I get the feeling that air traffic control started to enter the public consciousness around the 1960s. In the very early days of commercial flight the idea that the pilots weren't entirely in control, that they needed help from some guy who wasn't even there, would have delegitimized the whole enterprise in the minds of many potential passengers. Eventually, though, it became a source of comfort and something you could afford to joke about.
Certainly it helps if the person making the jokes is an acknowledged master of speaking into communication devices for comedic effect.
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Well, you couldn't just have the planes landing any old place, could you? This one was hilarious - to the Piper Cub 'Don't slow down and whatever you do, don't look behind you.'
Did you read the wikipedia article that told how he came up with the one end of a phone connection routine? In the late 50s he and a co-worker entertained each other with long telephone calls about absurd scenarios, which they later recorded and sent to radio stations as audition tapes. When the co-worker ended his participation by taking a job in New York, Newhart continued the recordings alone and the rest is history.
It's hard to pick and choose his funniest routines but I liked one I saw a couple of weeks ago called the Suicide Jumper.
Don't look behind you indeed. Yes, his delivery is perfect here. Yeah, once air travel became more common--and it really took off after the war--it did become more important to have dedicated landing spots.
Chance and serendipity, you never know. Turns out their after work silliness led to something huge. I wonder how his coworker felt about being part of it, and about having dropped out. Of course fame is a double-edged sword, so maybe he's relieved.
I cracked up as soon as he got into the scenario. "Oh hi there!" Likable black humor.
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