Newhart knew how to find the funny bone
- col-dave-mast
- August 9, 2024
- 603
Did human beings come any funnier than Bob Newhart?
The seemingly eternal comedic actor and performer passed away July 18 at the age of 94, and my guess is that when he popped out of his mother’s womb on Sept. 5, 1929, at the onset of the Great Depression, he probably fired off some deadpan one-liner bemoaning the timing of his arrival on this Earth at that exact moment.
And I bet it was funnier than all get-out.
Bob Newhart was truly one of the funniest people ever to grace this world. His sense of timing and deadpan delivery seemed to unite people in laughter who had nothing in common, but his down-to-earth delivery, his timing, his stuttering cadence and his every-person look all united to bring comedy to the masses in a unique and loving way that was unlike so many comics today.
He once said of his stuttering cadence, “I’ve been told to speed up my delivery when I perform. But if I lose the stammer, I’m just another slightly amusing accountant.”
For his peers, the words “comedy legend” seem to come out of the mouths of everyone who sings his praises.
Julia Duffy, who starred alongside Newhart in the TV series “Newhart,” said he was the second most important man in her life.
Many talk about how warm and gracious he was as a person, how he had absolutely no ego despite his fame.
Myself, I pretty much grew up with the legend on the tube. From 1972-78 he starred in “The Bob Newhart Show,” where as a psychiatrist he doled out advice to a zany host of regular patients.
That suited him perfectly, because he once said, “The reason I’m a psychologist is based in part on my telephone routines. Much of my humor comes out of reaction to what other people are saying. A psychologist is a man who listens, who is sympathetic.”
From his loving TV wife Suzanne Pleshette, who gave as good as she got in terms of subtle, piercing comebacks, to patients like Bill Daily and Jack Riley, along with his secretary Marcia Wallace and work neighbor and dentist Peter Bonerz, the cast was incredible.
However, Newhart was firmly entrenched as the mesmerizing star.
From 1982-90 he joined Mary Frann as Dick and Joanna Loudon, owners of a quaint inn, who had the challenge of their daily dealings with a cast that included Tom Poston’s George Utley, Peter Scolari and Julia Duffy’s uppity couple, and, of course, the famous trio of Larry, Darryl and Darryl.
That truly was one of my all-time favorite shows, with Newhart firing off dry one-liners like he was born to do it forever.
Of course, that show provided perhaps the greatest show-stopping finale of all time, and if you haven’t seen it, then you’ll just have to check it out on YouTube, where it has amassed millions of views. I never get tired of watching that moment because it perfectly defines Newhart’s deadpan delivery.
Amazingly, it seemed to me as though the man got funnier the older he got and was well known for offering some tremendous roasts well into his upper 80s.
In 2003 he shined brightly as Papa Elf in the movie “Elf,” where he capably held his own against star Will Ferrell, adding a great deal of warmth and humor to that Christmas favorite.
He quickly endeared himself to fans of “The Big Bang Theory” as Professor Proton in his mid-80s, and he was still busting guts with every line he delivered and didn’t need the annoying soundtrack that rolls 24/7 in that show to do so either.
And all along, he served as one of the world’s all-time great stand-up comedians, doing so with clean material that relied on delivery and actual humor to thrill people rather than foul language and lurid material.
Newhart said of comedy, “You do a clean show and it’s over, and the audience have enjoyed themselves and you’ve enjoyed yourself, and you haven’t had to resort to shock.”
Maybe what drove Newhart to such great heights was that he never lost his inner child. He once was quoted saying, “I think there’s a part, just a part of comedians, that is still childlike.”
Newhart was that child, through and through.
And late in life, he shared this wonderful gem: “There’s gratification in making somebody laugh. It’s a wonderful sound. I find myself, to this day, doing it, wanting to make people laugh.”
If that’s the case, then Bob Newhart lived an extremely gratifying life, and he will be missed.