Product Details

• Actors: Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, Peter Bonerz, Bill Daily, Marcia Wallace
• Directors: Peter Bonerz, Alan Myerson, Bob Claver, Eddie Ryder, James Burrows
• Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: September 19, 2006
• Run Time: 607 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000G6BL7O
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,646 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Comedy > Television > The Bob Newhart Show

• For more information about "The Bob Newhart Show - The Complete Fourth Season" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 4 in The Bob Newhart Show Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" was clearly comedian Bob Newhart and company's motto during the fourth season (1975-76) of The Bob Newhart Show, all 24 episodes of which are preserved in this three-disc set. Even with the show's ratings dipping somewhat, there's no shark-jumping going on here; Newhart and producers Jay Tarses and Tom Patchett clearly understood what made this show tick, and notwithstanding a little tinkering, they stuck with it. "It," of course, largely depended on Newhart himself. A brilliant reactor, he continues to bring his array of deadpan takes and brilliant, understated timing to the part of Chicago psychologist Bob Hartley, who's surrounded by the usual group of family (primarily Suzanne Pleshette as wife Emily), friends (Peter Bonerz as best bud Jerry Robinson), neighbors (Bill Daily as the tactless Howard Borden), staff (Marcia Wallace is always a riot as receptionist Carol Kester), patients (Jack Riley is the standout as the neurotic Mr. Carlin, but they're all good), and various guest stars (including Rene Auberjonois, Tom Poston, and Lawrence Pressman). Carol gets married a few episodes in, and Emily is promoted to vice-principal at her school, but these are largely cosmetic changes that do little to alter the series' overall tone.

Aside from Newhart himself, props are due to the writers. As always, The Bob Newhart Show's humor is mostly low-key, with none of the raunch, tasteless sexual innuendo, and flamboyant idiocy of today's sit-coms. What's more, subjects as serious as death ("The Longest Good-bye" and "Death of a Fruitman"), obesity ("Heavyweights," in which Bob presides over a workshop for "people of the hefty persuasion"), professional ethics ("Who is Mr. X?"), and jealousy on the job ("A Matter of Vice-Principal") are broached without ever becoming sententious or heavy-handed. Of course, three decades after the fact, some things will seem a little dated: the clothes are cringe-worthy, and it's hard to imagine anyone these days getting away with describing Beirut as a place where "everybody looks like Danny Thomas." Still, Newhart's show remains one of the best of the several great sit-coms that emerged in the '70s. Bonus features include commentary (by Newhart and others) on five episodes, a gag reel, and a featurette. --Sam Graham

Product Description

THE DOCTOR IS BACK IN!

Bob Newhart and his eccentric cast of crazy friends are back in Season Four of The Bob Newhart Show, one of the best-loved TV comedies of all time. Newhart returns as psychologist Dr. Robert Hartley, who works with neurotic, obsessive, compulsive and just plain nutty folks every day, and those are just his friends and neighbors...wait 'til you meet his patients! Whether Bob is switching roles with his wife Emily to avoid a middle-age crisis, or hosting a booze-soaked Thanksgiving party, The Bob Newhart Show has your prescription for classic comedy. Time for a laugh-therapy session—Doctor's orders!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps The Best, October 12, 2006

By	Dave_42 "Dave_42" (Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

The fourth season (1975-1976) of "The Bob Newhart Show" is right up there with the second season, and perhaps even a bit better. Some of the funniest episodes from the fan polls are from this season, and while there are perhaps a few fewer recognizable faces as guest stars, you will still see a few. The writers and cast by this point have both hit their stride, and the chemistry is phenomenal.

The Season is book-ended by appearances by Tom Poston as The Peeper, Bob's college buddy whom Emily can't stand. Of course, Tom would go on to be a regular in Bob's next sitcom "Newhart", and then there is the irony that Tom and Suzanne Pleshette would eventually get married. In-between, there are many events, including the death of Mr. Gianelli ("Death of a Fruitman"), Carol gets married ("Carol's Wedding"), Bob hosts an arrogant French psychologist ("Shrinks Across The Sea"), Bob forms a short-lived partnership with another psychiatrist ("Seemed Like a Good Idea At the Time") and many more.

Two of the funniest episodes ever are in this season with "Who Is Mr. X?", where Bob is ambushed by a morning talk-show host and is so flustered he reveals that one of his patients is a public servant. The other classic is "Over the River and Through the Woods", in which Bob gets out of a trip to Seattle over Thanksgiving by claiming that his patients need him. He ends up hosting a party with Jerry, Howard, and Mr. Carlin in which they all drink too much watching William and Mary's worst college football defeat, and make the funniest call for Chinese food ever recorded. I also very much like "Bob Has To Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas Eve In The Hospital", and the title explains the plot to that one.

All in all, there are 24 episodes on three 2-sided DVDs, just the same as the first three seasons. Also like seasons 2 and 3, there are five episodes with commentary, but I have to say that the commentary has improved this season; perhaps because they have more people participating in them. I would still not call them great commentaries, but they are significantly better than the prior seasons. There is a short season 4 feature, and there is also a gag reel. In all, this is probably the best set of features they have included, but more importantly this is the season with the funniest episodes.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best, July 14, 2006

By	Wilcy Moore - See all my reviews

Season 4 contains 24 classic episodes that never fail to deliver. From classicsitcoms.com, here are the episode summaries:

1. The Longest Good-Bye - Emily is less than impressed by Bob's legendary college chum, the Peeper--an inveterate jokester who arrives to spend a day and then stays a week.

2. Here's Looking at You, Kid - Howard looks to Bob for moral support when he proposes to Ellen at a crowded restaurant.

3. Death of a Fruitman - The group is angry at Mr. Gianelli for missing their fourth anniversary party.

4. Change Is Gonna Do Me Good - In an effort to shake Bob out of his domestic rut, Emily suggests that they exchange household duties.

5. The Heavyweights - Carol gets roped into a date with an obnoxious tubbo from Bob's overweight workshop.

6. Carol's Wedding - Bob is skeptical when Carol announces that she's getting married to Larry Bondurant, a travel agent she met less than twelve hours earlier.

7. Shrinks Across the Sea - Bob and Emily host a visiting French psychologist, who arrives in the company of another man's wife.

8. What's It All About, Albert? - Convinced that his psychological counseling has done none of his patients a bit of good, Bob seeks inspiration from his old college professor.

9. Who Is Mr. X? - A seemingly innocuous talk-show host uses Bob as bait when she decides to do a hatchet job on the entire field of psychology.

10. Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time - Bob forms an unlikely alliance when he goes into partnership with a well-heeled playboy psychologist.

11. Over the River and Through the Woods - When Emily flies home for Thanksgiving, Bob joins Jerry, Howard, and Mr. Carlin for a bachelor's feast of Chinese food and beer.

12. Fathers and Sons and Mothers - Bob's mother drops by for an extended visit and begins to drive her son crazy within moments of her arrival.

13. The Article - Bob and Jerry have second thoughts after they agree to let Ellen do a newspaper feature on the drama of life in a big-city medical building.

14. A Matter of Vice-Principal - Emily suddenly finds herself embroiled in grammar school politics when she gets promoted to vice-principal ahead of a teacher with greater seniority.

15. Bob Has to Have His Tonsils Out, So He Spends Christmas Eve in the Hospital - Bob faces another depressing holiday when he's forced to undergo an emergency tonsillectomy on Christmas Eve.

16. No Sale - Bob and Jerry are investment partners in one of Carlin's shady real-estate deals. This one hinges on evicting an old man from a slum tenement.

17. Carol at 6:01 - Carol turns to Bob for help when she begins to feel smothered by her new husband's overly lavish attentions.

18. Warden Gordon Borden - Howard is upset by the arrival of his sibling rival, Gordon--his brother has always taken things from him, and now he's got his eye on Ellen.

19. My Boy Guillermo - Jerry's globe-hopping girlfriend returns to tempt him out of his rut with an offer of marriage and an instant family.

20. Duke of Dunk - Bob counsels an egocentric basketball superstar in the fine art of team playing.

21. Guaranteed Not to Shrink - Carol becomes an overnight psychoanalyst when she enrolls in a night school psychology course.

22. Birth of a Salesman - After Bob counsels Mr. Herd to be more assertive, the milquetoast takes the advice to heart and slaps the therapist with a lawsuit.

23. The Boy Next Door - Howard's ex-wife grants him custody of their son, but Bob and Emily end up spending more time with Howie than his dad does.

24. Peeper - Two - When the Peeper returns in sullen spirits after his wife leaves him, Jerry decides to reacquaint Bob's old chum with the swinging singles' scene.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ALERT No plans for Season 5 and 6!!!!!!!, May 6, 2007

By	J. Reeves (WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Bob Newhart Show is so far better than any of the nearly worthless shows on TV currently. To make it even worse Fox has NO PLANS for releasing season 5 and 6. They say it is due to low sales. If you have any comments please call or write:

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