Why Tom Smothers’ legacy shames the modern left

Those who knew Tom Smothers, who died Tuesday at 86, mourn a father, a husband, a brother, and a friend.

For the rest of us, the loss is far less personal but also deeply felt.

We remember a fearless satirist who both provoked and entertained. We also remember the now departed movement he once helped lead: the counterculture left.

May both rest in peace.

The naive half of the Smothers Brothers act used his wit to skewer authority and challenge broadcast TV standards. The duo, featuring the kindly Tom and Dick (their mother’s favorite), reigned supreme during the 1960s.

The twosome’s signature show, “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” played nice during its 1967 debut, keeping their rebellious political takes in check. Emboldened by strong ratings, the pair opened the second season with a cultural uppercut from the left.

They invited folkie Pete Seeger to sing the anti-Vietnam War anthem “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy.” CBS censored the song but later lured Seeger back on the “Hour” after viewer complaints.

Now, imagine Stephen Colbert inviting a singer critical of America funding the Ukraine War on CBS’ “The Late Show.”

Our minds can’t stretch that far.

Brothers in arms

The brothers kept hammering away at cultural norms, challenging CBS censors on matters tied to drugs, sex, and political commentary. They knew the show could be axed for flying too close to the pop culture sun, but they refused to back down.

They challenged authority. And John Mellencamp could have warned them what would happen next.

The “Comedy Hour” lasted three seasons until its increasingly political bent and declining ratings coaxed CBS suits to pull the plug. Their act got “canceled” years before the term took on a new, ominous meaning.

A fascinating footnote to the show’s demise: The brothers eventually won a wrongful termination suit against CBS.

The Smothers Brothers embraced the core tenets of the era’s liberal movement: anti-war, pro-free speech, defy authority early and often. They were the cool kids, the TV hippies who channeled the liberal Woodstock generation.

Against 'a very scared way of thinking'

They hugged the First Amendment like a curvy anti-war protester.

When CBS censors snipped several naughty words from the “Comedy Hour," Tom Smothers raged to the New York Times.

“The censors censored the censorship bit. It’s a real infringement of our creative rights.”

He later shared more on censorship with McCall’s magazine circa 1968.

"The people who censor our shows are all conditioned to a very scared way of thinking, which is reflected in the kind of programs the networks put on. Television should be as free as the movies, as the newspapers, as music to reflect what’s happening.”

Agree or disagree, it’s a sentiment most liberal comics would never utter today. Heck, too many insist cancel culture isn’t real.

Liberal authoritarians

The modern left, from media institutions to celebrities, genuflects to the government — assuming Democrats are holding the keys to the kingdom. It’s especially true across the pop culture landscape. Remember the “Vax Scene” on Colbert’s “Late Show,” featuring dancing COVID-19 needles to promote the government’s mandates?

What about Jimmy Kimmel lobbing softballs at Hunter Biden in 2021?

How many “Saturday Night Live” skits have targeted the woke mob? Team Biden’s censorship regime? Cancel culture silencing classic Dr. Seuss books?

Oh, wait. Colbert and Seth Meyers yukked it up when the woke mob came for the avuncular doctor.

The comedic left has little fear of censorship today. Comics like Meyers and John Oliver say what they’re “supposed” to say and target who they’re “supposed” to target. They even chuckled when President Donald Trump got banned from social media platforms.

The left’s love for authority isn’t new. Remember how stars like Demi Moore, Jason Bateman, and more pledged to “serve” President Barack Obama during the early days of his administration?

Everyone from Zach Galifianakis to Jimmy Kimmel used their platforms to prop up Obama’s deeply flawed health care overhaul.

A wasted legacy?

The far-left Salon.com correctly noted the Smothers Brothers paved the way for shows like “Saturday Night Live” and “The Daily Show.” Now, both showcases prop up the powerful and savage the party out of power.

“SNL” couldn’t even smite the Ivy League college professors who stood down when anti-Semites roamed their campuses.

A few liberal comedians carry the Smothers Brothers’ torch. Bill Maher hammers his peers for embracing woke bromides and denying free speech 101.

Others, including John Cleese and Ricky Gervais, are similarly eager to defend free expression from the censorious mob.

The rest reflect today’s left. Anti-free speech. Pro-Big Government. Pro-war (unless it’s a retaliation against an unprecedented terror attack).

We need the Smothers Brothers now more than ever.