HOPE TAKES ONE LAST BOW FRIENDS PAY FINAL RESPECTS TO FAMED ENTERTAINER.Byline: James Nash Staff Writer NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Show business royalty gathered Wednesday to pay final respects to Bob Hope - in speech, in song and with the brand of wisecracking humor that Hope perfected in more than seven decades as an entertainer. In memorial services at a North Hollywood church and at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, friends of the show business legend remembered Hope - who died June 27 at the age of 100 - as a man as quick with a kind word or gesture as he was with his famous one-liners. ``He taught me so much about comedy and about life,'' said actress Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Camille Shields[1] (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and supermodel. Biography Career Shields' career as a model began in the late 1960s as an infant, and she continued as a successful child model throughout the 1970s. , who appeared on Hope's television program in the 1980s and accompanied him on morale-boosting visits to U.S. troops overseas. ``He taught me not only about comedy, but about the value of laughter.'' Organizers of the two invitation-only memorial events estimated that nearly 800 people were at St. Charles Borromeo For the Indian sprinter, see . Saint Charles Borromeo (Italian: Carlo Borromeo; Latinized as Carolus Borromeus) (October 2, 1538 – November 3, 1584) was an Italian saint and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. Church in North Hollywood for a morning Mass and about 600 attended the afternoon tribute at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Many of Hope's Hollywood colleagues said show business is unlikely to produce another talent like Hope, who performed in mediums from vaudeville to radio, television and motion pictures. And they said Hope's comic wit was matched only by his graciousness and humility. ``He was one of the sweetest, dearest human beings you've ever met in your life,'' said Mort Lachman, a writer and producer whom Hope plucked from obscurity in the 1940s. ``He was a somebody who cared about nobodies, and I was one of those nobodies.'' Phyllis Diller Phyllis Diller (born Phyllis Ada Driver on July 17, 1917) is a Golden Globe-nominated American comedian who is considered one of the pioneers of female stand-up comedy. , a comedienne whose biting wit sometimes rivaled Hope's, said the two used to trade good-natured insults. Her favorite barb barb-, a combining form used to indicate derivatives of barbituric acid. Barb 1. originally a distinct line of black Australian kelpies, but now the term is generally applied to any black kelpie. 2. from Hope: ``A peeping Tom Peeping Tom stricken blind for peeping as the naked Lady Godiva rode by. [Br. Legend: Brewer Dictionary] See : Blindness Peeping Tom struck blind for peeping at Lady Godiva. [Br. threw up on your window sill (Arch.) the flat piece of wood, stone, or the like, at the bottom of a window frame. See also: Window .'' The morning Mass at St. Charles was more solemn, but occasional flashes of Hope's humor were on display. Guests at the service included former President Gerald Ford and his wife, Betty; former first lady Nancy Reagan; U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein (born June 22, 1933) is the senior U.S. Senator from California, having held office as a senator since 1992. She is a member of the Democratic Party. ; business tycoons Lee Iacocca Lido Anthony "Lee" Iacocca (born October 15, 1924) is an American industrialist most commonly known for his revival of the Chrysler brand in the 1980s when he was the CEO. Among the most widely recognized businessmen in the world, he was a passionate advocate of U.S. and Alex Spanos Alexander Gus Spanos, Alex G. Spanos (born September 28, 1923 in Stockton, California) is an American real estate developer and self-made billionaire of Greek[1] origins who owns the San Diego Chargers. He is currently married and the father of four children. ; and actors Tom Selleck, Raquel Welch Jo Raquel Tejada (born September 5 1940), best known by her stage name Raquel Welch, is an American actress who reached fame during the 1960s. Early life , Angela Lansbury Angela Lansbury CBE (born October 16, 1925) is a four-time Tony-winning, six-time Golden Globe-winning, three-time Oscar-nominated, and eighteen-time Emmy-nominated English actress and singer. and Barbara Eden. Other guests included Mickey Rooney, Dixie Carter, Hal Holbrook, Julie Newmar, Marie Osmond, Ed McMahon, Gary Owens, Norm Crosby, the late John Wayne's son Patrick Wayne, retired Gen. William Westmoreland, former California Gov. Pete Wilson, and Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking overall military officer of the United States military, and the principal military adviser to the President of the United States. . Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles prayed for God to ``lead Bob, your servant, to eternal joy.'' While Hope was not devoutly religious, he converted to Catholicism late in life, said his longtime publicist Ward Grant. Hope's wife, Dolores Dolores (or Delores) was a common given name (until the 1960s in the USA); it is cognate with the English word "dolorous" (meaning sorrowful) and equivalent in meaning. , regularly attended Mass at St. Charles Borromeo Church, near the family's Toluca Lake home. Hope charmed audiences with his seemingly spontaneous wit and affably laid-back personality, but in private he was extraordinarily disciplined and focused, said his son, Tony Hope. His father spent hours on the phone with newspaper columnists and other friends honing his jokes and trying to keep his humor fresh and topical, Tony Hope said. ``I've never met anyone who derived more satisfaction from the practice of his profession,'' said Tony Hope. Larry Gelbart, a veteran comedy writer who penned some of Bob Hope's most memorable lines, said Hope had a natural ease and affinity for audiences. Gelbart recalled a 1986 interview with Hope in which the entertainer was asked if he might retire and take up fishing. ''Fish don't applaud,'' Hope replied, according to Gelbart. Celebrities leaving the memorial service - which was closed to reporters but broadcast on a closed-circuit television nearby - told a clutch of television cameras that the service blended humor and poignancy in a way that would have pleased Hope. ``There were so many touching moments today,'' Raquel Welch said. ``(Hope) was one of the all-time great American entertainers. He just felt it was a great, great privilege to entertain people.'' James Nash, (818) 713-3722 james.nash(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 7 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Dwarfed by a giant photo of Bob Hope, family and friends sing a special version of his theme song, ``Thanks for the Memories.'' Michael Blake/Pool (2 -- color) A portrait of Bob Hope sits at the altar at the memorial service in his honor at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in North Hollywood. A special memorial at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences followed the Mass. (3 -- color) Dolores Hope, Bob Hope's widow, greets well-wishers inside St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church before the memorial Mass for her husband. (4 -- color) Former President Gerald Ford listens during the memorial Mass for Bob Hope. Nick Ut/Associated Press (5 -- color) Actor Mickey Rooney waves to the crowd as he enters a memorial Mass for Bob Hope on Wednesday. (6 -- color) Actress Barbara Eden, who often accompanied Bob Hope on USO USO: see United Service Organizations. (UNIX Software Operation) AT&T's Unix division before it turned into USL. See Unix. tours, talks with reporters before Hope's memorial service. David Sprague/Staff Photographer (7 -- color) Bearded comedian Sid Caesar arrives for the memorial tribute at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. John McCoy/Staff Photographer |
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