Dangerously Funny [Kindle Edition]

David Bianculli (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Tom and Dick Smothers had confrontations with CBS censors when they did their satirical television series from 1967 to 1969. To write this authoritative and entertaining examination of a comedic cornerstone, TV critic Bianculli (Teleliteracy) interviewed scores of producers and performers. He reveals what went on behind the cameras and also probes the generational, artistic, and moral duels being fought in the '60s. He opens with the childhood of the brothers (and sister) when their father became a WWII POW fatality. After high school and college bands, the brothers rode the folk music wave into San Francisco's Purple Onion, switched to comedy at Aspen, and recorded their debut comedy album in 1960, exploding into fame on Jack Paar's Tonight show. After the failure of their 1965–1966 CBS sitcom, they went full throttle when their variety series, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, began taping in 1967, pushing boundaries musically, comically, satirically, politically and courting controversy. They strove for topicality while CBS scrambled to avoid it: For CBS, almost every mention of religion, sex, drugs, politics, and war was anathema. Reviewing each episode, entire sketches and individual gag lines, the book probes internal battles, with Tom Smothers fighting censors, executives, affiliates, and increasingly his own managers and staff members. Documenting each event that led to the show's cancellation, he concludes this entertaining and well-researched bio with the duo's huge influence on today's TV troublemakers and iconoclasts. (Dec. 1)
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Review

"David Bianculli details the Smothers Brothers' challenging of the CBS censors and the politicians of the '60s, and gets it exactly right. The Smothers Brothers deserve to be placed alongside Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and other rebellious comedy spirits who were willing to risk everything for what they believed. Compelling from start to finish -- a book to cherish." -- David Steinberg

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 3077 KB
• Publisher: Touchstone; 1 edition (December 1, 2009)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002YPORS0
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,921 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #41 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Arts & Entertainment > Television > History & Criticism
  • #46 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Humor > Comedy

More About the Author

David Bianculli has been a television critic for more than thirty years, currently on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. He is also 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful and Nostalgic, December 24, 2009

By 

J. Whitney (Appleton, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (Hardcover)

I think I must have seen every episode of that show as a kid growing up and this behind the scenes look is fascinating. The author covers pretty much every episode their creation and evolution, and interviews many of the participants, many of whom went on to famous careers themselves. Steve Martin. Rob Reiner. And of course Pat Paulsen. I had never realized that the Bob Einstein who played "Officer Judy" and now haunts "Curb Your Enthusiam" is Albert Brooks' brother. Tommy Smothers is particularly fascinating when you see how he was the driving force behind the show and realize just how sharp he is compared to the character he played. Even if you weren't a big fan, this book also takes a look at a key transition in American culture as the show manages to straddle the traditional while making way for a new era. So many famous bands had their beginnings there. The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield. By the end, even the Beatles were guests. It made me miss the days of one television, 3 channels, and the whole family having to watch the same thing, especially when I got to snicker at the jokes that were targeted at my generation and going over the head of my parents. What's sad is when you pull your head out of this book and look at the endless prattle of today's reality television and realize we can never return to this level of creativity just because of the economics of television. Great stuff.

22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars homage to great comedic satirists, December 3, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (Hardcover)

Although the biography primarily focuses on the famous TV show that nuked the then boundaries of television, there is more to this solid look at this groundbreaking show. David Bianculli opens with a section on the childhood and early steps of the brothers entering the entertainment world until their key appearance on the Jack Paar show. However, it is the deep look into each show and the battles with CBS and with other members of the show over what can be said or used on the air that makes this a fascinating biography. Finally the ultimate tribute to Tom and Dick Smothers besides bios like this one is how far they opened TV with current satire that tore into the establishment. The show was killed in its third season in 1969, but Mr. Bianculli makes a strong case that its influence remains stratospheric today in Stewart, Colbert and Maher.

Harriet Klausner

22 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honesty for the times, December 1, 2009

By 

Karen A. Nichols (Newcastle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (Hardcover)

The Smother's Brothers were what the country needed and the types that are still vital to our lives. It's called honesty. The network executives without the back bones or balls to weather the storm are the ones to blame for removing them from the airwaves.

Anytime you have networks who live for the perks from the politicians who live for the perks from the lobbyists....well, you know the drill.

The Story is good and honest, thank you for letting me grow up being forced to think, not follow like a sheep.