I’ve been thinking that Bob Newhart is to me, what Bob Hope was to my parents – an older, well-established comedian. Something of an icon, a little bit of a cliché; once upon a time though, he was a young comic pioneering a new type of comedy. This is his memoir.

I didn’t realize how much Bob Newhart had done for the world of entertainment. He was supposed to be an accountant & even went to college for it, but that didn’t work out. However, he did enjoy telling funny stories. Somehow, he managed to make a career out of it. Not that it was an easy road. He laments “There was a point at which I thought, ‘You have really majorly screwed up. Look at what you have done to your life!’”

He talks a little about his growing up years, meeting his wife, and some about his children, but this book is primarily about the milestones of his career and how comedy has come to him. He talks a little about what comedians do and their process which is essentially what I’ve always thought it was – pointing out the absurdities of every day life so other people can realize they aren’t the only ones.

I loved this book and it sent me on a spree of tracking down his comedy albums and the DVDs of his shows, but truthfully, a good deal of the text reminds me of an old man rambling on. He must be forgiven this because he is an old man; he’s 83 at the time of this review & he was in his late seventies when this book was published.

Bottom-line: I don’t know who I would recommend this to among my friends & acquaintances because reading celebrity memoirs isn’t something most of them do. I usually don’t, but for some odd reason I’ve started. I certainly enjoyed this book immensely (especially the bit about a new security guard at the Empire State building the night King Kong decided to climb it).

Sometimes in life, you pick up a book because it's strangely sitting on the floor at the house you're staying at for a couple of weeks. There's no bookmark inside. It's just on the floor in the middle of the room. You're not sure why you pick it up, you don't know exactly why you're reading it. You have vague memories of watching a sitcom starring the author. The memories are neither good nor bad. You realize the author had a cameo on the Simpsons. You read a few pages...then read a few more. You're not all that entertained, you just keep going. Not sure why. Not sure if you'll stop at any moment and do something else. Eventually, you get to a point where you realize you don't have that much further to go to finish it. And so, you finish. You maybe laughed out loud once the entire time. Mostly, you think your grandparents would have enjoyed the book more than you. You wish there'd been more personal stuff, like the author talking about how they always wanted their dad's approval. That was interesting. But, it only lasted a couple lines. Eventually, you put the book down. You're finished. You're not really wiser about anything in regards to humanity or the world. You just move on with your day. There's some snow outside that needs to be shoveled. And so, you go shovel.

Light and fun autobiography of one of my favorite comedians. Newhart comes off as honest and likable--a refreshing reminder that comedians don't have to be super nasty to be excellent at their art. Starts a little slow. Not sure why he even included an introduction. From the intro, on, it's a quick, pleasant read.

Listened to this driving to and back from St. George. Hilarious I've always been a fan of Bob Newhart - I find his dry humor pretty entertaining - this book, read by him, was a little slow in places and I would have preferred if he would have just played some of the Johnny Carson interviews that he read the back and forth of - but still - a great read/listen.

Enjoyed reading the book. Always liked his stand up routine as a comic but not so much as an actor. His tv shows just were not that funny to me. The book was amusing and somewhat autobiographical.
I wouldn't read it again which tells me a lot. The thinking mans comedian. Dry wit personified.
The question remains for me though: What would have happened to his career without that phone?

Very simple review here. If you are a fan of Bob Newhart and want to know more, you will like this book. If you're not a fan already, this will be a tedious waste of time. (A better choice would be to listen to his albums; try YouTube.)
There are a few bits of old routines, but this is a standard autobiography. The advantage is Bob is telling you the stories. And he's a funny guy.

I love Bob Newhart and found his book to be as charming and understated as he is. He is a true comic genius with the longevity to prove it.

If anyone expected this to be a nitty gritty Hollywood tell-all than you don't know Bob Newhart at all. However, it was a great trip through the history of television and an amazing career.

You'll be surprised how this one-time accountant became a comic legend. It's a light read that's well worth the time.

This was a refreshing read, as Newhart is very candid and fair about his beginnings in comedy, the people he met and worked with along the way, and the career successes and failures he saw. HE also spends time explaining the germination of his most famous comedy bits, which are still hilarious in their simplicity. This book would be a must read for any fan of Newhart, student of comedy, or anyone looking for a light and fun read.

Dan Rowan and Dick Martin were famous for how they handled unruly audiences. These two comedians were basically one brain because each always knew what the other was doing.
Once they were playing a hotel in Kansas City and virtually everyone in the crowd was drunk and yelling over the jokes, so Dan said, “We are now going to take you to the site of the 1954 Olympics. I’ll be talking to the world’s fastest man, and he will describe to me what thoughts are going through his mind.”
Dan and Dick got down on all fours and ran off the stage, through the audience, out of the auditorium, and into an elevator. They didn’t stop until they were in their rooms. Meanwhile, the audience craned their necks and collectively went through the thought process of: “I wonder where they went… I guess they’re coming back… They’re coming back, aren’t they?” (91)

As someone who has a lot of affection for Bob Newhart, I found this book exceedingly disappointing. Is it a biography? Well, at times he talks about his life, but there are large parts of it that he barely mentions. Is it a humor book? Well, its not very funny, perhaps because a large part of what makes Newhart so amusing is his delivery, which you don't get in written form. Instead, this book just kind of meanders, occasionally giving us an important tidbit from his life or a mildly amusing sketch, but never able to make up its mind as to what it really wants to be.

A buttoned-down book

A delightful read from a delightful man who did delightful comedy. In many ways Bob Newhart is an everyman, and this memoir shows us how you can become a hugely successful celebrity, comic genius and TV star, and still live a contented, ordinary life. Reading Newhart's memoir is like sitting out on his patio, and having a long, warm conversation with him about life, love, success and happiness from someone who literally has it all.

We Can All Use A Good, Honest Laugh These Days

I am drawn to history, a lot of it intellectually challenging and some of it sobering. But to stay sane, we all need to laugh. I’ve been laughing at Bob Newhart’s jokes and persona for more than 50 years. This little book was a fun, relaxing and life-affirming break.
The best parts were not his recollections of stand-up routines. Newhart must be seen and heard, not read. The humor and pathos of Newhart live in the pauses, the silence, the glances and the stammers. Without them, there is only dry text, mildly amusing at best. In that way, Newhart is very much like one of his heroes, Jack Benny, who could knock me on the floor with a disgruntled look and the word, “Well …”
The best parts in this book are Newhart’s recollection, sometimes recalling funny moments or stories about others.
Need a break and a laugh? If your my age, 70s, you’ll enjoy this book.