salute

A good Patriot was Mr. Hope. May he rest in peace.

-W


"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Too bad.
Certainly was one of the most well-rounded and truly successful Americans
of
the 20th Century.

LOS ANGELES (July 28) - Bob Hope, the ski jump-nosed master of the
one-liner
and favorite comedian of servicemen and presidents alike, has died, less
than
two months after turning 100.

Hope died late Sunday of pneumonia at his home in Toluca Lake, with his
family
at his bedside, longtime publicist Ward Grant said Monday.

The nation's most-honored comedian, a millionaire many times over, was a
star
in every category open to him - vaudeville, radio, television and film,
most
notably a string of ''Road'' movies with longtime friend Bing Crosby. For
decades, he took his show on the road to bases around the world, boosting
the
morale of servicemen from World War II to the Gulf War.

He perfected the one-liner, peppering audiences with a fusillade of brief,
topical gags.

''I bumped into Gerald Ford the other day. I said, 'Pardon me.' He said,
'I
don't do that anymore.'''

He poked fun gently, without malice, and made himself the butt of many
jokes.
His golf scores and physical attributes, including his celebrated ski-jump
nose, were frequent subjects:

''I want to tell you, I was built like an athlete once - big chest, hard
stomach. Of course, that's all behind me now.''

When Hope went into one of his monologues, it was almost as though the
world
was conditioned to respond. No matter that the joke was old or flat; he
was Bob
Hope and he got laughs.

''Audiences are my best friends,'' he liked to say. ''You never tire of
talking
with your best friends.''

He was admired by his peers, and generations of younger comedians. Woody
Allen
called Hope ''the most influential comedian for me.''

Hope earned a fortune, gave lavishly to charity and was showered with
awards,
so many that he had to rent a warehouse to store them.

Through he said he was afraid of flying, Hope traveled countless miles to
entertain servicemen in field hospitals, jungles and aircraft carriers
from
France to Berlin to Vietnam to the Persian Gulf. His Christmas tours
became
tradition.

He headlined in so many war zones that he had a standard joke for the
times he
was interrupted by gunfi ''I wonder which one of my pictures they
saw?''

So often was Hope away entertaining, and so little did he see his wife,
Dolores, and their four adopted children, that he once remarked, ''When I
get
home these days, my kids think I've been booked on a personal appearance
tour.''

Hope had a reputation as an ad-libber, but he kept a stable of writers and
had
filing cabinets full of jokes. He never let a good joke die - if it got a
laugh
in Vietnam, it would get a laugh in Saudi Arabia.

On his 100th birthday, he was too frail to take part in public
celebrations,
but was said to be alert and happy - and overwhelmed by the outpouring of
affection. The fabled intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street
was
renamed Bob Hope Square, and President Bush established the Bob Hope
American
Patriot Award.

''He can't believe that this is happening and that he's made it to his Big
100,'' son Kelly Hope said at the time.

He was born Leslie Townes Hope on May 29, 1903, in Eltham, England, the
fifth
of seven sons of a British stonemason and a Welsh singer of light opera.
The
Hopes emigrated to the United States when he was 4 and settled in
Cleveland.
They found themselves in the backwash of the 1907 depression.

The boy helped out by selling newspapers and working in a shoe store, a
drug
store and a meat market. He also worked as a caddy and developed a
lifelong
fondness for golf. A highly competitive golfer, he later shot in the 70s
and
sponsored the Bob Hope Golf Classic, one of the nation's biggest
tournaments.

Hope changed his name to Bob when classmates ridiculed his English
schoolboy
name.

He boxed for a time under the name Packy East - ''I was on more canvases
than
Picasso'' - and Hope also tried a semester in college before devoting
himself
to show business. He quickly veered from song and dance to comedy patter,
and
his monologue routine was born.

By 1930, he had reached vaudeville's pinnacle - The Palace - and in the
'30s he
played leading parts in such Broadway musicals as ''Roberta,'' ''Ziegfeld
Follies'' and ''Red, Hot and Blue,'' with Ethel Merman and Jimmy Durante.
During ''Roberta,'' he met nightclub singer Dolores Reade and invited her
to
the show. They married in 1934.

After a few guest radio spots, Hope began working regularly on a Bromo
Seltzer
radio program. In 1938, he was hired by Pepsodent to create his own show,
and
that led him to Hollywood.

Paramount signed him for ''The Big Broadcast of 1938,'' in which he
introduced
the song that became his trademark: ''Thanks for the Memory.''

Soon he was teaming with Crosby in the seven ''Road'' pictures - ''Road to
Bali,'' ''Road to Morocco,'' ''Road to Zanzibar'' and so on - playing best
friends who lie, cheat and make fun of each other in comedic competition
for
glory and Dorothy Lamour.

In between, there were such pictures as ''Cat and the Canary,'' ''The
Paleface,'' ''Louisiana Purchase,'' ''My Favorite Blonde,'' ''That Certain
Feeling,'' ''I'll Take Sweden'' and ''Boy, Did I get a Wrong Number.'' He
made
53 films from 1938 to 1972.

In 1950, he entered television, and his successes continued. Even 40 years
later, he could be counted on to pull in respectable ratings. He also
appeared
more than 20 times at the Academy Awards, first on radio and than on
television, as presenter, cohost or host between 1939 and 1978.

During the awards broadcasts, Hope specialized in poking fun at himself
for not
being nominated. ''I like to be here in case one of these years they'll
have
one left over,'' he told the audience in 1953. (He did receive several
special
Oscars.)

Hope started playing to troops well before the United States entered World
War
II.

He tried to enlist, but was told he could be of more use as an
entertainer. He
played his first camp show at California's March Field on May 6, 1941,
seven
months before Pearl Harbor.

His traditional Christmas tours began in 1948, when he went to Berlin to
entertain GIs involved in the airlift.

''It's as if every one of them was his kid brother,'' Mrs. Hope once said.

His 1966 Vietnam Christmas show, when televised, was watched by an
estimated 65
million people, the largest audience of his career.

Hope at first was hawkish on Vietnam. Later, he said he was ''just praying
they
get an honorable peace so our guys don't have to fight. I've seen too many
wars.''

His views opened a gap between the comedian and young Americans opposed to
the
war. He was sometimes heckled by young people in his audience.

In 1990, he traveled to the Persian Gulf to entertain troops preparing for
war
with Iraq. Because Saudi Arabia bars female entertainers, he had to leave
Marie
Osmond and the Pointer Sisters behind in Bahrain.

''They have their religion and their beliefs and you have to kind of abide
by
it,'' he said. ''What bothers me is they don't want any entertainment and
they
still invited me.''

Hope never had a regular straight man, but he worked often with crooner
Crosby,
first in radio, where they developed a routine of insulting each other
merrily.
Crosby helped make Hope's nose famous as a ''droop snoot'' and a ''ski
run.''
For his part, Hope replied:
''Only in Hollywood could a meatball make so much gravy.''

Hope amassed a fortune, investing much of it in real estate in
California's San
Fernando Valley, Palm Springs and Malibu. Forbes magazine in 1983
estimated his
wealth at more than $200 million, but Hope denied it.

Mrs. Hope, a prominent Roman Catholic laywoman, kept busy with her
charities
and their four adopted children, Linda, Anthony, Nora and Kelly.

His awards included scores of honorary degrees; special Oscars for
humanitarianism and service to the film industry; the George Peabody
Award; the
National Conference of Christians and Jews Award; and the Medal of Freedom
from
President Johnson.

He was the author or co-author of 10 books, including his 1990
autobiography,
''Don't Shoot, It's Only Me.''

In the mid-'90s, Hope played charity dates around the nation, but he
seemed to
slow his schedule. What was billed as his last NBC special, ''Laughing
with the
Presidents,'' focusing on his long friendships with many occupants of the
White
House, appeared in late 1996. His more than 60-year association with the
network was said to be a record.

In 1997, there were new honors: The Navy christened a 950-foot-long,
33,000-ton
support ship the USNS Bob Hope, and the Air Force dedicated a C-17
Globemaster
III cargo plane as ''The Spirit of Bob Hope.''

As his 95th birthday approached in May 1998, the Library of Congress
announced
it was creating the Bob Hope Gallery of American Entertainment. The Hope
family
pledged $3.5 million for the upkeep of Hope memorabilia in the library.

In recent years, his hearing eroded, although he refused to wear a hearing
aid.
He suffered recurring eye problems, once remarking:
''I've got a hemorrhage in the right eye now, and I used to have one in
the
left eye. I'm a walking hemorrhage.''

Until increasing frailty slowed him down, Hope repeatedly pledged never to
quit
entertaining.

''I'm not retiring until they carry me away,'' he said. ''And I'll have a
few
routines on the way to the big divot.''

AP-NY-07-28-03 0950EDT

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP
news
report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed
without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active
hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Too bad.
Certainly was one of the most well-rounded and truly successful Americans
of
the 20th Century.

Some years ago, through serendipity, I was volunteered to read him our
governor's proclamation in his dressing room at the Paramount Theatre in
Seattle. It was a full page, single spaced, type written. As I finished he
looked at me and said "You did that so well you'll be reading it on stage
tonight." Although I did little to deserve it, I felt it an honor to do for
him.

He was a good man.

Bob Hope is a big piece of American history.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA
www.kiene.com

"Gould 0738" wrote in message
...
Too bad.
Certainly was one of the most well-rounded and truly successful Americans
of
the 20th Century.

LOS ANGELES (July 28) - Bob Hope, the ski jump-nosed master of the
one-liner
and favorite comedian of servicemen and presidents alike, has died, less
than
two months after turning 100.

Hope died late Sunday of pneumonia at his home in Toluca Lake, with his
family
at his bedside, longtime publicist Ward Grant said Monday.

The nation's most-honored comedian, a millionaire many times over, was a
star
in every category open to him - vaudeville, radio, television and film,
most
notably a string of ''Road'' movies with longtime friend Bing Crosby. For
decades, he took his show on the road to bases around the world, boosting
the
morale of servicemen from World War II to the Gulf War.

He perfected the one-liner, peppering audiences with a fusillade of brief,
topical gags.

''I bumped into Gerald Ford the other day. I said, 'Pardon me.' He said,
'I
don't do that anymore.'''

He poked fun gently, without malice, and made himself the butt of many
jokes.
His golf scores and physical attributes, including his celebrated ski-jump
nose, were frequent subjects:

''I want to tell you, I was built like an athlete once - big chest, hard
stomach. Of course, that's all behind me now.''

When Hope went into one of his monologues, it was almost as though the
world
was conditioned to respond. No matter that the joke was old or flat; he
was Bob
Hope and he got laughs.

''Audiences are my best friends,'' he liked to say. ''You never tire of
talking
with your best friends.''

He was admired by his peers, and generations of younger comedians. Woody
Allen
called Hope ''the most influential comedian for me.''

Hope earned a fortune, gave lavishly to charity and was showered with
awards,
so many that he had to rent a warehouse to store them.

Through he said he was afraid of flying, Hope traveled countless miles to
entertain servicemen in field hospitals, jungles and aircraft carriers
from
France to Berlin to Vietnam to the Persian Gulf. His Christmas tours
became
tradition.

He headlined in so many war zones that he had a standard joke for the
times he
was interrupted by gunfi ''I wonder which one of my pictures they
saw?''

So often was Hope away entertaining, and so little did he see his wife,
Dolores, and their four adopted children, that he once remarked, ''When I
get
home these days, my kids think I've been booked on a personal appearance
tour.''

Hope had a reputation as an ad-libber, but he kept a stable of writers and
had
filing cabinets full of jokes. He never let a good joke die - if it got a
laugh
in Vietnam, it would get a laugh in Saudi Arabia.

On his 100th birthday, he was too frail to take part in public
celebrations,
but was said to be alert and happy - and overwhelmed by the outpouring of
affection. The fabled intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street
was
renamed Bob Hope Square, and President Bush established the Bob Hope
American
Patriot Award.

''He can't believe that this is happening and that he's made it to his Big
100,'' son Kelly Hope said at the time.

He was born Leslie Townes Hope on May 29, 1903, in Eltham, England, the
fifth
of seven sons of a British stonemason and a Welsh singer of light opera.
The
Hopes emigrated to the United States when he was 4 and settled in
Cleveland.
They found themselves in the backwash of the 1907 depression.

The boy helped out by selling newspapers and working in a shoe store, a
drug
store and a meat market. He also worked as a caddy and developed a
lifelong
fondness for golf. A highly competitive golfer, he later shot in the 70s
and
sponsored the Bob Hope Golf Classic, one of the nation's biggest
tournaments.

Hope changed his name to Bob when classmates ridiculed his English
schoolboy
name.

He boxed for a time under the name Packy East - ''I was on more canvases
than
Picasso'' - and Hope also tried a semester in college before devoting
himself
to show business. He quickly veered from song and dance to comedy patter,
and
his monologue routine was born.

By 1930, he had reached vaudeville's pinnacle - The Palace - and in the
'30s he
played leading parts in such Broadway musicals as ''Roberta,'' ''Ziegfeld
Follies'' and ''Red, Hot and Blue,'' with Ethel Merman and Jimmy Durante.
During ''Roberta,'' he met nightclub singer Dolores Reade and invited her
to
the show. They married in 1934.

After a few guest radio spots, Hope began working regularly on a Bromo
Seltzer
radio program. In 1938, he was hired by Pepsodent to create his own show,
and
that led him to Hollywood.

Paramount signed him for ''The Big Broadcast of 1938,'' in which he
introduced
the song that became his trademark: ''Thanks for the Memory.''

Soon he was teaming with Crosby in the seven ''Road'' pictures - ''Road to
Bali,'' ''Road to Morocco,'' ''Road to Zanzibar'' and so on - playing best
friends who lie, cheat and make fun of each other in comedic competition
for
glory and Dorothy Lamour.

In between, there were such pictures as ''Cat and the Canary,'' ''The
Paleface,'' ''Louisiana Purchase,'' ''My Favorite Blonde,'' ''That Certain
Feeling,'' ''I'll Take Sweden'' and ''Boy, Did I get a Wrong Number.'' He
made
53 films from 1938 to 1972.

In 1950, he entered television, and his successes continued. Even 40 years
later, he could be counted on to pull in respectable ratings. He also
appeared
more than 20 times at the Academy Awards, first on radio and than on
television, as presenter, cohost or host between 1939 and 1978.

During the awards broadcasts, Hope specialized in poking fun at himself
for not
being nominated. ''I like to be here in case one of these years they'll
have
one left over,'' he told the audience in 1953. (He did receive several
special
Oscars.)

Hope started playing to troops well before the United States entered World
War
II.

He tried to enlist, but was told he could be of more use as an
entertainer. He
played his first camp show at California's March Field on May 6, 1941,
seven
months before Pearl Harbor.

His traditional Christmas tours began in 1948, when he went to Berlin to
entertain GIs involved in the airlift.

''It's as if every one of them was his kid brother,'' Mrs. Hope once said.

His 1966 Vietnam Christmas show, when televised, was watched by an
estimated 65
million people, the largest audience of his career.

Hope at first was hawkish on Vietnam. Later, he said he was ''just praying
they
get an honorable peace so our guys don't have to fight. I've seen too many
wars.''

His views opened a gap between the comedian and young Americans opposed to
the
war. He was sometimes heckled by young people in his audience.

In 1990, he traveled to the Persian Gulf to entertain troops preparing for
war
with Iraq. Because Saudi Arabia bars female entertainers, he had to leave
Marie
Osmond and the Pointer Sisters behind in Bahrain.

''They have their religion and their beliefs and you have to kind of abide
by
it,'' he said. ''What bothers me is they don't want any entertainment and
they
still invited me.''

Hope never had a regular straight man, but he worked often with crooner
Crosby,
first in radio, where they developed a routine of insulting each other
merrily.
Crosby helped make Hope's nose famous as a ''droop snoot'' and a ''ski
run.''
For his part, Hope replied:
''Only in Hollywood could a meatball make so much gravy.''

Hope amassed a fortune, investing much of it in real estate in
California's San
Fernando Valley, Palm Springs and Malibu. Forbes magazine in 1983
estimated his
wealth at more than $200 million, but Hope denied it.

Mrs. Hope, a prominent Roman Catholic laywoman, kept busy with her
charities
and their four adopted children, Linda, Anthony, Nora and Kelly.

His awards included scores of honorary degrees; special Oscars for
humanitarianism and service to the film industry; the George Peabody
Award; the
National Conference of Christians and Jews Award; and the Medal of Freedom
from
President Johnson.

He was the author or co-author of 10 books, including his 1990
autobiography,
''Don't Shoot, It's Only Me.''

In the mid-'90s, Hope played charity dates around the nation, but he
seemed to
slow his schedule. What was billed as his last NBC special, ''Laughing
with the
Presidents,'' focusing on his long friendships with many occupants of the
White
House, appeared in late 1996. His more than 60-year association with the
network was said to be a record.

In 1997, there were new honors: The Navy christened a 950-foot-long,
33,000-ton
support ship the USNS Bob Hope, and the Air Force dedicated a C-17
Globemaster
III cargo plane as ''The Spirit of Bob Hope.''

As his 95th birthday approached in May 1998, the Library of Congress
announced
it was creating the Bob Hope Gallery of American Entertainment. The Hope
family
pledged $3.5 million for the upkeep of Hope memorabilia in the library.

In recent years, his hearing eroded, although he refused to wear a hearing
aid.
He suffered recurring eye problems, once remarking:
''I've got a hemorrhage in the right eye now, and I used to have one in
the
left eye. I'm a walking hemorrhage.''

Until increasing frailty slowed him down, Hope repeatedly pledged never to
quit
entertaining.

''I'm not retiring until they carry me away,'' he said. ''And I'll have a
few
routines on the way to the big divot.''

AP-NY-07-28-03 0950EDT

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP
news
report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed
without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active
hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.