The Bob Newhart Show

Infobox Television
show_name = The Bob Newhart Show


caption = title screen
format = situation comedy
runtime = 30 minutes per episode
creator = David Davis
Lorenzo Music
starring = Bob Newhart
Suzanne Pleshette
Marcia Wallace
Peter Bonerz
Bill Daily
country = United States
network = CBS
first_aired = 16 September 1972
last_aired = 1 April 1978
num_seasons = 6
num_episodes = 142
imdb_id = 0068049|

"The Bob Newhart Show" is the name of two different television series, both starring comedian Bob Newhart. The better-known is a situation comedy produced by MTM Enterprises, which aired on CBS from 16 September 1972 to 1 April 1978. Newhart portrayed a psychologist having to deal with his patients and fellow office workers. It currently airs on AmericanLife TV Network.

The other "Bob Newhart Show" was an NBC variety show which aired during the 1961–1962 season - see below.

Premise

The popular CBS series starred Newhart as Robert Hartley, a Chicago psychologist. The show divided most of its action between the character's home life and work, with Suzanne Pleshette as Hartley's supportive (though occasionally sarcastic) wife Emily, and Bill Daily as their friendly, but inept neighbor, airline navigator Howard Borden. At the medical complex where Hartley had his psychology practice, Marcia Wallace played his joke-loving receptionist, Carol Kester (later Kester-Bondurant), and Peter Bonerz appeared as Jerry Robinson, an orthodontist who shared the office suite.

Two of Hartley's more memorable regular patients were the mean-spirited and neurotic Elliot Carlin (Jack Riley) and the milquetoast ex-Marine Emil Peterson (John Fiedler). (Carlin was ranked 49th in TV Guide's List of the 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time.)

Most of the situations involved Newhart's character playing straight man to his wife, colleagues, friends and patients, an extension of Newhart's stand-up comedy routines, where Newhart would play one side of a telephone conversation, the other side of which was not heard.

Cast

*Bob Newhart as "Dr. Robert Hartley, psychologist"
*Suzanne Pleshette as "Emily Hartley, his wife, a school teacher"
*Bill Daily as "Howard Borden, their next-door neighbor, an airline navigator"
*Peter Bonerz as "Dr. Jerry Robinson, Bob's friend, an orthodontist"
*Marcia Wallace as "Carol Kester, their receptionist"

Bob's Patients
*Jack Riley as "Elliot Carlin" (29 episodes)
*Renée Lippin as "Michelle Nardo" (15)
*Florida Friebus as "Mrs. Lillian Bakerman" (10)
*John Fiedler as "Mr. Emil Peterson" (9)
*Oliver Clark as "Mr. Ed Herd" (6)
*Noam Pitlik as "Mr. Victor Gianelli" (5)
*Daniel J. Travanti as "Mr. Gianelli" (1)
*Howard Hesseman as "Craig Plager" (5)
*Lucien Scott as "Mr. Vickers" (5)
*Merie Earle as "Mrs. Loomis" (3)
*Rhoda Gemignani as "Joan Rossi" (3)
*Jerry Fogel as "Paul Billingham" (2)
*Richard Libertini as "Franklin Pitt" (2)
*Michael Conrad as "Mr. Trevesco" (2) Bob's and Emily's Families
*Pat Finley as "Ellen Hartley, Bob's sister" (15 episodes)
*Martha Scott as "Mrs. Martha Hartley, Bob's mother" (4)
*Barnard Hughes as "Herb Hartley, Bob's father" (3)
*John Randolph as "Junior Harrison, Emily's father" (3)
*Ann Rutherford as "Aggie Harrison, Emily's mother" (2)

Neighbors, Friends and Others
*Patricia Smith as "Margaret Hoover, Emily's friend" (7 episodes)
*Tom Poston as "Cliff Murdock, Bob's friend from Vermont" (5)
*Moosie Drier as "Howie Borden, Howard's son" (5)
*Will Mackenzie as "Larry Bondurant, Carol's husband" (5)
*Richard Schaal as "Chuck Brock, a boyfriend of Carol's" (3)
*Jill Jaress as "Mary Ellen, a girlfriend of Jerry's" (4)
*Gail Strickland as "Courtney Simpson, a girlfriend of Jerry's" (2)

Rimpo Medical Arts Center
*Larry Gelman as "Dr. Bernie Tupperman, urologist" (12 episodes)
*Howard Platt as "Dr. Newman, cosmetic surgeon" (4)
*Shirley O'Hara "Debbie, temp receptionist" (3)
*Phillip R. Allen as "Dr. Walburn, another psychologist" (2)
*Teri Garr as "Miss Brennan, Dr. Walburn's receptionist" (2)

Ratings

The show ranked in the Top 20 for its first three seasons (it followed the popular "Mary Tyler Moore Show"), but schedule changes eventually pushed it to #53 by its final season (1977-78).

Honors

The show was nominated for an Emmy as "Outstanding Comedy Series" in 1977. Newhart was nominated for Golden Globes as "Best TV Actor - Musical/Comedy" in 1975 and 1976. TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time listed it as #44 on its list [cite news | title = TV Guide Names Top 50 Shows | url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/04/26/entertainment/main507388.shtml |publisher = CBS News | date = 2002-04-26 | accessdate = 2007-10-06] . In 2007, "Time" magazine placed the show on its unranked list of "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME". [cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/completelist/0,,1651341,00.html |title=The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME |accessdate=2007-09-25 |publisher="Time" magazine]

In 2004, TV Land commemorated the show with a at Navy Pier. The statue was originally placed in front of 430 Michigan Avenue, Dr. Hartley's building, but was moved.

Post-show appearances

Newhart and Pleshette reprised their roles from the show for the surreal finale of "Newhart" in 1990, in which it was revealed that the entire later "Newhart" series had been just Bob Hartley's dream.

The entire cast assembled for the one-hour clip show "The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary" in 1991. On the show, one of the things they did was analyze Bob's dream. During the discussion, the Hartleys' neighbor, Howard Borden (Bill Daily), recalled, "I had a dream like that once. I dreamed I was an astronaut in Florida for five years", as scenes from "I Dream of Jeannie" featuring Daily were shown.

The "Hartleys" were also hosts for a segment of the CBS Television Fiftieth Anniversary broadcast.

The variety show

Newhart was the star of a comedy variety show with the same name. It ran from 1961 to 1962 on NBC, and won an Emmy and a Peabody Award. Neither should be confused with two other series in which he starred, "Newhart" or "Bob".

DVD Releases

The first four seasons of the CBS series have been released on Region 1 DVD by 20th Century Fox.

Notes

External links

*imdb title|id=0054522|title= "The Bob Newhart Show" (1961)
*imdb title|id=0068049|title= "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972)
* [http://www.tvland.com/shows/bobnewhart/ "The Bob Newhart Show" on TVLand.com]