My television career began and almost ended with Bob Newhart. After the incredible success of his historic first comedy album, "THE BUTTON-DOWN MIND OF BOB NEWHART". NBC gave him his own weekly variety show, years before his two hit situation comedies.
The Producer of the variety show hired me on the writing staff from my spec scripts. I quit my job as an advertising copywriter, moved my family from New York to L.A. and went to work on staff at NBC. Four weeks later, the Producer fired me.
It was a shattering experience. I had to scrape by on savings and borrowed money and part-time income free-lancing advertising copy for lots at Lake Havasu.
Later that same year, I volunteered to write comedy for the annual Writers Guild Show. The producer of the Guild show asked me to write a monologue for Bob
. It was a telephone piece. Bob was a theatre owner on the line with Walt Disney, asking him to put more x-rated material into his cartoons. He pleaded with Disney, "Walt, why can't a duck be a deviate?"
The monologue was a big hit. Bob had no idea who wrote it
and never even knew of my existence until 50 years later.
Newhart holds a special historic place in the annals of The Recording Academy of The United States, popularly known as The Grammy Awards. His first album was the first comedy album to make number one on the Billboard charts.
At the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, iconic artifacts are on display from the careers of the great recording artists. The Museum also maintains an intimate theatre where legendary recording stars are interviewed before an invited industry audience.
My nephew, Sean Dee, was an executive with the company where the Museum is located. Sean learned that The Grammy Museum was going to interview Newhart. Knowing of my history with Bob, he arranged tickets for me to be in the audience. After the interview, to my surprise, my nephew had also arranged for me to go backstage and meet Bob. For the first time ever.
Bob, as you must know, will always be remembered as just about the nicest human being on the planet. He apologized for never having heard of me. Of course he knew nothing of my disastrous experience on his NBC Variety series. He also only dimly remembered the Walt Disney monologue which he performed at The Writers Guild Show that same year.
We got on the subject of that original variety show at the beginning of his career. He confided to me how much he hated doing that show. He also hated his Producer.
He hated his Producer so much that he fired him. It slowly penetrated my brain that he fired the same Producer who had fired me. (You will note that I have very discreetly withheld his name.)
To suddenly learn after all those years that the man who fired me had also been fired! Justice!!!! Granted that it's hard to see how this revelation benefited me, but if I had known back then, it might have at least saved me a few bucks in therapy! And might have done something for my self-esteem and survival mechanism. I had to wait 50 years to meet Newhart and learn the news
. Bob was a very rare creature in the Show Business vivarium. He was generous, fair and respectful to those he worked with. His comedy persona was unlike any of his peers. Some comedians are angry, making you laugh by what pisses them off. Some are good-natured, brimming with the confidence that every day is an occasion for laughter.
Bob Newhart was in a class of his own- dry, modest and understated. He always seemed surprised that people thought he had said something funny. He never pushed, never pressed. He just let it happen. It almost seemed as though he got into show business by accident. And he was, seemingly without effort, hysterically funny. His was The Comedy of Diffidence.
Bob Newhart will always have a special place in my heart as the comedian who fired the producer who fired me.