I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This!
And Other Things That Strike Me as Funny
By Bob Newhart
239 pp. Hyperion. $23.95
Who am I to critique Bob Newhart? The man is an icon; a sacred cow of the comedy world. Newhart has Emmys, Grammies, Peabodies and awards from places I have yet to visit as a tourist. He is still getting royalty checks from albums released while I was toddling in diapers. Public Television featured the comic in their American Masters series. This man is in the Television Hall of Fame, for God’s sake!
Now, after many decades of stand-up, television and film, Bob Newhart has put comedic pen to paper and etched out his long-overdue autobiography. While, I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This! is the title of Newhart’s first book, it also reflects the guilty feeling I had while reading the text knowing full-well when I reached the last page, it was my responsibility to deliver an honest and critical review.
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Long before the comics of today were pulling down hundreds of thousands of dollars spewing foul-mouthed diatribes on only mildly funny topics, Bob Newhart was showing the world how it was done. He was not always successful in making a living with comedy so he relied on other talents to pay the bills, but along the way to greatness Newhart was befriended by the best in the business: Mort Sahl, Shelley Berman, Shecky Greene, Tim Conway, Don Rickles and Jonathan Winters. While some of these names may be meaningless to readers under 40 they are, like Bob Newhart, granite cornerstones of comedy.
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I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This! is slow-paced and steady; much like the author’s own delivery. Anyone who has never heard the careful, quiet and dry deliver of Bob Newhart will be disappointed by the overall crawl of this book. The written words, jokes and situations of any known comedian are far more funny and effective if the reader can hear the comic’s voice in his head.
For example, Woody Allen’s books are brilliant, but they take on a new dimension when Allen’s voice becomes the reader’s. Dennis Miller’s rants really come to life if his nasal, sarcastic wit echoes in the reader’s head. Comedy is all about timing and delivery—two things you cannot reproduce or control when the words are in print. A joke that gets people nauseous with laughter when delivered live on stage becomes lifeless and dull when read quietly by someone else.
While the life and times of Mr. Newhart make for interesting reading, I will admit the only time I laughed out loud was when he related a story about Don Rickles. This may be as much my fault as the author’s; perhaps I just need to wait for the audio version read by Bob Newhart himself.
I’m not sure anyone will learn the secrets of comic deliver from this book, but they will read the enchanting life story of a great comedian. And, if the reader has seen even a few of Newhart’s television shows, it is guaranteed I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This! will elicit many smiles of familiarity. In the end, I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This! delivers exactly what it should; the autobiography of a fine gentleman, a good Catholic and a wonderful comic who has entertained the world for more than half a century.
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Written by SimonKing - Visit Website
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