I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This!: And Other Things That Strike Me as Funny

by Bob Newhart

Book Overview

Never a punch-line comic, always more of a storyteller, Bob Newhart tells anecdotes from throughout his life and career, including his beginnings as an accountant and the groundbreaking success of his comedy albums and The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, which gave him 15 years on primetime television. He also gives his wry, comedic twist to a multitude of topics, including golf, drinking and family holidays. With this book, Bob Newhart gives his millions...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1401302467
• ISBN13: 9781401302467
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Hachette Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

This is a very funny book

Bob Newhart is one of the funniest people alive. We have been laughing at his droll humor and perfect timing for forty years. His hilarious sketches are delivered with a superb talent and an almost inexplicable gift. His humor is honest and is not delivered at the expense of anyone. This book conveys a real sense of the stage performance that we all love. This is a very funny book.

I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This

Being a long-time Bob Newhart fan I could hardly wait to buy this book. As would be expected, Bob tosses out his genteel type of humor in his telling. It's hard to put down.

All About Bob

Bob Newhart is one of the funniest people alive. We have been laughing at his droll humor and perfect timing for forty years. His hilarious sketches are delivered with a superb talent and an almost inexplicable gift. His humor is honest and is not delivered at the expense of anyone. This book conveys a real sense of the stage performance that we all love. This is a very funny book. Read this book for a warm hearted laugh.

If you are a Bob Newhart Fan, get this book

This was a very fun book to listen to. I got the audio download and listened on my iPod. Very funny with Bob reading the book. I saw other reviews saying that they thought it was okay. I do think having it read by Bob Newhart took it from being good or okay to a lot of fun.

Bob Newhart - Comic Genius and All Around Great Guy

Bob Newhart's book, I SHOULDN'T EVEN BE DOING THIS, is what one would expect from a man of his character: well-written, insightful, humorous, and kind to others. I feel very fortunate that he has been an acquaintance of mine for the past 13 years or so. I say "acquaintance" because we aren't close friends that remember each other at Christmas and on birthdays, but we do e-mail each other from time-to-time. Actually, now that I think about it, he has remembered to snail mail me when I've had an operation or two. However, I digress. The book is well written, it is brief as compared to most tomes these days; however, it hits on the main points of his life. I have listened to the abridged audio version (I haven't found an unabridged version), and found it to be enjoyable; however, the book has so much more of his antedotes that I would recommend it first to a Newhart fan. The beginning wasn't always easy and the book describes in detail his evolution from accountant to comedian, sharing comicial moments along the way, and his having the top two albums on the Billboard chart for one year. As Bob describes it, the following year he received a Grammy, a Peabody, and a pink slip (when his first TV show, a variety program, was cancelled). That setback did not deter him as it allowed him to place more emphasis on his stand-up comedy routines. If you are younger than 45, you probably aren't familiar with his comedy routines, and his book will introduce you to several, notably "The USS Codfish," "Sir. Walter Raleigh," and his "Abe Lincoln PR" routines. If you are familiar with them, he gives you insight into their development. The routines are as fresh today as they were then. The routines are available on CD, and one might be tempted to buy just THE BOB NEWHART ANTHOLOGY, but let me warn you, not all of his routines are on that one, so peruse BEHIND THE BUTTON DOWN MIND, and the other CD's, too. While Bob touches on "comedy," he tells you that this book is not an esoteric dissertation on what is comedy and how you write it; however, he offered enough insights to make the reader realize that successful comedy is a serious business. Several highlights for me in his book were: 1. Him talking about his romance with his wife Virginia, Ginny. It gives the reader a true insight into as aspect of him that most don't know about. 2. How the closing scene of "Newhart" came about. I remember it being described by TV Guide's editors as the most famous TV finale, and critics and viewers consistently rank it alike as one of the Top 5 scenes from any TV show. 3. Bob's description of his lack of ability as a handyman around the house. I can also confirm that he is probably not a computer genius just from the manner in which we both evolved from the Prodigy computer network, and its relative friendly way of handling e-mail, to other Internet Service Providers (ISP). I remember it was a long six-weeks (or was it six-months?) before Bob made the transiti