Bob Newhart | The Complete "Pioneers of Television" Interview | Steven J Boettcher

[@alant1265]

A friend of mine had the fortune to be Mr Newhart’s personal assistant for about a year, working at his home between series, screening his fan mail, making appointments, etc. She said he was a dream boss…..a gentleman, kind, considerate, and down to earth. I never had any reason to doubt her.

[@vito9674]

A true gentleman! He and Rickles were best friends I saw Rickles in the round and he used to meet ppl to say hello and shake hands after his show ..I Can see WHY they were the BEST of friends ! 2 classy talented down to earth gentlemen who UNLIKE today had RESPECT for everyone.! RIP to 2 GREAT GUYS !

[@patricias5122]

Thank God, not a single comment calling Bob Newhart "underrated' as so often see on KZbin. What a genius and helluva nice guy.

[@maxhubmann1696]

RIP to the incredible Bob Newhart. You will be missed forever.

[@zerimaryar]

Now I understand why I loved Bob Newhart so much... "I did not want to bumbling dad that is rescued by wife and kids"... why it stands test of time!! and now I understand why I love his phone 'bits' so much. Thanks Bob for sharing the 'inside story'. :-)

[@ricksand6477]

One of the funniest, classiest Pioneers of Television. Thanks Mr. Newhart!

[@scottcaldwell7480]

His reactions to the absurd characters around him are pure gold.

[@jessfrankel5212]

A thinking man's comedian, a joy to watch, and one of THE funniest comedians and comic actors--ever. Unstinting in his praise of others, cordial and kind, Bob Newhart stands alone. Bob must be around 90, but damn...he had great shows!

[@SHIRLEYGiffordCashmanMS]

Please avoid curse words.

[@jessfrankel5212]

@@SHIRLEYGiffordCashmanMS Damn...sorry.😂

[@vito9674]

There aren't any that I read ! Maybe u should PLEASE avoid reading the dam comments ! ​@@SHIRLEYGiffordCashmanMS

[@terrythekittieful]

Been binge watching 'Newhart' for the past 6 months and am always hungry for more. Brought up on British humor ('Python', 'Porridge', 'Dad's Army','Fawlthy Towers', Till death do us part' etc.) his humor is the closest to Brit style. Even the great John Cleese called him one of his favourirtes.

[@kendallevans4079]

Brit comedy could be considered an oxymoron. A man dressing up as a woman is only funny for about 3 seconds ONE TIME.

[@clarafedde8674]

I really love Bob Newhart. I grew up watching him, and will watch anything he is in.

[@crystalgrose]

Rest in Peace to a Legend 🕊️⭐️

[@stevehayward1854]

I got to thank Bob for not smoking all my life. The Sir Walter Raleigh sketch really was moment I decided I would never smoke

[@demef758]

But yet, he was a chain smoker. That is, until he had a major heart attack, and then quit. Usually, a lifelong habit of smoking shortens one's life, but Bob made it to 94, thankfully. All of those "bonus years" resulted in all of us having that many more years of laughter in our lives. Thank you, Bob!

[@stevehayward1854]

@@demef758 Some people get lucky with heavy smoking but many, many people dont, I've just watched every one of his shows, great comedian

[@markhayward7400]

Bob Newhart's LP "The Button Down Mind" was a favourite of my late Dad's. One of my early memories - I would have been no more than 4 or 5 years old - is of sitting with him whilst he listened to it and laughing because Dad was laughing. I have been a lifelong fan of Bob Newhart's, not just because he is a funny man with a unique personal style and take, but because through him I am still just a son with his Dad.

[@007gunlogo]

@@markhayward7400 A genuinely beautiful comment. I miss my dad as well.

[@simonsaxby7425]

I’m a Bob Newhart fan from England and he was a true legend, my favourite sketch is The World’s smallest Horse, his deadpan delivery was perfect, RIP Bob, xx

[@morenofranco9235]

I love all of Bob's work. Ever since I heard his first record that my parents had bought.

[@angiehh516]

I love this man. Comedic timing is nuts! So funny.

[@rachel9946]

He’s a national treasure.

[@A2D4]

Will be a sad day when we lose him, as well as the end of an era.

[@etrisb]

@@A2D4 Indeed it is.

[@rastusoo7]

RIP Mr Newhart Thank you for the laughs

[@joepeterssr3822]

This was great to watch. He was truly a wonderful wonderful, person!!!

[@tozomona]

What a good and kind man.

[@draven7311]

We played a drinking game, Hi Bob. You did a shot every time someone said Hi Bob during the Bob Newhart show. We were trashed by the end of the program. Oh the memories or lack thereof. I would not trade those memories for anything on earth. Just thinking about it still brings a smile to my face and always a laugh or two. Thanks Bob. Miss your humor. RIP!!!

[@calvinnigh5489]

This is just an amazing piece of interview. Thank you guys and thank God for Bob.

[@007gunlogo]

Great interview. I could easily watch another couple hours of that. Bob is a legend...and so likeable.

[@demef758]

It's pretty clear that Bob was just an ordinary guy with no axes to grind, and had a funny side to him. The kind of guy you enjoyed working with. Nothing special about him other than having a great sense of humor. That he remained married to the same woman all his life and loved her until her death in 2023 tells you a lot, too. Bob frequently made mention of Ginnie, but never like someone like Henny Youngman would. I.e., Bob wanted to KEEP Ginnie, not have someone "take her, please!"

[@airtiki2374]

My all time favorite I think after seeing 1 or 2 reruns of the BOB NEWHART SHOW I was hooked.The deadpan mixed with some craziness. I have the entire series on dvd that i must of viewed at least 6 or 7 x

[@CONNIECOLVIN-wg8bq]

He was wonderful. Will always love and miss him.

[@nicholasjanke3476]

It's interesting that John Belushi was one of his fans. The two men had vastly different comic styles-Bob Newhart with his calm, deadpan, straight man persona-and John Belushi with his wild neanderthal persona.

[@tbecker97204]

" *Hi. My name's Larry. This is my brother, Darrell. And my other brother, Darrell.* " *LOVE* Bob's stammering. Classic timing.

[@kerry5586]

The best one is where he interviews the retired general about his book: absolutely hysterical! It is call Interview Nightmare - should have read the book on this site.

[@v.gorski3050]

Great stories about his fantastic television career. There is no one like Bob Newhart ! And he is a legend in my opinion since he is from Chicago and is a Loyola University Alumnus. Very nice interview, and thanks for posting it !!

[@AnotherOak]

Love you bob.

[@passiton3801]

He was a pure genius, kept America laffing for years, as well as the rest of us!

[@joanmurphy2166]

Thank you!

[@captainharris8980]

As much as I enjoyed Bob Newhart and other television programs, it really ate into my free time. I did not want a career in film and television, but got steered towards it. For all the laughs TV provided ... I didn't want to be part of it. Still, I'm glad those shows were produced. Fun times.

[@brianmoore5498]

fabulous tv shows. loved bob every week and still do. thank you!

[@sandie302]

Class act..So smart and funny...Theres no one like Bob Newhart

[@fredkelbert1913]

I remember Bob from his “telephone routines” on the Ed Sullivan Show, back in the early sixties. He was hilarious!

[@MichaelCuthbertson-zl6in]

What a wonderful Gentleman - and funny too!

[@franklingraham4960]

Rest in peaceful perfect balance soulwalker ancestor king.❤

[@bartman898]

MTM then Bob Newheart and Carol Burnett....great way to spend an Evening.

[@annehajdu8654]

*Newhart

[@007gunlogo]

AMAZING line-up. We didn't realize how good we had it back then.

[@tommadane3550]

A legend. Period.

[@mattstone8878]

Hey it's Professor Proton! I didn't know he acted in anything else. Lol

[@wayneyanda]

RIP, Bob.

[@Stanbott]

Suzan was a positive example of a strong woman who wasn't a witch. She was just self posessed and she loved her husband, so unlike other sitcoms, she wasn't insulting her husband and trying to stand on his shoulders.

[@mikearchibald744]

I don't think there was as much of that as you think. Even in the eighties, which weren't exactly kind to sitcom wives, most of them were professional women who just weren't very funny because the guy was getting the punchlines.

[@Stanbott]

@@mikearchibald744 it was a trope in the 70s and less so in the 80s where the wife did as I described. The worst of that was the ending of the Sunny and Cher show. i observed it leaching out into real life with bad results. But Suzan was a straight woman and Bob was the comedian.

[@mikearchibald744]

@@Stanbott The eighties were not that, I agree that the strong women of the 70s disappeared, but they turned into characterless affectations of the men. They certainly weren't 'standing on their shoulders', they just didn't get many jokes. In fact as far as put downs go suzanne had plenty, so go find an eighties show and a newhart and watch a few and compare them. For THAT show they were remarkably similar, but we lost the Maudes and louise jeffersons. Something like Family Ties had the father and mother equat at the beginning abut as the show dragged on, BOTH the parents suffered, but the women usually just got a 'special episode' where they were allowed a serious issue per year, rather than having free reign to tackle seirous issues comedically. What you destcribe is 'sort of' true, in that the easy joke for the wife is to take a dig at the man. Of course you notice that it changed nothing and effected nothing. Its not like we ever saw "ok, I've had enough of you, I want a divorce" or even "i'm having an affair". Did ANYBODY in the 80's have an affair? Despite the husbands becoming bigger and biggers assholes into the nineties.

[@annehajdu8654]

*Suzanne

[@mikearchibald744]

The shows were one thing,but anybody who hasn't heard it, track down on youtube the grace l ferguson airline and storm door company 'bit', because that is pretty damn close to being 'uber comedy'.

[@nicholasjanke3476]

Bob Newhart did a funny episode on SNL doing a Twilight Zone parody.

[@paulpeterson4216]

The character was about 85% Bob Newhart, and the other 15% was an extremely buttoned down mind!

[@demef758]

Thanks to his Catholic upbringing, there was never a swear word out of his mouth. Just good, clean, funny-as-hell (oops!) humor. The Rickles stories are legend.

[@gheller2261]

Bob is mistaken that his show was the first where the couple shared a bed. Believe it or not, the Brady Bunch was the first show where this happened.

[@goplad1]

Actually it goes back to the '50s. Ozzy and Harriet shared a bed.

[@AnotherOak]

In what context do you mean. Two people in a bed with or without context.

[@MichaelEdelman1954]

On the very first I Love Lucy, Lucy and Ricky wake up in bed together.

[@johncronk3939]

My favorite comedian of all times. All 4 of his tv shows were great, ok Bob kinda sucked, but Bob Newhart and Newhart were brilliant. George and Leo could have lasted longer. The world will be a little less entertaining when he is gone.

[@HC-cb4yp]

You'll never see another American entertainer like Bob Newhart because Hollywood doesn't hire people like Bob Newhart anymore. He'd have to be JCPenney-catalog handsome, 'cool' and foul mouthed. Look at today's SNL cast.

[@jbull7126]

A wonderful interview ruined by advertising breaks

[@matthewh.9544]

Nothing on Don Rickles. Would like to have heard about his part in Don Siegel's Hell is for Heroes with Steve McQueen and James Coburn.

[@fowchiiiliedpuppiesdied]

Now they are competing with reruns of your old shows, buddy. Nothing like it, now.

[@gheller2261]

Nothing about his relationship with Rickles?

[@sdne1959]

. How odd (and a bit sad) to think that this VERY funny, good man is now known to most younger people only as a character (Professor Proton) from a handful of appearances on The Big Bang Theory..... .

[@paulpeterson4216]

But he is known to them! Ask a younger person about Milton Berle or Sid Caesar.

[@sdne1959]

@@paulpeterson4216 . _Touche'_ ........and DEFINITELY the way to look at this !! :-) .

[@bneale]

He thinks Pryor is funny? LOL.

[@TommyBackwater41]

What a nice man . God bless him