HOPE SURVIVES FALSE TALE.Byline: Alex Roth and Melissa Schmitt Daily News Staff Writers When word spread around the world Friday that Bob Hope was dead, the legendary comedian did what comes naturally: He started cracking jokes. Hope, 95, was alive and well enough to be eating a quiet breakfast at home in Toluca Lake when The Associated Press' Web site mistakenly posted Hope's prewritten obituary. Reports of Hope's death spread around the globe instantly. The news was flashed to the floor of the House of Representatives, where Rep. Bob Stump Robert Lee (Bob) Stump (April 4, 1927 – June 20, 2003) was a U.S. Congressman from Arizona. Stump was born in Phoenix and was a U.S. Navy World War II combat veteran, where he served on the USS Tulagi from 1943-1946. , R-Arizona, shocked his colleagues with the announcement. ``It is with great sadness,'' Stump solemnly told his colleagues, ``I announce that Bob Hope has died.'' Hope's Toluca Lake neighbors were beside themselves with anguish as the news spread through the neighborhood. Hope's secretary, Annette Siegel, was besieged be·siege tr.v. be·sieged, be·sieg·ing, be·sieg·es 1. To surround with hostile forces. 2. To crowd around; hem in. 3. . ``It's just been crazy,'' she said. ``Those words came from someone (Stump) with a lot of credibility. Believe me, people believed him.'' Hope, who celebrated his birthday last week, took it all in stride Adv. 1. in stride - without losing equilibrium; "she took all his criticism in stride" in good spirits , she said, making jokes that she wouldn't repeat. At Eleanor Rodriquez's Toluca Lake barbershop, customers were discussing how well Hope looked at the 75th anniversary parade last weekend when they heard the news - and then the truth. ``We're so glad it wasn't true,'' Rodriguez said. ``He was in such good form last Saturday.'' The incident is yet another cautionary tale A cautionary tale is a traditional story told in folklore, to warn its hearer of a danger. There are three essential parts to a cautionary tale, though they can be introduced in a large variety of ways. in an age when information - and misinformation mis·in·form tr.v. mis·in·formed, mis·in·form·ing, mis·in·forms To provide with incorrect information. mis - can spread around the globe as quickly as it takes to click a computer mouse. It all began when somehow Hope's obituary got onto AP's online site. ``Bob Hope, tireless master of the one-liner, dead at x,'' the headline read. ``We're not sure how it happened,'' said Mike Silverman, AP deputy managing editor in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . But it was too late: A staffer for House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, spotted the obituary and passed it to him on the floor of the House of Representatives. Stunned stun tr.v. stunned, stun·ning, stuns 1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow. 2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise. 3. , Armey handed the story to Stump, an ardent Hope fan, and told him: ``Make the announcement.'' News organizations all over the world flashed the news based on Stump's announcement. Stump said he apologized later to family members, and AP issued an urgent correction. ``Everything is fine,'' Hope's publicist pub·li·cist n. One who publicizes, especially a press or publicity agent. publicist Noun a person, such as a press agent or journalist, who publicizes something publicist Ward Grant said. ``He's eating breakfast at his home in Toluca Lake.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO HOPE |
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