There was a TV special on last night about him, and he was given the Mark Twain Award for American Humor. It's understated humor like his (with always a bunch of crazies around him, getting all the attention) that I find funnier than anything. Thanks, Bob, for all the years of laughter, and congratulations!

 

he's a funny guy. but i liked best "i'm larry, this is my brother darrel, and this is my other brother darrel?

 

Sheesh, you scared me there, i thought you were adding him to the dead pool! I was always a big fan of his droll humour, and it didn't hurt that he had a knack for drawing a fine ensemble of character actors to flesh out his sitcoms.

 

My favourite was the last episode of "Newhart"

When he wakes up in bed with Emily (Suzanne Pleshette) telling her how he had a nightmare about owning an Inn in Vermont & there were these crazy townfolk.

 

I never watched his shows and alway's thought he was droll until I bought one of his records. That guy is funny!


-1bigsteve (o:

 

One of the funniest scenes in a TV show, ever. Most people forget that was right after the infamous "Dallas" scene, when they made the entire previous season a dream in order to bring Bobby back from the dead. Plus, who else but Bob Newhart could end one show by using characters from his own previous hit show? And I think Tom Poston is much funnier than most people give him credit for.

 

Tom Poston was like Al Borland. Comedians' straight men are often under-appreciated.

BTW...welcome back Jeff! Hope the vacation went well.

 

Bob Newhart and Shelly Berman were the two Comedians whos'e records were sold in the PX way back when I was a grunt. Funny stuff.
"Hey Isabella, it's nutty walt from the islands" "He says he's bringing back some stuff you can smoke or stuff up your nose......"
Remember that stuff?

And Shelly Berman's "....let me speak to your mother right now or God will strike you!"

 

We used to watch the Bob Newhart show regularly on Saturday nights. He'd look at his watch and I'd say "Dad is he left handed?" and Dad would say "No, Son, if you're right handed you wear your watch on your left wrist." "oh".

I always liked the show and was old enough to appreciate Newhart even more than the Bob Newhart Show, but Thudpucker brought to mind when I saw him on some variety show doing the Sir Walter Ralegh on the phone bit. That was funny.

 

I still have records of INSIDE SHELLY BERMAN and OUTSIDE SHELLY BERMAN, still funny today. I remember where Newhart was a watchman in the Empire State Building when King Kong climbed it and he called in to say that his beat stopped at the belly button.
Dono

 

Those were LP's, and good clean laughs too. As a Kid in Southern MO, all we had was radio. My imagination works better when I cant see anything but the glow of the Dial in the Dark room. TV and it's realisim, which is so limited, can never compare to the LP's and your own imagination.
Bill Cosby was another good LP comedian. Shelly Berman and Bill Cosby are just not as funny in person, or on TV, as Bob Newhart. Shelly Berman is a downright ugly bad guy.

Some kid from Louisiana came up with some Redd Foxx and Mom's Mobley LP's, which were/are funney, but not the kind of stuff you'd play for your Mom.

Baxter Black, a large animal vet turne comic, and Garrison Keillor are two very good current comics that are better heard then seen.

 

I like the Guy Noir bits

 

For us elder's fortunate enough to grow up with only the Radio for entertainment, there cant be anybody funnier than Red Skelton, or Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy and all the guest's they had on thier programs.
None of those early comedians used 'bad happenings' to launch thier jokes.
Well....maybe W.C. Fields making threats about Termites to Charlie McCarthy.

My Irish/Welsh Grandmother was quite possibley one of the meanest women in the history of the world. She kept me hopping with a 40" Oak stick.
But she'd have a dish rag in her hand when she listend to those two comedians. The Rag was to wipe the tears from her eyes. She laughed till her cheeks hurt. It was the only time I felt safe around her.
Hooray for humor. I'm in awe of the guys that can do it.

 

Agree that the Newhart and Cosby LPs were/are great humor.
Of the radio shows, to me Jack Benny's was consistently funny.
(Another good comic was Jerry Clower (?sp), enjoyed listening to his stuff on WWL)

 

Oh yes, Jack Benney was a very good show. "Digger O'Dell" the friendly undertaker was one of my favorite characters. Fibber McGee n' Molly too.

On that subject, Who's Character was "Sarcophagus Macabre"? He was another character like "Digger O'Dell", but I cant remember what radio program he was on, or maybe what comic in the funnies?

To this day, our local station still plays cuts from Jerry Clower's CD's. I heard the one about the Fast Train a few minutes ago. ("...that train was so fast, a man got on in Jackson Mississippi, he turned to kiss his wife goodby as he was on the top step, and kissed a Bull full on the lips in Howard Louisiana....") Lord I wish I could think up stuff like that!
I have two of his tapes in my Pickup.

Other show's the older folks liked were "Duffy's Tavern" Somehow, Arch just wasn't as funny as the other guys I mentiond.
Bob Hope was more for grownups as well.

What was tough for me, was sitting still and being quiet during one of those "Soaps" she liked so well. She listend to the Soap while she was fixing Dinner. That's a Racket if you never heard it, and I used to wonder why she thought I made so much noise?

Our Radio was battery powered. It took Cash to replace the batteries, and our only cash crop was Milk. Electricity was out at the Road, but never was brought into her farm. So we had Coal oil lamps and a Battery powered radio.
We had to milk by hand, and run the cows in and out (Guess who got to do that?) without a Dog, so the money for Batteries and Coal oil came to us at a dear price.

Oh how nice it would have been to have a Radio down in that Barn!