The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary

The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary
CBS
November 23, 1991
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Mark Egan and Mark Solomon, who co-wrote the final Newhart episode, are joined by Michael Mahler, who would write some other reunion shows.  This is better than that episode, although it lacks a strong finish.  (Bob sees Larry and his brothers Darryl [William Sanderson, Tony Papenfuss, and John Voldstad] as elevator repairmen.)  I wish some of the original writers had signed on, or maybe that the cast had written their own dialogue, since they seem eager to go back to their old characters, and the DVD commentaries on the episodes are much funnier than this.  Or maybe it's that Dick Martin directed and he belonged to the weaker later seasons of the original series.  Or maybe it's that this is just a clip show, and there's only so much you can do with that.  I wish there were more clever moments, like where Howard flashes back to I Dream of Jeannie, maybe with Bob wondering why his old college buddy the Peeper (Tom Poston) had showed up in his dream as his handyman in Vermont.  Still, it is nice to see everyone reunited and this is on a par with the final episode of BNS.

Fiedler and Libertini only appear in the flashbacks.  Note that Newhart explains in his introduction to the episode why it's the 19th rather than the 20th anniversary, which becomes a running joke throughout the hour, never mind that this contradicts information throughout the original run, like how long Bob was in practice before we met him.

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.)

Relatively Speaking: Roger and Louie Anderson

A different episode of
the short-lived series

Relatively Speaking: Roger and Louie Anderson
Syndicated
First half of 1989
Game Show
VHS
B-

This is the "celebrity" portion of the program, with the stars trying to guess what other star is related to the person answering yes-or-no questions, with help from host John Byner.  Besides Farr and Martin, the panel includes Sally Strothers and an actress I want to say is named Melody but I don't know.  I laughed a few times but I can see why this wasn't a hit series as the set-up is a bit clunky.

Match Game

28-year-old Kirstie Alley

Match Game
CBS
July 21, 1979
Game Show
DVD
B-

More of the same, with Kirstie leaving after her two games.

Match Game

Match Game
CBS
July 21, 1979
Game Show
DVD
B-

We see more of Kirstie, Brett continues to seem plastered, and I start matching mostly Betty.

Match Game

Match Game
CBS
July 21, 1979
Game Show
DVD
B

A funny episode with everything from Betty, Brett, and Charles teasing each other to Gene pretending to die while waiting for one of the two "rotten contestants" to come up with an answer.  I can't believe "Catcher in the Rye" was the $100 answer while "Ham on Rye" was $500, but it figures that Jamie and I are too smart for the room.  And, yes, this is the debut of interior decorator Kirstie Alley.

Match Game

From that week

Match Game
CBS
July 21, 1979
Game Show
DVD
B-

The "best of" collection includes four episodes with this date, but this is definitely the first one, since it has Gene welcoming the "new kid," 20-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis, with a couple kisses.  Meanwhile, Charles gives some really random answers, like "war bonds" for a cattle drive.  I was thinking this was a "PM" episode, since the contestants face each other twice, but there's no mention of it in the title.

The Bob Newhart Show: It Didn't Happen One Night

The Bob Newhart Show: It Didn't Happen One Night
CBS
February 18, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This Laura Levine story about the Hartleys' three best friends worried that Emily will have an affair with her college boyfriend doesn't quite bring off its blend of silliness and sincerity.  However, the scene in the restaurant at the end, with Howard, Carol, and Jerry in silly disguises, and Emily giving a heartfelt speech about Bob that the entire restaurant applauds, is worth tuning in for.

The Bob Newhart Show: Easy for You to Say

The Bob Newhart Show: Easy for You to Say
CBS
February 11, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This is the weakest of the three BNS stories by Andrew Smith (who did "Carlin's New Suit" and "Group on a Hot Tin Roof").  Part of the problem is that I don't find stuttering funny, and Bob is counseling a stutterer, Paul Billingham (Jerry Fogel, who previously played Paul Hollander).  The rest is that I just don't find it plausible that he would be able to not only get a radio show but spin it off onto television, without someone (a producer or whoever) finding out about his stuttering and either putting a halt to the project or getting him more help than Bob seems capable of.  Still, the ink-blots scene is cute and we later get to see Jerry dressed as a dog and Bob as a scarecrow.

The Bob Newhart Show: 'Twas the Pie Before Christmas

The Bob Newhart Show: 'Twas the Pie Before Christmas
CBS
December 24, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Phil Davis's last BNS story doesn't mesh with previous Christmas episodes, such as the first-season one where the Hartleys threw a party for Bob's patients.  Also, I caught an error, where a man can be seen lurking in the hallway when he shouldn't be, and it doesn't really make sense for Mr. Peterson to answer the door when he's trying to avoid being seen.  Still, the episode has its moments and it's amiable enough.

The Bob Newhart Show: Grand Delusion

The Bob Newhart Show: Grand Delusion
CBS
December 17, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
C+

I want to like this Lloyd Garver story where Bob and Emily go out to dinner to celebrate their tenth anniversary (a year or two early, but who's counting?) and end up fantasizing about what their lives would be like if they'd never married.  After all, it has a relatively early role for 27-year-old Morgan Fairchild, as Linda/Bianca.  But I don't think it's that funny, e.g. Jerry as a subservient servant in both fantasies, and I feel bad for Howard being cheated on as Emily's fantasy husband.  Still, it is cool to see Bob in a navigator's uniform and Emily in some very attractive outfits.

The Bob Newhart Show: Shallow Throat

The Bob Newhart Show: Shallow Throat
CBS
November 26, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
B-

In this first of three BNS stories written by Earl Pomerantz, Richard Libertini plays Mr. Twillmer, a new patient of Bob's who claims to be an embezzler, causing an ethical dilemma for Bob.  And Howard learns that TV dinners must be cooked.

Frank Maxwell played a General on Gilligan's Island, William Samuels on That Girl, Lt. Col. Harold Becket on M*A*S*H; did a voice on Wait Till Your Father Gets Home; and is Sgt. O'Conner here.  Alan Haufrect, who plays the Felon, would be Mr. Miller on Bosom Buddies.

The Bob Newhart Show: My Son the Comedian

The Bob Newhart Show: My Son the Comedian
CBS
November 12, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
B-

David Lloyd's last BNS story has no longer so little Howie (Moosie Drier in his last appearance on the show), now about twelve, wanting to become a stand-up comic.  He attends a summer school (yes, this is not set in November) for comedians, run by Mickey Melnick (Bobby Ramsen again), and then is invited to perform in little Nevada towns.  Howard has to voice his disapproval before it's too late, although of course it's Uncle Bob who has the real impact.  The ending, with Bob onstage pretending to be a comic, is of course ironic, especially since it's not at all his button-down persona.

One of the other comics is Don Rickles wannabe Minnie Farber, played by 65-year-old Elizabeth Kerr, who the following year would gain fame as Mindy's wisecracking grandmother on Mork & Mindy.

The Bob Newhart Show: A Day in the Life

My favorite running joke in the episode

The Bob Newhart Show: A Day in the Life
CBS
October 29, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is the only BNS episode Madeline Di Maggio and Kathy Donnell wrote, though they would do a Three's Company the next year.  The Peeper (whom we don't actually see or hear) calls up Bob and wants to meet up in New Orleans for a week.  So Bob has to scramble to reschedule everything.  There's a nice little twist in the end with Emily on the phone.

Richard Stahl plays Bob's drunk barber Mel.  The Kenneally family play the Swerdlows.  Jerry is absent again.

The Bob Newhart Show: Carlin's New Suit

Anderson and Marcus reunited,
but this time he's Mr. Carlson's son.

The Bob Newhart Show: Carlin's New Suit
CBS
October 22, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
B

This, the first of three BNS scripts by Andrew Smith, is better than any lately.  The main plot is that Leslie Greely (32-year-old Loni Anderson, still almost a year away from hitting it big on WKRP) brings a paternity suit against Mr. Carlin.  Although he's of course attracted to her, the real appeal for him is playing dad to her son (but not his) Billy (9-year-old Sparky Marcus, playing younger than his age, as he did as Ape Face in Freaky Friday the previous year).  Not only does he teach the boy about real estate, but he takes him to see Star Wars, and they wear matching outfits.  Meanwhile, Howard brings Bob a beeper back from Japan.  A funny, kind of sweet episode, not a classic for the series, but I suspect one of the best entries of this last season.

Pat Cranshaw, who previously played the Old Gentleman on Carol's wedding day, here is the Bum with a beeper.

The Bob Newhart Show: Who Was That Masked Man?

The Bob Newhart Show: Who Was That Masked Man?
CBS
October 15, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
C+

The Charles brothers wrote this episode which tries to mine humor from Mr. Peterson defying his abusive wife Doris (Toni Lamond, who would be a Patient on Three's Company), on Mr. Carlin's advice.  This would've been a C or lower, but I like the costumes Emily, Bob, and Howard wear (Florence Nightingale, Zorro, and Lincoln respectively), as well as the decorations at Mr. Carlin's, like the white cacti and the photographic mural of Mr. Carlin.  Jerry is again absent.

The Bob Newhart Show: The Heartbreak Kidd

Tovah Feldshuh

The Bob Newhart Show: The Heartbreak Kidd
CBS
February 5, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Sy Rosen wrote this story about a Psychology student (Tovah Feldshuh) whose last name is Kidd and who appears to have a crush on Bob.  When Bob finds out that the young woman loves him like a father, Emily boosts his ego by comparing him to Paul Newman.  This is the first of eleven BNS episodes directed by Dick Martin.