have produced little or no controversy in the UK.I didn't watch the show-the name put me off!

I saw Rowan and Martin at the time,and seem to remember them guesting on a British show or two.US R%M magazines were on sale here for a little while.

The only time I saw topical references go down like a lead balloon was when Bob Hope did interviews/patter over here,and no-one got the Republican/Democrat references.He actually said,"Maybe you folks haven't head about..." after everone looked baffled.Nowadays,of course,it wouldn't be a problem.

[stevej]

Thanks for the excellent info, John. 7.25 on Sundays is a surprisingly prime spot for the Smothers series, particularly with it's barbed satirical content. It sounds like the BBC ignored that and treated it as a traditional variety show a la Danny Kaye, Andy Williams etc.

Interesting point about Rowan and Martin guesting on UK TV shows (I feel a need to find out which ones now). I'm sure I read somewhere they hosted a Royal Variety Performance one year.

Steve

[John Green]

IMDB has the Smothers Brothers on Val Doonican,The Eamonn Andrews Show,Dee Time...

Rowan and Martin hosted 1972's Royal Gala Variety Performance.

[paul welton]

This was repeated in its entirity on BBC2(i think),if not channel 4 late 80's.

[Peter Bradford]

I too watched 'Laugh In' during its original TX. It was 'all the rage' although BBC2 did not have the coverage it was later to have and so was something of a 'niche' watch. As a mid-teenager I found it hilarious, R&M did make the occasional reference to the Smothers Brothers within their programme.

The standards conversion was not ropey, the first series was performed on the BBC's first all electronic standards converter and was reduced in height (and matching width), subsequent conversions were full height and width. I still have one or two of my original audio only recordings I made of the show at the time to replay to my school chums who could not receive BBC2, of course little was I to know that it would all be pretty much available on some new fangled thing called the internet some decades later.