The Ed Sullivan Show aired on Sunday nights back in 1960. I remember settling in to watch it at 8 PM sharp. Life was different then – gas cost about 25 cents a gallon and you could get a movie ticket for under a buck. The Cold War was in full swing, but we found comfort in our TV shows.
This particular episode featured a young comedian named Bob Newhart. He wasn’t a household name yet, but boy, was he funny. Newhart did this bit called “The Cruise of the U.S.S. Codfish” that had me in stitches. It was January 8, 1961, smack in the middle of winter, but Newhart’s deadpan delivery warmed up the room.
Newhart’s submarine commander was a riot!
He played this submarine commander giving a report, and the way he described the disasters was just hilarious. I can still picture him standing there, stammering through the most ridiculous situations with a straight face. It was like listening to the world’s worst mission report, but somehow it was comedy gold.
The best part was how he made it all seem so ordinary. He’d talk about surfacing under an ice pack like it was no big deal, or mention opening missile hatches instead of laundry ones as if it were a simple mix-up. The more outrageous the mistakes got, the funnier it became.
I remember thinking how different this comedy was from the slapstick I was used to. Newhart didn’t need crazy props or wild gestures. He just stood there, talking, and had us all rolling. It was like he took all the boring parts of military life and turned them into the funniest things you’d ever heard.
You’ve got to see Newhart in action to really get it
https://youtu.be/ae5ub9i3wZg
If you haven’t seen Bob Newhart perform, you’re missing out on a true comedy legend. His style might seem understated by today’s standards, but it was revolutionary back then. And you know what? It’s still funny today.
