When you think Hitchcock, Bob Newhart doesn't exactly spring to mind. In fact, I was ready to skip the episode, thinking it was too much of a mismatch. I'm glad I didn't. It's a really clever script, and Newhart's perfectly cast as the meek and mild hen-pecked husband. But don't let that bland exterior fool you as it does his shrewish wife (Withers). He's got unseen resources, even for a bank clerk. He wants to get out from under her bullying, but she won't give him a divorce. Plus she gets meaner all the time. So it's time for Bob to go into low-key action, which he does in somewhat amusing fashion, befitting a Newhart persona. And what about that blonde stripper, a perfect prize for poor Bob. Still, it's a great ironical ending; plus he was so deliciously close too. Oh well, that's why I love Hitchcock.
Review of How to Get Rid of Your Wife
