The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

 April 19, 1975 

Recording Give Peace a Chance

 

Everybody's Talkin' 'bout Tommy Smothers.....

 

The Smothers Brothers have a place in Beatles history.   Not only did they premiere several Beatles promo films, but they also had both George and Ringo on their program.  And we can't forget that the Smothers Brothers were the group that John and Harry heckled and got in big trouble in LA.   Tommy also was at the Bed-In in Montreal and was on the "Give Peace a Chance" song. 

Sadly, Tommy Smothers passed away yesterday, December 26, 2023.    

Say Goodnight George

 

November 8, 1968 - The Smothers Bros TV Show 

50 Years of Giving Peace a Chance

photo from the collection of  Sara Schmidt 

On May 31, 1969 John Lennon and friends recorded the song "Give Peace a Chance" in a hotel room in Montreal.    50 years later and we STILL need to give peace a chance.    The chorus of John's song has been sung in countless protests and rallies around the globe over the past 50 years.   As long as people are wanting peace,  it will keep being played and sung everywhere -- just like John Lennon wanted.

Meeting John, Yoko and Kyoko and how it cost me a friend

A few days back I posted a story about Gail Renard, author of the book Give me a Chance and how she spent time with John and Yoko in Montreal at the Bed-in.    She was not there alone, and so here is the other side of the story by her companion, Thomas Schurmacher.     

This story can be found in the Montreal Gazette.   I am posting it here for historical and educational purposes since things often disappear from online newspaper sites.   


(all photos from Thomas Schurmacher)

Meeting John, Yoko and Kyoko and how it cost me a friend
By Thomas Schurmacher
May 27, 2019

When the Beatles came to Montreal in 1964, the date they chose for their matinée and evening concerts at the Montreal Forum coincided with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Needless to say I did not even have to ask my father if I could go; I knew it was totally out of the question. Besides, tickets were selling for the outrageously high price of $5.50. Not being able to see them live was a huge disappointment as I was such a dedicated Beatles fan. (I was beside myself when the upstart Dave Clark Five momentarily pushed the Fab Four out of number one spot on the Top 40.)

But five years later, I saw another chance to see at least one Beatle in person. One sticky, hot afternoon in late May 1969, I heard CFOX radio deejay Charles P. Rodney Chandler mention that John Lennon and Yoko Ono and her six-year-old daughter Kyoko were holed up in town having a Bed-In for Peace at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Wow! A Beatle in Montreal?  I never particularly liked Lennon’s long hair and I confess he was only my third favourite Beatle, but hey, he was a Beatle nonetheless. It would be fun to go downtown even to catch a glimpse of him, so I called my good friend Lilian to join me. She turned me down because she was too busy doing biology homework. Then I called my Northmount High classmate Gail. I was impressed with her because she used to write letters to the TV studios in California asking for the autographs of people like Carol Burnett and Tommy Smothers. We had worked together writing and even sold a couple of comedy scripts to the CBC radio show Funny You Should Say That.

Gail patiently explained to me there was no point in going downtown as we would never get anywhere near the guy. She predicted a scene with thousands of crazed fans held back by dozens of well-armed security guards. Undaunted, I insisted we give it a shot. I told her I had already gone to the trouble of forging a fake press pass and I even had a set of coloured crayons for Yoko’s daughter Kyoko.

“What do we do if we can’t get in?” Gail was still not convinced.

“We come home, but at least we can say we tried.”

It took me a full 15 minutes of waxing enthusiastic about what a magnificent addition a John Lennon autograph would be to her collection before Gail finally relented and agreed to come along.

We met on the 124 bus heading south on Victoria Ave. We transferred to the now-defunct 65 bus on Queen Mary Rd. and then it was just a brisk five-block walk to the Queen E.

Gail’s power to peer into the future was nil; I was the one who had it pegged. Not a single teenager in front of the hotel. Not one! Gail had been convinced that the lobby would be mobbed. Wrong again … not a single kid there either.

We made it to the bank of elevators and still not a teenybopper in sight.  No security guards. No one so much as gave us a second glance. Since we had heard on the radio that our prey was on the 17th floor, Gail — the amateur — wanted to push the 17 button. I   brushed her hand aside and pushed 18.  I am no fool. Two kids getting off on the bed-in floor? That would be too obvious even to the most dim-witted security guard.

Gail, Kyoko and  Thomas 

The two of us got off on the 18th floor and took the stairs down to the 17th. We peered to the left. Nothing. We peered to the right and noticed some commotion near Room 1742 which had some empty room service trays outside.

We rushed over and knocked on the door; two things happened simultaneously. One — a tall lumbering security guard appeared out of nowhere and had his hand on the back of my collar; and two — the door opened. Standing in the doorway were Yoko and her daughter, who looked like her “mini-me.”

“I am so sorry, madame, I don’t know how these two managed to get up here, but not to worry. I will throw them out right now.”

While this exchange was taking place, little Kyoko was eyeing the shiny box of crayons I had in my hand. She took the bait just in time.

“Can I have the crayons?”

“Not if we are being thrown out!” I said. Gail looked sheepish and said nothing.

Yoko — ever the peace lover — decided to chime in.

“No one will be thrown out. These are our friends. Please come in.”

We were not in the suite 30 seconds when she invited us to meet her husband. “Would you like to meet John? He is in the next room.”

We remained glued to the spot. Meet John? Meet a Beatle? A real Beatle? Did this woman know what she was saying? We both nodded and said yes at the same time. We met John Lennon, we talked to him — no one asked us to leave so we stayed. Not just for the day. For the entire week, they were here. I ordered Pouilly Fuissé white wine for Tommy Smothers; I saw visitors like Petula Clark, Timothy Leary, Dick Gregory and Li’l Abner cartoonist Al Capp.

It was great fun hanging out with all these notables, but the reason we were invited to stay was because I started to feel sorry for little Kyoko cooped up in a hotel room. She looked so sad. I knew she was the exact same age as my kid sister, Cynthia, and I mentioned this to Yoko.

“Perhaps we can take her to my house so she could play with my sister.”

Yoko thought this was a capital idea and off we went with Kyoko in hand. They did not ask us for ID; they did not take our phone numbers. They did not even know our names.

We stayed for an entire week as her unofficial babysitters. Gail and I would go to the hotel room to pick up Kyoko in the morning and bring her back in the evening. We went for lunch at my house. Mom served us chocolate milk and we played in the park across the street. No security … nothing. One afternoon, we took her on a calèche ride at Beaver Lake and I asked Kyoko to tell us about Uncle Paul. Gail told me to shut up or Kyoko would tell her mom about us asking personal questions and we would be turfed as babysitters.

When John and Yoko left town, one of their minions paid us $150 for babysitting and we were given an autographed album each; I was given an autographed picture. Gail departed with the handwritten lyrics to Give Peace a Chance, which had been left on the wineglass-strewn table after John, Yoko and a few dozen hangers-on had recorded the song in the hotel suite.

We left and that was that.  Gail moved to England where she carved out an impressive career writing for British television, writing some film scripts and winning a few BAFTA awards.

The two of us would keep in touch and meet whenever she came home to Montreal to see her parents. When I was in London, I stayed at her beautiful home in Putney.  One evening, we had dinner with her guests who just happened to be Mr. and Mrs. John Cleese. I have no recollection of our conversation. I only recall Gail telling me to behave myself and refrain from making any jokes about her.

Fast forward to 39 years later when something happened that ended our friendship …

In the spring of 2008, the kicker item on the CJAD noon hour radio newscast was the announcement that the handwritten lyrics to Give Peace a Chance were about to be sold at auction in London. I chatted about the sale with my program director.

“My luck. Gail and I spent an entire week together with John and Yoko at the Montreal Bed-In. She has the lyrics in Lennon’s handwriting and I have a glossy photo with a faded autograph. Oh well.”

“You know what? You are a sucker. You should sue her.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You are a radio talk-show host. If you are not going to sue her, you should at least do a show on the subject and ask callers if you deserve a share of the proceeds. I guarantee you most of them will say yes. For heaven’s sake, if not for you, she would never have met the man.”

I did do a show about it and my boss was right about the caller reaction.

Later that afternoon, Gail and I chatted live on air. She said that after the lyrics were sold, not only would she treat me to a cappuccino, but she would even buy me a piece of cake as well. That was just fine with me. That is, until I made the mistake of having dinner with my friend Richard, a hard-nosed lawyer in the music industry.

“You should sue her, you know.”

“I don’t want to sue her. I got a photo — she got the lyrics. That’s life.”

“You don’t think you’re going to regret this later on? This whole amazing adventure was your idea in the first place and you are the one left out in the cold.”

“I will not regret it, Richard. Had I been meant to be the owner of the lyrics, I would have them. I don’t. Gail does. End of story.”

And so it went for the entire duration of the meal … until we got to the sorbet.

“This is such an obvious case of unjust enrichment. Both of you were babysitting Kyoko, right? Do you think that John and Yoko would have wanted her reward to be so much more valuable than yours? Of course not … I feel strongly about this; I am ready to handle this case for you pro bono. You don’t have to pay me a cent. I just think it is so grossly unfair.”

Against my better judgment, and owing in part to a double dry vodka martini with olives, I reluctantly agreed to have him look into it further.

Richard called officials at Christie’s auction house and told them the story. They listened intently and asked if I had any plans to contest the sale.

“Absolutely not. I will not claim the lyrics belong to me. While it is possible I may have some moral claim to part of the proceeds, I certainly have no legal claim. I also have no intention of preventing Gail from selling what belongs to her.”

Richard did not give up. After the lyrics were sold at auction to an unknown buyer for some 420,000 pounds or more than $800,000 Canadian, Richard wanted to ask the auction house to put a lien on the proceeds until we came to some kind of compromise. He was absolutely convinced that I was being ripped off.

“Richard, I am sure Gail is convinced she is entitled to 100 percent of the proceeds.”

“Why? I mean you were partners in the entire escapade. I did some research and saw both your names listed as the writers of the Beatles Monthly magazine bed-In article, Eight Days with John and Yoko.”

“Nonetheless, Richard, I am telling you to let it go. Leave it alone.”

After Gail sold the lyrics, she turned the whole incident into a second career. She wrote an entire book on our special week with not a single mention of me. Is that fair? That is for her to figure out.

There was a very important lesson for me to learn from all this — I made a mistake because I did not follow my original instincts to let it be. As a result, I have lost a longtime good pal. Gail even unfriended me on Facebook. But I do own a signed glossy photo with a small doodle by John Lennon. I also have the satisfaction that I managed to avoid a war over Give Peace a Chance.

Tommy, Dick and George

Richy, Tommy and Dick

Interview with Tommy Smothers

This interview with Tommy Smothers came from the book Ticket to Ride by Denny Somach 


Q:  You had George on the program and you premiered"Hey Jude" and "Revolution."  But the Beatles as  a group never appeared live, right?

TS:  No, they never appeared live as a group.  George did and also Ringo, separately, but we never had them on live.  We got the premiere (video) of "Hey Jude" and the otehr song, which was a real coup.  As far as Lennon goes, well we had a lot of strange, interesting.... well, we'll get into that later.

Q:  Tell us about George appearing on the show

TS:  Well, I had a very beautiful lady that I was living with at the time who was my production assistant on the show.  He (George) came over and we spent a lot of time watching some of the old tapes and some of the newer shows together.  He was very charming but a little uncomfortable by himself on the show.   I look back and when I see some of the old shows, and I see he was a little self conscious.

They're (the Beatles) not so used to talking as they are performing and singing, so we didn't put a lot of pressure on him to do any of the sketches like we did some of the other groups who were more adept at getting involved there.

Later on, when we had another television series in '74, '75, '76, Ringo came on and we did sketches with him.  You've got to help him along.  He's a funny guy, but he suffers through it.  He tries everything.  He's a good soul.

Q:  Now you were part of another episode in the story.  You were at the bed-in strumming along to "Give Peace a Chance," right?

TS:  The Montreal Bed-In for Peace.  Dr. Timothy Leary was there, as well as a whole group of people at the time who were hanging around.  They were laying in bed, Yoko and Lennon , and we spent about three days up there, just partying and having a good time.

They had all these mikes set up there and they gave me a guitar.  I remember this distinctly -- he was playing "Give Peace a Chance" and we were all sitting around the bed singing.  He was playing a lower open chord formation, so I went up and did the next chord inversion and I was playing a couple of  passing chords.  We were singing along and all of a sudden he stops and says, "Hey, play what I play.  Play exactly what I play.  I want it to sound that way."

I said, "Sorry I thought I was filling in some of those chords. Of course, he's a pretty good musician.  I've been playing for a while, but he liked that doubling of the sound of the guitars on that particular song.

Then later on, a poster came out with Lennon, Leary and I and Yoko on the bed there I said, "Oh my goodness!  I'm being immortalized with the Beatles!"

Another time, there was a big party in Laurel Canyon.  It  was with, what was the name of the guy, my good friend -- Harry Nilsson.

We were all hanging around together at the time.  Lennon and Harry starting hanging around together a lot.  They'd drink a lot of brandy and get a little high, a little crazy.  I'd stay with them for a while.  But I was the only guy who had a regular job.   They had done their albums and really weren't working at the time.  This would later on, in '74.

Q:  Around the time of the famous Troubadour incident?

TS:  Yeah, before then, things were pretty nice, but we'll get into that.

Q:  What, if any, influence did the Beatles have on a musical-comedy actor?

TS:  The first time the Beatles really got to me was Rubber Soul.  It was the first album that impressed me; it was so acoustic and pure.  Just about all the tunes on that album were -- "Norwegian Wood" - -all of them.  They were played constantly.

The sixties were a very psychedelic and high period.  There was a lot of hope in the country.  Everybody was kind of radically liberal and peace oriented.  I would say, "Norwegian Wood."  Let's see, what are the other tunes -- I haven't played that album actually in a such a long time.  I've got to bring it out and play it again.

Q:  You mentioned that you'd elaborate on the Troubadour incident.  Can you clear that up for us?

TS:  That was in '74 and my bother and I had just started working for a couple of years.  We were ready to come back and play our first appearance at the Troubadour in many, many years.  Actually, since the television show went off the air.

So, it was opening night and I mean it was a huge Hollywood opening.  During our first set I heard someone yelling something about pigs -- it was fairly disgusting.  It came from an area that was a kind of the elite, raised area. 

The Smothers Brothers have slow timing.  I work kind of slow, not the rapid-fire, Robin Williams type of comedian.  And I kept looking over and every time I'd take a timing break, it (the yelling) would come in.   I couldn't figure out who it was.  I knew Harry was there and I knew how Harry Nilsson gets because I've been out with him when we've been a little crazy.  And I knew Lennon was there, but I didn't know who as doing it.

The heckling got so bad that all of a sudden -- I couldn't see very well from the stage -- but our show was going downhill rapidly.  No one cared because It was just a happening anyway,but there was a scuffle going on and we stopped the show.

My wife, who I had just married, ended up with Lennon's glasses because of the punches that were thrown.  Then he went outside 'cause he was still angry and kicked the car parker.  I was pissed off because here was Lennon, a pretty good friend of mine and Harry Nilsson was a close -- I mean we were very tight and had great respect for each other, but they were tuned up pretty good and drinking brandy.

Harry was very persistent saying, "Tommy, I didn't do anything."   "I know you, Harry,"  I said.  "You were whispering to John to yell out those things."  And he says, "I didn't whisper it -- I just made the suggestion."

I forget how it came about, but he denied having anything to do with it.  But I knew he did.  He admitted it later.

Flower came the next day, apologizing.  Those things happen.  I looked at it then as the way I still do now.  the Beatles weren't performing or recording anymore.  Harry Nilsson was working on other things and wasn't recording a lot.  And when you're that high-energy and that creative, and you don't have a job to focus on, it comes out somewhere.  It's either in someone else's performance or jumping in.

It was another one of our highlights.  a lot of our career has been based on accidents.

Family for Peace

Giving Peace a Chance

I actually won this nice and large photograph of John and Yoko at the Bed in singing Give Peace a Chance off ebay.