By Chris Taylor
NEW YORK — No matter how hard it is to believe, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the debut of “The Bob Newhart Show,” the beloved 1970s sitcom about a psychologist trying to live a healthy life. and satisfying life.
Now 92, and married to wife Ginny for nearly 60 years, Newhart still makes people laugh in his unique understated style.
For Reuters’ “Life Lessons” series, the comedy legend sat down to chat about his remarkable run in the show business.
What was your first job as a child?
I grew up in Chicago and I was a messenger for a meat market. I think I got something like $ 7 a week to supply meat. But somehow I was screwed up on my accounts and ended up owing my employer $ 7. So the whole week was for nothing. It was my introduction to business.
Were the early days of breaking into comedy pretty harsh?
First, I went to Loyola University in Chicago and got a degree in accounting. All my friends got engaged and married and had children. Meanwhile, I was working behind the counter at the unemployment office.
I thought I would try to get into comedy, and thought that if it did not work out, I could just go back to the accounts.
What was that one big breakthrough for you?
In everyone’s life, you need someone who believes in you and tells you to stick with it. I had a friend in Chicago, Dan Sorkin, and he was that guy for me. He was a popular DJ, and he told people at Warner Bros. Records: “I have a friend and I think he’s funny.”
I had three routines — Abe Lincoln, driving instructor and subcommander — and I put them on tape. They liked it, gave me a record deal and persuaded a nightclub in Houston to let me go on stage. It was recorded in 1960 and went on to become the album of the year (“The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart”).
How did you find your unique voice on stage?
If you are in the stand-up world, there is no book to learn from. Every opportunity you have, do it in front of an audience. Of course, it used to be safe to be a stand-up comedian.
Now, with what happened to Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock, I’m going to get a helmet, just to be on the safe side.
What life lessons have you taken away from the comedy world?
One of the interesting things about comedy is that comedians often have very long marriages. Ginny and I will have been married for 60 years next year. There is something about laughter and the longevity of marriage. It helps you get past the harsh spots. That’s what comedians do — get people through difficult times.
You have a number of children and grandchildren, so what life advice do you give them?
It all comes down to family and friends. That’s what it’s all about. God knows I’ve had good friends and good kids, and I’m just saying to them, appreciate your friendships and family.
All the other things do not matter so much.
How has the pandemic been for you?
It has been strange, because for a long time no one made any shows. People would not be in closed environments where people they did not know were sitting right next to them. So for two years I did not really do any stand-up and I missed it. It was my first love, it really was. I had great success in television, but I missed going on stage and getting the immediate reaction.
What do you want to remember most about your career?
When you’re on television, you really become a part of people’s lives. It does not happen in movies — only in television. People say you’re like part of their family, which is important and a great feeling.
The most rewarding of all is when someone writes and says that they went through a difficult time and considered ending it all — but they saw your show and it helped them through that period.
That’s what laughter is; it helps us deal with the bad times. In moments like these, you say, “Boy, I’m glad I’m doing this. — Reuters
