Tuesday, September 6, 2011

“Newhart:” Checking Into the Stratford Inn


by HOOKEDONHOUSES on MARCH 6, 2011

Newhart sitcom DVD cover

Every Monday I feature the sets from some of our favorite movies and TV shows. During the month of March I thought it would be fun to focus on four sitcoms that have memorable houses in them, starting with the charming old inn from “Newhart.”

The comedy ran on CBS from 1982-1990, fueling my fantasies of moving to Vermont and running a B&B someday while writing books in my spare time, just like Dick Loudon (Newhart) did.

Newhart-Stratford Inn

In fact, when I was on vacation in Vermont back in the ’90s, I was determined to track down the real inn that the Stratford was based on. It’s called the Waybury Inn, in Middlebury. Here’s the photo I snapped of it from the car window:

Real Stratford Inn-Vermont

The inn had been repainted tan with green shutters by the time I saw it, and I was disappointed that it didn’t look the same, but it was still a thrill to see the real thing. The Waybury has been a fixture of Middlebury for over 200 years, having begun as a boarding house and tavern serving stagecoach passengers at the gap in the Green Mountains.

In the pilot episode of the sitcom, Dick and Joanna Loudon walk into the empty inn with a real estate agent and decide to buy it on the spot.

Stratford Inn-empty 1

In the beginning, the show was videotaped, so the picture quality of those episodes isn’t great. They switched to film later in its run.

moving in

Tom Poston played handyman George Utley. In real life, Poston was married to Suzanne Pleshette, Newhart’s wife in “The Bob Newhart Show.”

Stratford Inn-fireplace

The Front Desk:

front desk

Dick’s Office, where he writes his how-to books:

Dick's office

He later became the host of a TV show called “Vermont Today,” and Peter Scolari played his yuppie producer. Julia Duffy was cast as the new maid, and Peter Scolari was her love interest.

Dick's office 2

The Dining Room:

dining room 1

I was always hoping they’d show us the kitchen, but as far as I know, they never did. Does anyone remember seeing it?

dining room 2

This is a terrible picture of Mary Frann, who played Dick’s wife Joanna, but it provided a rare glimpse of that wall behind her:

plate rack on wall

Joanna had fallen through the ice in the pond, so they lead her upstairs to her room:

staircase at the inn

The Loudon’s (Very Blue) Bedroom:

Dick and Joanna's bedroom

Dick and Joanna's bedroom 2

The Inn at Night:

Stratford Inn at night

Here’s how the Waybury Inn looks today (source):

Waybury Inn today-sign

You can learn more about the Waybury Inn’s history and see the rooms they have available (with names like “The Robert Frost Suite”) on their website. There are all kinds of interesting facts, like how the local paper mentioned that it had “an attached bowling alley” back in 1866!

closeup of front porch

You can watch the famous series finale here, in which Dick wakes up next to Suzanne Pleshette, his wife from “The Bob Newhart Show,” and realizes it was all a dream.

He tells her, “Nothing made sense in this place. The maid was an heiress. Her husband talked in alliterations. The handymen kept missing the point of things. Then there were these three woodsmen, but only one of them talked!”

More Sitcom Sets Coming Soon: Cougar Town, Modern Family, and Mad About You!

Click Here to See All of the TV Shows I’ve Featured So Far. Did Your Favorites Make the List?

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