 But before comedy, there was a career in Chicago as an accountant. Newhart recalling on GMA in 1980 how he couldn't balance petty cash. And it sometimes took me three or four hours to find a penny or two. So I started hit upon the system of taking it out of my own pocket. He turned to stand-up in the 1960s. His hilarious button-down mind winning devoted fans. No one could do one side of a phone call quite like Bob Newhart could. You found a shell on the beach.