#Bob #Newhart #Leaves #Legacy #Laughs #Collectibles #WorthPoint
Actors and celebrities have fans who set up clubs and other groups to share information about their favorite performers. However, some of the truly great celebrity icons have near-universal appeal, and Bob Newhart was one of them.
From his early beginnings as a stand-up comedian in Chicago to his beloved television shows and characters, Newhart connected with audiences, never losing his deadpan calm delivery, a trademark he perfected in every role. He recently passed at the age of 94, leaving behind a legacy of humor instantly recognizable by millions. Luckily for his fans, there are also several memorabilia items and collectibles left behind as well.
NEWHART’S EARLY CAREER
Bob Newhart started as an accountant in Chicago. Bored with his job of crunching numbers, he and a colleague amused themselves and their coworkers with comedy routines involving phone conversations, each one portraying one side of the line. When his collaborator left Chicago for a job in New York City, Newhart kept up with the routines but only played one side of the conversation, which audiences found hilarious.
The year 1960 was a big one for Newhart and his fledgling career in comedy. His first album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, won Album of the Year at the 3rd Annual Grammy Awards. He released a second album in 1960, The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back, which went to number one on the Billboard charts and won a second Grammy for “Best Comedy Performance-Spoken Word.” Newhart also won a third Grammy for Best New Artist, completing his hat trick of three Grammy Awards in the same year. Fun fact: Bob Newhart is the only comedian to win a Grammy for Best New Artist, and his first album is one of only two comedy albums to win Album of the Year.
Newhart later recorded several more albums; other albums are available from record companies that issued compilations of his comedy routines. He had fans across all age groups, so his original vinyl albums from the 1960s get scooped up fast at estate sales and auctions.
Fresh off that success, NBC offered the fledgling comedian a one-hour variety show that premiered in October 1961, sponsored by the Sealtest Dairy division of Kraft Foods. Even though the show lasted only one season, it received an Emmy award for “Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor,” but it was an award for the show, not Newhart personally.
Despite the wild success of The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, the actor did not win an Emmy for either of these shows. However, he won his only Emmy at the age of 83 for “Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.” The award was for portraying Arthur Jeffries/Professor Proton in the comedy series The Big Bang Theory. The role included several bits of merch and collectibles, including trading cards, T-shirts, and even a knockoff LEGO minifig of the beloved science professor.
MAKING TELEVISION HISTORY
While it was disappointing that the network canceled his variety show after one season, the show netted Newhart his only Golden Globe. In an article in the Hollywood Reporter, writer Seth Abramovitch asked Newhart about his early success. In his usual deadpan style of self-deprecating humor, the actor replied, “The whole year was kind of vague. Then I went to the Golden Globes and won that Best TV Actor award, and I wound up doing what I guess you’d call now a “Dave Chappelle.” Because in ’61, ’62, I had a television series on NBC, and we got a Peabody, an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a pink slip from NBC all in the same year.”
The actor continued his stand-up routines, and after a few years, CBS approached him with a new show. In The Bob Newhart Show, he portrayed a mild-mannered psychologist, Dr. Bob Hartley, who lived in Newhart’s hometown of Chicago.
The show ran for six seasons and is a television classic. It was part of the Saturday night lineup that, for years, was unbeatable in the ratings. Beginning at 8 p.m., the network showed All in the Family, M*A*S*H, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, and The Carol Burnett Show, creating perhaps the first instance of what industry experts call “appointment television.”
In 1982, CBS introduced a new show for the actor titled Newhart. Along with Mary Frann, who played his wife, the show followed innkeepers Dick and Joanna Loudon, owners of the fictional country inn, the Stratford Inn. The ensemble cast, including brothers Larry, Darryl, and Darryl, kept audiences laughing. While the show didn’t generate a lot of collectibles or promos, the Stratford Inn was available as an HO scale piece to go with a model train set and a hard-to-find replica of the main set of the show, including the desk, upper stairway, and lobby.
In addition to Newhart’s early comedy records, fans and collectors should look to ephemera to find scripts, autographed photos, and magazine covers. Newhart started a buzz when the series finale showed him waking up in bed in Chicago next to his former costar, Suzanne Pleshette. He was still Dr. Bob Hartley, and the entire series in Vermont was a dream.
A script of the last episode recently sold for $450 but did not include the final reveal. To keep the tabloids from getting wind of the ending, no script included the surprise. In an article about it, Newhart explained the security around it. Scripts from television shows are popular collectibles, but this particular script is extra special because it doesn’t include what TV Guide called the “most unexpected moment in TV history.”
MOVIE FAME
Bob Newhart was a household name in television and made a few movies along the way. However, the one most are familiar with is his portrayal of “Papa Elf” in the Will Ferrell movie Elf. The movie is a classic, and it’s this film that includes the most merch for Newhart fans. If there’s a Funko Pop! figure for an actor, artist, or character, it’s officially collectible.
Fans of Papa Elf can find Funko Pop! figures at conventions and specialty comic stores, but there are also large communities online that trade, discuss, and share info about the going rate for specific figures. In the WorthPoint Price Guide, a Funko Pop! of Papa Elf, signed by Newhart in August 2022, sold for $70.05. Just over a year later, in November 2023, another Papa Elf Funko Pop!, also autographed, sold for $249.95, a 257-percent increase in selling price over fifteen months. Growth like that is never guaranteed, but knowing where a collectible is going regarding cost and value is helpful.
Bob Newhart dedicated his career to humor, quality shows, and entertaining people with his unique, understated wit and comedy. He will be missed, but his legacy will continue, thanks to legions of fans who continue to enjoy his work.
Brenda Kelley Kim lives in the Boston area. She is the author of Sink or Swim: Tales From the Deep End of Everywhere and writes a weekly syndicated column for The Marblehead Weekly News/Essex Media Group. When not writing or walking her snorty pug, Penny, she enjoys yard sales, flea markets, and badminton.
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