Tom Smothers was one-half of the innovative comedy-folk duo the Smothers Brothers along with his brother Dick.
- Died: December 26, 2023 (Who else died on December 26?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Santa Rosa, California after a recent battle with cancer at the age of 86.
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Tom Smothers’s legacy
The Smothers Brothers began as a folk music duo, initially singing together while they were still in school. As folk music grew in popularity in the late 1950s, so did the brothers’ act, and they played notable venues like San Francisco’s Purple Onion. As they began injecting comedy into their performances, Tom shone as a bumbling stammerer, playing off Dick’s straight-man act. As they hit their stride with a blend of music and comedy, they began recording albums and appearing on such TV shows as “The Jack Paar Show” and “The Judy Garland Show.”
They were first offered their own TV show in the form of a sitcom, “The Smothers Brothers Show,” but it wasn’t quite the right fit – the scripted comedy had little of the music that was their trademark, and audiences weren’t particularly interested. But when they tried a different approach, launching “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” in 1967, they found their way back to the winning blend of music and comedy at which they excelled. The variety show was a hit, innovatively taking on political satire and featuring modern rock acts like the Doors, Simon and Garfunkel, Ray Charles (1930–2004), Joan Baez, and the Who. Younger viewers embraced “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” but CBS found it disturbingly edgy, and it was abruptly canceled in 1969.
In addition to performing with his brother, Smothers played guitar on John Lennon’s (1940–1980) single “Give Peace a Chance.” He appeared in such films as “Get to Know Your Rabbit,” “Serial,” and “There Goes the Bride.” Both brothers were featured in a 2009 episode of “The Simpsons,” and they frequently toured together over the years, including a 2019 tour to mark the 50th anniversary of their show’s cancellation. Smothers was politically active, speaking out for civil rights and against the Vietnam War. In later years, he owned Remick Ridge Vineyards.
Notable quote
“[M]y comedy came out of my Dyslexia. Because, see, I search for words. I don’t stutter but there’s a timing that I discovered that was comedic timing, which is the process of getting to the next sentence or the next idea or the next concept. It’s kind of disjointed and not very articulate but it was a character that could say things.” —from a 2012 interview for Music & More Arizona
Tributes to Tom Smothers
Full obituary: The New York Times
