Bob Newhart

Most of us remember Bob Newhart and know that he is funny. The point is that his quiet humor has been around for 50 years and that he continues to make us laugh with so little effort that we think that his work is minimal. Looking back at his carrier from this vantage point you can see that the number of projects that he used his talents to enliven were numerous. He was most famous for his ensemble shows that showcased many other great comedic voices that were known but became household names because they were in these shows. Suzanne Pleshette, Tom Poston, Marcia Wallace, and Jack Riley were only three of the many people who were on his several shows. It may be noted that all of the series that he appeared on all had his name in the title. That is more of a sign of his popularity then his ego. The television programming of that era was much more civil then today’s programming. The networks seemed to think that to sell programs they had to keep us from thinking. Married couples lived the perfect life. I know that as a psychiatrist Dr. Bob Hartley that Newhart played held many group sessions with the same patients who never seemed to make any progress. I think that is more about the casting of the show and the group of actors that were assembled to do the show. His secretary (Marcia Wallace) was so realistic that we believed all of the outrageous actions that made Dr. Hartley’s life difficult. This is the type of comedy that gave Newhart the chance to do three series that each are remembered because of their similarities and their unique personality.
That was not the start of the carrier. The term stand up comedian had not come into our lives but it was just comedy done when and where it would pay. Comedy albums and appearances on television were the places to make a carrier. Albums and the style of comedy that was more of an act then a series of jokes were what made the television shows possible. I will always remember that Newhart was from Chicago and that he had planned to become an accountant. He would refer to the Bob Newhart theory of accounting. “It is close enough.”
The reason for writing is twofold I have a good excuse to use the photo that we took while visiting Navy Pier in Chicago. The sculpture is by the EIS (pronounced ice) studios of Brooklyn, NY that is headed by Elliot and Ivan Schwartz and is actually a joint effort of the studio staff. The other reason is that this is a great excuse to write about Newhart who has always been one of my favorites and since we both come from Chicago it seems appropriate after a visit to that very interesting city.