Smothers Brother Tom Smothers died December 26, 2023 in his Santa Rosa, California home at the age of 86 as the result of cancer.
Brother and comedy partner Dick Smothers said, “I’m just devastated. Every breath I’ve taken, my brother’s been around.”
“The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” debuted in 1967 opposite the hit western “Bonanza”; but quickly caught the attention of television viewers. The brothers featured guests including The Who, Pete Seeger, and Buffalo Springfield. Their sketches ridiculed “the Establishment”, were anti war, and hippie counterculture. Born just before the outbreak of World War II, the brothers were “of the age” to identify with the issues of the day.
While a hit, the show lasted only three seasons after an endless fight with the network censors.
Nearly 40 years later the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences awarded the duo an honourary Emmy Award for their work on the show.
The Executive Director for the National Comedy Center Journey Gunderson issued a statement on Smothers saying, “Tom Smothers was not only an extraordinary comedic talent, who, together with his brother Dick, became the most enduring comedy duo in history, entertaining the world for over six decades — but was a true champion for freedom of speech.”
The older of the two brothers, Thomas Bolyn Smothers III was born in Governors Island, New York on February 2, 1937; the oldest son of an Army major. When Major Smothers was stationed in the Philippines, the family – brother Dick was born by then – came along; but with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entrance of the United States into the war, the family was sent back home. Major Smothers became a casualty of the war when he was captured by the Japanese and died while in captivity. A widow with three small children, Mrs. Smothers moved her family to Redondo Beach, California. Tom looked after his siblings while their mother worked; Dick noted, “Tommy was the greatest older brother. He took care of me. His maturity was amazing. Sometimes you lose part of your childhood.”
Prior to making their mark on network television, the Smothers Brothers worked the nightclub and college circuit with the occasional television guest appearance. In 1959, a two week engagement at Purple Onion in San Francisco turned into 36.
The brothers routine featured Tom on guitar and Dick with an upright bass where they would open the routine with music and the inevitable mistake that would kick of the “sibling rivalry”. Dick was always the “straight man” in the duo.
Tom was at San Jose State College when he formed a band called the Casual Quintet. He then recruited brother Dick to learn the bass and join. The duo remained after the rest of the band moved on. Having a somewhat limited musical repertoire, the duo chose comedy to fill in the act. Dick noted, “we never wrote anything, we just made it up, and tried to remember what we made up. I just responded to Tom, if he said something that wasn’t in the bit, I wouldn’t stick to the script, I would listen.”
The Smothers Brother made their television debut in 1962 on “The Danny Thomas Show”. From there Tom went on to appear in another 40 productions including 32 episodes of “My Brother the Angel”, “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”, “Love, American Style”, “Fantasy Island”, “The Love Boat”, “Once Upon a Mattress”, and “The Simpsons”.
After separating for a time, the duo returned for the Broadway musical “I Love My Wife”. After the two year run of the show, the brothers returned to touring where they remained for several years.
Predeceased by his son Tom and sister Sherry, Smothers is survived by his brother and partner Dick, third wife Marcy, and children Bo and Riley Rose.
Feature photo credit: Photo of Judy Collins performing with Tom (left) and Dick Smothers on their television program The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.