Yes. Thanks for the memory, Bob Hope !
Posted on 07/28/2003 11:27:07 AM PDT by carlo3b
THANK YOU BOB HOPE for all of our memories. Especially mine.Bob Hope, I will never forget you, because you touched my life at times that turned out to be some of my most important memories I have.
As a young boy while growing up in Chicago's Little Italy, we had a city wide art contest, that offered the finalists a chance to be awarded our prize on stage at the downtown, Chicago Theater. It wasn't an everyday opportunity to get a chance to go to the grand old palace, where you got to watch the biggest movies of the day, but also some of the greatest entertainers perform their crafts, live. That day, I won my scholarship and changed my life. I was awarded my ribbon during the intermission of, you guessed it, The BOB HOPE SHOW, and his ALL STAR cast.
When I went on stage to get my award I was escorted off through the back stage area, when I was greeted by the Man himself, a smiling gentleman, in what he made me believe, he was proud, so very proud, to shake my little hand. I'm not sure what had the biggest impact on me, that I won, or that it was possible to be thought of as important enough to honored by a genuine MOVIE STAR.
Fast forward %$^ years, and say hi to a shave tail, 2nd Lieutenant at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, a SAC base in Peru Indiana, when a plane landed with a gaggle of big deal Movie Stars, with the USO tour, that made an unscheduled stop on their way overseas. I was on duty, and was standing there when the doors opened and BINGO, there was BOB HOPE, smiling and cracking jokes as the beautiful girls walked down the latter. I can still hear the hoops and hollers as they walked around greeting those love starved red blooded American boys working the line miles for home. What a treat, I waited my turn to shake his hand as he made the rounds. With all the noise and laughter, it didn't seem like a place to remind him of our prior encounter, but it didn't matter, he was already my/our HERO.
That art scholarship enabled me to advance to a level that I could hone my skills as a costume designer, and get to the big show, Hollywood. There, I worked first as a wardrobe assistant, on some of the greatest variety shows of the golden age of TV. On one such show, The Red Skeleton Show, the guest star was none other than, BOB HOPE. What a moment, I was already in awe over meeting Mr. Red Skeleton, but when Mr. Hope walked in, bigger than life, I was almost paralyzed. I shook his hand and showed him to my little corner of the backstage area. As we walked, I mentioned that I had the pleasure of meeting him before.. he stopped and said, "don't tell me, you were the young boy that won the art contest in Chicago". Wellllllll, that did it! He made a big deal of this with the entire cast, and for that moment, I was instantly important, and however fleeting, he once again made an impression on me that was and is forever indelible... sigh.
Years later, and in a new and improved life outside of the Lights and Glitzy of Wonderland, I was the General Manager of a grand new hotel in downtown Chicago, when someone called my office, excited to say we had the pleasure of having BOB HOPE as a guest in one of our suites. I placed a call to the front desk and said if that suite requested anything that was out of the ordinary, I was to be alerted. I had a strict rule, that no one was to bother any dignitary, with request for autographs or anything, however tempting, without my prearranging an approval with someone in their entourage. So when the call came in to my room that Mr. Hopes suite was asking for a case of our finest Champagne, and hors d'oeuvers, to be immediately brought to his suite, it was about at about 9:30 PM at night, not a usual occurrence, I saw my chance drop in and say Hi, to an old friend... LOL.
I accompanied the order to his room, and I was shocked when he answered the door, and before I could catch my breath, and while I held out my hand to shake his, he grabbed it and pulled me inside and escorted me to the sofa in front of the TV. It was the moment that Astronaut Neil Armstrong, was about to take his historic step onto the surface of the moon. It turned out to be more that one small step for man it was a giant leap for my scrapebook.
Soooooo, can you believe it, I sat there in a suite with BOB HOPE, and watched the world change forever. That entire evening, I had the distinct pleasure of enjoying what turned out to be much more than an historic event, it turned out to be a wonderful memory in more than one way. It was indeed funny how he had a way of making you feel so special.
To you Mr. BOB HOPE, you gave us servicemen and servicewomen, a continued reason to believe that our country still loved us, even if it wasn't always clear, and you gave this lowly American a reason to think that even a devoted and still a star struck fan could fantasize enough to call you a dear friend. Thank you my dear friend, for all the memories.. May God Bless you.
Anyone who complains needs to step out back and get a breath.
With an audience of military officers and enlisted , government leaders and tourists looking on, comedian Bob Hope, 94, was honored by the Congress with the title "Honorary Veteran of the United States Armed Forces" during a October 29 tribute in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. It seemed a fitting moment for the man affectionately known as 'GI Bob', whose brand of patriotism brought entertainment to U.S. troops during four wars and a number of peacekeeping missions for more than half a century.
Hope and his wife Dolores, accompanied by family members and personnel assistants, entered the Rotunda to the U.S. Army Band's version of "Thanks for the Memories." Former House Leader Bob Michel, who emceed the event urged veterans and active duty members to stand and be recognized as the band struck up rousing renditions of each service's hymn.
For nearly an hour, Hope's legacy of boosting troop morale was illustrated in the words and praises of House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Senators Arlen Specter, Trent Lott, Max Cleland, Strom Thurmond, and Congressmen Bob Stump and Lane Evans.-
Retired Marine Corps General Carl E. Mundy, Jr., a former Commandant and now president/CEO of World USO, referred to Hope as "this magnificent soldier in greasepaint" who had a way of bringing a little bit of home to troops in faraway places. Mundy recalled a rain-soaked day in Vietnam 30 years ago when Hope and his tour group brought some of that home feeling and laughter to a Marine Corps firebase.
The award was one of a couple thousand (according to the Guiness Book of World Records) the legendary comedian has received from U.S. presidents, Congress, the military and major veterans organizations during a lifetime of show business that began on the vaudeville stage. The Navy has dedicated the USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR300) - lead ship in a new class of Strategic Sealift vessels - in the comedian's honor.
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope was born in Eltham, England in 1903, the fifth of seven sons. His English father, William Henry Hope, was a stonemason, and his Welsh mother, Avis Townes Hope, was an aspiring concert singer. In 1907 the Hope family moved to America and settled in Cleveland, Ohio. Thirteen years later, the Hope brothers became U.S. citizens by virtue of their father's naturalization. After graduating from high school, Bob briefly worked as a dance instructor, newspaper reporter and amateur boxer who fought under the name "Packy East." He later performed in a string of Broadway musicals and comedies that eventually led to his first movie role, "The Big Broadcast", in 1938.
Hope began his love affair with the military in May 1941, when he and a several Hollywood performers entertained airmen at March Field in California. "GI Bob's" first foray into a combat zone occurred in 1943 during World War II when he and a small USO troupe performed for battle-weary troops in England, Africa, Sicily and Iceland. In 1948, then Secretary of the Air Force Stuart Symington asked the comedian to put on a Christmas show in Germany for U.S. troops involved in the Berlin Airlift. For nearly forty years thereafter, Hope would spend Christmas entertaining military men and women somewhere in the world.
As he accepted the framed resolution from Senator Thurmond and Speaker Gingrich, Hope waved to the audience and said, "I've traveled all over the world and I've never seen a better audience."
Yes. Thanks for the memory, Bob Hope !
This is a beautiful tribute. To most of us Mr. Hope was someone we admired for his patriotism, his courage and his comic genius, to you he was a friend. We all share your grief today.
Hugggggggg...
P.S. Never apologize for showing your heart.
Wow. What an exciting moment that must have been for you!
AND to be able to share that moment with Bob Hope!
I accompanied the order to his room, and I was shocked when he answered the door, and before I could catch my breath, and while I held out my hand to shake his, he grabbed it and pulled me inside and escorted me to the sofa in front of the TV. It was the moment that Astronaut Neil Armstrong, was about to take his historic step onto the surface of the moon. It turned out to be more that one small step for man it was a giant leap for my scrapbook.Soooooo, can you believe it, I sat there in a suite with BOB HOPE, and watched the world change forever. That entire evening, I had the distinct pleasure of enjoying what turned out to be much more than an historic event, it turned out to be a wonderful memory in more than one way. It was indeed funny how he had a way of making you feel so special.
Yes. I believe Bob is the only person so honored.
I listened on the radio in the '30's to Fibber McGee and Molly, Bob Hope, and Red Skelton. I can say to carlo3b that I envy you your experiences; Bob Hope was far and away my family's favorite.
I kept a yellowed newspaper clipping describing Hope's visit to the USS Lexington in the mid 80s (Brooke Shields and Jonathan Winters were also there). There are two things I will never forget about that performance, which I attended - I finally got to shake the hand of the man and thank him for entertaining my father in the Pacific during World War II, and the horrible sunburn I got that put me in the infirmary for 2 days. (I was a "tough guy" and didn't believe in wimpy things like sunblock).
I hope they DON'T make a movie of his life, because there isn't a single one of today's self-absorbed, self-important, America-hating twits we casually refer to as "celebrities" who even remotely can hold a candle to the likes of Bob Hope. The Hollywood of Bob Hope's productive years is long, long gone. To this day, the Leftists who infest Hollywood have never honored the only person from their community to become President of the United States. Any movie today's Hollywood types might make about Bob Hope would not be to honor the man, but to make a cold hard buck off his corpse.
In Hope's day, he and others like him were proud to be entertainers. Today, even the most lowly entertainment industry twits insist on being called "artists."
I have uploaded a number of Bob Hope radio shows to my online radio station at: http://www.live365.com/stations/dr_willie_feelgood I'll be run the tribute through 11:59 pm, July 30th, 2003.
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense No. 548-03 IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jul 28, 2003 (703)697-5131(media) (703)428-0711(public/industry) Department of Defense Statement on the Death of Bob Hope Today, we mourn the loss of a true American patriot. The first and only American ever to be made an honorary Veteran of America s Armed Forces, Bob Hope holds a special place in the national security pantheon. He called the troops his "best friends," and he made it his mission to be with them wherever they served, regardless of distance or danger. To many of our forces from across the generations, Bob Hope s visits were a taste of home in a far-off land; a moment of mirth in the middle of war, and a loud and clear message to our military that America honored their service and prayed for their safe return. Bob Hope s final tour, at age [90], took him to the Persian Gulf and the men and women of Desert Storm. Although he is no longer with us in life, he will always remain, just as he was, in our hearts -- cracking jokes, boosting morale, and reminding all the world of what it means to be an American. With profound gratitude for his decades of service to our country, we extend our deepest sympathy to his family and many friends. [Web Version: http://www.dod.mil/releases/2003/nr20030728-0262.html] And from Secretary of State Colin Powell: Tribute to Bob Hope Secretary Colin L. Powell Washington, DC July 28, 2003 Bob Hope was a friend to every American GI for over 50 years. I watched him perform in Vietnam in 1968 and became his friend in later years, to include even doing a skit with him on stage. There was no one who served his nation more faithfully and with greater dedication in both war and peace. He will be greatly missed.
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