Bob Hope

[onionhead]

Yesterday witnessed the passing of an entertainment icon, Bob Hope.  From the Road films to the USO tours and everywhere in between, this man radiated warmth and humor, defined humanitarianism for generations, and just plain made us all laugh.  God bless you, Ski nose; you are probably trying out one-liners on Crosby again.

[Dunners]

He was the greatest human being of the 20 and 21st century. If mor epeopel were like Bob Hope the world would be a merrier place.

[raj]

Greatest human being?  I'm not so sure (not a knock on him by any means); he was a great entertainer-- and unlike some Hollywood types who can't stand the US military, he was always there for the troops.

RIP Bob, it was a great life

[mookieflukie]

Calling Bob Hope a great human is ummm well, just wrong.

He is considered by most people in the field (as a friend from the Friars Club said)
"The meanest man in show buisness period."

I hate to speak ill of the dead, but an exemplary human being? Please.

He make his writers stand at the bottom of his staircase while he turned their checks into paper airplanes and make grab for them in the air.

Yeah, real nice guy.

mookieflukie-

[Dunners]

If you didn't werent there when any of this happened then you cant say anything, you didn't know what he was like in his private life and neither did I and neither do most people.

This sounds like bulls**t the press made up to me. "well someons said he's mean" in comes tom Brokaw " we've just gotten an annoucement from an informed souce that Bob hope is mean".

[AndyC]

Dunners is right. I've heard nothing but good things about Bob Hope.

The man was a great entertainer, but I have to admit he'd reached the point where I wasn't sure if he was still alive or not. Knew he was very old, remembered a few reports of failing health, and hadn't heard anything about him in a while. When I heard about his death, my first thought was "oh, he WAS still alive."

Also heard an interesting discussion on the radio this morning on just how rich he was. The guy was already worth hundreds of millions decades ago, and at one time was the biggest private landowner in California.

Kind of depressing, really. Hope lived 100 years, amassed a fortune, entertained millions (perhaps billions) of people, travelled the world, hobnobbed with the rich and powerful, achieved greatness in entertainment that lasted for decades, yet he still wound up the same as everybody else. I know that's the "half empty" way of looking at it, but it's an interesting thought.

[Mookieflukie]

Well, no, it's not like i heard it on the news. I was at the Friars club. There was a bunch of old entertainers, they wre having a discussion about "who is the meanest man in show buisness"

They talked for about an hour, and about a hundred names weant by,
and then somebody mentioned Bob Hope, and they all went "Yes, thats it!" and they shut up.

Later on i talked to one of them, he explained why.

So no. It's not like Tom Brokaw told me,  it's like a few people who lived around  and worked around him at the time where he was becoming famous have agreed.

I mean, i don't know who I trust. Myself, you or a group of people who knew him.

I'm sure, Tom Brokaw would never come on the news and go "Bob Hopes dead, and by all accounts he was an a***ole, so good riddens"

Because like i said earlier it's kind of a s**t thing to do to speak ill of the dead (like i guess i'm doing now)

There is no doubt he was great entertainer (He lasted a hundred f**king years) but an exemplary human being? well i think thats streching it.  

 But i guess i could always be wrong.
mookieflukie-

[Flangepart]

Well.....
No one is perfect, as the saying goes. But, if the ledger has more good then bad, thats all we can expact. And all we need, as we take from this life the most important thing, our character.
If more people miss us, then want us gone, thats a good thing....and Saddam's sons are NOT missed by anyone with good character, or half a heart.

[Dunners]

Maybe the firars were kidding around? who knows

[onionhead]

Mayhaps he was not exemplary, maybe he did have to step on some heads on the way up to the top, but the scale is balanced on the favorable side.  No other  civilian has been named an Honorary Veteran by the US Congress. Many people probably do not know that he donated an entire side altar at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.  Millions to charity,  billions of laughs, if a few writers got p**sed off in the process--and I've heard that airplane/check story myself--well, then they have a few yarns they can spin to their progeny.  
Thanks for the memories, Bob
Watch out for the back nine

[Tranquil Featherman]

Well, "Fancypants" gave me a severe case of hives and caused me to have schitzophrenic hallucinations for years. I never forgave ole Bob for that. But, may he rest in peace....he WAS an american icon after-all

[BoyScoutKevin]

"Paddy-cake!" Nothing more needs to be said.

[Deej]

The paper airplane paycheck is an old joke, I've also heard Jackie Gleason and Bert Lahr were the evil bastards who did the foul deed.

Never met Bob Hope, but I'm sure stories of him being arrogant, self centered and miserly are for the most parts just part of his comedy persona. Just as Jack Benny was supposed to be vain and penny pinching, Gracie Allen was supposed to be stupid and Milton Berle stole his jokes. I'm also not a Friar, but don't they have a history of badmouthing and trashing their fellow members ie. The Friars Roasts?

I'm sure Bob  Hope wasn't a saint, but who is? He was pretty damned funny though. My Favorite Brunette is still a riot.