June 2003

Hope Springs Eternal

I have seen what a laugh can do. It can transform almost unbearable tears into something bearable, even hopeful.
-- Bob Hope 

Bob Hope turned 100 on 29 May 2003. During his professional life, he made 60-plus films; won the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (1959); received the Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award (1985); accepted the National Medal of Arts (1995); and had Queen Elizabeth confer honorary Knighthood on him (1998). Hope is listed twice in The Guinness Book of World Records -- first for having the longest contract with a single network (61 years with NBC) and second as the "most honored entertainer," for his more than 2000 awards.

His humanitarian and charitable work has raised hundreds of millions of dollars. When Hope and his buddy Bing Crosby were trying to figure out how to play more golf and help people at the same time, they hit on the idea of putting celebrities with professional golfers and inviting the public, calling the tournament a Pro-Am. Today, every community in the U.S. with a golf course has some form of a Pro-Am benefiting a local charity.

Bob Hope has entertained American troops in every war since WWII. When he finally had to call it quits and miss Operation Iraqi Freedom, the troops missed one of their best friends. During the Vietnam War, he was a beacon of light for the downhearted troops fighting a despised war. While researching this story, I found several Internet sites where veterans talk about Hope and his impact on their morale. The most memorable is from www.welcomehomesoldier.com, offering the following words by Harry Kieninger, who had seen Hope on Christmas Day, 1966.

Bob Hope said, "We want you guys to know we are very proud of you, and if the critics in the States were here today, I know they would hang their heads in shame. We love you guys, we love you guys."

They sang "Silent Night" and we were all weeping. At the end of the song, Bob Hope said again, "We love you with all our hearts and we'll see ya when you get home."

We knew we were in war and hell, but for one day this brave man made things better. For one day he made us know that if you have Bob you have Hope.

When he visited the troops, Hope would always take his singing wife, Dolores. They were inseparable. In the whirlwind world of Hollywood romance, Hope has been married to the same woman for 68 years. They are growing old gracefully and together. Dolores turned 94 on May 27.

For all these reasons, Hope is a beloved entertainer. But don’t forget that he made some sidesplitting films. With flawless comedic timing, hilarious self-deprecating wit, and masterful double takes, Hope was an actor the studios loved. So did the viewing public. Those of you who only know Hope from his disappointing movies of the '60s and '70s, or for his generally inferior TV work of the '80s and '90s, should give the man another chance. During his heyday, the 1940s, he put out a string of brilliant and mirthful films, which Universal has just released to coincide with Hope’s 100th birthday. The series, titled Bob Hope -- The Tribute Collection, includes many of Hope’s finest moments.

The best place to start any Hope collection is his series of "Road" films with Bing Crosby. The two men were friends and skilled professionals. Both had done their time in Vaudeville and on the stage. Most important, they were so attuned to each other, and sounded so relaxed, most people thought they were improvising. They weren’t. In fact, the best comedy writers in Hollywood stood in line to write for Hope and Crosby. The men were just so good, and such a perfect pairing, they made everything look easy. The films were wildly successful and on each year’s best-selling list. Universal has just released the first four (and best of the seven Road films) separately for $14.95 each, or in a four-film box for $39.95.

The Road to Singapore (1940) was the first film in the series. Producer Harlan Thompson had a good script, but both Fred MacMurray and George Burns had passed on the project. Thompson noticed Hope and Crosby at the Paramount studio, always fooling around and cracking jokes. He decided to cast them in The Road to Singapore. Crosby was already a major singing star and Hope had made a few successful films. But no one at Paramount was prepared for the sensational box-office performance of the movie. The thin story line is about two sailors trying to escape marriage and live out their island fantasies. Then they meet the curvy and voluptuous Dorothy Lamour. Like all the Road films, this one is a hodge-podge of comedy, action, and music, with Lamour playing the gorgeous straight woman.

The Road to Zanzibar (1941) has our boys back as carnies working Africa. Hope plays Fearless Frazier, a stunt man always getting into predicaments, courtesy of his friend, Chuck Reardon (Crosby). They eventually meet up with a pair of cute con artists and end up as potential dinner for a cannibal tribe. This film is even funnier than the first. Pay special attention to the repartee between Hope and actress Una Merkel, something I wish we could have seen more often.

The Road to Morocco (1942) is the best of the Road films. As usual, Crosby plays the smart one, always willing to sell Hope down the river. In this case, they are stowaways that wash up on the African coast. Desperate for food and money, Crosby sells Hope into slavery. That slavery isn’t too bad since his owner is the dazzling Princess Shalmar (Lamour). Both men eventually vie for her affections, which doesn’t go down too well with Mullay Kassim (Anthony Quinn), her jealous lover. This is the most farcical of the series, with plenty of funny twists. It is also a great place to see how well Hope had mastered his comedic craft, especially in his drag turn as Aunt Lucy.

The Road to Utopia (1946) upholds the high standards of The Road to Morocco. Here, Crosby and Hope pretend to be two tough thugs in order to locate a secret gold mine. When the real thugs show up, the fun begins. Lamour is back, this time as the daughter of the original owner of the map to the treasure. For me, the most exciting part of Utopia is the presence of the legendary Robert Benchley (lynchpin of the Algonquin Round Table) as the narrator. His presence is enough to recommend Utopia. He starts the film by saying, "For one reason or another, the picture which you are about to see is not very clear in spots. As a matter of fact, it was made to demonstrate how not to make a motion picture and at the same time win an Academy Award. Now someone, in what is known as the front office, has thought that an occasional word from me might help to clarify the plot and other vague portions of the film. Personally, I doubt it." For the rest of the film, Benchley offers hilarious commentary, raising the comedy quotient above that of the other films. Benchley’s prophecy almost came true. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for its screenplay, but lost to The Seventh Veil.

All of the Road-film discs have a documentary called Bob Hope and the Road to Success, a 13-minute gushy overview of Hope’s work. Each DVD has an additional featurette about the times, a photo gallery, and a trailer. On all the DVDs, picture and sound are excellent for the era. Those of you willing to accept the invasive and decidedly unsociable PC-friendly software on the DVD can also have a look at the script.

Universal is also releasing a series of two-fers of classic Hope films for $14.98. The two best of the bunch are Monsieur Beaucaire (1946)/Where There’s Life (1947) and Sorrowful Jones (1949)/The Paleface (1948). By the time these four films were released, Hope was a major star. The audience knew what to expect -- a cowardly wisecracker who always gets into sticky situations and has to figure a way out. My personal favorite is Monsieur Beaucaire, a hoot of a costume piece where Hope plays King Louis XV’s barber.

His most popular film, The Paleface, is childish, but still packs comic clout. Sorrowful Jones is better. It was the first of three films Hope would do with Lucille Ball, and the one-liners zing by at hyper-speed. A remake of Shirley Temple’s Little Miss Marker; this time Hope gets stuck with a little girl as collateral for a gambling debt.

After generously stuffing two films on one DVD, there’s not a lot of room for extras. We get a few trailers and some production notes. Both picture and sound quality are perfectly adequate.

So here’s wishing a happy birthday to Bob. His grandfather lived to be 99 years and 11 months, a feat Bob hoped (sorry) to exceed. He has accomplished it, in the meantime offering joy to the world, money to the poor, and moral support to the troops, while still having time to keep a good marriage and a four handicap. We should all be so blessed.

 ...Wes Marshall
wesm@hometheatersound.com

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