The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour - clips and commercials 10/6/68

Here are some clips and the original commercial breaks from the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour as aired on 10/6/68.

Guests for this installment included Nancy Sinatra, Aaron Williams, Pat Paulsen, and a special filmed appearance of the Beatles singing their latest single "Hey, Jude". In fact, the Smothers Brothers was the only US show that received permission from the Beatles to run this performance as Tommy mentions here. George Harrison would make a 'live' surprise appearance on the show several weeks after this aired.

This is from the third and final season of the show. While remembered today as 'too controversial', the shows when seen in their entirety are not as controversial as history suggests. They are solidly entertaining and fun with a dash of social commentary on the hot buttons of the day. It was too hot in fact for CBS at the time and the network canceled the show at the end of this season amidst a flurry of controversy.

After that, the show won the emmy for that season, the Brothers sued the network (and won) for breach of contract, and CBS would soon begin airing a show called All in the Family which luckily for them never stirred up any controversy whatsoever.

Note the appearance of a pre-M*A*S*H Mike Farrell in a Kool Cigarette commercial. I'm sure BJ would have something to say about smoking habits

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Smothers Brothers
• tommy smothers
• dick smothers
• commercials
• mike farrell
• BJ
• MASH
• comedy
• promo
• 1960s
• 60s

[fromthesidelines]

...and Mort Marshall is the man pitching Volkswagen at the end. A veteran Broadway, film and TV actor, he also provided the voice of the "Trix rabbit" in General Mills commercials, as well as the voice of "Stanley Livingston" on "TENNESSEE TUXEDO AND HIS TALES", and "Klondike Kat" on "THE UNDERDOG SHOW".

[fromthesidelines]

Oh, yes, Joe Sirola is the voice behind the Whirlpool ad. He's still "the voice of Boar's Head" deli meats in their commercials to this day...

[Aspergian]

Would you have any clips of Lorenzo Music from this series? I've read next to his being a writer for this series, he occasionally would sneak onto camera strumming his banjo or ukelele.

[mikethekhotmailcom]

the Beatles appearance was a videotape from the David frost show(UK). Available on YouTube.

[mikethekhotmailcom]

The B

[jaytoor]

WOW look at those cars!

[ModGirl1967]

Thanks for the post!

[sith4923]

this video is interesting as hell

[fromthesidelines]

Mike appeared in dozens of commercials during this period, while trying to make his mark as a "working actor". He was particularly appealing to cigarette advertisers, as the Kool ad demonstrates.

"Participating sponsorship" were the keywords here; several advertisers bought individual minutes on the Brothers' show every week {those most often, at the time, were Brown & Williamson [Kool], American Tobacco [Tareyton, Silva Thins]- they also co-sponsored their 1965-'66 sitcom- and Volkswagen}.

[PeerlessPaavo]

DaVinci was a vegetarian and is deader than the proverbial doornail.