I caught a documentary about these guys over the weekend.
The Smothers Brothers, their extremely popular show which was top of the TV ratings at the time was dropped due to political pressure.
Since the axing of the Smothers Brothers show in the late 60s Political Satire has been blanket banned from prime time US television and national print media.
Freedom of the press, except to speak out against the establishment..
Info on the Smothers Brothers Quote:
One of the most famous instances was the censoring of folk singer Pete Seeger. Seeger had been invited to appear on the Smothers' second season premiere to sing his anti-war song, "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy." The song--about a gung-ho military officer during World War II who attempts to force his men to ford a raging river only to be drowned in the muddy currents--was a thinly veiled metaphor for President Lyndon Johnson and his Vietnam policies. The censoring of Seeger created a public outcry, causing the network to relent and allow Seeger to reappear on the Comedy Hour later in the season to perform the song.
Other guests who wanted to perform material with an anti-war message also found themselves censored. Harry Belafonte was scheduled to do a calypso song called "Don't Stop the Carnival" with images from the riotous 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention chromakeyed behind him. Joan Baez wanted to dedicate a song to her draft-resisting husband who was about to go to prison for his stance. In both cases, the network considered this material "political," thus not appropriate for an "entertainment" format. Dr. Benjamin Spock, noted baby doctor and anti-war activist, was prevented from appearing as a guest of the show because, according to the network, he was a "convicted felon."
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