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FAIRFAX, VA -- One of the most popular and controversial series in television history, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, will soon be available for the first time on home video from Time Life. With content hand-picked by the legendary folk singing comedy duo Tom and Dick Smothers, the 4-DVD boxed set includes 11 star-packed episodes from the third and final season of the hour-long variety show – uncensored, as they were originally meant to be aired. The guest list for these episodes reads like a who’s who in ‘60s comedy and music; George Harrison, Harry Belafonte, Bob Newhart, Steve Martin, George Carlin, The Doors, Donovan, Ray Charles, Jackie Mason, Cass Elliot, Jonathan Winters, Joan Baez and David Steinberg are just some of the names that appeared with the brothers in the 1968-1969 season. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour: The Best of Season Three features over five hours of fascinating bonus material, extended interviews and new introductions by Tom and Dick Smothers, as well as many of the performers and crew members. Also included are the infamous Pat Paulsen for President television special (with a newly uncovered, never-before-seen appearance by Robert F. Kennedy cut from the broadcast), featurettes, audio perspectives by Tom Smothers, never-before-seen rehearsal footage, 1968 press conference following the termination of the Smothers Brothers by CBS, the complete Aspen Comedy Festival 2000 Smothers Brothers Reunion, and much, much more. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour: The Best of Season Three 4-DVD boxed set will be available in stores September 16th for $49.95 SRP and online at www.smothersbrothersdvd.com.

The final season of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour burst forth with all the defiance and urgency expected after a volatile summer that included the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the violence-filled Democratic National Convention, and the emergence of Richard Nixon as the 1968 Republican presidential nominee. Tom and Dick Smothers begin season three by singing boldly about political unrest and network sensors, and together with their guests, continued in the following weeks to challenge political and corporate authority. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour: The Best of Season Three contains 11 episodes selected by Tom and Dick Smothers, many shown as they were intended, complete with sketches and performances that were cut by the network censors for the original broadcast. Among the original footage preserved is a stunning piece in which Harry Belafonte sings “Don’t Stop the Carnival” as footage of police brutality and riots at the Chicago Democratic National Convention plays behind him, and an intense interview with anti-war activist and famous “baby doctor” Dr. Benjamin Spock.

Time Life has also uncovered never-before-seen footage of Robert F. Kennedy originally taped for the Pat Paulsen for President special. The segment, displaying a comic side to Kennedy, was cut from the original broadcast as the nation mourned the Senator’s recent assassination. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour episodes, the deleted segments presented as bonus material, and the many other interviews, rare footage, and extras make this DVD set an eye-opening tour through the 1960s. Award-winning DVD executive producer Paul Brownstein (The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Twilight Zone, The Odd Couple, Get Smart) has spent over a decade researching and overseeing The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour DVD production. Brownstein’s extensive research and talent outreach have resulted in an impressive amount of rare, informative and historically important bonus features.

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour premiered in February 1967 and ran for three seasons in a prime-time slot on CBS. Despite popular success and a renewal for a fourth season, the network suddenly dissolved the contract after the third season, with the brothers being summarily – and, as a lawsuit later proved, wrongly – fired. Although the variety show started out as slightly “hip” version of the typical comedy-music variety show of its era, it rapidly evolved into a show that extended the boundaries of what was considered permissible in television satire. While the Smothers themselves were at the forefront of these efforts, a large portion of the credit also goes to the roster of writers and regular performers they brought to the show, some of whom would go on to become some of the biggest names in comedy, including, Rob Reiner, Presidential candidate Pat Paulsen, Bob Einstein ("Super Dave Osborne" and "Officer Judy") and resident hippie Leigh French ("Share a Little Tea with Goldie").

About Time Life
Headquartered in Fairfax VA, Time Life Inc. was founded in 1961 as a direct marketing company specializing in music and books. It has since grown to become one of the world's largest direct marketers of audio and video products, selling more than 13 million units each year throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and is the largest advertiser of music products in Germany, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Time-Life set the standard in the direct response industry by pioneering direct marketing techniques, building one of the most trusted and recognized brands in commerce. The company now also sells their products through major traditional and non-traditional retailers around the world as well as via the Internet. Time Life is a registered trademark of Time Warner Inc. used under license by Direct Holdings Americas Inc., which is not affiliated with Time Warner Inc.