Tom Smothers dies at 86

He was sort of hot back in his day.

That show was such a big deal then, and it's pretty much forgotten now,

R1 fuck off. Time passes and everything is forgotten unless it’s stored in an underground time capsule or buried in a tomb.

Sad. RIP.

Overreact much, r2?

I thought Tommy was hotter of the two and then I found out he was the smarter of the two, even though he acted dumb..

I’m saddened to hear this. RIP.

Aw rip Smo bro!

Oh bless. Seemed like sweet guys who meant well, and their show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, was hugely influential. Worth rabbitholing if you have time.

R1 yes, it's the unfortunate side effect of having very timely subject matter. It may not always be appreciated in years to come.

Interesting that I’m not the only gay who found Tommy Smothers sexy.

RIP

Very funny duo

It was a comment, R2. You are clearly a jerk.

Can attest R2 is a 🤡 that was blocked long ago. It's not you.

Eat shit r13

Aw, I loved that show.

Here’s a great skit (very low res unfortunately): The Honey House.

Sad. Ahead of their time

Can't hear you, r14. Not planning on it either.

Back on topic: Were the Smothers financially successful? That show was a long time ago and they did have to eat.

Mother did always like him best.

Must-watch TV in the 60s. Everybody loved Tom. The show had a lot of problem with network censors.

Tom had a nice square jaw when he was younger.

Verificatia of sizemeat?

Thanks for not posting this with the tawdry "dead to me" title, OP.

R2 seems to think that time capsules and tombs are the source of remembrance.

Lord.

Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

Everyone associated with Saturday Night Live should be embarrassed. The Smothers Brothers got themselves kicked off the air by Nixon for being outspoken, while the SNL crew pretty much sucks up to power.

The Times article says Tom was a high school state champion in the parallel bars, so he was probably in pretty good shape.

Sweet face.

Lily Tomlin and Rodney Dangerfield did a very funny sketch on the Smothers Brothers Show.......he thought he was hiring a hooker and she was trying to sell a used car.

At the end she offered to "take the top down."

Very funny......first time I had seen Tomlin on anything besides Laugh-In.

Great show, very cutting-edge back in the day. Back then it was considered career-suicide to criticize the government and the Vietnam Way, on primetime network television. My parents and grandparents loved the Brothers. RIP.

Interesting life/obit. Didn't know that Rob Reiner, Steve Martin, and Elaine May all wrote for the show.

Is it really sad when an 86 year old dies or is that just the automatic response, I certainly hope I am gone long before then and I am getting there at 72 now. To me Jimmy Carter living to 99 is sad, he looks horrible, he can't possibly be enjoying life at this point, if he even has any idea of what is going on.

He had a nice body.

R30, yes he did

I remember watching the episode with Pete Seeger singing "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" (and the big fool says to push on). Of course it was about Viet Nam, and the big fool was LBJ. Lots of us boomers wanted to believe it was the last straw for Johnson and triggered his resignation.

Going down Vietnam way.

RIP handsom man

They were a lot of fun and yes, their humor mirrored the questioning of establishment dogma. They were cute and I though Tommy was hot!

Their father died in WW2, in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.

His dad was a handsome soldier. Died being transported between Japanese POW camps at age 36.

So young!

His sister, who was 4 years younger, just died in May. Dick is now the only surviving member of his family.

Tom Smothers of the Smothers Brothers, uncle to Tina Yothers, among others.

No, R18, mom always liked Dickie best.

Great team. I will always remember their mom was introduced on their show and when she came on stage she smacked Dick and hugged Tommy😂

Susan Dey wishes everyone a Merry Christmas.

Mom had a sense of humor. First 3 kids-Tom, Dick, and Sherry.

Tina is heart broken

Their show replaced the (new) Garry Moore Show & was itself replaced by Hee Haw.

Large noggin

They used to joke about drug use, so I’m not surprised he died.

[quote]They used to joke about drug use, so I’m not surprised he died.

Funny, I'm not surprised he died BECAUSE HE WAS 86

I loved the Smothers Brothers Show when I was a kid.

I saw them on B'way in "I Love My Wife" but I remember nothing about it, except that I saw it.

r48 Wow, you are one sharp tack.

On WML.

[quote]They used to joke about drug use, so I’m not surprised he died.

He lived to be 86.

Wasn't there a reference to him sleeping with a guy in "The Andy Warhol Diaries"?

LBJ did not resign, R32. I think you meant to say he halted his campaign for re-election (to a second full term).

[quote] Lots of us boomers wanted to believe it was the last straw for Johnson and triggered his resignation.

Pete's ego probably was certain he brought down a president but LBJ's doctors had told him he was unlikely to survive his second term. They were close. He died exactly one day after his second term would have ended.

The best part of the show was a tossup between Leigh French, the perpetually stoned hippie chick; and presidential candidate Pat Paulson. Leigh wins because she was hotter.

Keith Moon didn't like him. When The Who appeared on their show, he asked Keith what his name was. Keith replied "My friends call me Keith but you can call me John". I loved Moon.

I'm 57 and I don't remember the brothers at all. I guess they were a little before my time, but I don't remember them being on the 70s talk shows or game shows or anything.

Tweet from Steve Martin

From Rob Reiner

When I saw this headline earlier I knew why Tommy and Dick's last appearance on Carson popped up on YouTube.

I remember first seeing Jennifer Warnes on their show.

Such sad news. They were hilarious.

I recall reading about a physical altercation in the 1970s between Tommy Smothers and Bill Cosby at the Playboy Mansion. Rumor was, Smothers used the n-word and Cosby knocked him out. Anyone remember?

[quote]Wasn't there a reference to him sleeping with a guy in "The Andy Warhol Diaries"?

Warhol said Tommy was "tongue-kissing" Phyllis Diller at Elaine's, and Warhol told him, "If you can tongue-kiss her, you can tongue-kiss me. So he gave me a quarter of a tongue-kiss and said he'd give the rest when he knew me better."

One of my favourite Carson clips is the brothers last appearance on Johnny Carson that R61 references. I saw it the night it aired. Tommy was brilliant as Johnny who had everyone in stitches, especially Carson.

Bob Einstein got his start on the brothers’ variety show. He was a comedy writer who performed in some of the sketches, most notably as Officer Judy.

Who?

The first time I saw them on TV was on The Danny Thomas Show - they played an act that was appearing at Danny's NYC nightclub.

They did their folk singing - Mom always liked you best routine. It was hilarious!

So I don't know if they were discovered by Danny Thomas or may his producer Sheldon Leonard, but it was a LONG time a go.

I always liked Officer Judy mentioned above (Bob Einstein, son of Parkyakarkus and brother of Albert Brooks) and he may have been the beginning of my man in a uniform wet dreams.

The most thrilling candidate of the 68 election

I swear he died years ago.

No, R71, that was Joyce Brothers.

The smothers brothers were the act on stage the night John Lennon stuck a Kotex on his head and was kicked out of the club.

Lennon was heckling the smothers brothers. He could be douchy.

[quote]Is it really sad when an 86 year old dies or is that just the automatic response, I certainly hope I am gone long before then and I am getting there at 72 now.

So you're saying that tributes and remembrances are irrelevant and unnecessary if a much-loved celebrity dies at an advanced age? How sad that, at 72, you've probably already lived too long to be remembered fondly.

He was one of my first man crushes.

[quote]The first time I saw them on TV was on The Danny Thomas Show - they played an act that was appearing at Danny's NYC nightclub.

The first time I saw them on TV was on "The Jack Benny Program". Yes, a looong time ago.

Before their variety show they had their own sitcom with Tommy as a ghost

Over 70 replies and no mention that his nephew, Dick Smothers, Jr. (no name change required) was a straight porn star in the 2000s?

Dick Sr must have been so proud

Oh I knew he was living on borrowed time, with THAT NAME OF HIS!

How did he end up smothering in the end?

I haven't thought about that guy in years. Like someone else, I assumed he was already dead. But I remember as a kid watching that show - that was like the one thing that everyone could agree on watching (versus my mom's soaps & dad's sports). I vaguely remember too that aside from criticizing the war, the brothers also. had some falling out & went off the air for some time.

Why is everyone calling TOMMY Smothers, “Tom?”

R24, it was Lyndon Johnson who was offended by the show in ‘68. They were suspended from CBS early 1969, the officially off a year later. Nixon hadn’t much to do with it. The dates are from memory.

Pete Seeger singing “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy,” an allegory about the Vietnam War, on February 25, 1968.

1969 April 4 CBS Cancels Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour CBS Television President William Paley on this day cancelled the popular Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, accusing the brothers of failing to meet pre-broadcast deadlines for the show.

no r78, he played an angel.

I loved that show where Tommy played an angel. I was shattered when it was cancelled after one season. But I was a tyke at the time and Tommy playing an idiot was the zenith of comedy for me. I couldn’t sit through Gilligan’s Island. It irritated the shit out of me. Skipper and Gilligan doing a poor imitation of Laurel and Hardy, plus and the inability of the cast to shove Gilligan off a cliff was too frustrating.

But Tommy was sweet.

R79 nice cock on Dick Smothers' son. The girls certainly enjoy sucking it.

The brothers - along with their mother, grandmother & uncle - on IGaS.

A lovely tribute in todays Times:

I read the news today, oh boy.

John Lennon’s lyric popped into my head Tuesday as soon as I read the texts from my friend Marcy Carriker Smothers. The first was a photo of a guitar next to a fire and Christmas poinsettia. The second included the news. “Beautiful and peaceful passing today at 1:40P. We had a lovely Christmas.”

Tom Smothers had been in hospice for months so word of his passing induced a sigh not a gasp. I thought of the “Day in the Life” lyric not because of the circumstances of his death — Tom was 86 and died of lung cancer — but because Lennon and Tom were close. At the 1969 Montreal recording of “Give Peace a Chance,” only two acoustic guitars strum along. One is held by Lennon; the other by Tom.

Tom came to the antiwar movement with sad bona fides. His father was a West Pointer who said goodbye to his namesake son in 1940, before heading to the Pacific to defend liberty. He never returned.

Nothing funny about that origin story. Still, through music, Tom and his younger brother, Dick, found their way to comedy and created an act that instantly impressed Jack Paar, the “Tonight” show host, who remarked in 1961, “I don’t know what you guys have but no one’s going to steal it.”

Six years later, the brothers debuted “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” their seminal variety show that used comedy to satirize issues like the Vietnam War, racial politics and drugs.

Despite the heavy topics, Tom came across as lighthearted and simple. During an audience question-and-answer session, a woman once asked, “Are you both married?”

“No, ma’am. We’re just brothers,” Tom said.

In real life, Tom thought and felt deeply. He cared about social justice and the creative process. He labored over details. The biggest contradiction was Tom’s onstage persona. A classic Smothers Brothers sketch would begin with the two singing a song until Tom interrupted or screwed up the words so badly that Dick pulled the plug. This would lead to wry observations or an argument that built to a punchline. The brothers would then return to the song, providing the sketch with a natural and satisfying finish. At heart, this was character comedy with Dick playing the bass and the straight man and Tom playing the guitar and the fool.

In an early episode, the brothers came out singing the Maurice Chevalier hit “Louise” while sporting boater hats. They paused to discuss the French and romance, and Tom instantly claimed familiarity. “You really know about those French wines and women?” Dick challenged Tom.

“Oh I know all about that stuff.”

The audience laughed, doubting his claim.

Dick was not about to let Tom off the hook. “French wine — what do you know about it?” he pressed.

“It gets you drunk,” Tom replied, nailing the punchline with exquisite timing.

In real life, Tom knew everything about wine. For decades, he owned and operated a vineyard in Sonoma that produced award-winning merlot and cabernet sauvignon. At first, he lived in a barn on the property, then later designed a main house with a huge stone fireplace and views in every direction so that you could follow the sun throughout the day. If the hot tub could talk, it would tell spicy stories about parties in the 1960s and ’70s and probably be the only one that could remember what happened.

By the time I visited Smothers-Remick Ridge Ranch, the hot tub was a place for kids to splash around. I’d first met Tom in 1988, when I was hired as a writer for the variety show’s second life. While working on the reboot, I roomed with the associate producer, Marcy Carriker, who married Tom in 1990. Their two children — Bo and Riley Rose — would play with my own two kids. Marcy co-hosted a food and wine radio show with Guy Fieri, so dinner was always delicious. After the meal, Tom would sit by the fire, reading a thick novel.

It was a picture of domesticity that didn’t last. Soaking in wine country meant a lot of drinking, and the more Tom drank, the less fun he became. Knowing how brilliant and generous he could be, I found it painful to watch his behavior shift. If this seems harsh, I mention it because the truth mattered to Tom. Marcy and I would go on long walks to discuss the situation. We came up with a phrase that summed things up: “It’s tomplicated.”

Tom and Marcy separated 15 years ago but never divorced. And when Tom grew ill, she was there for him along with their children. “They have been rocks,” Marcy texted me hours after he died. She told me that over the last few months, Tom had never had a stranger care for him. She, Bo, Riley Rose and Marty Tryon, Tom’s former road manager, watched over him.

And so Tom spent a lovely Christmas Eve and Day surrounded by his family. He slipped away the next afternoon. As always, exquisite timing.

I hope Tom will be remembered. He was last on TV three decades ago, so except for comedy nerds, no one under 40 would have reason to recognize him. If you’re curious, there’s a smart 2002 documentary, “Smothered,” about the brothers’ getting fired from CBS, and an excellent book by David Bianculli, “Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” Both the film and book reiterate what history has made clear: Tom was absolutely right about war being stupid and civil rights being worth fighting for. In his own way, he, too, defended liberty.

Or try sliding down a YouTube rabbit hole where you’ll stumble over early routines from Steve Martin, whom Tom hired as a writer before encouraging him to perform. I never met an entertainer who was more respectful of other people’s talents than Tom. He adored so many fellow artists, including Harry Belafonte, Harry Nilsson, Martin Mull, and (Mama) Cass Elliot, who lights up one of my favorite sketches from the 1968-69 season.

The concept is simply Elliot singing her hit “Dream a Little Dream” to Tom as he tries to fall asleep in a big brass bed. Tom doesn’t say a word but gets plenty of laughs. The bit is sweet, original, musical and funny. When you strip away the tomplications, Tom was all those things.

I have no first-hand memories of their show but I do remember my parents loving it and any time that happened it came as a great relief to me. Anything that could distract my mom was a moment of safety and I appreciated it.

Rest in peace, Tommy

Tom & Dick on The Jack Benny Hour.

Cass Elliott singing to Tom, as referenced in the Times's column.