Newhart 

The misadventures of an author turned innkeeper in rural Vermont and his friends.

Creators:

Barry Kemp, Sheldon Bull

Stars:

Bob Newhart, Mary Frann, Tom Poston

Nominated for 6 Golden Globes. Another 6 wins & 37 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Bob Newhart	...	Dick Loudon / ... 184 episodes, 1982-1990
Mary Frann	...	Joanna Loudon 184 episodes, 1982-1990
Tom Poston	...	George Utley 184 episodes, 1982-1990
Julia Duffy	...	Stephanie Vanderkellen 163 episodes, 1983-1990
Peter Scolari	...	Michael Harris 142 episodes, 1984-1990
William Sanderson	...	Larry 91 episodes, 1982-1990
Tony Papenfuss	...	First Darryl / ... 91 episodes, 1982-1990
John Voldstad	...	Second Darryl / ... 91 episodes, 1982-1990

Storyline

Dick Loudon (Bob Newhart) and his wife Joanna (Mary Frann) decide to leave life in New York City and buy a little inn in Vermont. Dick is a how-to book writer, who eventually becomes a local television celebrity as host of "Vermont Today". George Utley (Tom Poston) is the handyman at the inn, and Leslie Vanderkellen (Jennifer Holmes) is the maid, with ambitions of being an Olympic Ski champion; she is later replaced by her cousin Stephanie (Julia Duffy), an heiress who hates her job. Her boyfriend is Dick's yuppie television producer, Michael Harris (Peter Scolari). There are many other quirky characters in this fictional little town, including Dick's neighbors Larry (William Sanderson), Darryl (Tony Papenfuss), and Darryl (John Voldstad)...three brothers who buy the Minuteman Café from Kirk Devane (Steven Kampmann). Besides sharing a name, Darryl and Darryl never speak, until the final episode.

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Plot Keywords:

vermont | 1980s | sitcom | hotel | 1990s | 

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Taglines:

Bob's Inn Trouble! Running a 200-year old inn is Bob's way of getting back to nature. But it's really nature's way of getting back at him. Looks like Bob's open for laughs year round. Starring Bob Newhart. Also starring Mary Frann and Tom Poston. (season 1)

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-G

Did You Know?

Trivia

The show was videotaped in the first season, later episodes were filmed.

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Goofs

The interior and exterior of the Stratford Inn are inconsistent with each other. There is a window to the left of the main door that would be obscured by the interior stairway, and the rooms that line the upper hallway would open onto the roof of the front porch. Also, there is a corridor that leads to the left at the top of the stairs that are supposed to give access to further rooms. This corridor would also open on the roof.

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Quotes

Arthur Vanderkellen: I can't help it, I like that boy.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are expanded slightly on a handful of episodes. After Bob Newhart's credit the picture switches to a boat slowly coming to the shore for about five seconds as the theme adds an extra stanza, afterward the credits return to normal for Mary Frann's credit.

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Alternate Versions

In episode #6, "No Tigers at the Circus," Dick is seen watching a TV show, and only the theme song is heard. In the original run, it was the theme from "Mister Ed" (1961), but in reruns it was changed to the theme from "Bob Newhart Show, The" (1972).

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Connections

Referenced in George & Leo: The Cameo Episode (1997)

User Reviews

Green Acres for the 1980's

When I think of this show, I often compare it to Green Acres. The two shows were very similar in the fact that it featured someone who wanted to leave the city to move to the country. In this case it was author Dick Loudon filling in for attorney Oliver Wendell Douglas. Also, Dick was surrounded by a strange assortment of people just like Oliver was. The main difference, however, was the fact that Joanna Loudon wasn't the somewhat dim bulb that Lisa Douglas was. Thankfully, Fred Silverman had long since left C.B.S. or else this show might not have seen the light of day.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Newhart

Filming Locations:

Middlebury, Vermont, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

MTM Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (184 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1