Random Photo Friday
I love Bob Hope. I admire his incredibly sharp wit and his dedication to entertaining our troops. It became his legacy. San Diego, a big Navy town, saw fit to honor Bob Hope’s commitment. And what a great name, eh? Leslie Townes Hope was his real name and he was born in England. I’m sure that living up to one’s last name can be hard, in some cases… not in this one.
My dad’s buddy claims he was next door neighbors with Mr. Hope in Palm Springs. Hope had a mansion on a hill, on the edge of a cliff overlooking the town. Dad’s friend lived in a mobile home lot located at the bottom of said cliff, so I guess he was technically correct.
I enjoy Hope’s books, although they read more like travelogues of USO shows than autobiographies. (I also really enjoyed David Niven’s books. The tales of when he was roommates with Errol Flynn are … spicy!) Bob Hope was one of the first fast-paced comics who burned through new material. The old guard like Jack Benny would craft and hone an elaborate anecdote until the wording and timing was perfect. But Bob hired a staff of writers to keep the rapid-fire laughs coming. And if a joke fell flat he was on to the next one before the audience realized it. (Hope claims to have paid his writers by making their checks into paper airplanes and winging them down to the living room from an upstairs balcony. I’d believe it.) He was a heck of a guy.
Unca Bad… That house is HUGE… You can see it whilst driving in Palm Springs. You can’t miss it, really.
I haven’t picked up any of Hope’s books… but GOODNESS… I will have to pick up David Niven’s! Since you brought it up… I have been enjoying Jack Benny on YouTube, lately. He had an episode with Vincent Price, Liberace, Jane Mansfield… which was hilarious!