A biography for Bob Newharthasn’t been written yet.
“I have no intention of retiring; I can't imagine not doing stand-up. That's where I started and where I'll be.”
“I'm very open to the up-and-comers.”
“I can't do a one-camera show. I don't know how to do that kind of show where you count in your head and then you do the next line.”
“Stand-up is different from television. In stand-up, you've got to be in control.”
“What you see on stage is pretty much the way I am... a dry sense of humor.”
“Without great writing, you've got a bunch of actors bumping into each other.”
“Sometimes you forget you're famous. You wonder, 'Why is that person staring at me?'”
“I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.”
“I love portraying the totally indifferent person.”
“No matter what hyenas sound like, they are not actually laughing.”
“You may have done 20 great shows in a row and come to one, and it doesn't work. You never presume anything.”
“All comedians are, in a way, anarchists. Our job is to make fun of the existing world.”
“With the advent of cell phones, especially with the very small microphone that attach to the cell phone itself, it's getting harder and harder I find, to differentiate between schizophrenics and people talking on a cell phone.”
“I think you should be a child for as long as you can. I have been successful for 74 years being able to do that. Don't rush into adulthood, it isn't all that much fun.”
“I always hated when the studios just kind of said that anybody can act. You look at people like Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda - and I'm just talking about the male actors - there aren't a lot who can act. It's a very special talent, and I wish it were recognized as a very special talent.”
“I left 'The Bob Newhart Show,' which was my decision. CBS wanted it to go on. But I could see television changing; I could see the tastes were changing.”
“A lot of money is spent trying to keep people alive who don't necessarily want to be alive.”
“You do a clean show and it's over and the audience have enjoyed themselves and you've enjoyed yourself, and you haven't had to resort to shock.”
“Humor is so important to the American scene throughout history.”
“The first time I heard Richard Pryor, I knew he would be a major force in the world of comedy.”