11/11/2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXu7ZPLk6C8
45 Years Ago Today:
Here's the complete broadcast (albeit a bit extra fuzzy, reception-wise) of The Tom & Dick Smothers Brothers Special II as presented on the NBC Network over WMAQ Channel 5. Besides the brothers, the show features Glen Campbell, Pat Paulsen, Roo Morgan, David Somerville, The Flying Karamazov Brothers and Martin Mull.
(This was more than five years after their short-lived early 1975 comeback attempt, The Smothers Brothers Show, which also aired on NBC.)
Includes:
Tail end of promo for Unit 5, "The Exploiters: Children for Sale"
Commercial: Buick 1981 Century (with Bears Coach Neill Armstrong and Walter Payton)
"An NBC Special" bumper
Segment 1, with show open, pirate ship sketch, and list of guests
Commercials for:
Campbell's Chunky Beef Soup
1981 Mazda 626
Segment 2, with the brothers' monologue, Glen Campbell performing "It's the World Gone Crazy (Cotillion)" and Martin Mull performing "Don't Put Off 'Til Tomorrow," and Pat Paulsen once again running for President
Commercials for:
Enjoli - "The 8 Hour Perfume" - "'Cause I'm a Woman..."
Lemon Fresh Joy dishwashing liquid
Anacin Fast Pain Relief [with Mrs. Leigh (sp?)]
Promo for Roger Mudd's upcoming debut with NBC Nightly News (voice over by Howard Reig) and "The Godfather Saga"
Segment 3, with Glen performing "It's Your World" (with delayed echo audio effects added to avoid YouTube blocking) and duetting with Tommy on a "punk" number; clips from their 1967-69 CBS show including a monologue from Mort Sahl, a routine from David Steinberg (with a bit of audio futzing again to avoid blocking), and musical performances by Pete Seeger and the brothers with George Segal; in the present, the Karmazovs perform their acrobatics, then Tom attempts same before he and Dick perform "It Doesn't Matter to Me"
Commercials for:
Post Fun'n Fitness Program (with Bob Griese of Miami Dolphins)
Minute Rice (with American cheese)
Bumper
Promo for "The Diary of Anne Frank" (with Melissa Gilbert)
Promo for Siegfried & Roy (voice over by Les Marshak)
Theatrical trailer for "The Idolmaker" (ending voice over by Ed Grennan)
Station ID / NewsCenter5 promo with Chuck Henry
Segment 4, with Martin introducing Tom & Dick who perform (or rather, mangle) "Boatman's Dance," then Martin and Glen perform "Licks Off of Records," during which this notice appears on the crawl (at 43:36):
...From NewsCenter5....A five block area in LaGrange is under evacuation....sulfuric acid fumes are leaking from water filtration plant... Live report on NewsCenter5 at 10...
then Glen introduces Roo Morgan who performs "I Would Live to Love You" (?)
Commercials for:
RCA's Christmas Bonus Days
Vaseline Intensive Care - "Working Hands"
New Ford Granada (voiceover by Danny Dark?)
Promo for Real People, Diff'rent Strokes and Quincy (voiceover by Dick Tufeld?)
Segment 5, with David Somerville performing a song about his grandfather, then Tom, Dick and the guests perform "Thank You Very Much"
Commercials for:
Giacobazzi wine
Oil of Olay
Preview of NewsCenter5 at 10pm (with Jim Ruddle)
Promos for "The Godfather Saga" and George Burns in Nashville?
Promo for the premiere of Saturday Night Live '80 (voice over by Don Pardo)
The brothers say goodnight and then show a little sibling rivalry as the end credits come up (with voiceover promo for Roger Mudd's NBC Nightly News debut, David Letterman guesting on The Tonight Show and Dr. Christiaan Barnard on Tomorrow by Casey Kasem)
Promo for Games People Play
Incomplete commercial for Philadelphia Cream Cheese ("Spreadin' Ready") before recording cuts out
This aired on Tuesday, November 11, 1980.
Here's the complete broadcast (albeit a bit extra fuzzy, reception-wise) of The Tom & Dick Smothers Brothers Special II as presented on the NBC Network over ...
