Bob Newhart rose to fame as a comedian in the 1960s. He parlayed that success into The Bob Newhart Show, a sitcom that ran for six seasons before ending in 1978. In 1982, he helmed another eponymous TV comedy, Newhart, lasting 184 episodes across eight years. Despite airing over three decades ago, that show’s finale remains one of the most influential pieces of television. And many Newhart cast members who are still alive remain friends. That includes the actors who played the quirky brothers Larry, Darryl, and Darryl.
‘Newhart’ fans loved Larry, Darryl, and Darryl
In Newhart, Bob Newhart starred as Dick Loudon, an author of how-to books who moves from New York City to an unnamed town in rural Vermont with his wife Joanna (Mary Frann). The couple owns and operates the 200-year-old inn Stratford Inn, occasionally receiving help from the local handyman, George Utley (Tom Poston). Dick eventually becomes the host of a local TV show, Vermont Today.
Newhart took a simple sitcom premise and became more fantastical as it progressed. The town is full of endearing oddballs, including Larry, Darryl, and Darryl — three brothers supporting themselves first as woodsmen and then as owners of the Minuteman Cafe. Showrunners expanded the three characters’ roles after the overwhelmingly positive reaction they received from the live studio audience during tapings.
When they appeared in scenes, Larry always introduced himself and his brothers by saying, “Hi. I’m Larry. This is my brother Darryl, and this is my other brother Darryl.” The two Darryls never spoke — until the final episode.
The on-screen brothers have kept in touch over the decades
Actor William Sanderson portrayed Larry, and Tony Papenfuss and John Voldstad played the Darryls. To occupy themselves because of their lack of lines, Papenfuss and Voldstad devised imaginary scripts to understand the perspective of their characters in each scene. “We just went on our own,” Voldstad told the Independent Tribune in 2014. “There was always something going on in our minds.”
The unique dynamic among the three Newhart cast members didn’t affect their relationships with one another. “Did they mind not talking? If they did, they never said anything to me about it,” Sanderson revealed in a 2015 profile in PennLive. The retired actor added that he, Papenfuss, and Voldstad stayed in touch even in old age. (Sanderson is now 78, Voldstad is 71, and Papenfuss is 72.) They’ve also appeared at conventions and festivals together to meet fans.
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Post-Newhart, Sanderson had the highest-profile acting career among the three. He played E.B. Farnum in Deadwood and Sheriff Bud Dearborne in True Blood. However, Voldstad and Papenfuss continue to land minor roles.
The ‘Newhart’ finale blew viewers’ minds
In the Newhart series finale (appropriately titled “The Last Newhart”), a Japanese tycoon buys the town to transform it into a giant golf course and resort. Dick and Joanna are the only people who refuse to leave, so the construction happens around the Stratford Inn, the only part of the town left untouched.
Some townsfolk return five years later, and chaos ensues, leading the Darryls to yell, “Quiet!” — their first words in the show’s history. Dick attempts to leave the situation, only to get knocked out by a stray golf ball.
The Newhart finale’s big twist comes after Dick wakes up. Actually, a different character comes back to consciousness. It turns out Newhart was just a dream inside the head of Dr. Bob Hartley, the comedian’s role on The Bob Newhart Show. “That settles it — no more Japanese food before you go to bed,” declares his wife Emily (Suzanne Pleshette), also making a cameo from the previous series.
Recontextualizing Newhart as a piece in the Newhart universe was revelatory for the era and served as a reference point for many shows influenced by the creative leap. To keep the surprise under wraps, the showrunners had a fake ending written and didn’t tell most of the cast and crew about the final scene.
Bob Newhart admitted in his book I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This!: And Other Things That Strike Me as Funny that the idea for the ending came from his wife, Virginia “Ginnie” Quinn.
