The Smother's Brother's was a very controversial program aired in the 1960's. This series was a second shot given to the Brother's by CBS after a very short lived program they tried to make a hit of previously. The Comedy Hour however, proved to be worth the second chance as it quickly became competitive with the most popular series on television at the time, Bonanza. The "Smother's Brother's Comedy Hour" was comprised of contentious comedy, music, and special appearances. With topics covered such as drug use, opposing views to the Vietnam War, current day politics, censorship, etc., they always rode the line of what's acceptable to say on TV. Although the Smother's Brother's spoke for the majority of rebellious young Americans, they did so tastefully, while being conservatively dressed so as to not stray from the image CBS wanted to represent. However, as they continuously pushed the envelope more and more each show with their debateable humor, CBS eventually cut the cord and removed them from the network for good, resulting in one of the most infamous fights over censorship in history. These types of people are the reason behind where we are today, as they fought for one of the most important rights we as Americans own, our First Amendment right to our Freedom of Speech.
No comments:
Post a Comment