Thanks for the Memory

There is much to respect, smile over and remember about Bob Hope and his sly, eyes-askance delivery of jokes from another era whose residents didn’t want to laugh publicly about body functions. Hope’s jokes were usually funny -- at least our parents laughed hard every time. But even if Hope’s two-liners weren’t knee-slappers, everyone wanted to laugh anyway, if only to please this kind, decent man delivering them so cleanly on the stage or TV screen.

Chances are, however, the black-and-white image of Hope that immediately pops into millions of American minds is that big, broad Ohio face joking on a makeshift stage in some distant land before several thousand eager young American soldiers sitting on the ground in the rain, wishing they were back home. For many of these servicemen and -women, Hope standing there ogling the latest blond to join his USO troupe was as close to home as they were going to get that holiday or, sadly for many, ever again.

Hope knew this, of course. And so did Jerry Colonna and the loyal volunteer entertainers Hope assembled annually to travel thousands of miles with a little cheer for these Americans lost abroad for a while. Someone once figured Hope traveled more than 9 million miles over 50 years. He entertained troops for three generations and four wars. Newsreels show him clambering from a small plane in the South Pacific jungle, smiling and waving as if it were Burbank. A half-century later he was doing the same in the Persian Gulf.

There was Hope on stage, joking about the president or Washington -- and always with a good-natured line about the local commander. While Hope talked, one of the most beautiful women in the world, maybe even Marilyn Monroe, would appear unannounced from behind the curtain. Thousands of soldiers would suddenly go crazy, cheering, whistling, shouting. He would appear surprised by the ovation in midjoke and bow and thank everyone for their inexplicable advance appreciation for his humor while the beauty waved and blew kisses behind his back. That bit always brought the roof down, if there was a roof, which there usually wasn’t.

But seriously, folks, Hope was justly famous for many things in his long Broadway-movie-TV career, especially for going on the road for the military and for a string of “Road” movies with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. Now, after 100 years wandering everywhere on this earthly map, the grand old comedian’s spirit heads gently down a new road to rejoin many of his already-departed show business colleagues. We say thanks and wish him Godspeed.

May his next destination be as welcoming and sunny as his public disposition, and may his landing be as smooth and happy as the memories he gave so many for so very long. Just imagine the show those old-timers will put on somewhere this Christmas.