Bob Newhart was an understated comedy genius. He didn’t have to yell, scream, curse, or be rude to get laughs. He was a master at doing comedy bits while talking on the phone, and it was these sketches that helped him become a household name for decades.
One of my favorites is him playing a new guard inside the Empire State Building the night King Kong climbs the building:
Each one is amazing, from his timing to his delivery. Newhart’s building of comedic tension as these calls continue shows why he is a master of his craft and why he won a Grammy for his first album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, in 1961.
During the pandemic, I binge-watched The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978), which is a comedic showcase for Newhart and an amazing ensemble of actors. His role as psychiatrist Dr. Robert Hartley provides him with plenty of comedy gold and solidifies him as one of the best deadpan-delivering comedians of the 20th century. I love how just a look from Newhart when another character says something gets a laugh.
The Bob Newhart Show joined the ranks of more adult-themed sitcoms in the early 1970s. Along with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, its success paved the way for All in the Family, Taxi, and others to make their mark on TV history.
Newhart (1982-1990) had the comedian playing Dick Loudon, a writer-turned-innkeeper in Vermont. Along with his wife, Dick encountered a wide variety of oddball townspeople and guests that kept the laughs going for nine seasons. One of my favorite episodes is when Dick and the inn’s “housekeeper,” Stephanie, host a shop-at-home show on local TV:
Of course, Bob Newhart is known to contemporary audiences for his roles in the Christmas comedy Elf and as Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory. Both roles enabled newer generations to see his comedic timing and deadpan delivery in action. I hope some younger viewers sought out his comedy albums and his two hit series, The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, as a result.
Admittedly, I got a little choked up after hearing the news of his passing today. Newhart was a special brand of comic and human. A man who delivered laughs to audiences of all ages for over 60 years. We are fortunate that his work and legacy will live on, and we can continue to laugh and enjoy his work for decades to come.
Thank you, Bob Newhart, for the laughs and the memories.
Check out this fantastic tribute to him from Entertainment Tonight below:
I enjoyed watching the clips from Bob Newhart’s shows! And the clip about King Kong was excellent! He was a contributor to something we always need in life…laughter.
He will be greatly missed.
Thanks for sharing this post.