Bob Newhart, Comedy Icon, Dies at 94

Bob Newhart, Comedy Icon, Dies at 94: The gentle but sharply satirical comedian Bob Newhart, whose television series “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Newhart” were huge hits in the 1970s and 1980s, passed away on Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 94.

According to Jerry Digney, Newhart’s publicist, he passed away after a string of brief illnesses.

In addition, Newhart is well-known to younger viewers for his roles as Papa Elf in the Christmas classic “Elf” from 2003, his appearances as a guest star on “The Big Bang Theory” (for which he won his sole Emmy in 2013 as a guest star), and his most recent appearances in three episodes of “Young Sheldon.”

Chuck Lorre, the creator of “The Big Bang Theory,” paid tribute to Newhart in a statement, stating, “For years I begged Bob to appear on one of my shows.” He always refused. But after watching “The Big Bang Theory,” he said yes with two conditions. One: His character had to go through a series of episodes. Two more: He desired an Emmy award. We accomplished both. I had the opportunity to collaborate with a legend in comedy. a skilled craftsman who is also a kind and gentle individual. Even better, I got to call him a friend. How fortunate am I?

Newhart’s comedy albums, which took a novel approach to observational humor at the time, were hugely popular prior to his success on television. He ruled television for more than two decades, first as a confused Chicago psychologist on “The Bob Newhart Show” and then as an equally unsuccessful New England innkeeper on “Newhart.” From 1985 to 1987, he received nominations for actor in a comedy for three consecutive years. Between 1972 and 1990, CBS produced both shows, which ran for a total of 16 years. They were huge hits.

His first Emmy win, for a guest appearance on “The Big Bang Theory,” came in 2013, which surprised many. Six of the popular sitcom’s episodes featured him.

Bob Newhart, Comedy Icon, Dies at 94:  Newhart pioneered a new form of comedy in 1960, when his recordings of comedy monologues became bestsellers. Instead of being rooted in the Borscht Belt or vaudeville, the new form was founded on observation and psychology. Steve Martin and other later, wackier comics were inspired by his work. Newhart was quietly subversive not only in his subject matter but also in his stammering, deadpan delivery. He touched a nerve in both urban and rural areas.

His first comedy album, “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart,” was the first to top the Billboard charts. It saved Warner Bros. Records, which was struggling at the time, and his first two albums were at the top of the charts. 1 and 2 spots simultaneously, a feat that had never been accomplished before by Guns N’ Roses in 1991 with a pair of discs.

George Robert Newhart, who was born in Oak Park, Illinois, took a different path to becoming an entertainer. He went to Loyola University in Chicago and majored in commerce. In 1952, he got his degree and joined the U.S. Army. He entered Loyola’s law school after completing his military service two years later, but he failed in 1956. He then performed for an Oak Park stock company and worked a variety of odd jobs.

Some of their conversations were recorded by Newhart and Ed Gallagher, a friend, who tried to sell them to radio stations. Although the tapes did not sell, Chicago DJ Dan Sorkin noticed Newhart’s monologues and offered him his first radio job, which lasted only five weeks.

However, Sorkin introduced him to Warner Bros. Records president James Conkling, who booked him at Houston’s Tidelands nightclub and recorded his performances. Following “The Button Down Mind Strikes Back” and “Behind the Button-Down Mind,” the 1960 live album “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” became an instant hit.

“The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” earned Newhart three Grammy Awards in 1961, in addition to boffo sales: He was awarded the prize for best new artist and a nomination for comedy performance (spoken word), and his album became the first comedy record to be named album of the year.

Conan O’Brien referred to Newhart’s work as “premise comedy,” in which he elaborated on a scenario, in a 2007 NPR report on the album’s success; While each line is funny on its own, the effect as a whole is. One comedian who employs a strategy that is very similar is Jerry Seinfeld.

In 2006, Newhart stated to Guy MacPherson of the Comedy Couch blog, “There was a change that was going on, of which I was part of.” Mike and Elaine (Nichols and May), Shelley Berman, Mort Sahl, myself, Johnny Winters, and Lenny Bruce were all present. We weren’t making jokes about “take my wife, please.” We weren’t making “pranks”; We were making brief scenes. As a result, comedy changed. In other words, we didn’t all gather in a cabal and say, “Let’s change comedy,” It was simply our method of discovering the world’s funny things.

Bob Newhart, Comedy Icon, Dies at 94:  Newhart made guest appearances on “The Gary Moore Show” and “The Jack Paar Show” as a result of his immensely popular recordings. However, Newhart performed one-night shows across the country for a while, culminating in 1961 at Carnegie Hall. His movie debut in Paramount’s comedy “Hell Is for Heroes” was made possible by that sold-out performance.

Before his hit sitcoms, Newhart appeared in Las Vegas for several years and appeared in movies like “Hot Millions,” “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever,” “Catch-22,” and “Cold Turkey.”

He attempted series television once more in 1992-93 with CBS’s less successful “Bob,” and in 1997-98 with CBS’s “George and Leo,” which starred Judd Hirsch as well.

In later years, Newhart received an Emmy nomination for his role as a blind librarian on the television series “ER” in 2003, as well as another nomination for his role in the 2008 television movie “The Curse of the Judas Chalice.”

In 1980 and 1995, Newhart hosted episodes of “Saturday Night Live”; on a 1996 episode of “The Simpsons” voiced himself; appeared as a guest host on 17 episodes of When Do New ‘Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2 Episodes Come To Netflix?  “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson” from 1966 to 1992, as well as five episodes of the Leno version from 1998 to 2009; appeared in a 2002 episode of “Everybody Loves Raymond” as himself; and participated in an elaborate gag at the 2006 Emmy Awards, which Conan O’Brien hosted, prior to co-presenting the comedy series award.

In his later years, Newhart also appeared in a few big-screen roles, including “Legally Blonde 2: Elf (2003) and Red, White, and Blonde (2003).

As of 2006, the comedian was still performing standup in his 70s, performing about 30 nights per year. He was delighted to discover that the content from his 1960s had not changed. In 1995, Newhart produced his first comedy special for Showtime, titled “Off the Record.”

According to MacPherson of the Comedy Couch blog, Newhart stated, “The audience was primarily 35 to 40 years old.” I used some of the original material from the first and second albums again, and it worked just as well as it did the first time. The Abe Lincoln routine is probably more relevant today than it was forty years ago, so I guess the material is still relevant today.

In 2006, his book “I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This” mixed reminiscences with a little humor.

Bob Newhart, Comedy Icon, Dies at 94:  In 1993, Newhart was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. In 2002, the Kennedy Center presented the comedian with the second Mark Twain Prize for Humor. “The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart” was selected as one of 25 National Recording Registry entries in 2007 by the Library of Congress.

Last year, he lost Ginny. Robert Jr., Timothy, Courtney, and Jennifer, as well as ten grandchildren, are his surviving children.