Customer Reviews

The Very Best of the Bob Newhart Show [6 VHS Boxed Set]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bob Newhart's second tv series, The Bob Newhart Show is probably his best show to date. As Dr. Hartley, a Chicago psychologist, the laughs are plentiful as his patients,friends and wife act off of his stammering/straight-man persona. In this box set you get 12 episodes, two from each season. Tape 1:Fly The Unfriendly Sky's where Bob is taking his Fear-Of-Flying Group on a trip to Hawaii only to learn that his wife is affraid to fly(guest star Penny Marshall), and P-I-L-O-T which was actually the first episode but appeared as the ninth. We first meet Bob, Emily, is secretary Carol and orthodontist-friend(who works in the same building) Jerry. Emily desperately wants to have children and feels out of place at a neighbor's party since each couple is telling stories about their kids. When they can't seem to have children on there own, Bob and Emily decide to adopt(Guest Star Ron Masak). Intersting notes on this episode;The Hartley bedroom never looks the same after this episode, emily seems like a real ditz in this episode and seems to be more intelligent in future episodes, We never see the three couples again, neighbor HOward Borden is not in this episode and there was a second P-I-L-O-T episode filmed in which Jerry was a fellow psychologist not and orthodontist. Tape 2:Motel in which BOb and Jerry decide to spend the weekend outside of Chicago to catch a football game that is blacked out in Chicago. At the motel they can't get good reception so the two go to the bar where Jerry invites 2 girls over. One takes a liking to Bob and he learns that she is a hooker. In The Last TV Show, Bob reluctantly takes his group on a PBS tv show Psychology In Action, with disaterous results. Tape 3: In Sorry, Wrong Mother, Bob's sister gets to meet HOward's son Howie for the first time. Bob sister Ellen was a regular throughout the season and begins to dater Howard, Bob and Emily's hungry, stupid, divorced flight navigator. Ellen finds that Howie hates especially when she tries to hard to win his affections. In the end she at least earns his respect. In Bob Hits THe Ceiling, Bob is proded by Emily to help counsel a friend who is having trouble with her husband. The husband(a gym teacher) decides to confront Bob. Tape 4 In The Longest Goodbye, bob is reunited with college friend and prankster The Peeper(guest star Tom Poston). Bob can't get enough of him but Emily can especially since he's been liveing with them for a week until his job comes through. Bob decides to confront the Peeper. In Over The River and Through the Woods, we see the funniest bob Newhart skit ever and one of the 50 funniest moments on tv. This episode, affecionately called Moo GOo Gai Pan finds Bob deciding not to join Emily and her family in Seattle for Thanksgiving(Hey, I thought she was affraid to fly!). He decides to spend it at home with Jerry, Howard and psychotic patient Mr. Carlin. The three get drunk after watching a football game(They take a drink every time jerry's alma matter makes a fumble). The men are drunk and hungry and order 93 gallons of Moo Goo Gai Pan. In Tape 5 Caged Fury finds Bob and later Emily locked in the basement on the 4th of July while Howard is throwing a party where everyone is dressed in the same Uncle Sam outfit except for Mr. Carlin who came as an Americn spy. When bob and Emily don't show everyone goes looking for them. In You're Having my Hartley Bob finds out that Carol is pregnant so he later finds out that the Peeper and he will be dads too. They get so happpy they end up drunk and buying a horse from a cop, then Bob wakes up. In Tape 6 We find Bob in Ex-Con Job, Bob tried to rehabilitate a group of cons with the ring leader refusing to cooperate and later robing the Hartleys and in Happy Trails we see the final episode where bob decides to take a job in Oregon and tells everyone he and Emily are leaving Chicago. A bittesweet moment including a great rendition of Oaklahoma!(Bob Newhart said that after this episode he was asked if he wanted a momento from the set before it was destroyed and he said he didn't need a momento). A great tribute to the series, you need this tape set!

The Bob Newhart Show was one of the 10 best TV shows ever, and the picture quality in this 6-tape collection is very good. It's nice to see all the episodes in their uncut form, as opposed to the reprehensible syndication practice of cutting scenes to sell more commercial time. My only qualm with this collection is that there are only 2 episodes per tape. Hopefully there will be a DVD collection of this excellent series and the follow-up series, Newhart (1982-1990).

Yes, it's great to have this much, but this show absolutely deserves a complete DVD release. Surely with shows like the Jeffersons and Good times showing up on DVD, the time has come to get Bob, Emily et. al. on DVD.

I've been a big Bob Newhart Show fan, and was left a bit disappointed at this box set. For me, the best of the six tapes was the last (season 6): "Ex Con Job" and "Happy Trails" (last episode). Many of the show's classic laughs are missing -- to start with, no Dr. Padvillion, no group cabin retreats and no Mr. Hurd!! Not a bad starter kit, but i'd guess the real enthusiasts would require more than this box set provides.

The Bob Newhart Show remains my favorite show of all time. It is witty, funny, and timeless. This is a wonderful ensemble show, with great comedic acting from the stars down to the walk-on characters. I have waited for years to see this show come out on DVD. I can't understand why it still has not been released in that format.

The Bob Newhart Show is one of my favorite classic 70's shows and I used to watch episodes on Nick At Nite and TVLand and was very disappointed when they dropped this show from their lineups. Good news for everyone who wrote reviews saying they wanted this shiw to get complete season DVD sets, the show has finally gotten that and so far the complete first and second seasons are out on DVD!