About this item
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 such comedy legends 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.
About the Author
David Bianculli has been a television critic for more than thirty years, currently on NPR's "Fresh Air with Terry Gross" and his own website, TVWorthWatching.com. He is the author of two books on television and its impact: "Teleliteracy: Taking Television Seriously" and "Dictionary of Teleliteracy: Television's 500 Biggest Hits, Misses, and Events," as well as 2010's "Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.'" Bianculli is also a professor at Rowan University.
