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Loading... Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (edition 2010)by David Bianculli
Work InformationDangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" by David Bianculli
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Great book! I was born in the 70's, so reading about the politics and morals of the 60's was fun. I learned some history, too, but don't tell anyone. ;-) The author details many sketches in the book, which could have made it dry and annoying, but because the sketches were hilarious in the first place, it only served to lighten up the oppressive mood brought on when CBS was mentioned. To find out that CBS "fired -not cancelled" The Smothers Brothers for being too edgy, then just a few months later made it a point to find shows that also walked a fine line, is pretty frustrating. Like most things, it all came down to politics and money. If you don't believe that the government controls what we see, you may not want to read this book. I'd hate to see you disillusioned. This is an excellent recounting of not only the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour", but of the entire career of the Smothers Brothers. Even if you are too young to remember the show, its a fascinating story of the effort they made to battle the forces trying to control the flow of information and ideas. Unfortunately, that battle still continues and will probably never be won decisively.
Most of “Dangerously Funny” is easygoing and informative, with Bianculli serving as a friendly but authoritative guide. He does not set your brain on fire with his perceptions or his prose, but he makes apt comparisons, and he has good taste. As the book should be reaching its climax, however, his narrative plods along, as if he had grown weary of tracking all the interoffice memos flying back and forth between his subjects and the CBS bosses who fired them when they were still bringing in good numbers.
"Dangerously Funny" presents a rollicking history of the rise and fall of the wildly influential '60s TV show, its perennial problems with the network censors, and its lasting influence on the cultural landscape. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)791.4572The arts Recreational and performing arts Public performances Film, Radio, and Television Television TV Programs Single ProgramsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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