When Bob Newhart died July 19 at the age of 94, the world lost one of the last remaining comedians of a certain era. Predating “Saturday Night Live” and more contemporary avenues for comedy, the Chicago-born master of dry, deadpan wit came up through stand-up sets in his city, growing into a familiar face in the ’60s with appearances on variety series such as “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” His debut live album “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” was what shot him into full superstar status, becoming the first comedy album to receive the Grammy for Album of the Year; a feat most (heck, any) comedians ever seem unlikely to repeat today.
Of course, nowadays Newhart is remembered most vividly not for his live work but as one of the great stars of the sitcom genre. He had two short-lived series (“Bob” and “George and Leo”) that sputtered after a season each in the ’90s, but those false starts pale in comparison to the massive success of his first two vehicles for his comedic talent. In the ’70s, he became a consistent face on CBS as a suffering psychologist in “The Bob Newhart Show,” opposite a terrific Suzanne Pleshette as his onscreen wife. In the ’80s, he repeated the success of the show with “Newhart,” trading out the original series’ Chicago setting for a small rural Vermont town populated by a parade of quirky characters. Starring alongside Mary Frann as the proprietor of a local inn, Newhart was similarly terrific, and concluded the show with one of the most iconic finales in TV history.
It’s not necessarily a surprise that Newhart would blend so well into the tried-and-true sitcom formula, a feat that not every stand-up star is capable of. He’s the quintessential everyman, a performer who is able to feel relatable and human even when he’s effortlessly funny. Both his shows saw him play the straight man to awkward and quirkier characters, but his masterful deadpan wit ensured he was never overtly boring in the role. Outside of TV, he acted in few films, and — whether in his prime or during his elder statesmen years — he always brought his singular abilities to the supporting roles he played.
In celebration of Newhart’s life, IndieWire is taking a look at his best performances on film and television. We’re excluding much of his stand-up and sketch comedy work in favor of his acting work, so none of his stand-up specials or his side-gig as a consistent guest host of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” made the cut. Read on for eight of Newhart’s funniest performances. The entries are listed in chronological order.
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‘Catch-22’ (1970)
Image Credit: Screenshot/IMDB Before Newhart became a TV star, he began his transition from stand-up comedy to acting with a few memorable supporting parts in film. One of the strongest uses of his talents came via Mike Nichols’ flawed but fascinating adaptation of Joseph Heller’s allegedly unadaptable satirical comedy novel ‘Catch-22.’ Seen through the perspective of the film’s protagonist, Alan Arkin’s World War II pilot John Yossarian, Newhart’s Major Major is a do-nothing dud of a human being promoted to a position he doesn’t deserve simply because of his name. Newhart, more than the rest of the ensemble, melts seamlessly into the surreal comedic landscape, proving dryly amusing in how he twists his everyman persona into that of a charmless, unlikable bureaucrat.
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‘Cold Turkey’ (1971)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection An unfairly forgotten gem, ‘Cold Turkey’ features Newhart as just one performer in a huge comedic ensemble. The directorial debut of TV legend Norman Lear, the ahead-of-its-time satire stars Dick Van Dyke as a charismatic preacher attempting to corral his small Iowa town into quitting tobacco for a month for a $25 million dollar reward a company is offering as a publicity stunt. In a massive cast, Newhart has a particularly meaty role as Merwin, the advertising executive behind the promotion who gets flown into town to try and foil the community’s efforts, and plays the part with a perfectly sleazy charm.
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‘The Bob Newhart Show’ (1972-1978)
Image Credit: ©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection Newhart transitioned from popular comedian to beloved sitcom star with ‘The Bob Newhart Show,’ his first (and best) sitcom vehicle. Before Kelsey Grammer was listening on the radio in ‘Frasier,’ Newhart played psychiatrist Robert Hartley — perhaps the definitive TV straight man who is constantly managing the egos and quirks of his messy patients and exhausting neighbors. Newhart became famous for his stammering line deliveries and witty retorts on the show, making Hartley’s reactions to the craziness around him as memorable as the actual craziness. The show particularly crackles when it focuses on Newhart and Suzanne Pleshette as Hartley’s wife, as the two share a lovely chemistry that ensures the show always feels as comforting as it is funny.
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‘The Rescuers’ and ‘The Rescuers Down Under’ (1977 and 1990)
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection A very rare voice performance (his only other animated credit is a 1998 film adaptation of ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’), Newhart’s role in 1977’s ‘The Rescuers’ is an unexpectedly brilliant showcase for his comedy and inner humanity. He plays Bernard, a timid mouse who works for a Rescue Aid Society and goes on an adventure with the more dominant Bianca (Eva Gabor) to free a kidnapped orphan. Newhart’s raspy voice and stammering deliveries work wonderfully for the part, and the inner courage he conveys proves unexpectedly moving. He returned to voice Bernard for the even better 1990 sequel ‘The Rescuers Down Under,’ where he also smashed the role out of the park.
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‘Newhart’ (1982-1990)
Image Credit: ©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection What’s impressive about Newhart’s second long-running, critically-beloved TV series is that it doesn’t just coast on recreating the magic of ‘The Bob Newhart Show.’ Sure, the show named just ‘Newhart’ still derives a ton of its humor from bouncing a deadpan Newhart against a parade of quirky and awkward characters (this time as the owner of a small-town Vermont inn). But Barry Kemp’s series is tonally far different than Newhart’s Chicago-set show, wackier and broader in a way that’s still gut-bustlingly funny. Newhart, too, doesn’t just repeat his performance as Hartley, playing Dick Loudon as a bit shorter-tempered and weirder than his more mild-mannered famous role. When the series ends on the now iconic scene of Newhart waking up as Hartley, revealing all of the weirdness in Vermont to just be a dream within ‘The Bob Newhart Show,’ you can easily tell the difference between the two men.
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‘Elf’ (2003)
Image Credit: ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection For younger fans, their first exposure to Newhart likely came via ‘Elf,’ Jon Favreau’s 2003 instant Christmas classic about a human child raised by Santa’s elves who leaves the North Pole to meet his family. This child Buddy’s (Will Ferrell) primary parental figure is Newhart’s Papa Elf, who also narrates the film. He’s kind and loving, but also carries hints of Newhart’s distinctive deadpan nature, and the contrast between the comedic legend’s subdued approach and Ferrell’s larger-than-life work as Buddy is one of the film’s highlights. And Newhart is terrific as the narrator, applying a light touch perfect for such a deeply sweet film.
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‘The Librarian’ (2004-2008)
Image Credit: ©TNT/Courtesy Everett Collection In the 21st century, Newhart dialed back his acting schedule but continued to pop up on TV as a familiar face in supporting roles. One of the most substantial of these came in the series of TNT TV movies ‘The Librarian,’ which starred Noah Wyle as a college student who becomes the keeper of a library protecting magical historical artifacts. Newhart plays Judson, the previous ‘Librarian,’ who mentors Wyle’s Flynn in his new duties. It’s a part that Newhart could play in his sleep, but he’s wonderfully droll and funny as the strait-laced Judson, bouncing off of Wyle’s nervous, geeky hero expertly.
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‘The Big Bang Theory’ (2013-2018)
Image Credit: ©CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection As difficult as it is to believe, Newhart didn’t win an Emmy until 2013, when he picked up a Guest Actor Emmy for his first appearance in Chuck Lorre’s ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ Across six episodes from 2013 to 2018, he played Professor Proton, a science TV show host and children’s party entertainer, in the series, serving as a mentor to Jim Parsons’ Sheldon. While the show itself is polarizing, few would suggest that Newhart wasn’t crackerjack in the part. He brings an amusingly bitter disposition to Proton, with a sweetness that shines through in his relationship with the younger scientists the show revolves around. He would reprise his role in three episodes of the prequel series ‘Young Sheldon,’ with his 2020 guest spot serving as his final onscreen role.
