| Carol Kester Bondurant | |
|---|---|
 Carol Kester Bondurant | |
| Profession | Receptionist |
| Portrayed by | Marcia Wallace |
Carol Kester Bondurant is one of the main characters of the hit TV series The Bob Newhart Show from the 1970s. She is from Iowa.
Biography[]
Carol has had a rough past, estranged from her family, and was obese. She lost nearly 200 pounds shortly after high school. Later in the programme, she becomes happily married.
Relationships[]
- Bob Hartley - friend and boss
- Emily Hartley - friend. They often have lunch together, both of them irritating Bob at the same time.
- Howard Borden - friend, and for one episode they dated. At times Howard talks passionately about his job, of which she finds attractive, and flies away with him.
- Jerry Robinson - friend and boss
- Bernie Tupperman - boss and friend
- Elliot Carlin - Date in one episode. Boss in another episode.
She has the support of Bob and Bernie, outvoting Jerry. Her other dozen bosses have no opinion of her.
Personality and traits[]
Carol is very chipper yet brash at the same time. She has a sense of humor that she is proud of and not afraid if she insults anybody. She does as she pleases, irritating her bosses at times. However, she gladly solves problems that other people have. Her methods of healing people are much more rapid and perhaps more effective than Dr. Hartley. Her preferred technique is direct confrontation such as when she helped Jerry return to his apartment.
Occupations[]
Carol's regular occupation is a floor manager at a medical complex. She often despises her job, having to run errands for Jerry, and believing it to have no future for advancement. She does whatever she wants, is often ineffective at being a receptionist, can't make coffee when expected, mixes up people's mail, afraid to answer the telephone, takes long lunches and even afternoons off without permission, and barges into the other offices.
One time she was terminated after a fight with Jerry. Another time she resigned for a position at the employment agency itself. The floor manager position has to answer to all the doctors on that floor. The doctors have a meeting to decide who to terminate, hire, rehire, promote, replace, or substitute. However, most episodes portray her as employed by only Bob and Jerry. Also, since Bob's office is near the floor station, Carol is often mistaken as only Bob's secretary.
Her station is located in the middle of a waiting room not far from a pair of elevators, stairs, water fountain, and coffee machine. The restrooms and other offices are nearby, with Dr. Hartley's being the closest.
Her duties as floor manager includes being a receptionist, secretary, desk clerk, telephone operator, administrative assistant, and also a key holder for the entire floor. Even the restrooms are locked. She also accesses the doctors' offices when they are not there so she can water their plants.
Despite having a bad reputation, there are times when her job performance is superior. She was able to deliver food and drinks to one of Dr. Hartley's groups. Each patient ordered something vastly different from each other yet she was able to deliver the correct order without having to write them down nor audio record them.
In Season 4, she goes to school to become a psychologist. She backs out of this career choice but did not decide on another major.
In Season 6, she tries out a job for Elliot Carlin. After that, she graduates and becomea a real estate agent, thus becoming a rival to her recent former boss.
Behind the scenes[]
Appearances[]
Season 1