Finally the first season of Bob Newhart's seventies comedy series is out in a three disc DVD set so get ready for a lot more drunken drivers on the road.
--Randy
Bob Newhart Show, The: The Complete First Season,
Directors: Alan Rafkin, Jay Sandrich And Various Others
Producers: Bill Idelson
Writers: Gene Thompson, David Davis, Lorenzo Music And Various Others
Features: Full Screen(1.33 1), Color, English and Spanish Mono, With English And Spanish Subtitles.
Characters:
Bob Hartley...Bob Newhart
Emily Hartley...Suzanne Pleshette
Howard Borden...Bill Daily
Dr. Jerry Robinson...Peter Bonerz
Carol Kester...Marcia Wallace
Mr. Carlin...Jack Riley
Mr. Peterson...John Fiedler
Michelle Nardo...Michelle Lippin
Mrs. Bakerman...Florida Friebus
Mr. Gianelli...Noam Pitlik
Dr. Tupperman...Larry Gelman
Genre: Comedy
Review:
A lot of people are probably familiar with the "Hi, Bob!" drinking game that evolved from "The Bob Newhart Show" when it went into syndication. In the early eighties, "The Bob Newhart Show" would be televised in the early evening which coincided with many a bar's Happy Hour. Patrons would down drinks whenever Bob Hartley would recieve a greeting on the television show. Soon people were blitzed. This behaviour led to some laws and regulations being enacted against this practice. As the laws against drunk driving and such steadily increased, "The Bob Newhart Show" faded from many a tavern screen. After a while, Bob Newhart's second successful show where he played an innkeeper in Vermont would end and go into syndication. This more current sitcom would push out the more dated first show.
Now Fox Home Entertainment is about to release the DVD set of "The Bob Newhart Show" on April 12, 2005. This three disc set contains all twenty-four, one half hour episodes of the CBS sitcom. Now you can sit back in your home and get hammered with your friends at the 'Hi, Bob!' greetings or simply enjoy one of the funnier comedies of the early seventies.
This comedy series centered around the social chaos that swirled around a rather straight laced psychologist named Bob Hartley as played in a dead pan manner by a former standup comedian named Bob Newhart. No matter how crazy it got around Bob Hartley, he never broke a sweat. His facial expression would barely ever change. His voice would never falter. He was a rock in a whirlwind. Bob Hartley was a straight man to the world, and his world was mainly that of the city of Chicago.
There was an earlier comedy series on NBC with the exact same name, "The Bob Newhart Show." This was a black and white variety comedy series starring Bob Newhart. It only lasted for the 1961-1962 season and had nothing to do with the seventies series by the same name that lasted from 1972-1978 other than Bob Newhart starred in both television series.
While perusing the DVD collection of "The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete First Season," I found that another drinking game could be made of the number of times Bob Hartley found himself holding a telephone receiver in his hands. In every show except the pilot episode aptly titled "P-I-L-O-T," Bob Hartley talks on the phone at one time or another during the thirty minute show. You wouldn't come close to falling down drunk by drinking to this phenomenon, but it is an interesting oddity.
I can only speculate that while still a standup comedian, Bob Newhart used a telephone in his routine. Maybe it was what he was known for and when Newhart got the television series he just couldn't kick it to the side of the road.
Another quirk of "The Bob Newhart Show" was Suzanne Pleshette's character of Emily Hartley never showing her bare legs. A long time ago, a friend of mine had once pointed this other oddity out to me. He did say that there was one show that was the exception. So whenever, I did watch "The Bob Newhart Show" in syndication, I would check my friend's observation out. I never saw her bare legs. This was made even stranger because the mini-skirt was still in fashion as can be seen by the other female members of the show's cast. Now thanks to watching this DVD set I have finally seen the episode my friend was talking about. It is the second show on the three disc set and titled, "Tracy Grammar School...I'll Lick You Yet." This must be the sacred episode my friend was referring to because after watching all twenty-four shows on this DVD set, it was the only time I saw her bare legs. Perhaps as other DVD volumes of "The Bob Newhart Show" are released I will discover another episode with Suzanne Pleshette's bare legs that even my friend was unaware.
Earlier I had called episode number nine, "P-I-L-O-T," the pilot. It is the ninth show aired according to a fact sheet and the ninth show by the sequence it follows on the DVD set. How is this? Well, I'll have to speculate again that the pilot episode was shown only to test audiences and never had a test showing on television. Other than the title, there are other clues that this is not a normal show. First off, Suzanne Pleshette's hair is very long. In the prior show it is relatively short and in the tenth show it is still short. Also, some of the items in the Hartley's apartment are different in the ninth show than in all the other shows. Parts of the wallpaper are not the same as well as a few kitchen fixtures. Ergo, the pilot episode was placed into the middle of the season for some odd reason.
I will now run through the episodes on "The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete First Season" DVD set.
Episode One: "Fly The Unfriendly Skies"- Bob is taking his therapy group that is afraid of airflight on an airplane trip to New York to try to have them confront their fear. When he invites Emily along he finds out that his wife is also afraid of flying. This episode introduces the core cast of Howard(Bill Daily), Bob's next door neighbor who is an airline navigator, Jerry(Peter Bonerz), a dentist friend of Bob's who shares his floor, and Carol(Marcia Wallace), Bob's and Jerry's receptionist. Three of Bob's core patients are seen briefly: Mr. Carlin(Jack Riley), Mr. Gianelli(Noam Pitlik), and Mrs. Bakerman(Florida Friebus). Penny Marshall of future "Laverne And Shirley" fame plays an airline stewardess.
Episode Two: "Tracy Grammar School...I'll Lick You Yet"- Emily's third grade class where she is a part-time teacher has a career day and Bob cannot convince the kids he has much of a job and so wants to come back for another go at it. Dr. Tupperman(Larry Gelman), another doctor that shares Bob's floor is briefly seen.
Episode Three: "Tennis, Emily?"- Bored by her teacher job's summer vacation, Emily takes up tennis with a handsome instructor played by Peter Brown of the sixties "Lawman" television show. Later the instructor comes to Bob with his problem: his inability to turn down all the women that are attracted to him. Now Bob is worried.
Episode Four: "Mom, I L-L-Love You"- Bob has never been able to tell his mother he loves her. To help rectify this situation Emily invites Bob's mother over for dinner with the expectation that Bob will finally say the magic words. Martha Scott plays the mother, Eleanor Hartley.
Episode Five: "Goodnight, Nancy"- An old girlfriend of Bob's invites him to dinner for old times sake which flatters Bob, but makes Emily uneasy. James B. Sikking of "Hill Street Blues" and the current movie "Fever Pitch" has a small part on this show.
Episode Six: "Come Live With Me"- When Carol introduces Bob to her new boyfriend who has recently separated from his wife, Bob accidentally talks him into going back. Mr. Peterson(John Fiedler) makes his first appearance and later becomes part of Bob's core therapy group.
Episode Seven: "Father Knows Worst"- Howard's young son, Howie(Moosie Drier), visits and winds up bonding to Jerry and Bob more than to his dad which causes Howard frustration. For the first time we meet Howard's ex-wife, Lois, played by Alice Borden.
Episode Eight: "Don't Go To Bed Mad"-
After Bob and Emily get into an argument over Bob's watching Monday Night Football, Bob announces he is going to bed. Unfortunately for Bob, Emily reminds him of their wedding vows that included never going to bed with an unsettled argument. This show is intersting as Emily has never heard of their being such a thing as football on Monday nights and it comes as quite a shock to her system. Remember this show was made in 1972 and Monday Night Football was a recent innovation.
Episode Nine: "P-I-L-O-T"- This is probably the pilot show. Howard does not exist on this show and was undoubtedly added for the first aired episode. Howard took the place of Arthur Hoover(William Radfield) who is a downstairs busybody neighbor married to Margaret(Patricia Smith). Though Margaret failed to appear in episode eight she was a regular on the show and was dropped after episode eleven. This is the only show to feature Arthur. Margaret played an older friend of Emily's that seemed to always end her visit when Bob came home. The creators of "The Bob Newhart Show," David Davis and Lorenzo Music, also wrote this show's script- another clue to this being the pilot.
Episode Ten: "Anything Happpen While I Was Gone?"- Jerry announces to Bob that he is going to marry his dental hygenist, but then gets cold feet. The term 'backbuster' is used to refer to Jerry's bethrothed which would translate to 'ballbuster' today.
Episode Eleven: "I Want To Be Alone"- Bob tells Emily he is checking into a hotel for a couple of days just to be alone for a respite from his everyday frustrations. When Bob and Emily's friends find out they think the marriage is over. Bernie Koppel of future "Love Boat" fame steps off the elevator on Bob's floor and is introduced as Dr. Arnold. He only comes back for one more appearance later in the season.
Episode Twelve: "Bob And Emily And Howard And Carol And Jerry"- The title is a takeoff of the 1969 movie, "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice." Carol meets Howard when he is high on drugs after a visit to the dentist and digs his groove. When Howard comes down, Carol no longer thinks he is so groovy and tries to avoid him. Pat Morita of future "Happy Days" and "The Karate Kid" fame plays a bartender.
Episode Thirteen: "I Owe It All To You...But Not That Much"- Jerry asks for Bob's professional help with a problem and insists on paying him. Now whenever they talk, Jerry treats Bob as his psychologist and not as his good pal. Bob begins to regret their new relationship.
Episode Fourteen: "His Busiest Season"- This is a Christmas episode and Bob is late buying a present for Emily. Bob invites his therapy group over to his apartment for Christmas Eve so they won't be so lonely. Michelle Nardo, played by Michelle Lippen, is first seen as a core member of the group. A very Woody Allen looking and acting therapy member, Barry(Harvey J. Goldenberg), makes a one time appearance.
Episode Fifteen: "Let's Get Away From It Almost"- Bob and Emily decide to 'get away from it all' together this time. They find a deserted ski lodge to stay at, but the only other couple there are right next door and too neighborly for Bob. Chuck McCann and Joyce Van Patton play the bothersome couple.
Episode Sixteen: "The Crash Of 29 Years Old"- Carol turns twenty-nine and feels she has not accomplished anything by being a receptionist and lets Emily talk her into quitting. Later she turns up in Bob's therapy group and is not happy to see she has been replaced by a guy. Mr. Carlin and Michelle Nardo start to get chummy in the therapy sessions. This particular show has some very noticeable background crackling in the show's soundtrack.
Episode Twenty-Two "You Can't Win 'Em All"- A Chicago Cubs pitcher thanks Bob Hartley on television for being the key to his ending his strikeout slump. This causes another player in a losing slump to become a patient of Bob's, but the results are not the same.
Episode Twenty-Three: "Bum Voyage"- Bob resist's Emily's attempts for them to go on a two month cruise because he fears his patients will not be able to get along without him for that long of a time period. Pat McCormick guest stars as well as Archie Hahn as the ship's steward. Earlier Hahn had played a hotel bellhop in episode eleven.
Episode Twenty-four"- "Who's Been Sleeping On My Couch?"- After finding Jerry is using Bob's couch to sleep on because his apartment has bad memories due to a recent breakup, Bob and Emily invite Jerry to stay at their place. Eventually Jerry unknowingly overstays his welcome and Carol has to step in to solve the problem.
Overall I found the DVD set of "The Bob Newhart Show" to be of a very good quality. The episodes are not remastered, but they still look good. The sound is mono and a little tinny, but then this reminds me of how it actually sounded on televisions in the early seventies. As I mentioned earlier, episode sixteen has some noticeable background crackling, but not enough to make the show irritating.
There are no 'extra' DVD features in this compilation.
I would give this DVD set four stars out of five.
----Randy