"Classical Gas" by Mason Williams

This is the original version of the film that was later shown on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968. It differs only slightly from the one that aired. The video was begun as a student film project in late 1967 with the original music to have been Beethoven's 5th Symphony. When Mason Williams, who was then a writer on the show, saw the film, he suggested, and then wrote, the new music for it. After obtaining permission from the films creator, the "Classical Gas" video made its debut on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in July 1968. The recording went on to become one of the bestselling instrumental recordings ever made.

The original video from the show has not been seen since 1968. Legal reasons are the chief culprit. This version was made using the original student film, which was never aired. It has been re-edited to "Classical Gas" and aside from a couple of frames is almost identical to the one shown on the Smothers Brothers Show over 40 years ago.

Note: The original student film, set to the Beethoven piece, was titled "God Is Dog Spelled Backward."