Newhart

Newhart is the name of a television situation comedy that aired on the CBS network from 1982 to 1990.

Related Topics:
Television - Situation comedy - CBS - 1982 - 1990

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The show starred comedian Bob Newhart as Dick Loudon, an author who moved from New York City to the fictional town of Stratford, Vermont (with locations shots filmed in the town of Middlebury, Vermont), to run an inn, and also along the way becomes a local television talk show host, hosting a largely-unwatched show on books and authors.

Related Topics:
Comedian - Bob Newhart - New York City - Vermont - Middlebury

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Loudon is a sane, mild-mannered everyman surrounded by a community of oddballs. It is an illogical world that moves just a bit too fast for him. The show's premise has sometimes been compared to that of the 1965–71 sitcom Green Acres, though Green Acres had broader humor and used physical comedy more prominently.

Related Topics:
Sitcom - Green Acres

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Mary Frann portrayed Loudon's wife, Joanna, who also ran the inn, which was named The Stratford Inn. The show also featured Tom Poston as somewhat dim handyman George Utley, Peter Scolari as Loudon's hyperactive and manipulative television producer Michael Harris, and Julia Duffy as hotel maid Stephanie Vanderkellen, who is a spoiled rich girl cut off by her parents and who grudgingly, and often incompetently, works as a maid. She is also Harris' girlfriend, later wife, the attraction mainly being that they're both exceptionally shallow and superficial.

Related Topics:
Mary Frann - Tom Poston - Peter Scolari - Julia Duffy

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Jennifer Holmes starred in the first season as Leslie, the Loudon's hotel maid, prior to Stephanie being hired. Also fabulously rich, a world-class skier, and with a foundation that underwrites Jacques-Yves Cousteau, she is Stephanie's more cheerful, nicer cousin and said she took the job to find out what it is like to be normal. "It's fun," Loudon responded unconvincingly.

Related Topics:
Jennifer Holmes - Jacques-Yves Cousteau

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During the entire run of the show, actors William Sanderson, Tony Papenfuss, and John Voldstad were cast members who became three of the most popular (and surreal) characters on the show, Larry, Darryl and Darryl. The two Darryls never spoke (until the show's final episode in which they said one word), and in a monotone Larry would introduce them every time they entered a room with "Hi, I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl".

Related Topics:
William Sanderson - Tony Papenfuss - John Voldstad

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The three, who apparently had no last name, were dirty backwoodsmen who lived in a shack, but from the things they said often appeared to be from another planet, though some of the most far-out things often turned out to be true. For a time Larry had a crush on Stephanie, which initially frightened her, until she eventually realized the three were basically decent, though strange.

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(The characters of Larry, Darryl, and Darryl also appear in various episodes of the television series Coach, which was created by the creator of Newhart, Barry Kemp.)

Related Topics:
Coach - Barry Kemp

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The show was produced by David Mirkin, (who also wrote nine episodes, and directed four), Bob Bendetson, Sheldon Bull, Barton Dean, Mark Egan, Stephen C. Grossman, Barry Kemp, Michael Loman, Richard Rosenstock, Mark Solomon, Roy Teicher, Dan Wilcox, Douglas Wyman, and Shelley Zellman.

Related Topics:
David Mirkin - Bob Bendetson - Sheldon Bull - Barton Dean - Mark Egan - Stephen C. Grossman - Michael Loman - Richard Rosenstock - Mark Solomon - Roy Teicher - Dan Wilcox - Douglas Wyman - Shelley Zellman

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Other recurring characters include chronic liar Kirk Devane (Steven Kampmann), who owned the Minuteman Café across from the Stratford Inn (later acquired by Larry and the Darryls), the over-the-top macho police chief Officer Shifflett (Todd Susman), the prim but hot-to-trot librarian Prudence Goddard (Kathy Kinney), the fussbudget, small-minded mayor Chester Wanamaker (William Lanteau) and his wild-eyed friend Jim Dixon (Thomas Hill).

Related Topics:
Steven Kampmann - Todd Susman - Kathy Kinney - William Lanteau - Thomas Hill

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Jokes could be quite sly on the show. In one episode, members of the Beaver Lodge are watching Gilligan's Island on the TV. Loudon throws them out with one member protesting that he wanted to see how it ended, though the joke was that they always end the same way with the castaways not getting off the island. The sly joke was that protester was Russell Johnson, who appeared on Gilligan's Island as the Professor.

Related Topics:
Gilligan's Island - Russell Johnson

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