Should be on DVD by now, right?

Their now-deceased half brother, Charles Einstein, wrote for Lou Grant, another of my favorite tv shows that was axed due to politics (Reagan had issues with Ed Asner).

Thanks for the OP.

and I really liked both of those guys when I used to watch TeeVee back then. I will never forget Albert Brooks' ventriloquist routine, I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. And the Smothers Brothers did that regularly.

Is this ventriloquist routine the one that you remember?

This must be an evolution of his idea of ventriloquist parody acts. Amazing what you can do with a kids' alphabet toy and a Mr. Potatohead kit.

The one I recall was on the Flip Wilson Show... this one:

I had ever heard of him. You can see why I never forgot. Back then comedy was in the full swing of the shift from Vaudeville being the norm, Ventriloquists were still regulars on TeeVee when I was a kid and this shift, with the help of Laugh-in and TSBS, a big change took place. Johnny Carson was a big advocate of that change too. I remember watching Perry Como and Steve Allen and Milton Berle... good gawd, they were funny but the 60s and 70s called for a more right brain sort of comedy and parody and that's where these younger guys were.

Hard to find stuff that makes you laugh like that these days.

Btw, I found a couple of "Super Dave Osborne" clips that highlight his dead-pan delivery:

And he played that one for a while until he came up with this. And Dave Osborne seems to be the prototype for some of Will Farrell's characters. Wonder if they've ever met.

Those are good!

Enjoy!

Phil Donahue met the same fate...and during the last three wars the truth has been silenced.

Smothers Brothers was a must see for me in those days...and they had some great guests.

for American Comedy from The Kennedy Center.

Actually saw them there about 5 years ago. They were great. They don't perform anymore, but that was the best show ever on TV, and one of the most important.

or in some capacity where they might not be eligible, though that's seems like it would be a stretch. They certainly deserve such recognition.

He's a really interesting person - the composer of Classical Gas - also wrote for SNL. He has created "artist books" or art installations - one is a greyhound bus photograph packed into a suitcase, and recently his compositions were rearranged and recorded by the GREAT classical guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima, on a cd called North South.

I think you can hear some samples here.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/carlosbarbosalima2

I love Chico Hot Springs.

Mason Williams is still composing? I remember the "Greyhound" poster, my brother had one of those, saved up for a long time to get it too but I don't recall how he managed to get it. I do remember my dad getting mad about it because his room wasn't big enough to put it up, but that big "Hobbit" picture made it on the wall.

Interesting he has some music named after places up near where I live like Chico Hot Springs and McCall, well McCall isn't that close but it's in the general region.

Thanks for reminding me, at least, about him.

Williams is also friends with Ed Ruscha, who recently had a big exhibition, irrc, in L.A. He's the guy who did Twentysix Gasoline Stations, which has some aesthetics in common with the Greyhound Bus photograph.

Your brother had one? I'm so jealous!!! I would love to find one of those I could afford. Which means it would have to be just about free, lol, so that ain't gonna happen.

I remember he recited some of his poems on TSBS but also on some other shows but then he seemed to disappear. I think my brother ended up selling that poster because he couldn't put it up anywhere. that was sooo long ago! Would be nice to have one though.

I'll have to look up Ed Ruscha, not sure I've seen his work.

Gotta go, it's getting cold in here and I need to stoke the fire (it's about -15F outside) it's kind of hard to get the temp back up when the solid items get cold.

Later.

The guy who wrote them is also an excellent guitarist who wrote for the New SB, among other things, and now writes about living guitar legends for Vintage Guitar magazine. He also wrote a book with interviews with great guitarists who aren't name brands outside of the musician mafia and studios, etc. Last I heard, he's doing a second version with other guitarists.