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ON THE RBCORD
the Many -Sided Mind of Bob Newhart
• Bob Newhart is referred to by his record company, Warner Bros., as "the world's best seller of comedy albums." He is the only comedian who got his start as a record artist before branching out to other facets of show business. And now he is the only recording comedian with his own television show. These are reasons enough for taking a close look "Behind The Button-Down Mind Of Bob Newhart" (Warner Bros. 1417).
On the face of it, Bob Newhart is a shining example of the successful "New Wave" comedians, a group which includes Shelley Berman, Mort Sahl, Lennie Bruce and newcomer Dick Gregory. Mike Nichols and Elaine May qualify, too, and Jonathan Winters, Bill Dana, Charles Manna, Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks. Stan Freberg is undoubtedly the most talented of the lot. And, for specialized or regional material, include Brother Dave Gardner, Rusty Warren, Wood Woodbury and Moms Mabley.
Most of these comedians sold sur
prising numbers of records last year, which could point up the ' fact that Americans are in dire need of a laugh or two. Certainly radio and television no longer supply many of those laughs. In fact, radio has reversed the situation, now depending on records to supply them with comedy material (with disc jockeys often complaining that comedy LPs contain too much "blue" material for the air). Television, of course, some time ago abandoned its comedians, or gave them bland situation comedies to wallow in. The notable exception is Jack Paar, who has done more than anyone to give the "New Wave" comedians a chance to be heard — and to plug their records. And on television we now have Bob Newhart. How will he make out?
There is a familiar, anguished cry in show business, "What do we do for an encore?" From where we sit in front of the television set it would seem that Bob Newhart is desperately trying to find the answer to that question.
His first LP, "The Button-Down
Mind Of Bob Newhart" (Warner Bros. 1379), which catapulted him into the spotlight, is undoubtedly a pure gem of classic American comedy. Try, if you will, to improve on Newhart's sketch about the Commander of the U.S.S. Codfish talking to his men. The sketch covering the television rehearsal of the Khrushchev landing is superb topical humor. And the sketch about the driving instructor might well be come a necessary part of high-school audio-visual education in the future. Newhart is rightly celebrated for that first LP, but . . . "What do we do for an encore?"
Record retailers will tell you that seldom does a second record by a comedian sell as well as the first one. Chalk it up to the novelty wearing off. Or, more frequently, a plain lack of good follow-up material. Certainly the Newhart legend has been kept alive better than most. But with a weekly television show eating up material, Newhart is bound to be looking harder and harder for that "Encore."
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