Editing Bob Newhart (section)

=== 1972–1978: ''The Bob Newhart Show'' ===
{{Main|The Bob Newhart Show}}
[[File:Newhart show cast 1977.JPG|thumb|left|The cast of ''The Bob Newhart Show''; standing (from left): Bill Daily, Marcia Wallace, Peter Bonerz; seated: Newhart and Suzanne Pleshette]]
Newhart starred in two long-running [[Sitcoms in the United States|sitcoms]]. In 1972, soon after he guest-starred on ''[[The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour]]'', he was approached by his agent and his managers, producer [[Grant Tinker]], and actress [[Mary Tyler Moore]] (the husband/wife team who founded [[MTM Enterprises]]), to work on a series called ''[[The Bob Newhart Show]]'', to be written by [[David Davis (TV producer)|David Davis]] and [[Lorenzo Music]]. He was very interested in the starring role of psychologist Bob Hartley, with [[Suzanne Pleshette]] playing his wry, loving wife, Emily, and [[Bill Daily]] as neighbor and friend Howard Borden.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.avclub.com/the-bob-newhart-show-has-aged-gracefully-1798180611|title= The Bob Newhart Show has aged gracefully|website= AV Club|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref>

''The Bob Newhart Show'' was a part of the CBS comedy lineup on Saturday Night consisting of ''[[All in the Family]]'', ''[[M*A*S*H]]'', ''[[The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', and ''[[The Carol Burnett Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2023/10/17/best-night-in-television-history-50-anniversary/71217714007/|title= 50 years later, a look back at the best primetime lineup in the history of television|website= [[USA Today]]|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> The series was an immediate hit. The show eventually referenced what made Newhart's name in the first place; apart from the first few episodes, it used an opening-credits sequence featuring Newhart answering a telephone in his office. According to co-star [[Marcia Wallace]], the entire cast got along well, and Newhart became close friends with both Wallace and co-star Suzanne Pleshette.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In addition to Wallace as Bob's wisecracking, man-chasing receptionist Carol Kester, the cast included [[Peter Bonerz]] as amiable orthodontist Jerry Robinson; [[Jack Riley (actor)|Jack Riley]] as Elliot Carlin, the most misanthropic of Hartley's patients; character actor and voice artist [[John Fiedler]] as milquetoast Emil Petersen; and [[Pat Finley]] as Bob's sister, Ellen Hartley, a love interest for Howard Borden. Future ''Newhart'' regular [[Tom Poston]] had a briefly recurring role as Cliff "Peeper" Murdock, veteran stage actor [[Barnard Hughes]] appeared as Bob's father for three episodes spread over two seasons, and [[Martha Scott]] appeared in several episodes as Bob's mother.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}}

By 1977, the show's ratings were declining and Newhart wanted to end it, but was under contract to do one more season. The show's writers tried to rework the sitcom by adding a pregnancy, but Newhart objected: "I told the creators I didn't want any children, because I didn't want it to be a show about 'How stupid Daddy is, but we love him so much, let's get him out of the trouble he's gotten himself into'." Nevertheless, the staff wrote an episode that they hoped would change Newhart's mind. Newhart read the script and he agreed it was very funny. He then asked, "Who are you going to get to play Bob?"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/newhart1.htm |title=The Bob Newhart Show &#124; A Television Heaven Review |publisher=Televisionheaven.co.uk |date=June 2008 |access-date=December 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105210744/http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/newhart1.htm |archive-date=January 5, 2012 }}</ref> Coincidentally, Newhart's wife gave birth to their daughter Jenny late in the year, which caused him to miss several episodes.

In the last episode of the fifth season, not only was Bob's wife, Emily, pregnant, but his receptionist, Carol, was, too.{{Citation needed|date=July 2024}} In the first show of the sixth season, Bob revealed his dream of the pregnancies and that neither Emily nor Carol was really pregnant. Marcia Wallace spoke of Newhart's amiable nature on set: "He's very low key, and he didn't want to cause trouble. I had a dog by the name of Maggie that I used to bring to the set. And whenever there was a line that Bob didn't like—he didn't want to complain too much—so, he'd go over, get down on his hands and knees, and repeat the line to the dog, which invariably yawned; and he'd say, "See, I told you it's not funny!". Wallace also commented on the show's lack of Emmy recognition: "People think we were nominated for many an Emmy, people presume we won Emmys, all of us, and certainly Bob, and certainly the show. Nope, never!" Newhart discontinued the series in 1978 after six seasons and 142 episodes. Wallace said of its ending, "It was much crying and sobbing. It was so sad. We really did get along. We really had great times together."<ref name=":0" />

Of Newhart's other long-running sitcom, ''[[Newhart]]'', Wallace said: "But some of the other great comedic talents who had a brilliant show, when they tried to do it twice, it didn't always work. And that's what... but like Bob, as far as I'm concerned, Bob is like the [[Fred Astaire]] of comics. He just makes it look so easy, and he's not as in-your-face as some might be. And so, you just kind of take it for granted, how extraordinarily funny and how he wears well." She was later reunited with Newhart twice, once in a reprise of her role as Carol on ''[[Murphy Brown]]'' in 1994, and on an episode of Newhart's short-lived sitcom, ''[[George & Leo]]'', in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/george_leo|title= George & Leo|website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref>

Although primarily a television star, Newhart appeared in a number of popular films, beginning with the 1959 war story ''[[Hell Is for Heroes (film)|Hell Is for Heroes]]'' (where he did his one-sided telephone act in a bunker).<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hell_is_for_heroes|title= Hell is For Heroes|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref> In 1968, Newhart played an annoying software specialist in the film ''[[Hot Millions]]''. His films include 1970's [[Alan Jay Lerner]] musical ''[[On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (film)|On a Clear Day You Can See Forever]]'', the 1971 [[Norman Lear]] comedy ''[[Cold Turkey (1971 film)|Cold Turkey]]'', [[Mike Nichols]]'s war satire ''[[Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22]]'', the 1977 Disney animated feature ''[[The Rescuers]]'' and its 1990 sequel ''[[The Rescuers Down Under]]'' as the voice of Bernard, and he [[played the president of the United States]] in the comedy ''[[First Family (film)|First Family]]'' (1980).<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/bob_newhart|title= Bob Newhart|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= July 28, 2024}}</ref>