4 | JANUARY 11 • 2024 
J
N

for openers
Remembering a Master of Comedy
T

om Smothers, one 
half of the legendary 
comedy team the 
Smothers Brothers, passed 
away Dec. 26, 2023, at 86 
after a battle 
with cancer. 
In a statement 
released on 
behalf of his 
family by 
the National 
Comedy Center 
(NCC), his 
brother Dick 
Smothers, 85, said: “Tom 
(who he often called Tommy) 
was not only the loving older 
brother that everyone would 
want in their life, he was 
also a one-of-a-kind creative 
partner. I am forever grateful 
to have spent a lifetime 
together with him, on and off 
the stage, for over 60 years.” 
The Smothers Brothers 
humor, a blend of music 
and satire, changed with the 
times, and their material 
still holds up today. As a 
matter of fact, the duo were 
planning tour dates last year 
when Tom took ill.
The Smothers Brothers 
made us laugh, and they 
made us think. “They were 
true champions for freedom 
of speech, harnessing the 
power of comedy to push 
boundaries and our political 
consciousness,” said the 
NCC. 
“Tom was a true pioneer 
who changed the face of 
television and transformed 
our culture with The 
Smothers Brothers Comedy 
Hour, which satirized 
politics, combated racism, 

protested the Vietnam War.” 
So threatened by the 
nuances and challenges of 
their brand of humor, CBS 
famously canceled their show 
in April 1969. 
I’m grateful I had the 
chance to interview Tom 
and Dick Smothers at the 
2005 TV Land Awards in 
Los Angeles. TV Land is the 
cable channel that “celebrates 
the best of comedy tele-
vision,” including many 
classic sitcoms of yesteryear.
As a member of the press, 
I was invited to attend the 
event, which was honoring 
the Carol Burnett Show and 
her iconic ensemble cast 
with the network’s “Legend 
Award.” The Bob Newhart 
Show was also among the 
honorees, and I got to 
interview him, too! 
Upon hearing of Tom’s 
death, I retrieved the audio 
file of my interview with the 
guys that took place after the 
event had concluded. I was 
in the press tent gathering 
up my recording equipment 

when by a stroke of luck in 
walked the brothers.
I was awestruck and 
thanked the comedic Gods 
for blessing me with this 
opportunity to interview 
them. Tom and Dick could 
not have been more gracious 
and gave me all the time I 
desired. It turns out they 
had very vivid memories of 
appearing in Detroit, which 
they shared in detail. 
“We remember going to 
Detroit,” Dick said. “The last 
time we were there was the 
fabulous Fox, beautiful. And 
the symphony is one of the 
best in the world.”
“And the first time we were 
there was at the Roostertail,” 
said Tom recalling the long-
time event venue on the 
Detroit River. “The very first 
time was 1962, and it was 
only one of two jobs in the 
47 years we’ve been in the 
business that they didn’t ask 
us back. They didn’t pick up 
our option.”
“It was worse than that,” 
added Dick, which generated 

laughter from some 
onlookers to our interview. 
“We were singing ‘Down in 
the Valley’ and the people 
were looking at the boats and 
we were in their way. And 
they wanted us out of their 
way.” 
“Move over, move over!” 
Tom recalled the audience 
yelling. 
“Move over, there’s a boat!” 
Dick added, describing the 
crowd’s obvious interest in 
seeing a passing boat more 
than paying attention to their 
act.
And what can only be 
described as an amazing bit 
of irony, I concluded the 
interview with the brothers 
18 years ago by saying: “I’ll 
tell ya what, you’re going to 
be invited back as soon as 
the Lions make the playoffs. 
You’re my guest.” 
I was thinking of sending 
Dick Smothers a copy of my 
interview but considering 
what the cost of playoff 
tickets will be going for, I 
don’t want to be forced to 
make good on that offer. 
It took some arm twisting, 
but after Tom’s passing, I got 
my reluctant son to agree to 
sit down with me and watch 
some Smothers Brothers bits 
on YouTube. I wanted him 
to experience their unique 
brand of humor. And guess 
what? He liked it!
It got me to thinking. What 
a shame it is that there are 
so many comedic talents that 
remain unknown to younger 
generations that I’m certain, 
if given the chance, would 
be thoroughly entertained by 

Alan 
Muskovitz
Contributing 
Writer

Alan interviewing Tom Smothers

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