Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1277777
1 0 4 P E R S P E C T I V E | S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R 2 0 2 0 RESHOOTS B Y N I K K I R U D L O F F, A S S O C I A T E E D I T O R S E L E C T I O N S F R O M T H E A D G A R C H I V E S In October 1961, the Bob Newhart Show debuted on NBC. The comedy/variety show only lasted for one season and had twenty-seven epidodes. These drawings by Edward Stephenson highlight Beech-Nut chewing gum, one of the sponsors for the show. It's unclear whether these pieces featuring Newhart with the product were only seen by the studio audience, or would also appear on screen during the show. In any case, they demonstrate the level of detail and care Stephenson brought to everything that he did. Edward Stephenson was born in Iowa and moved to California when he was still a child. He graduated from Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre and served in the US Air Force during WWII. When he returned from the war, he went to the Art Department at NBC Television at Sunset & Vine, showed them his portfolio and he was hired on the spot. During his long career, Edward Stephenson worked on many comedy and variety television series, including The Danny Kaye Show, Maude, Good Times, Sanford and Son, Benson, It's a Living, Blossom and The Golden Girls. He won an Emmy for The Andy Williams Show (1967), Soap (1978) and An Evening with Fred Astaire (1959), one of the first television productions to be recorded on color videotape. C O U RT E S Y O F T H E A D G A R C H I V E S A B C B. FRONT ELEVATION OF BEECH-NUT EXTERIOR FREE STANDING SIGN NEAR AUDIENCE ENTRANCE. BY EDWARD STEPHENSON. A. FRONT ELEVATION OF BEECH-NUT GUM SIGN TO HANG IN THE AUDIENCE AREA. BY EDWARD STEPHENSON. C. TITLE CARD FEATURING THE SHOW LOGO.