Thanks for the Memories, Bob
by JohnHuang2
Bob Hope, legendary comedian, virtuoso entertainer, superstar of radio, film and television, King of the one-liners, hero to servicemen, friend of Presidents, honored citizen, genuine American patriot, died late Sunday. But try telling Bob Hope that. 'Me, dead? No way. It's just a little change in location,' he'd insist. He was home in Toluca Lake, Calif., his beloved family at his bedside, when the Lord called him home. Hope had hit the 'Big 100' two months ago.
"Today America lost a great citizen," said President Bush Monday. "We mourn the passing of Bob Hope. Bob Hope made us laugh. He lifted our spirits."
I don't know how many miles Heaven is from Earth, but I have a hunch it's nowhere near the sweeping distances the dean of comedy traveled tirelessly during decades bringing joy and laughter to servicemen in far-flung bases around the globe. Whether in a jungle, on an airstrip, in a field hospital, or on the deck of an aircraft carrier, it didn't seem to matter: Bob Hope, whose 70-year career earned him scores of awards, would make you laugh. The boost his U.S.O. road show, which began in 1941, brought to troop morale was immeasurable. Bob Hope, whose uncompromising optimism and buoyancy proved infectious, brought cheers and delight, joy and good spirits to millions of servicemen. He loved the troops and the troops loved him -- every bit as much.
"Bob Hope served our nation when he went to battlefields to entertain thousands of troops from different regions," Bush said movingly.
U.S.O. President, Edward A. Powell, put it this way: "Bob Hope came to symbolize, for every man and woman in uniform, the idea that America cared for and supported its troops."
Bob Hope, his energy and drive during those U.S.O. tours enough to power a fleet of aircraft carriers, embodied the very best that is America, his adopted country (his parents brought him here from England at age 4). He was gregarious, easygoing, self-effacing, many times poking fun at himself. "I want to tell you, I was built like an athlete once -- big chest, hard stomach. Of course, that's all behind me now," he joked. Warm, big-hearted, always considerate, he bonded with people so easily. His was truly a pull-oneself-up-by-one's-own-bootstrap life story. The son of a British stonemason father, he helped mom and pop make ends meet every way he could -- from selling newspapers to working at a meat market.
Later, after a boxing stint and a college semester, he found his true calling in life: Entertainment. Show business. He never looked back.
From vaudeville he catapulted to national fame in 1938, with his wildly popular weekly radio series, "The Bob Hope Pepsodent Show," featuring the song, 'Thanks for the Memory,' from his motion picture debut that year, "The Big Broadcast of 1938." The ballad later became the theme song of his career. Teaming up with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour for the "Road" pictures series, Bob Hope became a star of the screen.
Many motion pictures later, including the '39 hit, "Cat and the Canary," in the 50s it was on to the 'small screen,' hosting the variety series, "Chesterfield Sound Off Time," two years later, "The Colgate Comedy Hour," and 10 years later, the "Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre."
I could go on, but why should I? Bob Hope was such a household name, hey, chances are you already know all this stuff anyway (wink, wink).
Oh, one last thought. On a clear, quiet night, listen closely, very closely, and you'll hear, if ever so faintly, somewhere in the distance, the sounds of cheering crowds, whistles and boisterous applause, and some wise-cracking guy doing some monologue comedy routine. Not a soul in sight, though. No, you're not going bonkers. It's the new Bob Hope show, bringing cheers and delight to millions of good spirits in Heaven.
Bob, God had great plans for ya. And Thanks for the Memories!
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Meanwhile, the post-war chaos in BigMediaLand just keeps on *chaos-ing,* it seems.
"The United States released grisly photos Thursday to convince Iraqis that Saddam Hussein's sons were dead and to weaken support for an anti-American insurgency," the Associated Press reported last week.
Were they swayed? Fat chance, says AP. Their headline: "Many Iraqis Unswayed by Grisly Photos."
AP: "'This is a ploy to try to break the spirit of the resistance,' said Jassim al-Robai, a computer engineer who was sharing an ice cream tart with two friends at a restaurant in Baghdad. After seeing the images, Al-Robai said that he wasn't convinced" that Uday and Qusay were maggot factories. There were growing complaints that, even though the "grisly photos" were faked, that the whole thing was staged as a "ploy to break the spirit of the resistance," it was against Islamic tradition not to bury the "grisly photos" that were faked as soon as possible after their deaths which never happened because the photos were faked and the whole thing was staged as a 'ploy to break the spirit of the resistance.' Comprende?
But check this out: "Iraqis said on Saturday they were grateful to the United States for ridding them of Saddam Hussein's dreaded sons but now wanted their occupiers to provide the power, water and security they really crave," Reuters reports.
So, Iraqis remain unswayed by U.S. claims of ridding them of Saddam Hussein's dreaded sons, even with "grisly photos" offered as proof, but Iraqis are "very grateful to the United States for ridding them of Saddam Hussein's dreaded sons but now wanted their occupiers to provide the power, water and security they really crave."
Reuters: "Hordes of Iraqis crowded round newspaper stalls in Baghdad for a first look at the gruesome pictures of Uday and Qusay Hussein under banner headlines proclaiming their death."
But, wait!
In a newly aired audiotape purportedly of Saddam's voice, Saddam's voice joined leading Democrats in mourning the deaths of his sons Uday and Qusay, killed in a 6-hour firefight with 'demoralized' U.S. soldiers (see Reuters) in Mosul last week. The event triggered a flood of unwelcome news for war-torn Democrats, with no relief in sight.
The tape, the fifth since the fall of Baghdad April 9, was broadcast on Arab satellite station Al-CNN in Atlanta on Tuesday, offering fresh evidence Saddam's voice survived the war and, though on the run, remains firmly in charge (see CBS "Evening News" with sexed-up Dan Rather).
(No lip movement was detected from a still photo of Saddam's voice shown on Al-CNN during repeated airings of the tape, however, raising fresh questions as to authenticity).
Some senior Democrats have blasted the raid on the villa in Mosul, calling it assassination and over-the-top excess, typical of this terrorist-bashing administration. Saddam's children (Uday the tender age of 37, Qusay the tender age of 39) need not have been killed, an anguished Rep. Charles Rangle (D-Mosul) told Fox News recently. Denying "Saddam's boys" the presumption of innocence and a fair trial before an O.J. jury of their peers in Los Angeles with Judge Lance Ito is downright unAmerican. A valid point. I mean, how do we know Uday and Qusay weren't hunting earnestly for the "real killers"? With their deaths, sadly now we may never know, says Charlie. Rep. Dick Gephardt, leading critic of Maschimoism, blasted Bush's 'Machismoism' in a scorching anti-Machismo speech delivered before the staunchly anti-Machismo San Francisco Bar Association. "No matter the surge of momentary machismo -- as gratifying as it may be for some -- it's short-sighted and wrong to simply go it alone," said the anti-Machismoist from Machismo-notorious Missouri. Gephardt, denying any link in his Machismo speech with last week's 'Machismo' events in Mosul, calls for Machismo regime change in Washington.
In the 9-minute tape, Saddam's voice sharply criticized Bush's Iraq policy, branding Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair as "liars," an apparent reference to Bush's 16-word-long January State of the Uranium address and Blair's September 'sex-uped' dossier. Citing British intelligence, Bush accused Saddam, whom evidence shows repeatedly sought uranium in Africa, of having repeatedly sought uraniun in Africa. Democrats, who deny they staunchly back Saddam, staunchly back Saddam, saying the evidence from British intelligence, cited by Bush, falls far short of justifying removing a sitting president from office. Democrats admit they haven't actually seen the evidence from British intelligence, cited by Bush.
Saddam's voice in the tape took sharp issue with the Coalition 'invasion' of Iraq, chiding Bush and Blair and "their collaborators, followers and agents" for ousting him from office. Nor was Saddam's voice exactly thrilled at the deaths of sweet and kind-hearted Uday and Qusay. He sounded almost as outraged as Charlie Rangle and other leading Democrats.
"I mourn to you the deaths of Uday and Qusay and those who struggled with them," said Saddam's voice, vowing that "America will be defeated."
While Democrats like Bob Graham, former president of Florida, call for Bush's impeachment, Saddam's voice appeared not to go that far.
Anyway, that's...
My two cents
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"I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful."--Bob Hope 
(The KTLA FeedRoom)
