Redux - Bob Newhart and JFK

Re-duxing to honor Bob Newhart on the occasion of his recent passing.

I had forgotten that some of this - from 6 years ago - inadvertently sounded like Newhart had already passed. 

This is done in the style of one of his routines, which were almost always as one side of a conversation - often as if he was on a phone call, sometimes with other gimmicks (a submarine captain's announcement to his men, a driving instructor talking to an unheard driver). In this case, it's Newhart himself in the part of Hamlet, talking to JFK as an unheard Ghost. 

I'm a big fan of his routines and his style, and have written up (but not (yet) recorded) one other: My version of The Aristocrats, done similarly as the agent side of the discussion. Maybe someday....In my head I sound just like him, but this is certainly a poor imitation, so I strongly recommend everyone finding his original recordings. 

 

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Looking at Hamlet’s reaction to his father’s ghost by considering some comparable people in the 20th century, Bob Newhart and John F. Kennedy.  

This is a way I’ve considered Prince Hamlet for a while, but I was reminded of it by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, who mentioned Bob Newhart a couple of times.  And by Kylo Ren, who often seems to be playing Hamlet himself.

Celebrity voices impersonated…

In this construction, Bob Newhart is Hamlet, although at 33 he’s a bit old for the part. How old is a long-standing debate - the Prince’s situation indicates that he is in his late teens, but one of the gravediggers suggests that he is 30. 

For more fun concerning Hamlet’s age and motivations, check out “Hamlet: The Undiscovered Country” by Steve Roth.

Here’s a good article about Bob Newhart’s early career.

https://music.avclub.com/the-surprisingly-subversive-album-that-changed-stand-up-1798238091

 

As noted there, the “Lincoln” bit was “Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue,” where marketing experts are trying to help the 16th President of the United States work on his message, such as doing focus group testing for the Gettysburg address.

 

Bob Newhart mentioned that he campaigned for JFK because they were both Catholic:

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/31/entertainment/la-et-mn-clint-eastwood-bob-newhart-rnc

And if you really want to push it, this one references Hamlet as well as JFK

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2002/10/28/hello-this-is-bob/3de12b83-dc7e-40d5-bb3b-e49b23cbb6ce/?utm_term=.1ce6496e7045

 

You can find me on Twitter: @generationalize and blogging at http://stories.generationalize.com