Walking in the Valley A weekly column for those who live and walk in Silicon Valley by Barbara Dahlgren

That’s Show Biz Talk Column for the week of August 3-9, 2003

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There are so few legends left and this week we said good-bye to one of them, Bob Hope. Bob’s wish was to live to be 100. He did, then his run was up (that’s show biz talk) but his legacy will remain.

Leslie Towns Hope was born in England in 1903, the fifth of seven sons. The family immigrated to Cleveland, Ohio when he was 5. He dropped out of high school, had a variety of jobs such as shoeshine boy, caddy, pool hustler, newspaper reporter, dance instructor, and amateur boxer before becoming a vaudeville performer. After paying his dues (that’s show biz talk) by “playing third billing to Siamese twins and trained seals,” he learned his craft, changed his name to Bob, and landed a Broadway musical (that’s show biz talk) called Roberta. That’s when he met his wife Delores, an aspiring singer. They wed in 1934 and had been together ever since, eventually adopting four children. He did a few more Broadway shows and got a break (that’s show biz talk) landing a gig (that’s show biz talk) on radio that lasted until 1954. His radio success led to his first Hollywood feature film (that’s show biz talk) The Big Broadcast of 1938 in which he sang what was to become his signature song (that’s show biz talk) Thanks for the Memories. His movie successes led to TV in 1950 and it’s been one success after another ever since. (And that’s show biz talk for big, big bucks! So big that when Hope talked, E.F. Hutton listened.)

Hope’s legacy is impressive. Phyllis Diller speaks fondly of Hope’s generosity to her when she was breaking into the business (that’s show biz talk). She even has one room in her house dedicated to him. Hope is listed in Guinness World Records as the most honored entertainer in the world. He has thousands of awards, medals, and citations plus 54 honorary doctorates. He was a philanthropist, humanitarian, an ambassador of good will, knighted by Queen Elizabeth, and made an honorary veteran because of his tireless efforts in entertaining our military overseas for 60 years. From World War II to the Gulf War, he entertained all the troops and came close to death a few times. But his attitude was always, “when it happens, it happens.” He did benefits for all religions saying, “I’d hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality.” Next to Delores the love of his life was golf. He would often say, “Golf is my profession. I tell jokes to pay my green fees.” Asked once if he would like to run for president he quipped that he thought about it but it didn’t pay enough. In his Will Rogers fashion he poked fun at all the presidents from Roosevelt to Clinton and they loved it.

It is this legacy he should be remembered for, the legacy of laughter; and not just any laughter but good, clean fun. Without telling dirty jokes he managed to make the world laugh. That’s practically unheard of today. The Bible speaks of a merry heart (Proverbs 15:13, 15; Proverbs 17:22) being better than medicine. Did you know that laughter boosts your immune system, fights infections, and increases blood and oxygen flow in your body? If laughter is good medicine then Bob Hope was just what the doctor ordered.

Known as the king of quips, his timing was impeccable. I saw him perform live about 15 years ago in Detroit. Of course he was a mere lad in his mid 80s at the time but he did a parody on the song “Don’t Worry Be Happy” that brought the house down. He punned and quipped and never missed a beat. Sure he had the best writers money could buy but it was his delivery (that’s show biz talk) that sold the tickets. Little ol’ Delores even came out and sang a couple of songs. It was quite a night and a memory I’ll never forget.

Do yourself a favor and rent some of the Road movies he did with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. Much of the dialogue between Bing and Bob was unscripted and strictly ad lib. He was in over 70 movies like Fancy Pants, My Favorite Brunette, The Paleface, and The Seven Little Foys to name a few. The tap number (that’s show biz talk) he and James Cagney do in the Foy movie is well worth a rental fee. See if you can get some of those old TV specials he did, 500 in all, then laugh, laugh, laugh. It will do you good like medicine.

Bob used to say, “A member of my staff asked me when I was going to retire and I told him, ‘When I can no longer hear the sound of laugher.’ He said, ‘That never stopped you before.’” Well he’s gone and I don’t know if he can still hear the laughter or not but we can. In show biz talk they say to leave them wanting more. He did. “Thanks, Bob. Thanks for the memories…."

©August 2003

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