The Smothers Brothers comedians Tommy Smothers (C) and Dick Smothers (R) and wife of Tommy Smothers, Marcy Carricker (L), arrive at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre on September 21, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
The Accidental Interview – Smothers & Van Dyke
Ran into Jerry Van Dyke & Tommy Smothers in a restaurant in Hot Springs, AR over Memorial Day weekend. They were in town performing Neil Simon’s “The Sunshine Boys”, in preparation to taking to Broadway. They very graciously allowed me to interview them and shoot some video. Needless to say, it was a hoot! http://directorzone.cyberlink.com/video/550283
My son Wilson wants to be a movie director and my son Hunter is trying his hand at comedy. I told both of them that they needed to see Jerry Van Dyke and Tommy Smoothers because they both are comedy legends. Hunter was tied up, so Wilson went with me to see the “Sunshine Boys” on June 1st in Hot Springs. It was unbelievable. We sat on the 2nd row. The place was filled!! The chemistry of the two actors was great.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported:
HOT SPRINGS — Two kings of comedy take the stage tonight at the RayLynn Theater in Hot Springs, where they take on characters they say are not too different from themselves.
Longtime performers Jerry Van Dyke of TV’s Coach fame and Tommy Smothers, half of the music and comedy team of the Smothers Brothers, have recently joined forces to present The Sunshine Boys over seven days at the RayLynn Theater, 710 Central Ave.
The show opens today and continues through Wednesday.
In the Neil Simon comedy, a former vaudevillian duo, who grew to hate each other over their more than 40 years together, are invited to reunite for an on-screen performance.
“It’s us,” Van Dyke said. “It’s two over-the-hill comedians that were a team and broke up years ago and are fighting and they have to reappear to do a famous sketch.”
He and Smothers — both in their 70s — have never performed together, but, like the characters in the play, one wants to retire while the other wants to continue working. Van Dyke hopes to take the performance on to Broadway, but Smothers is reluctant.
“I tried to get a lot of people to do [this part], but the problem with it is if you’re old enough to do it, you’re too old to do it,” said Van Dyke, who is also directing and producing the play.
Though he was familiar with The Sunshine Boys storyline, he had not read the script until a few years ago when someone suggested he do the play.
“When I read the play, I wanted to do it because it was me, now,” Van Dyke said. “It’s the best role I’ve ever had. I am this guy.”
Van Dyke, who began his career as a stand-up comedian, had his television debut on The Dick Van Dyke Show. On the show he portrayed, as in real life, the young brother of Robert Petree, played by his older brother Dick.
Jerry went on to appear in a number of other shows and movies. He earned four Emmy nominations for his supporting role in Coach, which ran from 1989-1997.
Now a resident of Glen Rose, Jerry debuted The Sunshine Boys last October at the RayLynn Theater, with Jack Iafrate of Hot Springs Village playing alongside him.
“There are a lot of places that [Jerry] could perform this, but this is close to where he lives, and he loves Hot Springs,” said Tom Wilkins, owner of the RayLynn Theater and a longtime friend of Jerry.
Last year’s performance of The Sunshine Boys was “extremely successful,” Wilkins said, and, as a result, they decided to bring it back — this time with Smothers.
“This is a whole new added twist,” Wilkins said. “Bringing Tommy in is something that’s going to really give it new life, if you will.”
Wilkins said he expects this year’s performance to be successful as well.
“I think it’s going to be fantastic,” Wilkins said. “The phone has been extremely busy. When you get those two guys together, they both have big names and are extremely professional, I think that it will be a huge success.”
Following its debut at the RayLynn Theater last year, Jerry took the play to Branson, Mo., performing again with Iafrate, then to Malibu, Calif., where he performed with his brother, Dick.
Jerry said he had always had Smothers in mind for the part, though, having first approached him about it two years ago. Smothers, however, turned him down.
“I said, ‘I’m not interested. I don’t do plays. I can’t memorize them,’” Smothers said.
Jerry persisted, though, and eventually won him over.
“He sent me this video of him and his brother doing [The Sunshine Boys], and he’s so brilliant in this play,” Smothers said.
“I brought him out of retirement,” Jerry boasted. “It took me two years, but I got him.”
Last year, Smothers, a resident of Sonoma, Calif., retired after 51 years of touring with his brother, Dick. The longtime duo rose to fame with their popular yet controversial variety show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The pair continued their act following the show’s cancellation in 1969, performing both on stage and on television.
After wrapping up their schedule at the RayLynn Theater, Jerry and Tommy will take the show to Dallas, and possibly on to Broadway.
“With my brother, they came out from Broadway [to see the show] and wanted us immediately,” Jerry said. “[Dick] is 85. He couldn’t do it. So they’re going to see it with Tommy here and hopefully, we’ll go to Broadway — if Tommy will.”
Throughout their careers, Jerry and Tommy have met on occasion — the first time some 40 years ago — but they never really knew each other until recently.
“We hit it off right away,” Jerry said.
“But we argue about everything,” Tommy added.
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