Newhart: The Last Newhart

Newhart: The Last Newhart
CBS
May 21, 1990
Sitcom
VHS
C

Yes, the ending, with "Dick Loudon" waking up as Bob Hartley, still married to Emily, is brilliant (Newhart's wife came up with it), but what precedes it is sometimes unfunny and/or racist.  I enjoyed Newhart more in the early years and I think I only watched the finale because that's the kind of thing I did.  (See Family Ties finale.)  I don't think I taped this at the time though, maybe not till summer reruns.  But, yes, I can testify that on the first viewing I was utterly surprised and delighted to see Suzanne Pleshette, and not just because I found Mary Frann irritating.

William Lanteau was Eddie on That Girl and was a Newhart semi-regular as Chester Wanamaker.  Sab Shimono was Kwang and Jin on M*A*S*H and is Frank Sunatra here (an example of the level of humor).  Rodney Kageyama, who was Caine's Father on The Garry Shandling Show: 25th Anniversary Special, here plays a Male Guest.  Frank Kopyc, who plays Ed, would be Father #2 on Who's the Boss? the next year.  Gedde Watanabe, who was no stranger to stereotypes as Long Duk Dong in the movie Sixteen Candles and who played the Chef in On the Television's "My Five Dads" satire, here plays Mr. Tagadachi, the wealthy Japanese businessman who buys up the whole town.  And Lisa Kudrow appears as Sada, while a pre-Drew-Carey Kathy Kinney is in her regular role of Miss Goddard.

Dick Martin directed, as he sometimes did for Bob's '70s show, and he would direct the next year's "twentieth" anniversary special.  Mark Egan and Mark Solomon collaborated on that and this, so it will definitely be an interesting comparison.  (Co-writer Bob Bendetson didn't work on any other of my shows.)