Posted on 07/28/2003 11:27:07 AM PDT by carlo3b
THANK YOU BOB HOPE for all of our memories. Especially mine.Bob Hope, I will never forget you, because you touched my life at times that turned out to be some of my most important memories I have.
As a young boy while growing up in Chicago's Little Italy, we had a city wide art contest, that offered the finalists a chance to be awarded our prize on stage at the downtown, Chicago Theater. It wasn't an everyday opportunity to get a chance to go to the grand old palace, where you got to watch the biggest movies of the day, but also some of the greatest entertainers perform their crafts, live. That day, I won my scholarship and changed my life. I was awarded my ribbon during the intermission of, you guessed it, The BOB HOPE SHOW, and his ALL STAR cast.
When I went on stage to get my award I was escorted off through the back stage area, when I was greeted by the Man himself, a smiling gentleman, in what he made me believe, he was proud, so very proud, to shake my little hand. I'm not sure what had the biggest impact on me, that I won, or that it was possible to be thought of as important enough to honored by a genuine MOVIE STAR.
Fast forward %$^ years, and say hi to a shave tail, 2nd Lieutenant at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, a SAC base in Peru Indiana, when a plane landed with a gaggle of big deal Movie Stars, with the USO tour, that made an unscheduled stop on their way overseas. I was on duty, and was standing there when the doors opened and BINGO, there was BOB HOPE, smiling and cracking jokes as the beautiful girls walked down the latter. I can still hear the hoops and hollers as they walked around greeting those love starved red blooded American boys working the line miles for home. What a treat, I waited my turn to shake his hand as he made the rounds. With all the noise and laughter, it didn't seem like a place to remind him of our prior encounter, but it didn't matter, he was already my/our HERO.
That art scholarship enabled me to advance to a level that I could hone my skills as a costume designer, and get to the big show, Hollywood. There, I worked first as a wardrobe assistant, on some of the greatest variety shows of the golden age of TV. On one such show, The Red Skeleton Show, the guest star was none other than, BOB HOPE. What a moment, I was already in awe over meeting Mr. Red Skeleton, but when Mr. Hope walked in, bigger than life, I was almost paralyzed. I shook his hand and showed him to my little corner of the backstage area. As we walked, I mentioned that I had the pleasure of meeting him before.. he stopped and said, "don't tell me, you were the young boy that won the art contest in Chicago". Wellllllll, that did it! He made a big deal of this with the entire cast, and for that moment, I was instantly important, and however fleeting, he once again made an impression on me that was and is forever indelible... sigh.
Years later, and in a new and improved life outside of the Lights and Glitzy of Wonderland, I was the General Manager of a grand new hotel in downtown Chicago, when someone called my office, excited to say we had the pleasure of having BOB HOPE as a guest in one of our suites. I placed a call to the front desk and said if that suite requested anything that was out of the ordinary, I was to be alerted. I had a strict rule, that no one was to bother any dignitary, with request for autographs or anything, however tempting, without my prearranging an approval with someone in their entourage. So when the call came in to my room that Mr. Hopes suite was asking for a case of our finest Champagne, and hors d'oeuvers, to be immediately brought to his suite, it was about at about 9:30 PM at night, not a usual occurrence, I saw my chance drop in and say Hi, to an old friend... LOL.
I accompanied the order to his room, and I was shocked when he answered the door, and before I could catch my breath, and while I held out my hand to shake his, he grabbed it and pulled me inside and escorted me to the sofa in front of the TV. It was the moment that Astronaut Neil Armstrong, was about to take his historic step onto the surface of the moon. It turned out to be more that one small step for man it was a giant leap for my scrapebook.
Soooooo, can you believe it, I sat there in a suite with BOB HOPE, and watched the world change forever. That entire evening, I had the distinct pleasure of enjoying what turned out to be much more than an historic event, it turned out to be a wonderful memory in more than one way. It was indeed funny how he had a way of making you feel so special.
To you Mr. BOB HOPE, you gave us servicemen and servicewomen, a continued reason to believe that our country still loved us, even if it wasn't always clear, and you gave this lowly American a reason to think that even a devoted and still a star struck fan could fantasize enough to call you a dear friend. Thank you my dear friend, for all the memories.. May God Bless you.
I too worked in the Hotel industry and had to deal with celebrities. Most were jerks, but Bob Hope wasn't a "celebrity" but a normal decent person who brought joy to peoples lives.
I guess one could call him the "anti-celebrity".
Don't be sorry. It was great.
Oh no reason to be sorry! It is a wonderful story, thank you .
I always amazes me to see or read how some people's lives are so filled with meaningful venues, and filled with such fondness that rubs off on those they meet along the way, that all touch each other.
More than morning Bob Hope, the man, I think alot of us are feeling the past leaving us, in the memories of those who touched our growing up years. The black and white film, the excerpts of radio shows. Each time we hear them, ..in our minds we see that livingroom, the ZENITH radio (in my case), yellow, with that huge dial that just floated around, and that EYE in the middle. My Mom sitting and darning socks...my Dad resting his head in his big Dad Chair..us kids sitting on the floor listening to the radio. Hot cocoa and popcorn..Red Skelton..Bob Hope...so many now gone.
When we hear "THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES", we think of Bob Hope, but we also think of all the wonderful memories of a simple time. Isn't it odd that we would call it a "simple time", when we were at war ?
Carlo..I just bet your life blessed other's too. And you are handsome on top of it !!!! ROF!! I must get my glasses changed, they seems to fog up all the time. Thanks Carlo !
As she related the story, in the late 50's when she was 10 or 11, her family used to drive down to Palm Springs airport in the evening to watch the "stars" come in from LA - just something to do, you know. Afterwards, they would walk around Palm Springs and maybe get an ice cream or something. The PSP terminal was just a little bigger than a shack back then.
Anyway, one evening, Bob Hope got off the plane, and my wife's parents prompted her to go up and ask for an autograph, which she did. She knew who he was, because she had seen him on TV.
He signed and dated her little notepad, then gave her a pat on the back as he went on his way.
She doesn't recall what happened to the autograph.
He seemed to alway have time for regular folks.. Your story is wonderful as is your memory of this kind man... Thank you for sharing it with us..
Bob Hope was an American touchstone
A friend, familiar to us all
As American as apple pie
We loved to watch him have a ball
Through the miracle of the medium
Vaudeville, radio, movies and TV
His unique talents, his superior wit
Were loaned for a lifetime
To you and to me
Like the grandfather everyone loves
Guaranteed to make you smile
We all feel like we knew him
When we found him on the dial
Bless his memory
Bless his family and his wife
Bob Hope lived an ideal
American life
EV
Thank you for taking the time to read it, I can't tell you how great it was living it! :o)
My best memory of him though goes back to 1947 or 48, when I was just a kid, and I used to send off for my favorite movie stars pictures, mostly cowboy stars like Hoppy, Roy and Gene. Most of them would send a postcard sized picture with a facsimile signature, a few would send a price list and a form letter.
When I sent off for Bob Hope's picture I got an 8x10 glossy picture with a hand signed autograph, free of charge. What a class act.
Thanks for the memories, Bob, rest in peace.
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