Bob Newhart (RIP)
Bob Newhart died this month at the age of 94. He was comedic genius and from all reports- a lovely man. A gentleman, married to the same woman for 60 years and a role model for his peers. My affection for Mr Newhart is based on two distinct silos. First, he was a comrade in arms- a Chicago guy with a sense of irony combined with a respect for traditional midwestern values. Second, his comedic sensibilities struck home with me. He was glib, but heartwarming, never cruel. He mastered standup, audio albums and television. His work stands the test of time. If you listen to one of his albums, see a video of his skits or catch an episode from one of his TV series- you will find they are a hilarious today as the day they were issued. We will miss him.
What is this valued Chicago connection? Newhart was born on the west side of the city- very close to my parents actually. His mother was Irish Catholic and his father was half Irish and half German. A standard issue ethnic mix for 1920’s Chicago. He attended Catholic schools. St Catherine of Siena in Oak Park for grammar school, St Ignatius for high school and Loyola University for college. A healthy dose of Jesuit indoctrination. He majored in accounting at Loyola and started a career as an assistant auditor at a downtown firm after graduation. He was bored! Surprise! I followed a similar path- St Juliana for grammar school, Quigley North for high school and Loyola for university. He was 24 years older than me, but I still felt a sense of kinship when I began to follow his career. I knew where he was coming from! We were rooting for him- a local boy making it big in tinsel town. His Chicago roots, a healthy dose of skepticism but accompanied by a warmth toward people permeated his work.
A personal anecdote highlights the bond. In 1975, I was involved in student government at Loyola- providing enlightened leadership. The university sponsored a year end gala honouring a wide variety of student groups and organisations. It was basically a self congratulatory exercise, but the university leadership from administration and faculty were in attendance. A quasi official farewell to the glories of undergraduate life. Each organisation was given 10 minutes on the program dais to highlight their achievements and good works. Our group decided to take a novel, if somewhat lighthearted approach to our presentation. We unilaterally created a new award- The Loyola University Alumnus Public Service Award- to be given to a distinguished alum who exemplified the classic Jesuit values of learning, commitment to service and the pursuit of excellence. I am confident I took credit for this idea, but on reflection it was probably my good friend, John (Keats) Conway who hatched the plan and made the compelling recommendation that the first awardee should be BOB NEWHART. The timing was perfect. Newhart was already famous. His first TV hit had been on the air since 1972 and had received Emmy nominations. It followed the Mary Tyler Moore show on the CBS schedule. His albums, including the Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart had a cult like following. A great idea which we sold to the powers that be. Our award made the printed program. Unfortunately, we had no idea on how to communicate with Mr Newhart and quickly became distracted by the temptations of college life. Honestly, we never had any intention of contacting Mr Newhart. It was an insane gag! However, we were under pressure to produce and needed to be resourceful. Bingo- again the source of the idea is hotly disputed, but the endgame is we invited another good friend, Tom O'Neill to assume the identity of Tom (KNUCKLES) Newhart- the purported son of Mr Newhart to accept the award on his father’s behalf. Tom, despite attending Notre Dame, was a good sport and readily agreed as long as we paid for his ticket to the gala. We nailed it! I addressed the crowd with grace and panache, explaining why this new award was critical component of the university’s future. Mr Conway then introduced our honoree, eloquently summarising Mr Newhart’s Loyola history and sterling career. KNUCKLES, the precocious son, then accepted the award on his father’s behalf with a proper balance of emotion, intelligence and sangfroid. He even thanked his mother. He received a standing ovation from an awed crowd. Unfortunately, as the evening progressed and the cheap wine flowed, leaks began to spread throughout he crowd. First, a mild buzz, some guffaws, but then a visit to our control group by the Loyola Dean of Students. We came clean and after absorbing some rhetoric about misrepresentation and false advertising, we were let off with a verbal admonition. We were allowed to graduate. So we go back a long way with Bob Newhart- a truly distinguished Loyola Rambler.
What made Bob Newhart funny? He was not loud. Instead he was quiet and understated. He never raised his voice. He was not a rapid fire- one liner guy. Instead, he hesitated, he stammered, he paused, he muttered until he hit the comedic home run with a hilarious finish. Incredible sense of timing. To say he was deadpan would be a massive understatement. He wasn’t angry or particularly political. His routines were not based on a sense of grievance. He was not George Carlin, Mort Sahl, Lenny Bruce or Richard Pryor. More Jerry Seinfeld. He was wry in his observations on human nature, focusing on idiosyncrasies, silliness, goofiness and borderline madness. The person he was speaking to was always in a bit of a fog- similar to today’s low information voter. His acolytes on his TV programs were a collection of eccentrics, nut jobs or lost souls. The only exceptions were his wives- Suzanne Pleshette and Mary Frann- who were highly intelligent and possessed superior judgement. Ms Pleshette had a sexy voice and I was always upset she was killed in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. But I digress! Bob was an early feminist ! Bob played the straight man, navigating the lunacy of the human condition. He specialised in normal day to day interactions and grasped how much comic potential lay in ordinary situations. It worked wonderfully well. He was a genuinely talented and funny fellow. Rest in Peace- Mr Newhart!
