Tom Smothers

Tom Smothers
File:SmothersBrothers1969headshot-tom.jpg Look magazine, 1969
Born	Thomas Bolyn Smothers III
Occupation(s)	Actor, comedian
Years active	1950s–present
Spouse(s)	Stephanie Green (1963–1967) Rochelle Robley (1974–1976) Marcy Carriker (1990–present)
Website	http://www.smothersbrothers.com/

Tom Smothers (born Thomas Bolin Smothers III on February 2, 1937) is an American comedian, composer and musician, best known as half of the musical comedy team the Smothers Brothers, alongside his younger brother Dick.

Life and career

Smothers was born in New York City, the son of Ruth, a homemaker, and Thomas B. Smothers, an army officer. After moving to California, he graduated from Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, California. He was a competitive unicyclist, and a state champion gymnast in the parallel bars. Smothers later attended San José State University .

The Smothers Brothers appeared on numerous television shows over the past few decades, including two variety shows of their own, The Smothers Brothers Show from 1965 to 1966, and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967.

Tom Smothers negotiated creative control over the CBS show. The documentary Smothered describes how the brothers (particularly Tom) fought CBS censors to sneak in references to religion, recreational drugs, sex, and the Vietnam War. Smothers is widely quoted as saying: "The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen." He and others have implied that the brothers' oppositional politics led to their show's demise. Tom also admits that politics sometimes took precedence over humor.

In motion pictures, Tom Smothers portrayed corporate-executive-turned-tap-dancing-magician Donald Beeman in one of Brian De Palma's earlier films, Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972). He also played a banker in Silver Bears. He later portrayed Spike in Serial (1980).

In 1973, he voiced Ted E. Bear (Theodore Edward Bear) in the DePatie-Freleng NBC animated Christmas special The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas. Ten years later, he voiced Ted E. Bear again for its Halloween sequel The Great Bear Scare. Smothers (uncredited) played guitar on John Lennon's recording of his single "Give Peace a Chance".

In 2007, Tom and Dick filmed a series of 30-second commercials and promotional spots for the River Rock Casino in Geyserville, California.

To augment their act in recent years, Tom Smothers created the mostly non-speaking character "Yo-Yo Man", a surprisingly expert performer of difficult tricks using a yo-yo. In their 2008 tour, Yo-Yo Man is listed as the group's opening act. The name is possibly a reference to the folk song "Yo-Yo Man," which the brothers sang together on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

In 2008, during the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, Smothers was awarded a special Emmy. In 1968, when he was head writer of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour", the writing staff was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Writing In A Comedic Series. Smothers had refused to let his name be on the list of writers nominated for the Emmy, because he felt his name was too volatile. The award at the 2008 ceremony was presented by Steve Martin, who was once a writer on the program.

Smothers is also the owner of Remick Ridge Vineyards in Sonoma County, California with his wife Marcy Carriker and two children, Bo (born 1993), and Riley Rose (born 1996). He also has a son, Thomas Bolyn Smothers IV (Tom Jr.), from his second marriage, and one grandson, Phoenix Parrish-Smothers.

See also

• List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards

Sources

• Tom Smothers at IMDb
• Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour at IMDb
• The Smothers Brothers at TV Party
• Archive of American Television interview
• Tommy Smothers quotes at ThinkExist
• Tom Smothers 'Speaking Freely' transcript
• Tom Smothers interview in 'Being There'
• Tom Smothers interviewed by 'Jerry Jazz Musician'