Bob Newhart
I was in grade school on the south side of Chicago when I began listening to the radio. It was AM in those days, and the format was Top Forty. There were two big stations in Chicago, WLS and WCFL. Since they both played the same music, they differentiated themselves by the personalities of their disc jockeys. One did a lot of comedic bits and spotlighted local comedians. And one of those was Bob Newhart.
In a world where comedians told one-line jokes Newhart was something different. Newhart told stories. The form is now known as “observational comedy.” He did it slowly, in a deadpan voice. He sometimes stuttered. He acted as his own straight man, often crafting his story in the form of a telephone conversation where we only heard his side. It was brilliant.
Newhart died at age 94 on Thursday, July 18, at his Los Angeles home, after a series of short illnesses.
Newhart’s first comedy recording, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” earned three Grammys in 1961. He won the best new artist prize and the comedy performance (spoken word) Grammy, and the LP became the first comedy record to be honored as album of the year.
George Robert Newhart was born in Oak Park, IL, a Chicago suburb. He did not start out in comedy. He served in the Army, went to but did not complete law school, tried business, and worked as an accountant. He then worked a variety of odd jobs while performing in an Oak Park stock company. His performances were seen, and he was introduced to the president of Warner Bros. Records, who recorded and released that first album.
The next big break came on television. “The Bob Newhart Show,” ran for six seasons on CBS, from 1972 to 1978. Newhart played Bob Hartley, a Chicago psychologist who coped with his kooky patients with the help of his loving wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette). The character fit Newhart’s style, the stammering, muttering everyman, delivering hilariously deadpan reactions to the madness around him. Like the great Jack Benny before him, Newhart often made sure his costars had the best punch lines.
Newhart remained off the air for only four years when he did it again. From 1982 to 1990, Newhart entertained millions on “Newhart,” playing Dick Loudon, a how-to book author and the co-owner of a quaint Vermont inn with his wife Joanna (Mary Frann).
And then came that historic finale. Dick Loudon getting knocked out by a golf ball in Vermont and then waking up in his Chicago bedroom as Bob Hartley, with Pleshette’s Emily by his side. The entire run of “Newhart” had apparently been Bob’s dream. It was one television’s most memorable nights.
Newhart never retired. He was introduced to a new generation of fans with a recurring role in the hit “The Big Bang Theory” and its spin-off “Young Sheldon.” He appeared in several movies including “Elf,” “The Librarians: Quest for the Spear,” and “Legally Blonde 2.”
Celebrities across Hollywood are paying tribute. The tributes are universally referential. The word “icon” comes up again and again.
“What a dream it was to witness the genius that was Bob Newhart. He was classy, kind, generous and absolutely hilarious. Every take – every time. Icon forever,” said Kaley Cuoco, star of The Big Bang Theory!” Jamie Lee Curtis posted on Instagram: “They will be laughing wherever people go when they leave us. God, he was funny! Bob Newhart. You will be missed!”
Former senator and SNL alum Al Franken wrote on X: “Bob Newhart was a giant, a genius, and a great guy. I’ll always remember when he hosted SNL and did a stellar show. He was, as you might expect, a joy to work with.”
Newhart is survived by his four children, sons Robert and Timothy, and daughters Jennifer and Courtney, as well as ten grandchildren. His wife Ginnie, whom he wed in 1963, died in April 2023.
The best line in tribute came from actor Noah Wyle, who worked with Newhart on “ER” when he guest starred, in a statement to The Associated Press. “Heroes frequently disappoint when you meet them. Bob didn’t. I will be forever grateful for the time I got to spend with him, laughing, globetrotting, telling stories and trying to save the world. I join the multitudes in mourning his passing. Heaven just got a whole lot funnier.”
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