Saturday Night Live Honors Bob Newhart with His Iconic 1995 Monologue

Saturday Night Live paid a touching tribute to comedy legend Bob Newhart after his death on 18 July at the age of 94.

The stand-up comic, who starred on The Bob Newhart Show and made appearances in Elf and The Big Bang Theory, died at his Los Angeles home after a series of short illnesses, according to his publicist Jerry Digney.

In honor of Newhart, NBC’s Saturday Night Live posted a monologue he performed when he hosted the show in 1995.

Newhart hosted Saturday Night Live twice: on 10 May 1980, with musical guest The Amazing Rhythm Aces/Bruce Cockburn, and on 11 February 1995, with musical guest Des’ree.

At the end of the 1995 episode, Newhart and guest star Suzanne Pleshette recreated the iconic ending of Newhart, where the comedian wakes up and realizes it had all been a dream. In this SNL episode, the “dream” was him hosting the show.

Newhart began his illustrious career with an incredibly popular live stand-up routine, recorded in 1960, which became the first comedy album ever to top the Billboard pop charts. The record won Newhart “Album of the Year” and “Best New Artist” at the Grammys that year.

The iconic album has retained its influence in popular culture ever since. For example, Pete Campbell listens to it in the first season of Mad Men, and Joel Maisel attempts the Abe Lincoln routine in the pilot episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Newhart went on to star in his own sitcom, The Bob Newhart Show, in 1972. The show ran for six years until 1978, enjoying consistent ratings success.

After a four-year hiatus, he returned with another sitcom, Newhart, playing an innkeeper in Vermont. The show aired for eight years until its 1990 finale, where he awoke as his character from The Bob Newhart Show and realized the new show had been a dream.

Newhart continued to work in film and television, taking roles in projects like The Simpsons, Elf, and a cameo in the 2011 film Horrible Bosses.

Starting in 2013, he made several appearances in The Big Bang Theory and played TV show host-turned-children’s party entertainer Professor Proton on the prequel show Young Sheldon.

Newhart’s death came just over a year after the passing of his wife, Ginnie Newhart, who died in April 2023, months after their 60th wedding anniversary.

He is survived by their four children, Robert Jr., Timothy, Courtney, and Jennifer, as well as 10 grandchildren.

Source: [News Source Names]