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HBO presents

Bob Newhart
This year's USCAF honoree

March 1, 2001

From his infamous one-man telephone sketches: "Hi Bob," "Abe Lincoln's PR Man" and "The Nervous Driving Instructor," his ability to be controlled, cerebral and "clean" would become his trademarks and launch him into a remarkable career as a standup comic, recording artist and TV star. See what this year's USCAF honoree, Bob Newhart, had to say.

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HBO: Hello and welcome to today's chat with the comic genius himself, Mr. Bob Newhart. He's ready to start fielding your questions, so start firing away now! Feel free to ask him about his first years in stand-up, his Grammy Award winning albums, that cameo on "The Simpsons" or just the status on Larry, Darryl and Darryl.

Bob Newhart: This is Bob Newhart. I'm in Aspen at the Comedy Arts Festival, and I'd like to thank everyone for coming in to the chatroom, and I'm looking forward to your questions.

Mickey Blue Eyes: When was the last time you performed stand-up?

Bob Newhart: The last time I performed stand-up was in January of this year. I've never stopped doing stand-up, even when I was doing both the TV shows. I still continued doing stand-up, because you can lose your edge too easily, and besides I enjoy it.

Mark: Do you still keep in touch with any of the old cast members from your shows?

Bob Newhart: Yes. I see Tom quite often because we golf together. I see Suzanne because she and Tom are an item. I see Marcia. I keep in touch with a lot of the people. At least once a year if not more often.

Steph: If Larry, Darryl and Darryl were on "Survivor," who would be the first Darryl voted off the Island and why?

Bob Newhart: That was one of the inexplicable things about "Newhart," that we were in Vermont and had these three strange people right out of "Deliverance." I don't think either of the Darryls because they don't talk, so it would probably be Larry.

Kiny: You are the "Sultan of sitcoms," having starred in four over of the last four decades. Which have been your favorite sitcoms over the years, and what's your favorite sitcom on the air today?

Bob Newhart: It's like being asked what's your favorite child, you know? The successful ones which were "The Bob Newhart Show" and "Newhart," and the less successful ones, "Bob" and "George and Leo" are my least favorite of all of them. I watch "Friends." I watch "Frasier." I watch "Sex and the City," "Dharma and Greg," "Will and Grace."

Matt: If you could go see one comic out there today, who would that be?

Bob Newhart: If I could see one comic, it would be Richard Pryor. I think he's the most influential comedian of the half century. He's influenced more comedians. Although I work clean and he doesn't, the underlying ideas of his routines are hysterically funny. He ranks with Mark Twain and Will Rogers. It's beyond comedy. I had the chance to present Richard with the lifetime achievement comedy award, and he was in the wheelchair and he couldn't come on stage, so I read the award from the stage and walked over to him and presented it to him, and he looked at me and said "I stole your album!" I told him I got 25 cents an album and asked him for a quarter, and he handed me the quarter.

Linda: So you're being honored today by the USCAF, placing you in an elite group of comics, how do you feel about that?

Bob Newhart: Obviously I'm highly honored that they would think my work merits such an award, and I'm just honored to be in the company I'm in. I don't know if it's deserved or not; that's for someone else to say, but I'm honored to be in the company.

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