Bob Newhart Threatened to Leave His Own Show If....

[Brian Damage]

The Bob Newhart Show was a great adult comedy. Nary a child in any episode. In fact, Newhart was once told that the producers wanted Suzanne Pleshette, who played his character’s wife, Emily, to get pregnant, and Newhart replied, ‘Great, so who are you going to get to play Bob?’ That was the end of that idea. It’s a shame there are so few people, in any of the arts, with the strength of character that Newhart showed, to stand against the lowest common denominator. But, the sexy and sultry-voiced Pleshette was only one of the great supporting characters, which included Bill Daily (fresh off of an I Dream Of Jeannie run), Peter Bonerz, Marcia Wallace, and a bevy of wacky ‘patients,’ including Jack Riley, John Fiedler, Howard Hesseman, and occasional appearances by Tom Poston, who’d become a regular on Newhart.

http://www.cosmoetica.com/B874-DES691.htm

[catlover79]

I don't blame him. I'm glad they kept the Hartleys childless - well, unless you count Howard.

[CAJeannieFan57]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

The Bob Newhart Show was a great adult comedy. Nary a child in any episode.

There *were* a few episodes with children. First, Howie Borden (played by Moosie Drier) showed up in 4 or 5 shows. Then there were two or three episodes where we'd seen Emily's students - - the Career Day episode and the one where Emily is trying to decide whether or not to leave the teaching field. Personally, I enjoyed all of those episodes, but probably because the children were NOT necessarily the focus of the show, but showed that there were a few kids in everyone's life. (Besides - as a teacher myself, I can relate to Emily now.)