Bob Newhart | The Complete "Pioneers of Television" Interview | Steven J Boettcher 

Will be a sad day when we lose him, as well as the end of an era.

Brit comedy could be considered an oxymoron. A man dressing up as a woman is only funny for about 3 seconds ONE TIME.

*Newhart

AMAZING line-up. We didn't realize how good we had it back then.

I don't think there was as much of that as you think. Even in the eighties, which weren't exactly kind to sitcom wives, most of them were professional women who just weren't very funny because the guy was getting the punchlines.

@@mikearchibald744 it was a trope in the 70s and less so in the 80s where the wife did as I described. The worst of that was the ending of the Sunny and Cher show. i observed it leaching out into real life with bad results. But Suzan was a straight woman and Bob was the comedian.

@@Stanbott The eighties were not that, I agree that the strong women of the 70s disappeared, but they turned into characterless affectations of the men. They certainly weren't 'standing on their shoulders', they just didn't get many jokes. In fact as far as put downs go suzanne had plenty, so go find an eighties show and a newhart and watch a few and compare them. For THAT show they were remarkably similar, but we lost the Maudes and louise jeffersons. Something like Family Ties had the father and mother equat at the beginning abut as the show dragged on, BOTH the parents suffered, but the women usually just got a 'special episode' where they were allowed a serious issue per year, rather than having free reign to tackle seirous issues comedically. What you destcribe is 'sort of' true, in that the easy joke for the wife is to take a dig at the man. Of course you notice that it changed nothing and effected nothing. Its not like we ever saw "ok, I've had enough of you, I want a divorce" or even "i'm having an affair". Did ANYBODY in the 80's have an affair? Despite the husbands becoming bigger and biggers assholes into the nineties.

*Suzanne

Actually it goes back to the '50s. Ozzy and Harriet shared a bed.

In what context do you mean. Two people in a bed with or without context.

On the very first I Love Lucy, Lucy and Ricky wake up in bed together.

But he is known to them! Ask a younger person about Milton Berle or Sid Caesar.

@@paulpeterson4216 . _Touche'_ ........and DEFINITELY the way to look at this !! :-) .