Editing Smothers Brothers (section)

===Controversies and cancellation===
With its focus having evolved toward a more youth-oriented one,<ref>Bodroghkozy, A. (2001). Groove Tube: Sixties Television and Youth Rebellion. Durham and London: Duke University Press</ref> the show became both popular and controversial. Three specific targets of satire – racism, the President of the United States, and the [[Vietnam War]] – wound up defining the show's content for the remainder of its run, eventually leading to its demise.<ref>{{cite web|author=Dominick A. Miserandino|url=http://thecelebritycafe.com/interviews/tom_smothers_2003_12.html|title=Tom Smothers Interview|publisher=Thecelebritycafe.com|date=February 4, 2004|access-date=May 23, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040415011733/http://thecelebritycafe.com/interviews/tom_smothers_2003_12.html|archive-date=April 15, 2004}}</ref> However, contrary to popular belief, the brothers did not agree politically, with Tom being the one having more intention to challenge the political establishment;<ref name=disagreementsbutbondage /> he even later described his younger brother as "more conservative politically."<ref name=disagreementsbutbondage />

The brothers soon found themselves in regular conflict with [[CBS]]'s [[television network|network]] [[censorship|censors]]. At the start of the [[1968–69 United States network television schedule|1968–69 season]], the network ordered that the Smothers Brothers deliver their shows finished and ready to air 10 days before air date so that the censors could edit the shows as necessary. In the season premiere, CBS deleted the entire segment of Belafonte singing "Lord, Don't Stop the Carnival" against a backdrop of the havoc during the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]], along with two lines from a satire of their main competitor, ''[[Bonanza]]''. As the year progressed, battles over content continued, including a [[David Steinberg]] sermon about [[Moses]] and the [[Burning Bush]].

With some local stations making their own deletions of controversial skits or comments, the continuing problems over the show came to a head after CBS broadcast a rerun on March 9, 1969. The network explained the decision by stating that, because that week's episode did not arrive in time to be previewed, it would not be shown. In that program, [[Joan Baez]] paid tribute to her then-husband, [[David Harris (protester)|David Harris]], who was entering prison after refusing military service, while comedian [[Jackie Mason]] made a joke about children "playing doctor". When the show finally did air, two months later, the network allowed Baez to state that her husband was in prison, but edited out the reason.

Despite the conflict, the show was picked up for the [[1969–70 United States network television schedule|1969-70 season]] on March 14, seemingly ending the debate over its status. However, network CEO and President [[William S. Paley]] abruptly cancelled the show on April 4, 1969. The reason given by [[CBS]] was the brothers’ refusal to meet the pre-air delivery dates as specified by the network in order to accommodate review by the censors. This cancellation led the brothers to file a successful [[breach of contract]] suit against the network, although the suit failed to see the brothers or their show returned to the air.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/S/htmlS/smothersbrot/smothersbrot.htm|title=The Museum of Broadcast Communications - Encyclopedia of Television|website=Museum.tv}}</ref> Despite this cancellation, the show went on to win the [[21st Primetime Emmy Awards|Emmy Award that year]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program|best writing]]. The saga of the cancellation of the show is the subject of a 2002 documentary film, ''Smothered''.<ref>{{IMDb title|0348056|Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour}}</ref>