Here from sometime in the sixties is one of Bob Newhart's better monologues. One night around 1983, I took a date to a comedy club called The Ice House in Pasadena. You hear a lot about places like the Comedy Store and The Improv but not much about The Ice House, even though most of the comics who played at those other clubs and went on to fame and fortune also played The Ice House. It's been there since 1960 and it's still there even though it hasn't reopened after closing for COVID.
So anyway, this one night a new comedian you never heard of (and never will) went on and as his act, did Bob's act…including this same routine almost word-for-word and others from Newhart's albums. And I'll give the guy this: He was about 35% as good as Bob was with the same material, which is not bad for a beginner. Those in the room who didn't recognize the bits laughed and applauded. Those of us who did grumbled and marveled at the sheer chutzpah.
When the guy departed the stage to scattered applause, someone yelled out, "I hope you paid Bob Newhart!" and the departing performer yelled back, "As much as you did," whatever that was supposed to mean.
There was a long pause of one or two minutes, then someone who I guess represented The Ice House came to the stage and said, "The management would like to apologize for that. We had not seen this performer before and he will never be asked back." The next performer who was introduced — who you also never heard of — came out and opened by saying, "Too bad I'm white or I could do Dick Gregory's albums for you."
Here's Bob Newhart doing his own material his own way…