# So who would have nixed the Smothers Brothers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 6, 2000, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223 "2000-09-06T14:05:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/1 "2000-09-06T14:05:57Z")
A few years back the E! network was airing reruns of the Smothers Brothers, who introduced each program and gave their comments about it. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I could have sworn that one of the programs included The Beatles, but I don’t know whether it was supposed to be a studio appearance of some footage. They said something like, “Unfortunately, we can’t show you that segment because we didn’t get permission to use it.” Who would have said no–Michael or the record company? [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a951027.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a951027.html) ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/2 "2000-09-06T16:42:08Z")
All I can say is that from reading Cecil’s column, I don’t see how Michael Jackson would have any rights at all over filmed footage of the Beatles performing. As Cecil Adams says, “_The point is, being a publisher doesn’t give you all that much control over the songs you own; mainly it gives you the right to the profits they earn._” ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/3 "2000-09-06T18:02:39Z")
It’s very difficult to see any complete performance of the Beatles on TV unless you go to a place like the Museum of TV and Radio. If you ever see an Ed Sullivan retrospective, they usually don’t show the Beatles peforming any song in its entirety. Somehow the Beatles must have retained some rights to any televised performance they made. ---
**Author:** ![Perderabo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Perderabo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perderabo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2000, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/4 "2000-09-06T19:10:42Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s very difficult to see any complete performance of the Beatles on TV unless you go to a place like the Museum of TV and Radio. Or perhaps my apartment. “First US Tour” has the first three appearances on Ed Sullivan in their entirety. “Ready Steady Go Live” has an entire early televized concert. “Ready Steady Go Volume One” and “Ready Steady Go Volume Three” each contain complete Beatles performances (other stars appear on these also). “Live at the Budokan” is a complete concert that appeared on Japanese TV. I have these on LaserDisks. Only the last one can be called rare. The others are regularly offered for sale on EBAY in LaserDisk format. I believe they are available in VHS and DVD as well. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2000, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/5 "2000-09-07T05:22:28Z")
Or “The Compleat Beatles.” Or the Beatles Anthalogy. Besides, Mike Jackson doesn’t control the Beatles songs anymore. He sold the publishing rights to Sony a few years ago when he was having financial trouble. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/6 "2000-10-02T20:56:52Z")
I would have nixed them, for a different reason. For all I know, I may be the only one among the Teeming Millions who graduated from Redondo Union High School in Redondo Beach, CA; it’s about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. The Smothers Brothers graduated from RUHS; although born in New York (on Governors Island), they grew up in Redondo Beach. (In fact I am using a public terminal in the city library, diagonally across Pacific Coast Highway and Diamond Street from the campus.) However, their variety show premiered about the time my senior year began; and they had a segment with Jonathan Winters as “Bull Dog Bates,” their high-school football coach and, like many of Winters’ characters, a dimwitted bumbler. Wouldn’t you know–one of the RUHS football coaches _was_ named Bates! I talked to him Monday morning about it, and he said “We have filed an official complaint.” Nothing further ensued, to my knowledge; but it apparently seemed to Coach Bates that Tom and Dick were taking a swipe at him and Redondo High–on national television yet! Furthermore, my government teacher–who may very well have been _their_ government teacher–said that when the brothers were invited to visit RUHS, in the 60s, their agent turned the school down; the teacher concluded that this was because it was Redondo High, not a high school in an upscale community like Beverly Hills or Palos Verdes Peninsula. Mr. Roy said, “You can write off the Smothers Brothers.” ☹ ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2000, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/7 "2000-10-02T22:45:31Z")
> [@](#): > > it apparently seemed to Coach Bates > [@](#): > > the teacher concluded Not to take anything away from Coach Bates and your gov teacher, but what did Tom and Dick have to say about it? Isn’t it a little bit possible that the first was a coincidence and the second a legitimate decision on the part of their agent? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2000, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/8 "2000-10-03T22:07:24Z")
Legitimate in what way? Or does the word “legitimate”, as you use it, mean “snobbish” or “arrogant”? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2000, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/9 "2000-10-03T22:51:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dougie\_monty \* > \*\*Legitimate in what way? Or does the word “legitimate”, as you use it, mean “snobbish” or “arrogant”? \*\* Perhaps “legitimate” insomuch as RUHS made their lives a living hell. (I don’t know that it did, but I do know that if **my** high school invited me to visit, I’d tell them to go to hell.) ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2000, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/10 "2000-10-03T23:06:24Z")
The Smothers Brothers attended a couple of other high schools. I believe they did their best to make themselves not welcome in the public school system. They also attended Verdugo Hills High School in Sunland, CA. Charles Lindbergh briefly attended Redondo Union High? Did he ever make a return trip? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/11 "2000-10-04T20:38:07Z")
Legitimate, as in “we can’t fit it into our busy schedule”. Legitimate, as in “Tommy has a case of laryngitis.” Legitimate, as in “Dad had a heart attack, we’ll be at the hospital that week.” Legitimate, as in “We’re touring outer Mongolia.” Why assume it was because they were being snobbish? ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2000, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/12 "2000-10-04T23:09:33Z")
Since this is 33 years after the fact I don’t remember all the details about the teacher’s statement. But I did not attempt to read into it an ulterior motive on the teacher’s part, although he was something of a Rush Limbaugh prototype and God knows how many times he stacked the deck about various subjects he took up. Given their subtle slap at Redondo High by means of Jonathan Winter’s characterization, and their efforts in the next two years to transform their TV comedy-variety show into a political forum, at at time when the TV public was surfeited with such material, however, I think it is safe to assume that 1)The request/invitation was made in a civil manner and 2)There was no family problems (with their mother anyway; their father died in World War II in custody of the Japanese in the Pacific–he was a POW), or other commitments. So it’s likely that the agent, who may not have known anything about their connection with RUHS, curtly turned the school down. Incidentally, Lindbergh attended RUHS for only one semester. ---
**Author:** ![Danielinthewolvesden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Danielinthewolvesden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danielinthewolvesden)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/13 "2000-10-05T08:04:31Z")
But, Lord, I saw some of those old re-runs, and they were SO dated, it was painful. Great humor is timeless. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-who-would-have-nixed-the-smothers-brothers/32223/14 "2000-10-05T18:25:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dougie\_monty \* > \*\* > Incidentally, Lindbergh attended RUHS for only one semester. \*\* As I said, Lindbergh “briefly attended” RUHS. I believe it had something to do with a family member having to temporarily relocate from Minnesota to California.