{"id":2308657,"date":"2024-07-25T23:31:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-26T03:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bob-newhart-1929-2024-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-25T23:37:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T03:37:33","slug":"bob-newhart-1929-2024-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bob-newhart-1929-2024-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob Newhart, 1929-2024 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbob-newhart-1929-2024-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2308657&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The content reflects on the life and career of Bob Newhart, \u200ca \u200dlegendary stand-up comedian, sitcom star, and occasional film actor who passed\u2064 away at the age of 94 on July 18,\u200d 2024. Known for his dry humor and perplexed persona, Newhart&#8217;s\u200b comedy was characterized by a straight-laced \u2064and sharp \u2064demeanor, often\u200c embodying the role of a bewildered\u200d everyman.<\/p>\n<p>Born in \u2063Oak Park,\u2063 Illinois, he came from a\u2063 middle-class background and initially \u2063pursued a career in accounting after earning\u2063 a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cornell-university-to-proceed-with-controversial-china-partnership\/\" title=\"Cornell University To Proceed With Controversial China Partnership\">business degree<\/a>. However, his comedic instinct led him to create routines with a colleague, which eventually \u200blanded him a spot on \u2064radio and \u200cin nightclubs. A defining\u2063 feature of his comedy was the use of telephone \u200cconversations in his acts, showcasing his unique style of humor.<\/p>\n<p>Newhart&#8217;s debut comedy album, &#8220;The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,&#8221; released in 1960, received critical acclaim, winning Grammy awards for Album of the Year and Best New Artist. He subsequently released several successful albums and starred in his own variety show, &#8220;The Bob Newhart Show.&#8221; His comedy blended wit with self-deprecation, making him a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/taylor-swift-spotted-leaving-chiefs-game-with-travis-kelce\/\" title=\"Taylor Swift seen exiting Chiefs game with Travis Kelce.\">beloved \u2062figure<\/a>\u2063 in American entertainment throughout \u2062his long career.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-sacff-txt\">Magazine &#8211; Obituary <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Bob Newhart, 1929-2024<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3089760\/bob-newhart-dies-at-94\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Bob Newhart<\/a> preferred his comedy to be neither shaken nor stirred but served dry &mdash; very, very dry.<\/p>\n<p>The influential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/comedy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>stand-up comedian<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>renowned sitcom star<\/a>, and periodic motion picture player put forth a persona that was sharp, smart, and, above all, straight-laced.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bob Newhart, 1929-2024 (Richard Shotwell\/Invision\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Newhart, who died on July 18 at age 94, seemed earnestly perplexed by the universe in which he lived. He had the countenance of an accountant, which he had been at one point, and the demeanor of a psychologist, which he once played on TV. Even his faint stammer, which was authentic even as he marshaled it for comedic purposes, could be considered a condition of his bewilderment. Newhart proved that the flat could be funny.<\/p>\n<p>Some comics work for years to develop their stage identities, but Newhart seemed to have been born with the rudiments of his persona. Those who listened to his comedy albums or watched his TV shows could scarcely have conceived a more appropriate biography than the real one: A son of the Midwest &mdash; he was one of four children born to George and Julia Newhart in Oak Park, Illinois &mdash; Newhart was not a rebel or subversive but an ordinary, if amused, participant in the midcentury American dream.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;From the outside in, it appeared a very normal upbringing,&rdquo; Newhart said in a 2005 interview for the PBS series <em>American Masters<\/em>, adding that his family&rsquo;s aspirations for attaining status in the upper-middle class were not quite attained. &ldquo;Something happened between the time my father got his paycheck and the time he got home,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Humor was in the home. He said that he grew up reading H. Allen Smith and Robert Benchley. But upon receiving a degree in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/he-spent-three-years-in-jail-for-a-false-accusation-of-rape-now-hes-finally-free\/\" title=\"He Spent Three Years In Jail For A False Accusation Of Rape. Now He\u2019s Finally Free.\">business management<\/a> from Loyola University Chicago, and upon failing to receive a degree from Loyola University School of Law, Newhart toiled in accounting before attempting to make his funny bone pay.<\/p>\n<p>Persuaded of his own comic instincts, Newhart and a business colleague named Ed Gallagher whipped up some amateur recordings. &ldquo;I would get so bored at the end of the day with accounting that I could call Ed up, and we would improvise routines,&rdquo; said Newhart, who called them &ldquo;poor man Bob and Ray routines.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Even so, in time, Newhart&rsquo;s material reached radio airwaves and, eventually, nightclub audiences. Among his favorite gambits was to present himself on the receiving end of a telephone conversation: For example, in the routine &ldquo;Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue,&rdquo; Newhart incarnates a press agent conversing with Abraham Lincoln.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Listen, Abe, I got the note &mdash; what&rsquo;s the problem? &hellip; You&rsquo;re thinking of shaving it off? &hellip; Abe, don&rsquo;t you see that&rsquo;s part of the image?&rdquo; the press agent says to the unheard 16th president. Later, the topic of a certain Union Army commander comes up: &ldquo;Now, what&rsquo;s this about Grant? &hellip; You&rsquo;re getting a lot of complaints on Grant&rsquo;s drinking, huh? &hellip; Abe, to be perfectly honest with you, I don&rsquo;t see the problem. I mean, you knew he was a lush when you appointed him.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Such routines became the raw material for a series of widely beloved comic albums, including his debut, <em>The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart<\/em>, which, in 1960, was not only a hit with record-buyers but won Grammys for album of the year and best new artist. This was succeeded by <em>Behind the Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart <\/em>(1961), <em>Bob Newhart Faces Bob Newhart <\/em>(1964), and<em> The Windmills Are Weakening <\/em>(1965), among others.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Yet to take full measure of Newhart&rsquo;s humor required more than just listening to him. The audience really needed to see his face: glum, bedraggled, maybe even slightly ornery were it not for his perpetual self-deprecation. Fleetingly, in 1961, Newhart was installed as the host of his own variety show, <em>The Bob Newhart Show<\/em>, and there were guest appearances in all the usual places: <em>The Ed Sullivan Show<\/em>, <em>The Judy Garland Show<\/em>, and so on. Finally, in 1972, CBS had the wisdom to give the comic his own sitcom, <em>The Bob Newhart Show<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Playing a psychologist on the classic show, Newhart had found the perfect fictitious vantage point to observe the human parade, which, after all, had been the secret to his comedy all along. &ldquo;There is this man, me, who keeps looking at the world and saying, &lsquo;This is crazy,&rsquo;&rdquo; Newhart told <em>American Masters<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Although <em>The Bob Newhart Show<\/em> concluded its run in 1978, the public still found its star a meekly humane source of identification, and, from 1982 to 1990, CBS aired a second sitcom, <em>Newhart<\/em>. This time, the star was a Vermont innkeeper inundated with misfits, though nothing could have been more idiosyncratic than the ending to the show itself: The last episode&rsquo;s last scene makes it clear that the entire series had occurred in the dream state of the psychologist from <em>The Bob Newhart Show<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Newhart had his share of movie work, but his quiet, retiring demeanor was never a natural fit for the big screen. He had supporting roles in <em>Hell is for Heroes <\/em>(1962) and <em>Hot Millions <\/em>(1968), though his best movie part was surely as Major Major in Mike Nichols&rsquo;s 1970 adaptation of Joseph Heller&rsquo;s <em>Catch-22. <\/em>In the 21st century, he logged memorable appearances in <em>Elf <\/em>(2003) and on<em> The Big Bang Theory <\/em>or <em>Young Sheldon.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It is unlikely that so ordinary a man will ever again have such an extraordinary show-business career.<\/p>\n<p><em>Peter Tonguette is a contributing writer to the <\/em>Washington Examiner <em>magazine.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bob Newhart, who passed away on July 18 at the age of 94, was known for his distinctly dry brand of comedy. The influential stand-up comedian and celebrated sitcom actor crafted a persona that was intelligent, witty, and notably straight-laced. Newhart, born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1929, often appeared genuinely puzzled by the world around him. With the demeanor of an accountant\u2014his former profession\u2014and the mannerisms of a psychologist, a role he famously portrayed on television, his subtle stammer added to his comedic charm. <\/p>\n<p>Newhart&#8217;s humor was characterized by its understated nature, and he seemed to have an innate grasp of his comedic identity. Growing up in a Midwestern family, he was one of four children of George and Julia Newhart. He described his upbringing as seemingly typical, though his family never quite achieved their aspirations for upper-middle-class status. After earning a business management degree from Loyola University Chicago and briefly attending law school, he worked in accounting before pursuing comedy. Along with a colleague, Ed Gallagher, he began creating amateur recordings to alleviate his boredom with accounting.<\/p>\n<p>His comedic style often involved him playing the straight man in phone conversations, as seen in his famous routine &#8220;Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue,&#8221; where he portrayed a press agent advising Lincoln. This approach led to a series of beloved comedy albums, starting with &#8220;The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,&#8221; which won Grammy Awards in 1960. <\/p>\n<p>Newhart&#8217;s humor was best appreciated visually; his expressions\u2014often glum or slightly irritable\u2014were integral to his comedic delivery. He briefly hosted &#8220;The Bob Newhart Show&#8221; in 1961 and made guest appearances on various popular shows before CBS launched his own sitcom, &#8220;The Bob Newhart Show,&#8221; in 1972. In this series, he played a psychologist, providing him with a unique perspective to comment on human behavior, which was central to his comedy. <\/p>\n<p>After the show ended in 1978, Newhart continued to resonate with audiences, leading to a second sitcom, &#8220;Newhart,&#8221; which aired from 1982 to 1990. This series featured him as a Vermont innkeeper surrounded by quirky characters, culminating in a memorable finale that revealed the entire series was a dream of his psychologist character from the earlier show. <\/p>\n<p>While Newhart had some film roles, including notable appearances in &#8220;Catch-22&#8221; and later in &#8220;Elf&#8221; and &#8220;The Big Bang Theory,&#8221; his understated style was not always suited for the big screen. His remarkable career in show business is unlikely to be matched by anyone as seemingly ordinary as he was. Peter Tonguette is a contributing writer for the Washington Examiner magazine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2691,"featured_media":2308658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Obit_Newhart_073124.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[35503,8194,14890,32229,32076],"class_list":["post-2308657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bob-newhart","tag-comedian","tag-entertainment","tag-obituary","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Obit_Newhart_073124.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2308657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2691"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2308657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2308657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2308658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2308657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2308657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2308657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}