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IM, The Smothers Brothers Show ... YES
This bit about "ribbit" has an important place in TV censorship
and the U.S. anti-war protest movement of the 60's and 70's
This my version of it's history, much of it from memory, some from later reading
about the battle the Smothers Brothers had with CBS and censorship of TV at the time.
It started with a simple skit on the Show with frogs sitting around a pond
saying "ribbit" in background rhythm to some song that Tom and Dick were singing.
This skit evolved into several versions to fit with whatever "shtick" they were doing that week.
Tom and Dick appeared in "frog" costumes, and the "ribbit" was a running joke
as it replaced "croak" and became a part of American culture.
Then later, as Tom & Dick, the writers, and guests got into their feud/war
with the CBS censors, the "ribbit" took on a different role.
The show became highly political and the writers would deliberately
insert things they knew/hoped with be cut by CBS censors.
They would set up a joke where the audience could anticipate
the punch line, but then would substitute "ribbit".
The audiences loved it and the censors were infuriated, in part
because CBS had contractually given the Smothers artistic control over their Show.
Of course, CBS finally terminated the show in 1969.
Those shows on YouTube have now been deleted... maybe due to copy write.
But there are references to scripts in libraries about "ribbit",
especially one episode in 1968 (8 - 62), but even these have been deleted from the links.
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