Why did CBS censor The Smothers Brothers? How did The Smothers Brothers respond to CBS’s attempts at censorship? How did questions of what constitutes appropriate content for network TV play out in the late 1960s and early 1970s and how do they play out today?
The Smother’s Brothers had an extremely tumultuous relationship with their censors and regularly made it clear that they didn’t support their influence. Not only would the brothers make fun of censorship on their show, like the sketch we saw in class where they presented the script for a censored sketch, but they would use media as well to exploit their impact.
ReplyDeleteThe Smothers Brothers aired during a time of social unrest in America—hippie counter culture was controversial at best, and CBS, along with other networks, couldn’t safely show certain elements of counter culture or political ideologies without risking viewership and outside regulation. For example, Bodroghkozy cites that “illegal drug use could not be condoned, much less advocated on network television. To uphold hippie values but to condemn psychedelic was a contradictory stance that the networks assumed over and over” (205). Networks had no problem letting the Smother’s Brothers dabble with counter cultural references, but they couldn’t allow just anything on television.
As far as television now, it seems TV much less censored. Of course, there is a distinct difference between what is allowed on channels like HBO compared to channels like ABC—but even ABC and other network shows make references to and even blatantly show sex, drug use, and other cultural elements that would have otherwise been censored in the 1970s. I think now TV is often censored when it has to do with elements of sexism, racism, etc. instead of “counter culture.”
Nudity, cursing, and mature topics are mostly fine in today's world of television. It's why the MA rating was created, and this freedom allows television shows to push the limits of what an audience is ready to see. Whole channels (HBO) have been created for this reason, and it is a testament to the shows like the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
ReplyDeleteOther than the idea that television was a vast wasteland with a lack of ethics in terms of advertising, it wasn't really thought of threatening. When a tame show like Julia received a wide variety of mail due to its depiction of a black woman living a "normal" life, you can be sure there wasn't a lot of controversial material out there. CBS stood in a climate that was coming off the culturally conservative 1950s, and many people were trying to cling to that culture despite a civil rights movement, new music and drug culture, and turmoil over war. CBS was appealing to that base rather than the youth of the 1970s, who would have loved to see an uncensored version of the Smothers Brothers.
They dealt with censorship in subtle ways, like playing off the ambiguity of the word "roach." It could be a cockroach, but Leigh French also could have meant a joint. Another example was the censorship skit mentioned above. I also saw the Smothers Brothers in my Musicology class. They invited on The Who as their musical guest, and they performed "My Generation" complete with Roger Daltry's famous "amphetamine stutter" while singing that song.
It was these ways that the Smothers Brothers pushed the limits of television comedy, allowing us to see things on the screen that would have been unthinkable in the 1970s.
The difference between the 1960's and the 1970’s is drastic in regards to censorship of television programs. In the late 1950's the counterculture movement was just beginning to emerge with the beatnik generation, while during the late 1960's the hippie movement and discontented youth were widespread, but not yet widely accepted. With the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1967-1969) largely targeting this nonconformist demographic, especially in its second and third seasons, CBS felt the show was turning away larger audiences who did not find the free spirit and political ideas appealing. Also at the time, CBS shows largely fell into the "Vast Wasteland" of "junk" addressed in Newton Minnows speech, often straying away from topical and contentious issues. Ostensibly, CBS attempted to censor the Comedy Hour's content that could be received as controversial, especially in regard to politics and obvious approval of the hippie movement. In response, the Smothers Brothers often-aired skits directly addressing the censorship situation, calling attention to the types of topics television would and would not allow, and how their censorship only angered the more liberal and progressive youth generation at the time. It would not be until the 1970's, beginning with CBS's reorganization, that television would begin to see reformation of shows by overtly addressing controversial and topical issues, as in All in the Family, and the Mary Tyler Moore Show.
ReplyDeleteTelevision shows today are censored much less thanks to shows like the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour pushing the limits and calling attention to censorship directly. However less censorship can also be attributed to the popularization of cable, just beginning at the time. Channels reaching larger audiences such as the main network channels of CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX have a higher degree of censorship, but still candidly address topics of sex, drugs etc. often censored in the early years. However, paid for cable channels such as HBO, Showtime, and Starz have the ability to accentuate these ideas in a highly explicit manner because of the finer categories of narrowcasting. Therefore, censorship today has normalized the taboo of early television, instead, censoring issues that may have seemed natural then, such as racism and bigotry.
The Smother Brother Comedy Hour was censored by CBS for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, its depiction of illegal substance abuse, commonly associated with counterculture, as well as its mockery of censorship as a whole. CBS decided to censor the show because it would not allow its censorship practices be mocked, lest other shows decide to follow suit and not take the censorship regulations in place seriously. In addition, given how circumstances surrounding society in the 60s and 70s, the network had to censor ostensible depictions of drug use on screen, so as to avoid being labeled as condoning, or even promoting, such habits.
ReplyDeleteThe Smother Brother Comedy Hour responded in a variety of very creative ways. For one, they used "slang" that would only make sense to the younger generation, to mystify the older generation when it comes to drugs. For instance, "tea" often had a double meaning that only the younger generation would get as being a reference to marijuana. Thus effectively rendering the network unable to come up with a solid reason to censor them.
The main difference between censorship in the 60s and 70s and today, I would say, is the content that is being censored, which is highly dependent on the geographical location where a particular show is being screened at. For instance, in Singapore, references to any kind of sex is strictly censored. Game Of Thrones in Singapore would look very different from the ones shown here in America. Furthermore, with the development of the ratings system, there is definitely more room for television shows and movies to flex their creative muscle.
The Smothers Brothers were censored for their rather youth oriented culture at the time. Many of their ideas for what compromised acceptable social activity was more along the lines of Hippie culture as previously stated and spoke against government. They took the stance of free speech and openly criticized censorship as unconstitutional. Many of their ideas against censorship was used in sketches as well as material that would normally not have aired used indirectly. As a popular program gaining prime time fame, there was a great deal of social influence held by the Smothers brothers as well as control over CBS’s public image. This had the effect of CBS attempting to tighten censorship of their program only to have it thrown right back at their faces, so to speak, when their censorship was openly discussed and ridiculed by the Smothers Brothers. Interestingly, media producing giants today maintain a strong hold on censorship in certain genres for the sake of image. Disney is fairly well known for heavily engineering its image via censoring writing for certain shows. In fact, a more recent show, “Gravity Falls”, has gained quite a bit of popularity as foiling their S&P department on a number of occasions with roundabout references or, in one case, directly calling the department out on an episode.
ReplyDeleteDespite their clean-cut, charming, boy next door looks, the Smothers Brothers had a lot more on their agenda than a squeaky clean variety show. This duo targeted the youth counterculture in the late 60s and early 70s, and CBS did not hesitate to censor nudity, profanity, and sensitive political topics written into scripts on the show. The Smothers Brothers, however, did not simply sit back and conform. They pushed the envelope with their content through their persistence, fan support, and cleverness.
ReplyDeleteThis bold pair would use coded language targeted at the younger generation, language that would pass under the radar of the decision makers at the networks. As mentioned in early comments, the word “roach” was used in a scene as a double entendre: roach meaning both ‘bug’ and ‘joint.’ Through this approach, the Smothers Brothers aired far more controversial content than the networks were even aware of. Additionally, they interacted with their audience, openly mocking the censorship rules: for example, when they ‘showed’ a censored script on TV by showing a copy of the paper script.
Today TV networks take a different approach to censorship. For example, TV ratings help raise awareness about the appropriateness of the content. Networks are choosing to work with audiences, making them aware, offering guidance, and leaving the decision to view racy content in the hands of the public. This acceptance has developed over time, but it is also inevitable. With so many growing domains of television - cable, network, and the internet – the controlled censorship of content is growing near impossible.
The Smother’s Brothers began as relatively straight-laced, comedic characters that did not create controversy. However, as counter-culture took root in American society, The Smother’s Brothers began covering more controversial issues, clashing with CBS censors. Their shows began finding comedic value in issues such as drug culture, backlash to war, opposition to government power and more emphasis on the lower classes. With jokes about ‘morons running the country’ and blatant references to drug culture, The Smother’s Brothers began to become more and more odds with their censors. The censors began carefully monitoring scripts, cutting out parts they felt were inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteIn response, the Smother’s Brothers responded with more sketches that mocked this censorship such as one that thanked censors for letting them show a controversial skit. Ironically, they meant literally “show” the script, literally just displaying the print copy to the audience. Another skit showed censors tearing up previously humorous scripts, leaving them with something devoid of both controversy and humor.
What often came to constitute appropriate content of the time was content that did not touch upon topics that ignited the public with any sort of provocative thought. Topics at that time included drugs such as LSD, opposition to the Vietnam war, rights of minority groups and gun control. However today, topics that provoke thought and discussion among the audience are often looked at as appropriate for television because this boosts ratings and viewership more often than it doesn’t. Network TV today is not escapist as it was in earlier time periods but is more open to the idea of adapting and reflecting present times.
The Smother Brothers were mavericks of their day when it comes to content and censorship. The duo clashed with their CBS censors by tailoring their show towards issues popular among their targeted demographic. These issues included: disagreement with the war in Vietnam, drug culture/references, racism, and criticism towards the political leaders during the time. While the viewers appreciated this daring form of entertainment, the censors did not. CBS ultimately started to censor the scripts and content shown, but this did not necessarily solve the problem. In response to this censorship, the Smother Brothers cleverly figured out ways to poke fun at their restrictions. As stated above in numerous examples, they showed the "skit" that had been censored by CBS through a shot of the actual script. While this decision may seem corny to some, it was still an extremely clever way of communicating to the audience that the network was responsible for the changes to the program.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1960s and 1970s, "appropriate content" was constituted by images and topics that did not reference or talk about issues that were polarizing at the time. This includes: drugs, racism, the Vietnam War, and political leaders. Networks wanted to make sure that nobody was offended by what was being shown in their programs, and to make sure this happened they would censor any type of sensitive issue. In today's television world, the censors have lightened up on the content that they restrict. Networks hope to report on all important issues, but mostly on issues that will instigate discussion and viewership (think about the Ferguson shooting or SNL weekend updates that bash politicians). Another important influence for today's censorship is the importance placed on cable television as well. HBO, CNN, Showtime, etc. all offer subscribers the opportunity to watch shows and news without some of the censorship issues that major networks face. Subscribers are able to watch shows with nudity, drug use, swearing, and sensitive issues without worrying about something being removed by censors. Even though network television today has improved on its censorship, it still has restrictions on what can be shown.
The Smothers Brothers relationship with the censors was extremely tense in a time where counter-cultural thought and anti-establishment notions abounded the public sphere. Once the Smothers Brothers moved left from their original straight edge form, the censors at CBS took notice and came down on them with plenty of omissions from their shows. Now as artists, the Smothers Brothers naturally had two trains of thought; 1) We have the censors, 2) We are smarter than the censors. Thus, they made moves to manipulate their way around censorship. They self-reflexivised the censors by putting their notes in sketches, they used slang words that had double entendre in them, so only younger generations would understand the true meaning (read: roach), and they used the press to forcefully get their struggles noticed by the public. Their multi-pronged attack at the censors was part of what led a shift in the 1970s to discuss topics of the counter culture and other more subjective issues. The censors then reformatted their organization to allow for more edgy storytelling and conflicts to arise on television.
ReplyDeleteAs far as television today, the most paralleled microcosm I can see to the SMothers Brother relationship is the one South Park has with the FCC. They will push their jokes as far and as abundantly as they can possibly think in order to tease and overwhelm the FCC into giving them what they want, and making only slight adjustments to their program. This type of censorship is more extreme in the opposite direction of the Smothers Brothers, meaning more absurdity can be shown on TV today.
CBS censored the Smothers Brothers because they were becoming too controversial. The brothers would constantly be making political and social points throughout their sketches by bringing up counter culture and other not so family-friendly subjects. CBS did not feel comfortable letting this content air because they were afraid of public backlash, and because the show was so popular, there would be a large backlash if viewers so decided to make one. They decided that censoring the show was the best option for them to stay in the clear, but they inadvertently caused the show to fail because so much of what made the show good, the comedy combined with critique, was censored. While they were being censored, the brothers would make fun of it such as in the scene in class where the writers acting as CBS executives went through the script in the beginning of an episode and removed all of the funny pages until there was a single page left. They still tried to get certain things past the censors such as the roaches scene in class as well.
ReplyDeleteThe 1960s were a tumultuous time in U.S. culture. There were many things going on that some people would have liked to ignore, and seeing it on television only made them angry. Shows in the late 1960s were censored in how much counter culture they could show. Shows like "The Smothers Brothers" which sided with counter culture through satire were heavily censored while shows like Dragnet 1967 could explicitly show drug culture as long as they condemned it. Censorship began to lighten up in the 1970s as shows were tackling bigger social and political issues and trying to put more sexual situations on screen. The Smothers brothers unfortunately were too late for this lax censorship period. Today, there are still many rules about what can't be shown on television such as explicit sex, drug use, language, and violence. There are ways to work around the censors by showing glimpses or toning down the activity, but there is still a general sense of censorship that was present in the late 1960s.
The Smothers Brothers pressed the boundaries of what was considered acceptable to broadcast during the late 1960s. They featured many references to drug culture and were sympathetic to the counterculture and its values. They also were vocally critical of the Vietnam War, President Johnson, the draft, and racism. These topics were featured often on their show, as the audience they were attempting to appeal to (teenagers and young adults) responded positively to them and supported the show. CBS, afraid of a backlash by older viewers and from regulatory broadcast departments, decided to censor the show. CBS at the time was just starting to shift its programming to appeal more to the Baby Boomer generation, which was considered to be more upscale and more socially aware, from their Greatest Generation parents, whose post-war values were much more socially conservative and much less permissive.
ReplyDeleteThe Smothers Brothers responded to the attempts at censorship by becoming more oblique in their references to controversial topics. For example, as others have mentioned, the use of slang recognized only by people in specific sub-cultures would understand, such as the term “roach.” The show largely just continued what they were doing, as they refused to back down. Sketches on the show also started to become more explicitly critical of censorship, in direct defiance of the CBS censors. As a result, shows started to be edited without their consent or not air at all until the show was canceled.
The question of what constitutes “appropriate” content for broadcast plays out the same today as it did in the 1960s and 1970s. The main factor in what is considered appropriate is who the network considers their main audience to be and how sensitive they are perceived to be to taboo social issues. For example, CBS ditched their older audience by the early 1970s in favor of the Baby Boomers, who had more disposable income and more permissive values. As a result, the shows broadcast on CBS became more permissive (by comparison) during that decade, with shows like All In the Family and Maude. However, the rise of the Religious Right during the late 1970s and 1980s (who were opposed to these permissive programs) put the networks in a position where they would lose money and viewers with these shows. So, many of them were toned down/censored or canceled. Today, the broadcast networks are less concerned with censoring things, but in comparison to cable television they have much more regulation on what they can say or show still. But I feel like their main concern is trying to keep their viewers, so they aren’t as concerned with what people think is “appropriate” unless people make waves about a program, which again puts them in the position of potentially losing money and advertisers.
CBS censored The Smothers Brothers for an assortment of reasons, but prominent among these perceived trespasses against suitable content were the Brothers’ liberal, free-spirited ideas, references to the drug culture, and mockery of the idea of censorship. The move to censor the Smothers Brothers first started in the late 1960s. During this time, the United States was experiencing a time of great discontentment among certain demographics (namely the counterculture) and sociopolitical unrest was at the forefront of American politics. CBS didn’t want to come across as supportive of the profane material or sympathies towards the youthful counterculture, and they certainly didn’t want to risk losing audience numbers, so they ordered the Smothers Brothers to alter their content.
ReplyDeleteThe Smothers Brothers, of course, responded with defiance and cleverness. Many people have already cited the “roach” example in this thread. The utilization of double-entendres made life difficult for the CBS censors, as they were unable to block content on definitive grounds. Additionally, the Smothers Brothers incorporated anti-censorship ideas in their skits. In the example we watched in lecture, they brought a censored script on the air and showed it to a live television audience.
Censorship in the 1960s and 70s compared to today was quite different. Networks were hesitant to broadcast anything that they thought could potentially lead to a decrease in ratings. This included, among other things, references to the drug culture and profane material such as nudity. Today, however, there are designated channels for mature material. Networks, having catered to changes in cultural attitudes and audience interest, now broadcast shows with a level of nudity and violence that would have been unimaginable in the 1960s/70s. In a way, this speaks to the desensitization of what our culture perceives to be unacceptable. Moving into the future, it will probably only become more and more difficult to completely stop questionable content from being made available to the public, as paid programming and Internet streaming services make it that much easier.