Book Review
I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This
I SHOULDN'T EVEN BE DOING THIS By BOB NEWHART Reviewed by PEGGY BARNETT
Although Bob Newhart is no longer a regular in a comedy series, he has appeared as an actor on Desperate Housewives and ER (and earned an Emmy nomination for that one.) He states in the introduction that he couldn't write a memoir, which has to be a "weighty tome." He has given us instead a collection of anecdotes about his life and career, sprinkled generously with excerpts from his comedy routines.

A reader might be tempted to just skip to the routines, which remain really funny, even without his characteristic stammer and expressions. However, that reader would miss the interesting account of how Newhart grew up, how he realized that he was a comedian, and his subsequent success, which took a long time to arrive.

He wanted to name this book, for lack of a better idea, A Slimmer You in Three Weeks. "But my publisher's week-kneed lawyers refused to approve that title because there were no diet tips in my book." The title chosen reflects an old joke that is hard to explain in a family newspaper.

Trained as an accountant, Newhart took part time jobs while he tried to see if he could make a living being funny. Those jobs also furnished him with ideas for his comedy acts. His trademark became a telephone conversation. We heard only his side, as he conversed with, for example, Abraham Lincoln, as his press agent. "What else, Abe? . . You changed 'four score and seven' to 'eighty-seven?' . . . I understand it means the same thing, Abe. That's meant to be a grabber. . ." and so on.

When his comedy routines were compiled into an album, The Button Down Mind of Bob Newhart became the first comedy album to hit #1 on the charts. He went on to successful situation comedies (The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart,) to guest host The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and to appear in motion pictures, as well as the fore-mentioned television dramas.

Bob Newhart believes in humor. It is "our way of dealing with the inexplicable." "I've noticed that people with a sense of humor tend to be less egocentric and more realistic in their view of the world." Readers can sample his humor in this book, available in the Mary Willis Library, and on a DVD that is being released now.

I hope it contains "The Driving Instructor." The instructor has just met Mrs. Webb, who has already had one lesson: " . . . How fast were you going when Mr. Adams jumped from the car? . . . Seventy-five. And where was that? . . . In your driveway. How far had Mr. Adams gotten in the lesson? . . . Backing out. I see. You were backing out at seventy five and that's when he jumped." And so on.

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