Bob Newhart Celebrates 50 Years in Show Business!

[Brian Damage]

"Fifty years!" Bob Newhart marveled. "It's like where the hell did the time go?"

The comedian was ruminating recently as he relaxed between concert dates on a 14-city tour celebrating his golden anniversary in show business.

"I'll tell you how the world has changed," he said in the living room of his secluded Bel-Air home. "We were all called the sick comics. Time magazine did an article on all of us: Lenny Bruce, myself, Shelley Berman and Mike Nichols and Elaine May. Lenny was knocking over all kinds of sacred topics, and we all were called 'sick.' I was making people sick because I made fun of a president — Abe Lincoln. Compared to today, it's hard to believe."

Newhart's very first gig was at a night club in Houston. His act went north — but downhill — from there.

"I was in Windsor, Canada, and I died every night," Newhart recalled. "Not a snicker, not a laugh. I almost went back to accounting (his previous endeavor). I told myself, 'That's it.' Then I played Winnipeg, and it was fine. But there isn't a standup comedian who hasn't had just one but a bunch of bad performances."

Two weeks after his debut in Houston, he recorded "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart." "It then went crazy and went beyond anyone's expectations, especially mine."

At 81, Bob Newhart has reached the age when many performers call it quits.

"I've had time off and it drove me nuts," he claimed. "I was crawling up the wall.

"I know some people who say, `I wanna quit making people laugh. I'm tired of making people laugh.' That doesn't make sense to me. Why would I want to stop doing it? When you do a show and it works and you come off stage and they've had a good time and you've had a good time. Why stop doing that?"

He explained his modus operandi: "I have an idea and I'll try it in Seattle and maybe refine it a little more in Calgary and refine it a little more in Vancouver. The art of it is doing it 10 milllion times and see what happens. That's a kick. The art of doing it 10 million times but make it seem like the first time. That's the art of it.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...ry?id=10626781

[catlover79]

YAY!! GO BOB!!!!

[Zoneboy]

Link

The TV academy is celebrating Bob Newhart's golden anniversary in show biz with a big bash on June 1. Our own Pete Hammond will be moderating the salute to this sly wit. Among those paying tribute to the TV icon will be costars from both "The Bob Newhart Show" (Peter Bonerz, Bill Daily, Marcia Wallace) and "Newhart" (Julia Duffy, Peter Scolari).

As noted in the announcement of the event, Newhart began his career as a stand-up, and his debut disc -- "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart" -- "became the first comedy album to go to No. 1 on the charts. Seven more albums followed, each extremely successful multi-platinum projects. In fact, Bob’s cumulative recording career earned him three Grammys."

Bob Newhart Suzanne Pleshette Emmy Awards Turning to TV, his short-lived "The Bob Newhart Show" won an Emmy and Peabody in 1961, but Newhart and his team lost their writing bid to Carl Reiner for "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

Newhart was never nominated for his classic 1970s sitcom -- also titled "The Bob Newhart Show" -- but co-star Suzanne Pleshette reaped best actress bids in 1977 and 1978, losing first to Bea Arthur ("Maude") and then Jean Stapleton ("All in the Family").

Although Newhart landed three consecutive Emmy nods for his follow-up show -- imaginatively titled "Newhart" -- he lost in 1985 to Robert Guillaume ("Benson") and then to Michael J. Fox ("Family Ties") in both 1986 and 1987.

More recently, Newhart contended in the guest actor in a drama series race in 2004 for his portrayal of an architect slowly going blind on "ER" but he lost to William Shatner on "The Practice." Last year, Newhart was a supporting actor in a movie or miniseries nominee for "The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice," but Ken Howard prevailed for "Grey Gardens."

Newhart was interviewed in 2001 by the Archive of American Television, an offshoot of the foundation of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He is just one of scores of TV giants who have granted in-depth video interviews over the last decade, including Dick Clark, Norman Lear, Mary Tyler Moore, Isabel Sanford, William Shatner, Aaron Spelling, Ted Turner, Barbara Walters and Betty White.

[catlover79]

Woohoo!! Way to go, Bob!!!

[CAJeannieFan57]

I was able to confirm this - and also that the show is "sold out". Too bad - if I'd checked earlier, perhaps I'd have been able to get tickets. (Of course, affording them is another story - my husband's out of work at the moment.) Bill is definitely going to be there, according to my source, and that Bob and all his former show mates are going out to dinner after this gig.

[catlover79]

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband, Donna. I still haven't found a new job - I've been out of work for 7 months now. Maybe he and I need to join Bob's "Out of Work Workshop"!!!!!

[CAJeannieFan57]

Funny you should mention that episode .... my husband and I have been watching the 4 seasons of TBNS for the past week or so, finally wrapping up the final episode of season 4 this morning. (It helps that we skip all of the opening titles and the closing credits.) When we got to that season 1 episode, I held my breath, thinking it might bother my husband.

It doesn't. He really didn't like that position anyway, and he does get military retirement pay (which helps a little financially). He's started a search for a totally different position, something he'll like a LOT better, we hope.

Oh, BTW, my source did say that Peter Bonerz is NOT currently on the list to appear at that June 1st show. According to my source, it's Marcia, Jack and Bill only. The only Peter on the list is Scolari, from one of Bob's other shows. Out of town performers are being put up at a posh Beverly Hills hotel and being picked up for this event (held at a theatre in No Hollywood on Lankershim) by limo.

Darn, still wish I could go.

Donna

[robyrob]

Congrats Bob!!

and glad to hear that he still plans on working - I loved his "LOST" alternate ending on Jimmy Kimmel