A shout out to Beth at I Didn’t Have My Glasses On for inspiring this blog post.
In today’s post, Beth wrote about the time as a child when she was putting together a plastic model of Black Fury and some glue squirted in her eye and she had to be taken to the eye doctor. As a result, Beth gave up her toy modeling hobby and switched to stamp collecting.
Her post reminded me of the Seinfeld episode where George’s fiance died from licking envelopes because the adhesive was toxic.
Of course, that led me to read about that episode, and one of the fun facts I discovered was that in December 2005, the episode was listed at number eight as part of the “Top 100 Most Unexpected Moments in TV History” by TV Guide and TV Land.
And of course, that made me curious as to what the number one most unexpected moment was in TV history, and here is a clip from that show (with less than ideal audio quality):
The Newhart show, which aired on CBS from October 25, 1982, to May 21, 1990 featured Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as an author and his wife, respectively, who own and operate an inn in a small, rural Vermont town that is home to many eccentric characters.
In the finale, the entire town is purchased by a visiting Japanese tycoon, who turns the hamlet into an enormous golf course and recreation resort. Dick and Joanna are the only townspeople who refuse to leave. The others accept million-dollar payoffs and leave in a farewell scene that parodies Fiddler on the Roof. Five years later, Dick and Joanna continue to run the Stratford Inn, which is now located in the middle of the golf course. The other townspeople, now richer and older, unexpectedly return for a reunion. The Darryl brothers also speak for the first time on screen, loudly yelling “Quiet!” at their wives in unison. Dick gets frustrated with the increasingly chaotic scene, and storms out shouting “You’re all crazy!”, only to be knocked out by an errant golf ball.
The setting of the last scene is nighttime, in the bedroom of Dr. Bob Hartley (played by Newhart) and his wife Emily, played by Suzanne Pleshette. Bob and Emily were the primary characters in a TV show –The Bob Newhart Show – that ran from 1972-1978. Bob awakens, upset, and he wakes Emily to tell her about the very strange dream he has just had: that he was an innkeeper in a small Vermont town filled with eccentric characters. Emily tells him “that settles it—no more Japanese food before you go to bed.” Bob mentions his marriage to a “beautiful blonde,” and that Emily should wear more sweaters (in reference to Mary Frann’s form-fitting tops) before the credits roll.
A clever ending for sure. It has been said that Bob Newhart’s wife was the one who came up with the idea of the dream sequence.
Now I know that if someone else wrote this post and I was reading it, I would immediately want to check out that list of the top 100 most unexpected moments in TV history to see what else was on it.
The reason I know that is because that is exactly what I spent too much time doing this afternoon. If you are also curious, here is the link. But I do want to warn you, you may find it hard to avoid looking up some of the moments and watching them on YouTube.
P.S. One of my favorites was the final appearance of Sonny and Cher together, singing I Got You Babe on the Late Night with David Letterman show…
P.P.S. If the link to the list does not appear at first, you may need to click the expand arrows at the top right of the page (next to the subscribe button).
That was a great series ending. Bob Newhart always cracks me up. He also used to do some guest spots as a ghost of one of Sheldon’s childhood idols in The Big Bang Theory.
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I was always a fan of Bob Newhart. I was not aware of his guest appearances on The Big Bang Theory. I like the fact that he used to be an accountant!
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Well that explains the dry sense of humour.
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it comes with the territory…
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Many classic moments on that list. I’ve watch Keith Moon blow up his kit on the Smothers Brothers at lease a dozen times. That’s rock and roll.
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that is one of the clips I watched today – classic!
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I see you’ve gone from frequently checking your stats to checking out top 100 lists. Please lie down on this couch and tell me all about it. I will take notes.
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it’s that whole serendipity thing. I don’t go looking for such lists, they find me…
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Loved the Newhart ending. Definitely deserved top place.
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it was a great surprise ending…
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Newhart was brilliant, but for me, Seinfeld will always be #1. By the way, I considered digging out my old rabbit ears to see if I could improve the sound quality of that fine piece of video. 🤣
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I also like Seinfeld better, but I think Newhart had a better final show. And maybe some rabbit ears could have improved the sound quality… 🙂
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I’ll give you that. The Seinfeld finale was a bit disappointing after so many years of brilliance.
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well said, Pete…
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I burned my foot on my George Foreman grill.
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was that part of the infomercial?
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Michael Scott.
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I guess another cultural reference that I missed from The Office?
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Who’s missing out now?
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The most unexpected, and unforgettable, TV moment for me was a broadcast of an UCLA football game in the early 1970s. When breaking for a commercial, a cameraman, I assume the gender, kept focusing on a lovely young blonde woman in the stands who was wearing a very revealing top. The lady noticed the attention and began acting more provocatively with each break. I suspect that consumption of adult beverages played a role. It was way more interesting than the game. Finally near the end of the game, she pulled up the top and flashed the camera. There was no delay and the view went nationwide. Almost 50 years ago, but memorable.
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I never saw that game; I was probably busy doing my homework… 🙂
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I love the Bob Newhart comedy albums, all his shows, and especially the ending of The Newhart Show you described.
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he was one of the best…
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Other randomness, the same of The Bob Newhart Show theme song is “(Going) Home To Emily”.
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thanks for that tidbit!
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Your welcome. I learned a couple weeks ago.
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thanks for the shout out, i hear you loud and clear. i loved that newhart ending, always found his dry humor so great along the way as well –
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I liked his sense of humor as well…
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I get all my best ideas from Beth’s blog… Enjoyed this trip down TV’s memory lane!
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she does have some fun posts that get you thinking…
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I always thought that ending was brilliant. Every time someone complains about a horrible series ending (Lost, Seinfeld, How I Met Your Mother), I tell someone about how wonderful this one was. Glad it’s getting some much-deserved recognition. Bob Newhart is comedic gold in everything he does.
As for unexpected TV moments, I don’t want to get sucked down that rabbit hole by clicking the link (I know I’d spend hours watching clips) but I can’t help but wonder if Gene Rayburn’s faux pas on Match Game made the list. I’m sure that particular show had several (for the time) racy moments, but the mistake that always makes clip reel highlights is the one where he meant to say dimples. It was certainly unexpected.
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Gene Rayburn and the Match Game were on the list, but for another episode; I don’t recall the episode you are referring to…
that show had a few faux pas’s…
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Meanwhile, the rest of the world wonders at what an insular bunch those Yanks are, appearing never to watch anything other than American shows. I’m betting that if a similar list were compiled here it would have a good many non-UK shows on it.
Oh, and Zola Budd was innocent…
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there are tv shows made outside the U.S.?
Yes, the Decker-Budd incident seemed to be an accident, not intentional on either person’s part…
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Indeed there are. Shocking, isn’t it? We make our own crap as well as buying yours 😂
Poor Zola was demonised over there. I agree, it was an accident, a coming together of a very inexperienced runner with one who clearly thought she owned the track. Avoidable, but I don’t think either was especially aware of the other’s presence.
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well if it makes you feel any better, we do have a subscription to BritBox…
and I just read a bit about that incident; it was devastating all around…
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That probably makes you much more enlightened than most of your countryfolk, judging from that survey. I cancelled mine – got it free for six months on a promo, hardly watched it and didn’t think it worth paying for when the promo expired. I already have far too much I could watch anyway! Hope you’re enjoying it.
Yes, I don’t think either was the same after the incident. Sad, as they were both great runners.
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our experience with Britbox is similar to yours, although we have had it for a year. not sure we will renew it…
you’re right, you didn’t hear much about them after that event…
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Mine was on a monthly basis, so was easy to drop. Best you stick to familiar territory I guess 😉
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I bought it as a birthday gift for my wife; she liked many of the shows that were on…
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A noble sacrifice 😊
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🙂
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Such a fun and nostalgic post Jim. I loved Seinfeld and Bob Newhart and all his wives, lol. I was cracking up over killing off Susan from licking envelopes. Hilarious. And, nobody liked her anyway. LOLOL 🙂
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those were some great shows with many memorable moments…
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The best!
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I enjoyed reading about this most surprising moment. I am not a big person for watching YT so I think you should summarise them all and share them here [grin!]
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that will give me 99 more posts, so it does have that going for it 🙂
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I always enjoyed watching Bob Newhart. His deadpan expression adds an extra layer of comedy to every scene he does. This series-ending scene will always be a classic.
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He was one of my favorites as well. That deadpan expression probably came naturally to him, given his former life as an accountant…
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