Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"

**A behind-the-scenes look at the rise and fall of __The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour__ -- the provocative, politically charged program that shocked the censors, outraged the White House, and forever changed the face of television.** Decades before __The Daily Show__, __The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour__ proved there was a place on television for no-holds-barred political comedy with a decidedly antiauthoritarian point of view. In this explosive, revealing history of the show, veteran entertainment journalist David Bianculli tells the fascinating story of its three-year network run -- and the cultural impact that's still being felt today. Before it was suddenly removed from the CBS lineup (reportedly under pressure from the Nixon administration), __The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour__ was a ratings powerhouse. It helped launch the careers of comedy legends such as Steve Martin and Rob Reiner, featured groundbreaking musical acts like the Beatles and the Who, and served as a cultural touchstone for the antiwar movement of the late 1960s. Drawing on extensive original interviews with Tom and Dick Smothers and dozens of other key players -- as well as more than a decade's worth of original research -- __Dangerously Funny__ brings readers behind the scenes for all the battles over censorship, mind-blowing musical performances, and unforgettable sketches that defined the show and its era. David Bianculli delves deep into this riveting story, to find out what __really__ happened and to reveal why this show remains so significant to this day.

A behind-the-scenes look at the rise and fall of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour — the provocative, politically charged program that shocked the censors, outraged the White House, and forever changed the face of television.

Decades before The Daily Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour proved there was a place on television for no-holds-barred political comedy with a decidedly antiauthoritarian point of view. In this explosive, revealing history of the show, veteran entertainment journalist David Bianculli tells the fascinating story of its three-year network run — and the cultural impact that's still being felt today.

Before it was suddenly removed from the CBS lineup (reportedly under pressure from the Nixon administration), The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was a ratings powerhouse. It helped launch the careers of comedy legends such as Steve Martin and Rob Reiner, featured groundbreaking musical acts like the Beatles and the Who, and served as a cultural touchstone for the antiwar movement of the late 1960s.

Drawing on extensive original interviews with Tom and Dick Smothers and dozens of other key players — as well as more than a decade's worth of original research — Dangerously Funny brings readers behind the scenes for all the battles over censorship, mind-blowing musical performances, and unforgettable sketches that defined the show and its era.

David Bianculli delves deep into this riveting story, to find out what really happened and to reveal why this show remains so significant to this day.

An unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the rise and fall of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour — the provocative, politically charged program that shocked the censors, outraged the White House, and forever changed the face of television. Decades before The Daily Show , The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour proved there was a place on television for no-holds-barred political comedy with a decidedly antiauthoritarian point of view. In this first-ever all-access history of the show, veteran entertainment journalist David Bianculli tells the fascinating story of its three-year network run — and the cultural impact that's still being felt today. Before it was suddenly removed from the CBS lineup (reportedly under pressure from the Nixon administration), The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour was a ratings powerhouse. It helped launch the careers of comedy legends such as Steve Martin and Rob Reiner, featured groundbreaking musical acts like the Beatles and the Who, and served as a cultural touchstone for the antiwar movement of the late 1960s. Drawing on extensive original interviews with Tom and Dick Smothers and dozens of other key players — as well as more than a decade's worth of original research — Dangerously Funny brings readers behind the scenes for all the battles over censorship, mind-blowing musical performances, and unforgettable sketches that defined the show and its era. David Bianculli delves deep into this never-told story, to find out what really happened and to reveal why this show remains so significant to this day. The birth of the Smothers brothers (and the Smothers sister) The Smothers Brothers, all three of them, take the stage Tom and Dick shoot for Paar The Smothers Brothers, on the record "High noon on the Ponderosa" Revolution in a shoe box And so it begins : The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Testing the CBS censors, the first encounters From hit status to Elaine May not Becoming more creative, and more substantive Homegrown talent : Pat Paulsen, Leigh French, Mason Williams Season two : breaking the blacklist of Pete Seeger The Who explodes The generation gap widens, even on TV Wading back into "The Big Muddy" "Classical gas" The Smothers Brothers Smothers Show Season three : "We're still here" Meet the Beatles, this time on Comedy Hour Pat Paulsen for president David Steinberg finds religion Hair today, gone tomorrow Beeping censors lurking in the wings Classics and controversies Fired, not canceled The aftermath, the bed-in, and the trial After the fall, and couples therapy The Smothers Brothers legacy. Decades before The Daily Show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour proved there was a place on television for no-holds-barred political comedy with a decidedly anti-authoritarian point of view. Censorship battles, mind-blowing musical performances, and unforgettable sketches defined the show and its era. In this compelling history, the author draws on decades worth of original research, including interviews with Tom and Dick Smothers and other key players, to tell the fascinating story of the show's three-year network run--and the cultural impact that's still being felt today. (Publisher) "Dangerously Funny" presents a rollicking history of the rise and fall of the wildly influential '60s TV show, its perennial problems with the network censors, and its lasting influence on the cultural landscape.