Bob Newhart made comedy from the time it takes a polite man to decide what to say. We value his patience and precision, though weak writing could leave him repeating familiar bewilderment.
Fi1m perspective
As Papa Elf in Jon Favreau’s Elf (2003), Bob Newhart seems in no hurry to persuade us that Christmas is wonderful. He gives the framing scenes a quiet, matter-of-fact delivery, useful in a film whose sweetness can become insistent. We relaxed in his company because he allowed a little space around the sentiment. Will Ferrell’s sincerity does most of the work of making the thin story enjoyable, but Newhart offers a gentler way into it. We wanted more room for him, and for a supporting cast the writing gives too little to do.
The one-sided telephone routines of The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart (1960) made the audience supply half the conversation. His stammer delays the reply; a blink or a furrowed brow can do the job of another line. There is enough hesitation to suggest a man trying to remain civil, and enough precision to keep the joke moving. In The Bob Newhart Show (1972–78), psychologist Bob Hartley gave that mild exasperation a regular setting. The eccentric people around him provided ample cause for it.
The move to Newhart (1982–90) made him innkeeper Dick Loudon, still faced with people whose behaviour required a patient response. His voice work as Bernard in The Rescuers (1977) carried the same deadpan manner into animation. These parts ask for variations on a recognisable comic personality, which works until the writing starts relying on recognition alone. The later sitcom Bob (1992–93) was less successful, and in ordinary material his mild bewilderment can become predictable.
In Elf, that familiar manner helps Newhart make an impression with limited room. Favreau benefits from the contrast between Ferrell’s physical comedy and Newhart’s minimal movement, but the script presses its Christmas warmth harder than it needs to. Newhart cannot repair the thin story, and we would not recommend the film on his contribution alone. Watch it for Ferrell, with Papa Elf as a quiet pleasure; try The Bob Newhart Show if Newhart’s pauses are what make you laugh.
Biography
Bob Newhart was an American comedian and actor. Born George Robert Newhart in Oak Park, Illinois, he studied business management at Loyola University Chicago before working as an accountant and turning to stand-up comedy in the late 1950s.
He rose to prominence with his 1960 comedy album The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, which reached number one on the Billboard charts. Newhart starred in the sitcoms The Bob Newhart Show (1972–1978) and Newhart (1982–1990), and provided the voice of Bernard in the Disney films The Rescuers (1977) and The Rescuers Down Under (1990).
His later screen roles included Papa Elf in Elf (2003) and Professor Proton in The Big Bang Theory (2013–2018) and Young Sheldon (2017–2020). He died in Los Angeles on 18 July 2024.
