Product Description

Bob Newhart returns to the TV as Dick Loudon as he and his wife Joanna 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 TV celebrity as host of "Vermont Today." System Requirements:TRT; 660 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 024543499091 Manufacturer No: 2249909

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2531 in DVD
• Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
• Released on: 2008-02-26
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 546 minutes

Amazon.com
Looking for the perfect getaway? Check in to Newhart, finally open for business on DVD. Let's consult the travel guide: "Nestled in a grove of majestic maples just a stone's throw from the ivy covered walls of Dartmouth University lies the authentic colonial comfort of the Stratford Inn. Your jolly and congenial hosts are well known author Dick Loudon and his wife, Joanna." It's the ideal setup for the understated Newhart who is right at home in this quaint and bucolic setting. Between the guests and the colorful town characters, he has ample opportunities to do what he did so expertly on The Bob Newhart Show; deal with the crazies (as he so elegantly puts it in one of this set's bonus featurettes). Newhart stars as Loudon, a successful New York writer of how-to books, who, with his more reluctant wife, Joanna (Mary Frann, who rises to the unenviable challenge of following Bob's first TV wife, Suzanne Pleschette), uproots their lives to buy and run the venerable Stratford. The place comes with some colorful history (in the pilot, it is revealed that the inn once served as a house of ill repute, and in another episode, Bob learns that a woman hung as a witch is buried in the basement). It also comes with George Utley (Tom Poston), the handyman, who may have more than one screw loose. Newhart's first season provided the series with a solid foundation. It just needed a little tinkering. Kirk (Second City veteran Steven Kampmann), owner of the neighboring café, is introduced as a habitual liar, a character trait that is thankfully phased out as the season unfolds (his character would exit the show after two seasons). Pam-pretty and sweet Leslie (Jennifer Holmes), the maid, an heiress who wants "to experience the real world," would be replaced in season two by Julia Duffy, who is introduced as her cousin in the episode, "What is This Thing Called Lust?" But the series' most welcome additions are backwoodsmen Larry (William Sanderson) and his silent brothers Darryl (John Voldstad) and Darryl (Tony Papenfuss), who make their auspicious debut in the second episode. An instant hit, they were brought back for another before becoming regulars in season two. Newhart is four-star character-based comedy. There is nary a cheap or easy laugh in these episodes. Lines such as "There go the dregs of society," "I haven't got $80," and "What would you say if you weren't a college graduate," aren't funny out of context, but spoken by these characters, they're boffo. The DVD box lists four extras, but there are only three. The best is "Getting to the Heart of Newhart," in which cast members Newhart, Duffy, Sanderson, and Voldstad reflect on the series and pay moving tribute to the late Poston and Frann. Considering how much fun they all say it was to work on the show, a gag reel (including the classic blooper in which Newhart accidentally calls Frann's character, "Emily") would have been a nice amenity. --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

Finally - I've had this on my wish list for years!
This is one of my all time favorite shows. Fox, if you're listening, please release the remaining seasons!

Bob does it again!!
What can I say about this superb show that hasn't already been said. I've already got the four released seasons of 'The Bob Newhart Show' but must say that this is even better. Bear in mind that I'd never seen a single episode of either show before buying the sets so I'm coming to these with a fresh pair of eyes, as it were, and already I can see that 'Newhart' is up there with the true greats of tv comedy. My only problem now is that I've only got two episodes left to watch!! Let's all pray for a miracle that the remaining episodes eventually see the light of day on dvd. A must buy.

Great series, can't wait for subsequent seasons!
It took forever to get ahold of Newhart on DVD but I love it just as much as ever. I'd forgotten Julia Duffey's character Stephanie wasn't yet a regular on the show and can't wait to see both Stephanie and Michael in subsequent seasons.

I gave it four stars because the quality is lacking just a bit. I don't mind the thin cases--they take up less storage space anyway--but my DVD set seems to skip a bit. Still this edition seems to be the only one available. If you don't mind that Stephanie and Michael aren't in these episodes and the price is right I'd recommend nabbing it despite a few glitches in the DVD performance.