Later Career and Retirement
The Smothers Brothers had further television shows: a 1968 CBS summer replacement series, The Summer Brothers Smothers Show; The Smothers Brothers Show (1975), initially produced by Joe Hamilton (who concurrently produced The Carol Burnett Show, starring his wife), which was an unsuccessful attempt to recapture the look and feel of the original comedy-variety series without the controversy; and The Tom and Dick Smothers Brothers Specials I and II in 1980.
In 1978, the brothers starred in a replacement cast for I Love My Wife, Cy Coleman's and Michael Stewart's Broadway musical satire on the sexual revolution of the 1970s, directed by Gene Saks.
In 1981, Tom and Dick Smothers played non-brothers in a light TV drama, set in San Francisco, titled Fitz and Bones. Both characters worked at a Bay Area television station; Tom played cameraman Bones Howard and Dick played Ryan Fitzpatrick, an investigative reporter. The show was cancelled after five episodes.
Later, there was The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1988–1989). This show began production during a 1988 Writers Guild of America strike. As writer-performers, the brothers were allowed to perform their own material during the strike, as were their staff and guest stars. Prior to this they had reportedly saved an episode of Saturday Night Live by breaking through a picket line and hosting the show against the union's wishes; the episode was a ratings smash the likes of which the series had not seen since the 1970s.
The Smothers Brothers also lent their (uncredited) singing voices to "Tom and Tom, the Brothers Brothers" in In Living Color (1990–1994), and guest starred on Bonnie Hunt's Life With Bonnie in 2004.
| “ | We still disagree about everything. I mean, he's more conservative politically and also is a pragmatist. He's very pragmatic and wants everything to line up and put in a box. And I'm a little bit looser. | ” |
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—Tommy Smothers (on his brother Dick), |
The brothers have worked independently as well; Dick has appeared as an actor in films, including a rare dramatic role as a Nevada state senator in Martin Scorsese's Casino. Tom appeared in the 2005 made-for-television movie Once Upon a Mattress.
They appeared in the documentary The Aristocrats in 2005, and had separate cameos in the 2009 film The Informant!. In December 2009, the duo guest starred in a 21st-season episode of The Simpsons that also featured Cooper, Peyton and Eli Manning.
After more than 51 years of touring, the Smothers Brothers officially announced their retirement from touring during their final performance at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday May 16, 2010. The affair was kept low key with some family members and friends in attendance.
The brothers operate the Remick Ridge Vineyards (Remick was their mother's maiden name) in Sonoma County, California.
Marcy Smothers, Tom's wife, went to film school at UCLA and was Tom's producer before they married. Marcy hosted a news/talk show on KSRO, Santa Rosa, California; then moved to KGO, the market leader in San Francisco, for 18 months; and then did a syndicated show "The Food Guy and Marcy" with Guy Fieri from 2006 to 2009 (available, in 2011, online). In mid-2011, Marcy was marketing a new show, titled "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"
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