Smothers Brothers plan then nix reunion tour

Here’s another reason to decry the pandemic: It’s quashed plans for a Smothers Brothers reunion tour.

That’s what longtime Sonoma Valley resident Tom Smothers, the older half of the legendary sibling comedy team, told the Index-Tribune this week.

The news comes only a few days after Tom and Dick Smothers were featured on the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast, where the comedian ran a recent interview recorded in Sonoma Valley, at which time the brothers spoke of plans for a series of live appearances commemorating their more than 60 years in show business.

But as the COVID-19 omicron variant has ratcheted up infections across the country in recent weeks, the brothers have had a change of heart.

“We’re done and finished,” Tom Smothers said on Friday. “I’m 85 this February, my brother Dick is 83, and we figured this is about the time to roll it up.”

The Smothers Brothers gained fame on the comedy circuit in the 1960s for their irreverent blend of folk singing and witty between-song repartee, with Dick acting as straight man against Tom’s more childlike stage persona. After recording a series of successful comedy albums, the brothers were given the chance to host their own primetime variety show for the CBS network. “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” debuted in 1967, featuring a roster of such soon-to-be famous writers and performers - including Steve Martin, Rob Reiner, Albert Brooks and Jennifer Warnes – and counter-culture musical guests including Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, Jefferson Airplane and the Who, among others.

As the show’s edgy humor regularly set its sights on mainstream national politics and the Vietnam War, the brothers frequently butted heads with CBS censors, and the network canceled the show after only its second season, despite healthy ratings.

In the decades since, the show has become recognized as a benchmark moment for primetime network television, when a mainstream variety show embraced the political zeitgeist of the times, and suffered the consequences.

Today, the Smothers Brothers are remembered as a groundbreaking comedy team who utilized their national platform to shake up the status quo.

The brothers haven’t performed as a pair for more than a decade. But in the interview with Maron, the siblings teased longtime fans with plans to resume live appearances together.

“It’s been 12 years since anybody’s seen us and we have some fans who will say, ‘These guys are really old, I wonder if they can still do it,” said Tom Smothers. “I’d be interest, too, to see if somebody in their 80s can make a comeback.”

The brothers said they’d envisioned patterning the tour after an appearance they’d made at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York, in which a moderator would interview them about their careers, they’d show clips from past performances and their legendary variety show, and then field questions and comments from the audience.

Tom Smothers conceded on the podcast that their singing voices aren’t what they used to be. “If we do what I think we can do, they won’t judge us on if we can’t sing as well as we did,” he said. “They’ll come back with a good feeling and say, ‘I didn’t waste my time liking those guys.’ We don’t want to disappoint them.”

Smothers told the Index-Tribune plans for the series of appearances had been in the works for months. But concerns over the strength of their voices, as well as the toll traveling during the pandemic would take on them, became too much.

“About a year and half ago we started planning for it,” he said, describing the tour as “a clip show – a lot of old-timers do these.”

But, continued Smothers, “when everything started shutting down with the omicron virus, we’ve pulled that back.”

The full podcast can be heard at wtfpod.com. Toward the end of the show, the brothers look back on their legacy with fans with typical humility.

“I feel so good when people make it a point to come up and thank me and hug me,” said Dick. “And I don’t feel worthy, but I will not diminish their feelings.”

Quipped Tom: “I will. I’ll say, thank you very much for your comment, but we don’t deserve it. I appreciate your misunderstanding about what we did.”

Email Jason Walsh at Jason.walsh@sonomanews.com.