How Bob Newhart’s wife, Ginnie, inspired the all-time classic ending to his ‘Newhart’ sitcom

Comedic and sitcom icon Bob Newhart died July 18 at the age of 94, his publicist confirmed. His passing comes about a year after the death of his wife of 60 years, Ginnie Newhart. 

Bob Newhart, known for being a staple on television in the ‘70s and ‘80s with CBS sitcoms “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Newhart,” married Virginia “Ginnie” Quinn on Jan. 12, 1963. 

The couple had four children together — Robert, Timothy, Jennifer and Courtney — and 10 grandchildren. They celebrated their 60th anniversary last year. A few months after reaching that milestone together, Ginnie Newhart died in April 2023 at the age of 82 in Los Angeles after battling an illness. 

Ginnie Newhart came from a Hollywood family as her father, Bill Quinn, was a character actor who appeared in multiple television shows and films throughout his career. After marrying Bob Newhart, she supported his budding career in the ‘60s. He released multiple comedy albums before his career took off. 

She also famously came up with the idea for the series finale of his show, “Newhart.” The final episode — considered one of the most celebrated and ingenious finales of all time – aired in 1990 and was a callback to his previous series, “The Bob Newhart Show.” During the last few moments of the “Newhart” episode, his character awoke in bed next to his on-screen wife (Suzanne Pleshette) from “The Bob Newhart Show,” a shocking reveal that confirmed the second series had been a dream all along. 

“To me, it was the ultimate wink-wink, nudge-nudge kind of thing,” Bob Newhart told Entertainment Weekly in 2010. “The audience was in on the joke.”

Ginnie Newhart thought of the twist while attending a holiday party. He recalled telling his wife during the show’s sixth season that he was thinking about walking away.

“Without missing a beat, she said, ‘You ought to end it with a dream sequence where you wake up in bed with Suzy,’” he told EW. 

He then explained the concept to Pleshette, who was at the same party that night, and the series finale was set in motion. “She loved the idea. She said, ‘I’ll be there in a New York minute!’” he shared. 

He added, “People still come up to me and talk about it. It’s held up to other shows as the standard.” 

Read on to learn more about Bob and Ginnie’s love story and what they said about their marriage. 

How did Bob and Ginnie Newhart meet?

During an interview with People in 2019, Bob Newhart spoke about meeting Ginnie Newhart for the first time on a blind date orchestrated by comedian Buddy Hackett in 1962.

“Well, we’re both Catholic. She’s three-quarters Irish. I’m three-quarters Irish,” he said. “Buddy said, ‘I’ve got a girl for you. She’s going with another guy, but I don’t think he’s right for her, so I’m going to fix you up on a blind date. You’ll meet her and you’ll date and you’ll get married. Then you’ll have kids and you’ll call one of the kids Buddy.’”

He continued, “Which we did — one of our daughters, we called her Buddy.”

Ginnie Newhart also recalled their “silly” first date in the 2005 PBS documentary “Bob Newhart: Unbuttoned.” 

She said they went to Hackett’s house and played pool with another couple. “We had fun. We didn’t see each other for a while,” she said. 

“He was cute. He was fun. And then I remember he didn’t drive, so I drove him home,” she shared.

She later added, “He listened and I thought, ‘Boy, this is a very special person. He’s just very special. And he was compassionate. And, as I say, he cared.”

What did Bob and Ginnie Newhart say about their marriage?

The “Elf” star shared his key to maintaining a lasting marriage while speaking to Parade in 2022. 

“The marriages of comedians, no matter how stormy, seem to last a long time, and I attribute it to laughter,” he said. 

He explained, “No matter how intense the argument you’re having, you can find a line, and then you both look at each other and start laughing. It’s over, you know? I think that sense of humor is very important to the longevity of a marriage.” 

In her PBS interview, Ginnie Newhart said the two prioritized their family and raising their kids. 

“We made our mistakes along with a lot of other parents. But I think that they knew that we loved them,” she said. “And they mentioned this, that we tried to keep the family together in sometimes very difficult circumstances. And that came first.”