STRICTLY OBSERVING: A new heart

Every classic TV fan remembers the series finales of their favorite sitcoms.  Who could forget that moment on the final episode of “Cheers” when Ted Danson, as Sam Malone, announced to a customer who tried to enter his bar after closing time, “Sorry, we’re closed?” Although I was never a fan of the show, I can clearly recall the finale of “Seinfeld” when Jerry and his gang were sentenced to a year in prison for repeated failures at being good Samaritans.  For me, perhaps the most unforgettable final episode of any TV sitcom was that of the show “Newhart,” starring comedian Bob Newhart. 
On May 27, 1990, fans of the show were delightfully shocked to learn that the entire eight year series was actually a dream of Dr. Bob Hartley, Newhart’s character on his previous hit series “The Bob Newhart Show.” He wakes up and tells his wife, “Honey, you won’t believe the dream I just had!” A light is switched on and the studio audience cheers with surprise to see Suzanne Pleshette, his former TV wife, lying beside him.
Originally conceived by Newhart’s actual wife, Virginia, the idea for the series finale was kept top secret even to fellow “Newhart” cast members.  An alternate ending was even written to throw everyone off track.  Suzanne was snuck into the studio at the last minute, up until which, only she, Bob, and the writers knew the true ending for the series.  It was a moment in television history that was witnessed by 29 percent of American audiences that night, which translated to nearly 30 million viewers.  “TV Guide” also voted it as the most shocking moment in TV history.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the immense success for the show’s incomparable finale was due to its special guest star, Suzanne Pleshette.  Having spent most of my life as an avid classic TV buff, thanks to Nick at Nite, I watched quite a bit of this lady on “The Bob Newhart Show” and had always admired her work as an actress and comedienne.  Through the magic of the rerun, I was also able to see this momentous concluding episode of “Newhart,” which I still consider as one of the all-time greatest bits of TV genius.
In addition to Pleshette’s work alongside the legendary Bob Newhart, I also thoroughly enjoyed her performance as the beautiful down to earth schoolteacher, Annie Hayworth, in the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller, “The Birds.” It is in this film that I first saw Pleshette prove herself as a brilliant versatile actress as opposed to just portraying the intellectual funny lady.  However, I did continue to enjoy her later work in the short lived sitcom, “Good Morning, Miami,” which ran on NBC from 2002 to 2004. 
I also found it very interesting that, late in life, Pleshette married her lifelong friend and former costar on “The Bob Newhart Show,” Tom Poston.  I remember watching a TV biographical documentary about Pleshette, from which I learned that she and Poston had dated for a period of time many years ago and finally decided to marry in 2001.  They remained wed until Poston’s passing in April 2007.
I was shocked to hear on a Jan. 20 edition of “CBS Sunday Morning” that Pleshette herself had passed away the previous night.  Apparently, the 70-year-old actress had been battling lung cancer since her diagnosis in August 2006.  Though she claimed to be cancer free on a September 2007 cast reunion for “The Bob Newhart Show,” her appearance in a wheelchair raised concern.  In an interview with USA Today, Pleshette stated that she had just been released from the hospital, where part of her lung was removed in a surgery to clear away the cancerous tissue.  She passed away of respiratory failure at her Los Angeles home, where her husband had died of the same illness.
Though she is now gone from this Earth, it is through the magic of television people all over the world will continue to be able to witness the legacy Suzanne Pleshette left behind.  Whether it is her gripping role in “The Birds” or her best known portrayal of Emily Hartley on “The Bob Newhart Show,” or even just the final moments of the “Newhart” series, Pleshette has left a mark on the world of entertainment that will not soon fade away.
A graduate of Wytheville Community College, Zach Cooley lives in Wytheville with his parents. Contact him at .