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EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures and Smokehouse partners George Clooney and Grant Heslov will turn the story of 60s comedians Tom and Dicky Smothers into a feature film. They’ve optioned the David Bianculli book Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story Of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and they’ve set Brian Hecker and Craig Sherman to write the script. Clooney and Heslov will produce. It’s too early to determine whether or not Clooney will star or direct.
The show ran from 1967-69 on CBS, and the brothers, who famously squabbled on and off screen, were transformed by the period’s social upheaval. They went from squeaky clean comics to counterculture troublemakers. They were aided by a writing staff that included Steve Martin, and Rob Reiner and they were the first to introduce liberal hippie politics into the mainstream, as well as cutting edge rock acts like The Who, Jefferson Airplane and The Doors. All this earned them a spot on President Richard Nixon’s enemies list and ultimately got them fired by CBS.
Hecker and Sherman most recently scripted Atari, a Black List script about 27-year old rebel genius Nolan Bushnell, who created the video game industry and Atari, gave Steve Jobs a job, and paved the way for the computer age. Paramount and Appian Way are developing the project. Original Artists reps the scribes.
Clooney and Heslov are in the Oscar race with The Ides of March and Clooney is also in the Best Actor mix for The Descendants.
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I’m wondering if they’ll reach back to include the brothers’ early years at the IceHouse in Pasadena, where they honed their act, opening for Van Dyke Parks and his brother.
I would love to see both these movies made!!! I loved the Smothers Brothers Show!!! and Atari!! who didnt love anything Atari growing up!!!
Not sure about this project for 2 reasons…
1. Biopics of comedians are super tricky because you have to do performance scenes, and it’s very hard to recreate a classic performer’s act as well as their fans remember.
2. The whole story is of some interest to some baby boomers, but not of much interest to anyone else. It might work on TV, but I just don’t see it playing big in theaters.
I think the article has it the wrong way around. The Smothers Brothers weren’t transformed by the social climate; they helped transform it. Read the book on which this film will be based, please.
My first reaction was that it sounds interesting yet outdated. Atari sounds funny though even if the system was crappy. I wonder if they show the burial of a million E.T. game cartidges in the desert b/c it was so bad.
Dangerously Funny was a fascinating book — I’m sure it’ll make a fascinating movie. Perfect for this age of censorship and rebellion. Can’t wait to see what they do!
(And the Atari script sounds awesome too.)
All the doubters look especially small minded and foolish on this page. Don’t you get it? These guys make intelligent, quality films for a reasonable price, then make a profit at the box office without needing to set any records (or be #1, which is a meaningless title; what matters is if you made more money than you spent, period). You guys keep on talking about what’s out of date, not of interest to enough people, and looking for your tent poles. I’ll go see Smokehouse films as long as they make them, and run to work with them every time they call.
This comment right here. On the nose.
ml — you rock.
I’m often amazed at the ignorance of some of the comments on this site as well. There are a ton of people posting here who seem to have no appreciation for film as an art form and just as little understanding of the industry’s business side. ml is dead on here: this is a classy, quality project that will be made on a reasonable budget. Actors will slash their normal fees to be in this. It won’t need to be a blockbuster to make its money back. It’s a great idea for a movie, Clooney’s other 2 films about TV were both pretty great.
It is mildly amusing that Mr. Clooney keeps reaching into the “half-century-ago” mailbag to find his censorship. It is occurring with alarming frequency today, but then again it might not fit his or the media’s constructed narrative.
No, what matters is if you made a good film. Judging a film (work of art) by its receipts is for Philistines.
the whose brothers?
If you saw CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND and you know anything about the Smothers Brothers, you know this movie could easily be excellent.
yes, and relevant today.
I 2nd your comment, eb!
I agree with earlier post that it’s not easy to mimic iconic comedians which is why the coolest smartest thing smokehouse could do here is find awesome unknown actor/singers who look just like the brothers and can imitate them perfectly and then surround them with a cast of famous people to satisfy the studio.
Seriously–Daniel Tosh should play Tommy.
Carol Channing was on Richard Nixon’s enemies list and she was funnier than the Smothers Brothers…The dumb brother routine got stale fast. Is there going to be a Carol Channing movie coming soon. After their show was cancelled, martyrdom seemed to be their
calling.
Next up for Clooney: a major motion picture about the behind the scenes toiling and drama that was SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK.
Sorry, the Smothers Brothers were boring then and they’re still boring.
I call it, Daniel Tosh should star, he looks exactly like Tommy. I always thought he did, it should be a toldya moment. lol
I’ll be one of the first to see this.
Im interested but only if Clooney does not ay one of the brothers. He’s not funny, and even the straight man in an act has to be funny.
Dag. George Clooney’s bizarre. This guy is into very “CBS” ideas. Old and crusty whackness. The Smothers Brothers? What! Who cares?