'Smothers Brothers,' 'My Three Sons' among DVD releases

TV from the 1960s leads off this roundup of programs that have come to DVD.

"The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour: The Best of Season 3" (TimeLife, 1968-69, four discs, $49.95). This is the show for which Tom Smothers was honored with a special Emmy a couple of weeks ago, a comedy-and-music variety program with the brothers' patented smart-guy/dumb-guy sibling rivalry — which no one has ever done better.

But this "Comedy Hour" also became famous for taking on political targets, especially two of the leading issues of the day — racism and the Vietnam War — which caused quite a stir at CBS, infuriating the censors and eventually resulting in the the Smothers Brothers being fired.

The emphasis here is on some of the hot-button episodes (all from the show's final season, though these are the first to be released on home video). But don't think that detracts from the hilarity that was inherent in the program. This is funny, biting stuff ... and by today's standards, remarkably tame.

Comedy guests include Bob Newhart, George Carlin, Jackie Mason, Jonathan Winters, David Steinberg and Steve Martin, who was a writer on the show. And, of course, Pat Paulson, whose faux presidential campaign was a staple. Some of the period's great musical acts also show up — Harry Belafonte, George Harrison, The Doors, Donovan, Ray Charles, Cass Elliott, Joan Baez.

Featurettes include interviews with Belafonte, Newhart, Rob Reiner (also a writer on the show) and others, with new introductions by the Tom and Dick Smothers, as well as audio commentaries by Tom.

True, this is informative and especially interesting for history buffs ... both in terms of recent national history and the history of television. But first and foremost, this is highly entertaining and frequently very funny stuff. Let's hope more will follow — including full-season sets!

Extras: full frame, 11 episodes with introductions and post-show discussions, deleted scenes, audio commentaries (by Tom Smothers), special programs: "Pat Paulsen for President" and "Aspen Comedy Festival 2000: Smothers Brothers Reunion," featurettes, interviews, press conference, promos, photo galleries; 16-page booklet

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