His breakneck ascendancy in the 1960s violates every unwritten rule about fame, fortune and success. He didn’t test audience’s comfort levels or make bold political statements. He wasn’t loud or flashy or cruel or caustic or callous or cynical or angry or ruthless or power-hungry.
He stammered.
He wasn’t the everyman, despite what every obituary will claim, because no one is — and because most men are far less gentle. […]
Newhart’s stand-up — crisp, clean and observational, which put it at odds with the day’s popular acts like Lenny Bruce and Don Rickles — made him a buttoned-up star, playing college campuses across the country in a suit, as if he’d just strolled over from an accounting firm. […]
We don’t live in a world, or a country, that often rewards kindness and gentleness with fame and fortune. But those qualities led the tributes that poured onto social media after Newhart died Thursday at 94. […]
That gentleness, that generosity of sprit — that almost radical kindness — infused his work. […]
Television’s role in American life has changed over the years. Now, the landscape of streaming services are strewn with shows desperately reaching for that coveted descriptor: prestige. This usually means convoluted or disturbing plots, a dollop of shock factor, and exhausting runtimes.
But sometimes you just want to turn off your brain and chuckle. To hang out with your on-screen friends. To watch some clever antics while forgetting the stress of the day, of the world. Sometimes you don’t need Academy Award-winning acting on your small screen, or self-righteous subversion in your stand-up.
Sometimes you want something warm.
Sometimes you want something gentle.
Sometimes you want something comforting. Something that, say, feels like a dream.
That’s when you want Bob Newhart.
— Travis M. Andrews, from “Bob Newhart was a gentle soul in a town that often crushes them. The comedian, who died Thursday at 94, was known in Hollywood for being as nice as he was funny.”(Washington Post, July 19 2024)
Don’t miss Bob Newhart: Off The Record (1992). Bob Newhart bio.
