Bob Newhart portrayed a fictional Vermont innkeeper in the 1980s sitcom “Newhart.” His death on July 18 at age 94 affected Vermonters in ways the passing of other TV icons might not. The comic actor rarely set foot in the state, but it felt like he was a part of it.
“We are all saddened to hear the news of the passing of Bob Newhart,” reads an email sent July 18 to the Burlington Free Press from a publicist for The Waybury Inn in East Middlebury.
The Waybury has the closest association to “Newhart” of any Vermont establishment, as the inn was used in the show for exterior shots as a fill-in for the Stratford Inn, owned by the characters portrayed by Newhart and Mary Frann.
Was the ‘Newhart’ show filmed in Vermont
“As you know, he holds a special place in our hearts here at the Waybury Inn,” according to the email from the inn. “Although he did not visit in person, he said many times over the years how the Waybury was special to him. We continue to display his picture… in our lobby and are proud to share with our guests… some remembrances from the ‘Newhart’ series that are in honored places throughout the Inn.”
The black-and-white glossy photo of Newhart on display at the Waybury appears on the inn’s website. To the proprietor at the time, Newhart wrote “Take care of my Inn!”
The Waybury Inn, which dates to 1810, came under new ownership in early May. The new owners are Antonio Petri and Halina and Chas Lyons, all of East Middlebury, according to another email from the inn to the Free Press. Petri has been the inn’s executive chef since 2022. Halina Lyons is a former server in the inn’s dining room.
When has Bob Newhart visited Burlington, Vermont
One of Newhart’s rare visits to Vermont came in 1990.
“Vermont finally had the opportunity to say hello to its favorite honorary native Friday, when Bob Newhart brought his legendary stand-up act to Burlington’s Memorial Auditorium,” reads a Free Press article from the time.
The article includes a photo of Newhart and then-Gov. Madeleine Kunin attending a news conference at Burlington City Hall as a can of maple syrup sits on the table to Newhart’s right. The article states that Kunin presented the syrup to Newhart, saying “It’s the best we have to offer.”
According to the article, Susan Green, then director of Burlington City Arts in the administration of Mayor Peter Clavelle, presented Newhart with Burlington T-shirts. Later, as a Free Press correspondent, Green shared her memories of that day in a 2012 article tied to an appearance by Newhart at the Paramount Theatre in Rutland.
“I have a vivid recollection of him asking me afterward if there was a nearby telephone he could use (in those days before cell technology),” Green, who died in 2019, wrote in 2012. “So I accompanied Newhart to my office in the basement of City Hall and left him alone at my desk to make his call — but quickly snapped a photo of the historic moment.”
“Newhart, after all, is famous for his comedic shtick of conducting phone conversations with an unseen party on the line,” Green wrote. “He delivered these wry monologues at least once in every episode of the 1980s show.”
Contact Brent Hallenbeck at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont’s Waybury Inn remembers Bob Newhart. His TV show made it famous
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