Actor And Comedy Legend Bob Newhart Dies At 94

Newhart was known for his deadpan delivery and a slight stammer, which he incorporated early on into his persona, building a successful career around it. On his TV shows, while he had his share of funny lines, he often played the “straight man” in the tradition of Jack Benny, allowing the sometimes bizarre cast members around him to get the laughs. However, Newhart stated, “Jack Benny did not influence me,” and instead cited George Gobel and Bob and Ray as his initial inspirations for writing and performance.

Many of his routines featured him portraying one side of a phone conversation. In “King Kong,” for instance, a rookie security guard at the Empire State Building seeks advice on dealing with an ape “between 18 and 19 stories high, depending on whether there’s a 13th floor or not.” He reassures his boss that he has checked the guards’ manual “under ‘ape’ and ‘ape’s toes.’” Other notable routines include “The Driving Instructor,” “The Mrs. Grace L. Ferguson Airline (and Storm Door Company),” “Introducing Tobacco to Civilization,” “Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue,” “Defusing a Bomb” (where an anxious police chief instructs a new patrolman on defusing a live shell found on a beach), “The Retirement Party,” “Ledge Psychology,” “The Krushchev Landing Rehearsal,” and “A Friend with a Dog.”