Bob Newhart Goes Back to the Beginning of His Friendship with Don Rickles

 

Monday night on Conan, Bob Newhart shared the story about the first night he met Don Rickles. We first heard Bob tell this story back in 2008 when he was a guest on Unmasked (you can hear the full hour interview on our podcast, Unmasked From the Archives).  Don and Bob were both working Vegas- Don was in the lounge, and Bob was in the main room. Their wives had met, so they suggested grabbing a bite to eat together. Bob and his wife decided they would go check out Rickles late show and as they were walking over to the lounge, his wife kept remarking on what a sweet, dear man Don was.

Bob said to his wife, “Honey, yes, he is a lovely man, but his act is maybe a little different than you just saw.” They were seated in the front row, Don comes out, and the first thing he says is, “the stammering idiot from Chicago is in the audience….with his hooker wife from Bayonne, New Jersey.”

Newhart also talked about getting laughs using his infamous pauses, writing his first two albums, the glaring error in the opening credits of “The Bob Newhart Show“, and the comedian who stole his material and inspired Bob to aim higher in his career.

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