When I was in college back in the 1990s, I like so many other students began getting my political commentary Monday through Thursday nights on Comedy Central with The Daily Show with John Stewart. While the show was not an official news show and Stewart, who had graduated from the same university a decade before, never claimed to be a legitimate news anchor, his brand of humor and take on politics was appealing. In fact, for the 2004 presidential election, male viewers between 18-34 got their news more from The Daily Show than any other news program. Considering this was a comedy show that is both funny and sad.But The Daily Show was not the first to satirize the news. Starting in 1975, those “not ready for primetime players” roasted politicians every weekend on Saturday Night Live. Their political mocking was so popular that today, if you pay attention, when people impersonate George W. Bush, they are not actually doing Bush, but instead impersonating Will Ferrell doing Bush. While shows like SNL and The Daily Show have been called groundbreaking, they are not.They are standing on the shoulders of two brothers who came before them. While not as famous today, the show that really kicked off political satire was The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Last month, half of the duo, Tommy Smothers died of cancer at the age of 86, but his legacy lives on in the many political shows that have aired in the decades since.The Smothers Brothers began its run in 1967, a turbulent year. Vietnam was ramping up and that year saw over 10,000 killed as thousands took the streets to protest the war. Race riots occurred in several major cities all summer long and hippies flocked to San Francisco for the Summer of Love.During all this, two new shows began, The Carol Burnett Show and The Smothers Brothers. Both shows put audiences in stiches from their comedy. While The Carol Burnett Show lasted for 11 seasons, due its controversial content, The Smothers Brothers was canceled after only three years.Seeing them as controversial might be confusing as the brothers were clean cut and wore suits in a time where most protesters were hippies with long hair and beads. It was a sketch comedy show with plenty of music as the brothers were a folk musical act with Tommy playing the guitar and Dick playing the stand-up bass.
