My favorite all-time Newhart phone skit is when he, as president, called Kruschev to apologize for accidentally launching a rocket at Moscow. He offered to give the Russians a free shot at Chicago. But Kruschev complained that would make us two-up on the Russians.
SLIDE: sorry for the length, but I felt he deserved it:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/18/arts/television/bob-newhart-stream-tv.html
Stream These 6 Great Bob Newhart Performances
Newhart, who died on Thursday, became a standup star in the early 1960s and later developed two hit sitcoms built around his nervous Everyman persona.
July 18, 2024
The legend of Bob Newhart, who died on Thursday at 94, holds that he was once just an ordinary Chicago accountant who honed a stand-up act in his spare time. Overnight, the story goes — almost accidentally — he became a Grammy-winning sensation with his debut album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” a collection of one-man sketches in which he play-acts one half of funny conversations.
That story is exaggerated. Newhart worked in advertising for longer than he did in accounting; and his showbiz ambitions were never just an afterthought. It is true, though, that Newhart rocketed to the top because he innately understood a certain midcentury Middle American type: the meek and anxious Everyman, overwhelmed by a world that sometimes seems deeply weird.
Newhart first made good use of that understanding onstage in comedy clubs, where he became a phenomenon in the early 1960s, setting him up for a thriving career in that decade as a variety show and talk show guest. He then played variations on his stand-up character in two hit sitcoms: “The Bob Newhart Show” through much of the ’70s and “Newhart,” which ran from 1982 to 1990.
By the 21st century, he had settled into emeritus status, reviving his old routines in concerts while doing his beloved shtick in supporting roles in movies and on TV. Here are six of Newhart’s most memorable performances, all available to stream:
‘Bob Newhart: Off the Record’ (1992)
The best way to understand how a “button-down” office drone became a perennial presence on TV is to watch this comedy special, in which Newhart revisits some of his earliest stand-up routines. At the time, these bits were over 30 years old, but they still — even today — get laughs. “Off the Record” shows one of the best-ever comics doing his thing: delivering one side of ludicrous phone calls and chats while giving the audience just enough information to imagine what is happening on the other end. In doing his bits about ordinary schmoes in extraordinary situations — such as crossing paths with King Kong or consulting with Abe Lincoln — Newhart spoofs the language of American life.
Rent or buy it on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu or YouTube.
‘The Bob Newhart Show’ (1972-78)
After Newhart’s decade-plus of stand-up success and frequent TV guest gigs, the writer-producer team of David Davis and Lorenzo Music finally figured out how to harness his comic persona in a sitcom. In their “The Bob Newhart Show,” the comedian plays Bob Hartley, a Chicago psychologist managing the neuroses of his patients and the frustrations of his oft-neglected wife, Emily (Suzanne Pleshette). The show’s premise allows Newhart to make great use of his deadpan reactions, witty remarks and nervous stammer — all opposite a crack cast of funny character actors. But the real reason the series ran for so long is the star’s chemistry with Pleshette. Their easy banter and obvious affection make even a chilly Windy City feel inviting.
Buy it on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV or Vudu.
‘Newhart’ (1982-90)
A few years after ending one popular, long-running sitcom, Newhart moved on to another. In “Newhart,” he plays Dick Loudon, a successful how-to book author who buys a quaint Vermont inn to run with his wife, Joanna (Mary Frann). Though again surrounded by eccentrics, Newhart’s character — and his approach to comedy — is subtly different here than in “The Bob Newhart Show.” Over the course of the series, Dick essentially becomes another one of those small-town kooks, with his own stubborn tics and habits. The show is plenty charming, even as it relies more on wackiness than warmth.
Stream it on Amazon Prime Video.
‘Catch-22’ (1970)
Newhart didn’t appear in too many movies, perhaps because he was busy starring in his own TV series — or perhaps because his distinctive voice and his wry sense of humor could fit only into a select few motion pictures. One the best uses of Newhart on the big screen came in the film version of Joseph Heller’s satirical novel “Catch-22,” adapted by the director Mike Nichols and the screenwriter Buck Henry. As the do-nothing officer Major Major — promoted to the rank of major because the Army didn’t like the idea of a guy named Major being a mere captain — Newhart leans on his stand-up persona as a charisma-free bureaucrat, trying extraordinarily hard to accomplish as little as possible.
Rent or buy it on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu or YouTube.
‘The Rescuers Down Under’ (1990)
Newhart had a rare gig as a voice actor in the 1977 animated feature “The Rescuers,” a genial Disney film about a shy mouse named Bernard who joins the elegant Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor) on an adventure to save a kidnapped orphan. “The Rescuers” is an entertaining movie; but the sequel is even better, with Newhart and Gabor joined by John Candy (as a good-natured but bumbling albatross) on a mission in Australia. Released toward the beginning of Disney’s magical ’90s run, “The Rescuers Down Under” is crisply plotted and beautifully animated, and it uses Newhart’s raspy stammer to great effect, bringing a fragile humanity to a tiny, brave little rodent.
Stream it on Disney+; rent or buy it on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Google Play, Vudu or YouTube.
‘Elf’ (2003)
In the 21st century, Newhart stayed busy with guest shots on TV series like “ER,” “The Librarian” and “The Big Bang Theory.” He did “fussy old man” variations on his “Bob Newhart Show” and “Newhart” characters, drawing laughs and sympathy by masterfully controlling his slow, stammering reactions. During this era, Newhart also appeared in the movie he is probably most remembered for — at least among viewers born after his sitcom heyday. In the holiday perennial “Elf,” Will Ferrell plays a relentlessly upbeat human named Buddy, who was raised from boyhood by one of Santa’s elves. Newhart plays Buddy’s “Papa.” The contrast between the lanky, boisterous Ferrell and the diminutive, deadpan Newhart sets just the right tone for a film that is equal parts funny and sweet.
