When you're a kid obsessed with comedy, your personality quickly gets defined by the comics you love. For me, that comic was Bob Newhart, but it didn't start with Newhart.
I was in fifth grade reading Ellen DeGeneres' book My Point... And I Do Have One. I could not get enough of DeGeneres' material. (This was before she came out on her sitcom Ellen or her talk show.) My teacher that year, Mr. Parsons, encouraged my interest in comedy. One day, after I likely attempted, probably poorly, to do a DeGeneres bit, Mr. Parsons told me, "You should go to the library and get Bob Newhart's comedy album. If you like Ellen DeGeneres, you're going to love Bob Newhart."
I did as I was told and went to my local library in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri. I found a CD of Newhart's album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart I don't remember where I was when I first listened to it, or the moment I knew this man's personality was about to become my personality, all I know is that when I listened to that album, I knew I was obsessed. I began to compile everything I could know about Bob Newhart.
To say I was the only little kid in the 1990s obsessed with Bob Newhart would probably not be true, but I know there weren't a lot of us. None of my peers knew who he was or cared. It wasn't until years later, when I started performing comedy, that I instantly knew my love of Newhart made me cool to the people I so desperately wanted to seem cool to: comics.
Any comic will tell you, if you get Newhart's comedy, you get comedy. When Newhart started, there was no such thing as an "alternative" comic. Nowadays they're everywhere, but in 1960 when his first album came out and became a Billboard number one album–and continues to be the highest-selling comedy album of all time–nobody had heard comedy in the way Newhart did comedy. He wasn't an insult comic, he didn't do the standard punchline bits, he rarely worked the room, instead Newhart leaned into his own thing. He would do these little solo sketches, if you will, often playing the part of the straight man reacting to someone else, usually on the other end of a fake phone call. These bits became insanely popular, and in turn Newhart instantly became famous.
After I discovered that first album, I devoured everything Bob Newhart ever did. I became an instant fan and devotee to the comedy school of Bob Newhart. With that said, and in recognition of Newhart's passing on Thursday at the age of 94, now is the perfect opportunity for me to share with you everything from Newhart's career you need to get into.
The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart (1960)
The comedy album that started it all, not just for Newhart, but for comedy albums in general. This album was so huge that it won Newhart Grammys for Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Seriously! Newhart would release many other comedy albums, notably The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back! in 1961, but this first album was career defining. He basically was the Adele of comedy with that album.
The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978)
After years of touring and appearing on variety shows, Newhart bravely went into the situation comedy arena with The Bob Newhart Show. It might seem like a no brainer today that a stand-up comic would get their sitcom, but not in 1972. Back then sitcoms were dominated by actors, not comics. Just like he did with his album, Newhart paved the way for other comics like Jerry Seinfeld, Roseanne, and Martin Lawrence to have their own sitcoms. On The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart played Chicago psychologist Robert Hartley, a mild-mannered man surrounded by a cast of colorful characters. In many ways it was the perfect representation of Newhart's comedy style. You wanted to see how Newhart's Hartley would react to a crazy person, or a weird situation. The premise worked and the sitcom is remembered as one of the best of the 1970s.
Newhart (1982-1990)
After a brief hiatus, Newhart returned to the world of sitcoms with Newhart, this time playing Vermont innkeeper Dick Loudon. Just like on The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart's Loudon was surrounded by cast of characters, giving Newhart the opportunity to react in the most absurd of ways. While not as popular as The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart is best remembered for its last episode. In the last moments of the finale, Newhart's Loudon goes to sleep in Vermont and then suddenly wakes up as Robert Hartley from The Bob Newhart Show, complete with the set becoming a replica of the old sitcom. It turns out the entire run of Newhart was just a dream Hartley was having. TV Guide rated the finale of Newhart as the best finale in television history.
Elf (2003)
In 2003, Will Ferrell's Elf introduced Newhart to an entire new generation of fans. Newhart played Papa Elf, who helps Ferrell's misguided Buddy navigate the real world. The film has become a modern Christmas classic, forever cementing Newhart as part of the holidays.
The Big Bang Theory (2013-2018)
Newhart's last major project was guest starring on The Big Bang Theory between 2013 and 2018. He had guest-starred on a number of shows over the years (The Simpsons, Murphy Brown, Desperate Housewives), but it was The Big Bang Theory that finally won Newhart his very first Emmy, for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He received his first Emmy nomination in 1962 and picked up a ton of other nominations over the years, but the gold statue eluded him until 2013.
I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This (2006)
Out of everything you could watch or listen to from Newhart's long career, I would encourage you to read his memoir, I Shouldn't Be Doing This. Released in 2006, it's just an essential part of the history of comedy from the genius himself. It's funny, yes, but it also offers a glimpse into how Newhart did what he did. If you're a fan of comedy in general, then Newhart's memoir is required reading.
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