I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!: ...and Other Things That Strike Me as Funny

Newhart, Bob

ISBN 10: 1401384862 ISBN 13: 9781401384869

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2006

Synopsis

The first book ever from an icon of American comedy -- a hilarious combination of stories from his career and observations about life

That stammer. Those basset-hound eyes. That bone-dry wit. There has never been another comedian like Bob Newhart. His comedy albums, movies, and two hit television series have made him a national treasure and placed him firmly in the pantheon of comedy legends. Who else has a drinking game named after him And now, at last, Newhart puts his brilliant and hysterical world view on paper.

Never a punch-line comic, always more of a storyteller, he tells anecdotes from throughout his life and career, including his beginnings as an accountant and the groundbreaking success of his comedy albums and The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, which gave him fifteen years on primetime television. And he also gives his wry, comedic twist to a multitude of topics, including golf, drinking, and family holidays.

Today, Newhart appears on Desperate Housewives, in hit movies such as Elf, and in theaters around the country. Reruns of his shows air constantly on Nick at Nite -- have recently been released with great success for the first time ever on DVD. With this book, Bob Newhart gives his millions of fans a first ever opportunity to sample his unique brand of humor -- including excerpts from some of his classic routines -- on the printed page.

About this title

Reviews

Newhart's deadpan delivery, slight stammer and expert comedic pauses make this audiobook memoir an indispensable purchase for fans. Newhart's persona was always the everyman ("Men usually think I was in the army with them. And the women think I was their first husband and usually say, 'Hey, stupid, I haven't had a check...' and then catch themselves."). He modestly explains his comedy origins, which led to a recording career (his first two comedy albums won him three 1960 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year). Nightclub appearances segued to movies (he hilariously explains how he tried to get fired from Hell Is for Heroes) and TV sitcom success (The Bob Newhart Show from 1972–1978 and Newhart from 1982–1990). Newhart peppers his breezy memoir with a sampling of some of his classic comedy routines (including "The Driving Instructor," "Grace L. Ferguson Airline and Storm Door Co." and "King Kong and the Night Watchman"), and his timing remains impeccable.
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Bob Newhart makes you laugh. He talks about his life and people he has known and why he didn't remain the accountant he was trained to be. Each incident is funnier than the one before it. And only Bob Newhart could have read this memoir because no one else has his sense of timing or his stammer or the honesty of his humor. But now a word of warning from this reviewer: Do not listen to this production in public. In the waiting room of a medical facility, for example, you will find that people in pain and on walkers do not like being in your company as you try to hide your heaving laughter and you fail. J.P. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1401384862
• ISBN 13: 9781401384869
• Binding: Audio CD
• Number of pages: 3