September 05, 2006

Hi, Bob!

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Happy Birthday to Bob Newhart, born this day in 1929 in Oak Park, Illinois.

To my mind, Newhart is one of the funniest comics out there. His deadpan takes on absurd situations never stales.

Growing up, Newhart's Buttoned-Down Mind albums were one of my family's staples. All sorts of phrases and punchlines from Bob's skits (favorites: "The Driving Lesson" and "The Kruschev Landing") made their way into the family lexicon, including;

- "You're going too fast, Mrs. Webb!"
- "No, no, Abe. First a rail-splitter, then a lawyer."
- "He banged the kid with the door!"
- "Ya see, Walt, that's an American holiday."

We were also devoted to The Bob Newhart Show and, later, Newhart. I don't think the latter was quite as funny as the former, but I do think that the series finale was one of the funniest bits every put on network television.

I see, according to the Bob Newhart website, that Bob's autobiography is about to be released. Gonna go on over to Amazon and sign up for that one straight away.

Posted by Robert at September 5, 2006 10:35 AM | TrackBack
Comments

One of my favorite bits was, oddly enough, a guest spot on MADtv. Bob played a therapist whose reinforcement technique consisted of screaming "Stop It!" Watching the phlegmatic Newhart suddenly transform into a menacing therapist was most entertaining.

Posted by: Uncle Pinky at September 5, 2006 12:16 PM

"I think our firing on Miami beach can best be described as ill-timed."

Posted by: Chris at September 5, 2006 06:12 PM

We still love Bob in our house. Just this week Mr. keysunset was doing the skit where Bob is the agent in England talking to Sir Walter Raleigh. Hilarious! Thanks for the post about his birthday!

Posted by: keysunset at September 7, 2006 09:24 AM