By Ed Epstein
Washington, D.C.
Thursday, July 18, 2024
The great dead-pan comedian Bob Newhart, who died today at age 94, became an overnight sensation in 1960 when his debut record album, "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart," became a runaway chart-topper and a Grammy winner.
The first track on the album, which was recorded before a live audience at a Houston nightclub, was "Abe Lincoln vs. Madison Avenue," all seven minutes and 31 seconds of it. Like all the tracks, the listener hears only Newhart's side of an imaginary phone conversation, in this case Lincoln in Gettysburg talking with his New York advertising man.
"How's Gettysburg?" Newhart's ad executive asks the president. "Sort of a drag, huh? You know those small Pennsylvania towns, they're sort of a drag."
In the routine, Newhart played his usual exasperated character coping with an absurd, work-a-day situation. The bit was designed to satirize the political campaigns of 1960, when voters often complained that there was little difference between candidates from the major parties, which meant election campaigns became more about personalities than issues. "Ad men would have had to create a Lincoln," Newhart said in his brief introduction to the routine.
During the routine, Newhart's character has to encourage Lincoln not to shave off his beard or stop wearing his stovepipe hat, saying those are important to the image his ad agency has painstakingly created for him.
Newhart talks to Lincoln about the speech he has gone to Gettysburg to make, a speech that. in the imaginary world was written for the president by his ad agency. Lincoln says he's made changes. "You changed four score and seven years ago to 87? Abe, that's supposed to be a grabber. Abe, we test marketed that and they loved it."
Newhart, a Chicago native, worked at a variety of jobs before his big success. He lived at home with his parents 'til he was 30 and then recorded his first album. Many more would follow. A Wikipedia article about the album says "The Button-Down Mind" is the Billboard 20th best-selling album of all time, with more than 100 million sold.
Newhart went on to a long career as the star of two long-running comedy series. He was a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. and in 2002 he was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center. He also appeared in many movies.
The Lincoln routine concludes with Newhart consoling Lincoln, his client, about the prospect of spending a lonely Saturday night in the White House with his wife Mary. "Why don't you go see a play?" Newhart deadpans.
Image from the Library of Congress.
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