| Tom Smothers | |
|---|---|
2011 photo of Tom Smothers |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Thomas Bolyn Smothers III |
| Born | February 2, 1937 New York City, New York, USA |
| Genres | folk |
| Occupations | Comedian, musician, composer, actor |
| Instruments | guitar, singing |
| Years active | 1959–2010[1] |
| Associated acts | The Smothers Brothers |
| Website | http://www.smothersbrothers.com/ |
Tom Smothers (born Thomas Bolyn Smothers III on February 2, 1937)[2] is an American comedian, composer and musician, best known as half of the musical comedy team The Smothers Brothers, alongside his younger brother Dick.
Contents |
Smothers was born in New York City, the son of Ruth (née Remick), a homemaker, and Thomas B. Smothers, an army officer.[3] After moving to California, he graduated from Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California. He was a competitive unicyclist, and a state champion gymnast in the parallel bars. Smothers later attended San José State University, then known as San Jose State College.[4] At SJSC, Smothers participated both in gymnastics and pole vault for the track team (coached by Lloyd (Bud) Winter).[5]
The Smothers Brothers initially wanted to be folk musicians.[6] Tom didn't feel that he was good enough to be a professional musician, but he was funny enough to do comedy. The two began adding comedy bits to their act.
| “ | It was a series of performances when we started out as a duet in Aspen. I did all the introductions. I'd just make up stuff for every song. And Dickie said, "Why don't you try repeating some of that stuff?" I said, "I don't know." I didn't know that you could repeat the stuff. And I started repeating it and Dickie would say, "That's wrong." And pretty soon he'd say, "That's wrong, you're stupid." It sort of became an argument.[6] | ” |
Tom's first foray into the medium of television was as a regular on the The Steve Allen Show in 1961.[3] He followed that role with a single episode of Burke's Law.
The Smothers Brothers next appeared on the CBS sitcom, The Smothers Brothers Show from 1965 to 1966. Tom felt that the show didn't play to the brothers' strengths[6] and wanted creative control over their next venture.
Tom Smothers negotiated creative control over their next CBS show, a variety show entitled The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967. The documentary Smothered describes how the brothers (particularly Tom) fought CBS censors to sneak in references to religion, recreational drugs, sex, and the Vietnam War. Smothers is widely quoted as saying: "The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen."[7] The brothers' oppositional politics led to their show's demise[8] with David Steinberg later claiming "The most innovative variety show on television shut down because of political pressure".[9] Tom has since stated "When the Smothers Brothers came on the air we had no political point of view or social consciousness, it just evolved as the show was on the air."[10]
As Tom became more politically active, he befriended other political celebrities like John Lennon.[11] In 1969, Smothers played guitar on John Lennon's recording of his single "Give Peace a Chance".[12] The song was written during Lennon's ‘Bed-In’ honeymoon. Smothers can be seen in the documentary film about Lennon "Imagine" in the hotel room.
After the show was canceled, Tom became more strident in his politics.
| “ | I lost perspective, my sense of humour. I became a poster boy for the First Amendment, freedom of speech, and I started buying into it. It was about three years when I was deadly serious about everything....I'm still politically active, I'm still angry, but I've got it in the right position now.[6] | ” |
In the 1970s, Smothers chided popular comedian Bill Cosby for not taking a stand on political issues of the day like civil rights.
| “ | At the time I was very volatile, and thought everyone should take a stand. I guess I said something that really pissed him [off]. For a couple years after that, I'd say, 'Hiya Bill, how ya doing?' and he wouldn't shake hands with me - you know, like, 'Fuck off."[13] | ” |
In October 1976, both Cosby and Smothers were in attendance at a Playboy Mansion party. The tension between the two culminated in Cosby punching Smothers in the head.[13]
In motion pictures, Tom Smothers portrayed corporate-executive-turned-tap-dancing-magician Donald Beeman in one of Brian De Palma's earlier films, Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972). He also played a banker in Silver Bears. He later portrayed Spike in Serial (1980).
In 1973, he voiced Ted E. Bear (Theodore Edward Bear) in the DePatie-Freleng NBC animated Christmas special The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas. Ten years later, he voiced Ted E. Bear again for its Halloween sequel The Great Bear Scare.
In 2007, Tom and Dick filmed a series of 30-second commercials and promotional spots for the River Rock Casino in Geyserville, California.[14]
To augment their act in recent years, Tom Smothers created the mostly non-speaking character "Yo-Yo Man", a surprisingly expert performer of difficult tricks using a yo-yo. In their 2008 tour, Yo-Yo Man was listed as the group's opening act. The name is possibly a reference to the folk song "Yo-Yo Man," which the brothers sang together on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
In 2008, during the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, Smothers was awarded a special Emmy. In 1968, when he was head writer of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, the writing staff was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Writing In A Comedic Series. Smothers had refused to let his name be on the list of writers nominated for the Emmy, because he felt his name was too volatile. The award at the 2008 ceremony was presented by Steve Martin, who was once a writer on the program.[15]
On May 6, 2011, the American Civil Liberties Union's Sonoma County chapter honored Smothers with their Jack Green Civil Liberties Award for his work against television censorship and for speaking out for peace and civil liberties.[16]
Smothers is the owner of Remick Ridge Vineyards in Sonoma County, California with his wife Marcy Carriker and two children, Bo (born 1993), and Riley Rose (born 1996). He also has a son, Thomas Bolyn Smothers IV (Tom Jr.), from his first marriage,[2][4] and one grandson, Phoenix Parrish-Smothers. There is a Smothers sister - Sherry - born September 1941, in Pasadena, CA.
|
|||||||||||