Newhart Phonecall

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Simply put, a phone call in which only one half of the conversation is heard. This trope is sometimes used in conjunction with Noodle Incident or Noodle Implements.

Examples of Newhart Phonecall include:

Television

• Newhart: The trope namer. It was a gag seen throughout the show, carried over from Bob Newhart's stand-up comedy routines of the 1960s.
  • Also seen on Newhart's first sitcom.
• Robot Chicken: In the Star Wars episode, Palpatine is on the phone with Vader when Vader tells him that the Death Star blew up. Palpatine is angry with Vader and makes Vader cry over losing Padmé.
• Saturday Night Live in the 1970s did this at the beginning of Weekend Update with Chevy Chase, in which Chase would be on the phone with a woman, talking about a bizarre medical condition, sexual act, or something that happened that isn't described in full detail before realizing he's on camera and hangs up.