Smothered - The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (2002)
Video Codec..........: XviD 1.1.2 Final
Video Bitrate........: 809kbps
Duration.............: 1:32:00
Resolution...........: 480*360
Framerate............: 29.970
Audio Codec..........: 0x0055 MPEG-1 Layer 3
Audio Bitrate........: 128 kbps CBR
Audio Channels.......: 2
Filename.............: Smothered.avi
Filesize.............: 656,269,916
Product Details (DVD)
* Actors: Joan Baez, Jack Benny, David Bianculli, Allan Blye, George Burns
* Directors: Maureen Muldaur
* Writers: Maureen Muldaur
* Producers: Maureen Muldaur, Charles Derbyshire, Shannon Gee
* Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
* Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
* Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
* Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
* Number of discs: 1
* Rating: NR (Not Rated)
* Studio: New Video Group
* DVD Release Date: January 28, 2003
* Run Time: 93 minutes
http://www.amazon.com/Smothered-Censorship-Struggles-Smothers-Brothers/dp/B00007CVSP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1245703581&sr=8-1
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0348056/
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***UPLOADER'S NOTE*** - The Smothers Brothers season 3 collection AND discography is already up and seeded here. Just click on my name.
Cast
Joan Baez ... Herself
Jack Benny ... Himself (archive footage)
David Bianculli ... Himself (interviewee)
Allan Blye ... Himself (interviewee)
George Burns ... Himself (archive footage)
Bette Davis ... Herself (archive footage)
Leigh French ... Herself
Nicholas Johnson... Himself (interviewee)
Perry Lafferty ... Himself (interviewee)
Bill Maher ... Himself
Nancy Nolan ... Herself (interviewee)
Pat Paulsen ... Himself (archive footage)
Ken Paulson ... Himself (interviewee)
Rob Reiner ... Himself
Pete Seeger ... Himself
Dick Smothers ... Himself
Tom Smothers ... Himself
Mason Williams ... Himself
Barnes & Noble
Using a blend of folk music and wholesome charm, Tom and Dick Smothers introduced a new brand of political commentary to '60s television. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour aired for only two years (1967-69), but in that brief span it managed to give CBS and then-network president Robert Wood a lifetime worth of headaches. By poking fun at everything from organized religion to President Lyndon Johnson, and by openly opposing the war in Vietnam, the show became a lightning rod for controversy. Smothered is a retrospective look at the network censorship battles that went on behind the scenes, and ultimately doomed the program. The 90-minute independent documentary, which originally aired on Bravo in December 2002, features a number of rarely seen clips, and includes appearances by the Brothers themselves, Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, and Rob Reiner -- part of the original Smothers Brothers writing team that also included Steve Martin and Mason Williams. It was a unique moment in American TV history, as a show that pushed the political envelope got canned despite its success in the ratings. Thanks to this eye-opening production, the lessons will endure.
All Movie Guide
With their blend of folk singing and stand-up comedy, Tom and Dick Smothers became a popular nightclub attraction in the early 1960's and were frequent guests on many television variety shows of the day. In 1967, in a bid to win younger viewers away from NBC's perennially popular western series Bonanza, CBS gave The Smothers Brothers an hour-long comedy-variety series airing on Sunday evenings The show became an unexpected hit, and in their second season, The Smother Brothers and their writing staff (which at the time included Rob Reiner and Steve Martin) began using the show as a platform for satiric humor which examined key issues of the day, including the war in Vietnam, drugs, racism, and the right-wing policies of the Nixon White House. While the show remained popular, it also became wildly controversial, and the Smothers Brothers soon found themselves battling their network and the FCC for the right to say what they wanted on their own show. Smothered: The Great Smothers Brothers Censorship Wars is a documentary which explores the history of the show, and how network brass and Nixon's cabinet worked together to pull the plug on a hit TV series; the film includes interviews with Tom and Dick Smothers, Rob Reiner, Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte, and Joan Baez.
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