Hollywood comedian Bob Hope passes away
By T. V. Parasuram in Washington
PTI
Monday, July 28, 2003
Legendary Hollywood comedian Bob Hope died of pneumonia
on Monday at his home in Toluca Lake in California, less
than two months after turning 100.
Known as 'the master of the one-liners', he took some of
Hollywood's most beautiful stars to entertain troops in
every war in which the United States was involved, but
was untouched by gossip or scandal.
His longtime publicist Ward Grant said Hope's family was
at his bedside when he passed away.
The nation's most-honoured comedian, a millionaire many
times over, was a star in every category open to him --
vaudeville, radio, television and film, most notably a
string of Road movies with longtime friend Bing Crosby.
For decades, he took his show on the road to bases around
the world, boosting the morale of servicemen from World
War II to the Gulf War.
President George W Bush condoled the death of Hope and
said, "We'll mourn the loss of a good man."
Film critics have noted that he perfected the one-liner,
peppering audiences with a fusillade of brief, topical
gags.
"I bumped into Gerald Ford the other day. I said, 'Pardon
me.' He said, 'I don't do that anymore.'" (That was a
reference to the fact that Ford, with a football injury
when he was a star player, would sometimes fall).
Hope poked fun gently, without malice, and made himself
the butt of many jokes. His golf scores and physical
attributes, including his celebrated ski-jump nose, were
frequent subjects: "I want to tell you, I was built like
an athlete once - big chest, hard stomach. Of course,
that's all behind me now."
Hope earned a fortune, gave lavishly to charity and was
showered with awards, so many that he had to rent a
warehouse to store them.
He headlined in so many war zones that he had a standard
joke for the times he was interrupted by gunfire: "I
wonder which one of my pictures they saw?"
On his 100th birthday, he was too frail to take part in
public celebrations, but was said to be alert and happy -
- and overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection. The
fabled intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine
Street was renamed Bob Hope Square, and President Bush
established the Bob Hope American Patriot Award.
He was born Leslie Townes Hope on May 29, 1903, in
Eltham, England, the fifth of seven sons of a British
stonemason and a Welsh singer of light opera. The Hopes
emigrated to the US when he was 4 and settled in
Cleveland.
They found themselves in the backwash of the 1907
depression.
The boy helped out by selling newspapers and working in a
shoe store, a drug store and a meat market. He also
worked as a caddy and developed a lifelong fondness for
golf. A highly competitive golfer, he later shot in the
70s and sponsored the Bob Hope Golf Classic, one of the
nation's biggest tournaments.
http://www.rediff.com/movies/2003/jul/28bob.htm
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