Dick Smothers is an American actor, composer, musician, and comedian who has a net worth of $1 million. Dick is famous for being half of the duo known as The Smothers Brothers, who formed a comedic musical act in the 50s. Dick and his brother Tom eventually retired from regular performances, although they reunited in 2019 for a charity event in Florida. Outside of his work with Tom, Dick has appeared in various projects on his own, most notably in Martin Scorsese’s “Casino.” Smothers played a corrupt Nevada senator in this film – one of his rare serious roles.
Early Life
Richard Remick Smothers was born on November 20th of 1938 in New York City. His father served in the war as an Army officer, and he eventually died as a prisoner of war in 1945 after being captured by Japanese forces. This left his mother to raise Dick and his older brother Tom alone. The family eventually moved to California, where Dick attended high school. After graduating, Smothers attended San Jose State University and joined the track team.
Career
Dick and his brother first appeared together in 1959 at The Purple Onion in San Francisco. Eventually, they became a popular nightclub act and signed a deal with Mercury Records. This led to the release of top 40 albums, such as “Curb Your Tongue, Knave!” Over the next few years, they branched out and explored their opportunities in the world of television. Their first on-screen appearance came on “The Jack Paar Show” in 1961. This would mark the beginning of a string of further TV appearances on shows like “The Judy Garland Show” and “Burke’s Law.” Their first TV series came in 1965, which was a sitcom called “The Smothers Brothers Show.” Unfortunately, this show was canceled after just one year and received poor ratings.
One year later after this disappointment, however, the Smothers Brothers bounced back with “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” This show broke all the rules, becoming one of the wildest shows on TV at the time. With a strong team of writers and performers that included presidential candidates and hippies, the show experienced considerable success over the next few years, eventually coming to an end in 1969.
A wide range of musical guests appeared on the show during these two years, including George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Buffalo Springfield, Cream, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Steppenwolf, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Who. Early on, this show was deemed controversial due to the performance of Pete Seeger – a man who had been blacklisted for his political views in the 1950s. This immediately gave the show an anti-Vietnam War stance, a stance that would come to define the Smothers Brothers in the years to come.
Controversies
In 1967, The Who performed on their show, resulting in a notable controversy. The group destroyed their instruments with explosives after finishing a rendition of “My Generation,” but this led to a much bigger explosion than planned. Instead of just using one small explosive charge on the drum set, three charges were somehow added by mistake, causing shrapnel to fly around the stage. One piece of the drum set sliced into Keith Moon (the drummer), lacerating his arm and leaving him groaning with pain. Guitarist Pete Townshend also suffered – his hair caught on fire and the blast reportedly helped cause his hearing loss in later life.
As their show became more popular, it also became more controversial. Their comedy act began to focus on issues like the President, racism, and the Vietnam War. Focusing on these issues put the Smothers Brothers in conflict with CBS, who wanted to censor their shows heavily. His led to entire segments being deleted, which led to increasingly hostile conflicts between the Smothers Brothers and the producers. Eventually, these conflicts led to the show’s cancellation by 1969. The Smothers Brothers then sued the network for breach of contract, but they had little success. However, they did win an Emmy Award that year.
After the cancellation of their show, Dick and Tom continued to appear in various projects. Although many of these projects were ultimately forgettable, they remained buzzworthy figures in the entertainment world. In the latter part of that decade, they reunited for a performance with CBS, honoring the 20-year anniversary of their show.
Things slowed down in the 90s, although Dick booked a supporting role in Martin Scorsese’s 1995 film, “Casino.” In 2010, the pair announced their retirement after touring extensively, giving their last performance in Las Vegas. However, they would later reunite for one more appearance in Florida. They did not perform, however, and instead answered questions after speaking about their careers. The proceeds from this appearance were donated to the National Comedy Center.
Financial Issues
Dick has struggled with significant financial issues over the years. In February of 2010, Dick Smothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to the fall of the housing market. He was one of the many people affected by the economic crisis of 2008. His bankruptcy filing showed that his debt totaled $2.8 million while his assets were listed at just $2 million. He also claimed that he was being harassed by his creditors, who were garnishing his wages and even calling impersonating him in an effort to determine the contents of his bank account. By this point, Dick was desperately trying to sell off various properties in Florida.
| Net Worth: | $1 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Nov 20, 1939 (82 years old) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Profession: | Comedian, Actor, Musician, Composer |
| Nationality: | United States of America |