In typical Newhart fashion, the show’s namesake doesn’t take much credit. “It was all about the writing,” he said. “The writers were brilliant. I just tried to get out of the way.” But others say his demeanor was the key ingredient.
“He would give away the biggest and funniest lines to others. He would let other people have jokes,” O’Donnell said. “Somehow that generosity ended up creating a show that’s so much better and funnier than all other shows.”
Newhart said he learned this from Jack Benny. Benny once told him a story in which he gave the best line of the night to another actor. When asked about it, Benny simply said, “Well, I’ll be back next week.”
“That stuck with me,” Newhart said. “I’ll always be back next week. Let everybody be good. Because if you want this thing to last, it’s going to take everybody.”