Smothered

Originally broadcast on the Bravo channel, this entertaining documentary chronicles the rise and fall of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, the short-lived, but influential series that radicalized the staid variety show format for a new generation, and ultimately paved the way for shows such as Saturday Night Live. Interviews with the brothers Smothers, as well as the show's writers (among them, Steve Martin and Rob Reiner) and performers, recall this brief and shining, albeit tumultuous, moment in television history. No one expected the clean-cut Tommy and Dick Smothers to make waves, but at a time when TV's most popular programs offered pure escapism, head writer Mason Williams wanted to push the show in a more radical direction, and Tommy, who played dumb opposite his brother, sought and was granted (he thought) creative control from the network. Comic editorials tackled such hot button issues as the draft and gun control, and during the height of the Vietnam War, the show boldly proclaimed its anti-war sentiments. In one of the most famous running satirical gags, ensemble member Pat Paulson waged a comic campaign for President. Musicians who did not normally do television, such as the Jefferson Airplane and the Buffalo Springfield, considered the series hip and daring, and--ultimately--musical segments such as Pete Seeger's anti-war song, "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" aroused some of the most heated controversy. Reiner succinctly sums up the Smothers' legacy: "They were able to get away with a lot…and thank God they were." Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (K. Lee Benson)