"What a delivery, what a song, what an audience reaction!" - columnist Damon Runyon on "Thanks for the Memory," 1938.
Bob Hope survived to 100 which is quite a feat. When our modern day celebrities march against wars of liberation it is nice to remember the days when entertainers would support such things. Hope gave so much to those who risked their lives. He was funny for a long time. I remember watching the TV specials growing up. I especially liked the ones the featured the All-American College Football teams at the end of the year. Bob Hope would read off their names and they would march up to the camera. I enjoyed the Road pictures growing up, but like Frank Sinatra, Hope stopped doing movies but his celebrity didn’t wane.
In the summer of 1984 my parents took us to Disney World and the World’s Fair in New Orleans. We brought along our childhood pal, Brian Fergison. My brother bought the latest craze, Trivial Pursuit at the Polynesian Village Hotel and we played it the rest of the trip. Brian wasn’t much for trivia so he would just say Bob Hope if he didn’t know the answer. One time the answer was actually Bob Hope, but Brian said, “not Bob Hope, but . . .” You can imagine our laughter.
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