Laughs just keep coming with Smothers Brothers at Hilton

Joe Delaney

Friday, April 12, 2002 | 9:51 a.m.

Comedy with class, equal parts of wit and humor, the hilarious sibling rivalry that sets the Smothers Brothers apart from comedy teams past and present, plus Gary Mule Deer, his guitar, bag of props and off-the-wall observations, makes the Las Vegas Hilton Theater a mirthful must-stop these next two weeks.

"Laugh-In's" Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, who for years performed at Sahara, would open their show, do 20 minutes, bring on a special comedy guest, then close with their best 40 minutes. The Smothers Brothers have wisely adapted this format. After funny offstage announcements, the Smothers opened with a brief bit of their classic "Boil That Cabbage Down" bit.

What followed was a welcome to the audience by both Tom and Dick like you've never heard, that went on for at least 10 laugh-filled minutes. This was followed by a madrigal, "The Troubadour Song," with Dick singing the words and Tom, the tra-la-la-las, plus the usual interruptions.

Exactly 20 minutes had elapsed when they brought on Mule Deer. His act is an oddly connected series of bits and pieces, interspersed with songs with the wrong words, an impression of Johnny Cash working in the round, a reading of church notices, dog songs, a Carl Perkins tribute, news items, a Willie Nelson spoof and an original serious work, the story of our flag, "Old Glory."

Mule Deer was brilliant, every punch line a home run. The Smothers acknowledged him graciously and went into their extended and enhanced "What kind of a dog is it?" sketch, taught to them by George Burns. "Cuando Caliente En Sol" was started by Dick and finished (demolished?) by Tom. Dick then set the stage for Tom as "The Yo-Yo Man."

This classic segment, usually the closer, was next-to-closing here. It was followed by an extremely well-edited film clip, first of the Smothers Brothers' family, then bits from their hit television variety show from the 1960s -- nostalgia warmly received.

The audience joined the brothers for a rousing "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore," then rewarded the brothers with a standing ovation and numerous bows. It was 90 minutes of wall-to-wall laughs.