YOU GOTTA HAVE HOPE FAMED COMEDIAN HAD A CINEMATIC IMPACT, TOO.Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer He sang and danced, often not as skillfully as an on-screen on·screen or on-screen adj. & adv. 1. As shown on a movie, television, or display screen. 2. Within public view; in public. partner. He was a boastful coward who was charismatic enough to get the girl from time to time. Or if not the leading lady, her comely come·ly adj. come·li·er, come·li·est 1. Pleasing and wholesome in appearance; attractive. See Synonyms at beautiful. 2. Suitable; seemly: comely behavior. servant. He schemed, bumbled and sandbagged The word sandbagged is a colloquial expression used to describe a situation in which one is publicly rejected or corrected in the presence of peers, often causing embarrassment. , never admitting defeat. His characters sported names like Turkey, Painless, Fearless, Sorrowful sor·row·ful adj. Affected with, marked by, causing, or expressing sorrow. See Synonyms at sad. sor  row·ful·ly adv. , Junior and Hot Lips. His romantic partners included Jane Russell Jane Russell (born June 21, 1921) is an American actress and sex symbol. Early lifeBorn Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell in Bemidji, Minnesota, she was the only daughter of Roy William Russell (January 5, 1890 – July 18, 1937) and Geraldine Jacobi (January , Eva Marie Saint, Joan Fontaine Joan Fontaine (born October 22 1917) is an Academy Award-winning American actress, who became an American citizen in April 1943. Early life She was born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland , Rhonda Flemming and Madeleine Carroll Madeleine Carroll (February 26, 1906 - October 2, 1987) was a British actress, immensely popular in the 1930s and 1940s, who was renowned for her great beauty. She was born as Edith Madeleine Carroll at 32 Herbert Street (now number 44) West Bromwich, England. . He earned five Oscars, none for acting. Bob Hope made more than 50 movies between 1938's ``The Big Broadcast of 1938'' (which co-starred Hope with W.C. Fields) and his last starring vehicle, 1972's ``Cancel My Reservation.'' Whatever the situation or the locale, you could always count on Hope - no matter how fearless, painless or dauntless his character happened to be - to get himself into, out of, and back into a scrape. ``He was always such an adorable, sweet guy,'' says Saint, who starred opposite Hope in two films. ``I see those clips now, and I get a little choked up.'' Hope, who turns 100 in May and is the subject of Sunday's NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. tribute ``100 Years of Hope,'' last appeared in a dramatic role in the 1986 TV film ``A Masterpiece of Murder.'' Some 17 of his films, including four of his famed ``Road'' pictures, have been released by Universal Home video to comprise ``Bob Hope: The Tribute Collection.'' A 'wonderful reluctant coward' ``The golden age of Bob Hope's movies was the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s, and they all had that wonderful reluctant coward,'' says William Robert Faith, Hope's public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most representative for 14 years and the author of ``Bob Hope: A Life in Comedy.'' ``You'll hear Woody Allen Noun 1. Woody Allen - United States filmmaker and comic actor (1935-) Allen Stewart Konigsberg, Allen say that was the character that inspired him the most. This was the era and age of the traveling salesman, the guy who'd be bragging at a convention about what a great womanizer wom·an·ize v. woman·ized, woman·iz·ing, woman·iz·es v.intr. To pursue women lecherously. v.tr. To give female characteristics to; feminize. he was.'' Linda Hope, the writer and executive producer of Sunday's special, describes her father's on-screen persona as ``the little guy who rose to the occasion and seemed to be more than he usually was, and he'd usually get his comeuppance come·up·pance n. A punishment or retribution that one deserves; one's just deserts: "It's a chance to strike back at the critical brotherhood and give each his comeuppance for evaluative sins of the past" at some moment in time.'' ``One of my favorites is 'Sorrowful Jones,' '' says Linda Hope, referring to the 1949 remake of Shirley Temple's ``Little Miss Marker.'' ``It's still that kind of cocky figure he played, and yet it showed a little bit more vulnerability. The scenes with the little girl (Mary Jane Saunders) were very touching.'' It was a persona that fit the fast-talking, ad-libbing Hope well, and he seldom had reason to deviate from it. The ``stretch'' roles, such as the family man vaudevillian vaude·vil·lian n. One, especially a performer, who works in vaudeville. vaude·vil lian adj.Noun 1. in ``The Seven Little Foys'' (1955) and flamboyant 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 Mayor Jimmy Walker in ``Beau James'' (1957) earned buzz of possible Oscar nominations, but it didn't happen. The comic frequently yukked that Oscar season was known as ``Passover'' in the Hope household. Not that the films were entirely overlooked during award season. ``Road to Morocco,'' the third in the series, earned the writing team of Frank Butler and Don Hartman a best-screenplay Oscar nomination. In 1948's ``The Paleface pale·face n. Slang A white person. paleface Noun an offensive term for a White person, said to have been used by Native Americans of N America Noun 1. ,'' Hope sang the smash Oscar-winning song ``Buttons and Bows.'' His favorite roles Of his own movies, Hope particularly liked ``Monsieur Beaucaire,'' which saw him as a French barber who must impersonate im·per·son·ate tr.v. im·per·son·at·ed, im·per·son·at·ing, im·per·son·ates 1. To assume the character or appearance of, especially fraudulently: impersonate a police officer. 2. a nobleman in the Spanish court. He also especially enjoyed ``The Facts of Life'' and ``Fancy Pants,'' two of the films he made with Lucille Ball, says Linda Hope. The seven ``Road'' pictures, which teamed Hope with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, were, in Hope's words, like ``stealing money from Paramount.'' The two performers used writers from their respective radio programs to punch up the dialogue and frequently threw in inside jokes and Hollywood references. They bantered, bickered, schemed and harmonized har·mo·nize v. har·mo·nized, har·mo·niz·ing, har·mo·niz·es v.tr. 1. To bring or come into agreement or harmony. See Synonyms at agree. 2. Music To provide harmony for (a melody). with an ease that no subsequent film partnerships could duplicate. When Crosby sold Hope into slavery in ``Road to Morocco,'' there was the ghost of Hope's Aunt Lucy (played by Hope in drag) to offer a spirited rebuke. In ``Road to Utopia,'' the one time Hope's character got the girl, the baby ended up looking like, uh huh, Crosby. The series began with ``Road to Singapore'' (1940) and concluded with ``Road to Hong Kong'' (1962). All but ``Hong Kong'' were decent moneymakers. There was even talk of an eighth ``Road'' picture prior to Crosby's death in 1977. The buddy system buddy system n. An arrangement in which persons are paired, as for mutual safety or assistance. Noun 1. buddy system Hope and Crosby may not have invented the buddy adventure comedy, but the duo's banter - kind of an extension of vaudevillian shtick shtick also schtick or shtik n. Slang 1. A characteristic attribute, talent, or trait that is helpful in securing recognition or attention: - proved that the formula, combined with better-than-average star chemistry, could sell tickets. ``They've held up because it's like classic comedy,'' says Randall G. Mielke, author of ``Road to the Box Office.'' ``You know the lines, you see them coming - and they're still funny. And Bob Hope was the glue that held it together.'' Granted, Hope and Crosby in no way invented the formula, but subsequent comic pairings usually send critics to the ``Road'' pictures for comparisons: from Warren Beatty Henry Warren Beaty (born March 30, 1937) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning American actor, producer, screenwriter and director, known as Warren Beatty. Biography Early life and Education and Dustin Hoffman Noun 1. Dustin Hoffman - versatile United States film actor (born in 1937) Hoffman in ``Ishtar'' (1987) to Robert De Niro Noun 1. Robert De Niro - United States film actor who frequently plays tough characters (born 1943) De Niro and Charles Grodin in ``Midnight Run (1988),'' from Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the ``Lethal Weapon'' series to the stoner ston·er n. 1. One that stones. 2. Slang a. One who is habitually intoxicated by alcohol or drugs. b. One who is a delinquent or failure. antics of Cheech and Chong in the early 1980s. Mielke, who is featured on the Hope tribute DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. commentary, believes that the camaraderie between Hope and Crosby outshone even classic comic pairings like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. ``They're clearly having a good time - and the audience appreciated that,'' he says of Hope and Crosby. ``Team pictures, now, when they work it's because you feel the guys really like each other, not just two actors stuck together somewhere.'' Hope made nine more films after ``Road to Hong Kong,'' including ``Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number!'' (1966) and ``Eight on the Lam'' (1967), both with Phyllis Diller, and ``How to Commit Marriage'' (1969), with Jane Wyman and Jackie Gleason. His final film, ``Cancel My Reservation'' teamed him again with Eva Marie Saint, 16 years after their first film together, ``That Certain Feeling.'' Hope was nearly 70 and still ``full of vinegar,'' according to Saint. The movie in question? ``Not very funny,'' says Saint. ``I remember sitting behind him the first time they showed it, and Bob didn't laugh too much. Uh-oh.'' ``He was well-established on TV, and he continued with the TV shows,'' says Mielke. ``By the early 1970s, the taste of the moviegoing public had changed, and I don't think Hope's wholesome humor had the same popularity.'' Hope never consciously retired from filmmaking, says Linda Hope, but decent roles for a man in his 70s were difficult to come by. Hopes of another ``Road'' picture died with Crosby's passing, and plans for Hope to star in a Walter Winchell story never materialized. Hope appeared in one final film, ``The Muppet Movie'' (1979). The man who used every conceivable star for cameos in his own films played an ice cream vendor. 100 YEARS OF HOPE What: Tribute to the famed comedian. Where: NBC (Channel 4). When: 7 p.m. Sunday. On film, Hope springs eternal Here's a list of Bob Hope's films, along with the names of his co-stars. ``The Big Broadcast of 1938'' (1938) - W.C. Fields, Martha Raye, Dorothy Lamour. ``College Swing'' (1938) - Gracie Allen, George Burns, Martha Raye. ``Give Me a Sailor'' (1938) - Martha Raye, Betty Grable. ``Thanks for the Memory'' (1938) - Shirley Ross, Charles Butterworth. ``Never Say Die'' (1939) - Martha Raye, Ernest Cossart, Paul Harvey. ``Some Like It Hot'' (1939) - Shirley Ross, Gene Krupa and Orchestra. ``The Cat and the Canary'' (1939) - Paulette Goddard, John Beal. ``Road to Singapore'' (1940) - Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Anthony Quinn. ``The Ghostbreakers'' (1940) - Paulette Goddard, Anthony Quinn. ``Road to Zanzibar'' (1941) - Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour. ``Caught in the Draft'' (1941) - Dorothy Lamour, Lynne Overman o·ver·man n. 1. A person having authority over others, especially an overseer or a shift supervisor. 2. See superman. tr.v. . ``Nothing but the Truth'' (1941) - Paulette Goddard, Edward Arnold, Leif Erikson. ``Louisiana Purchase'' (1941) - Victor Moore, Vera Zorina. ``My Favorite Blonde'' (1942) - Madeleine Carroll, Gale Sondergaard. ``Road to Morocco'' (1942) - Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Anthony Quinn. ``They Got Me Covered'' (1943) - Dorothy Lamour, Lenore Aubert. ``Let's Face It'' (1943) - Betty Hutton, Zasu Pitts. ``The Princess and the Pirate'' (1944) - Virginia Mayo, Walter Brennan, Walter Slezak. ``Road to Utopia'' (1944) - Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour. ``Monsieur Beaucaire'' (1946) - Joan Caulfield, Patric Knowles, Marjorie Reynolds. ``My Favorite Brunette'' (1947) - Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre. ``Where There's Life'' (1947) - Signe Hasso, William Bendix. ``Road to Rio'' (1948) - Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour. ``The Paleface'' (1948) - Jane Russell, Robert Armstrong. ``Sorrowful Jones'' (1949) - Lucille Ball. ``The Great Lover'' (1949) - Rhonda Fleming. ``Fancy Pants'' (1950) - Lucille Ball, Bruce Cabot. ``The Lemon Drop Kid'' (1951) - Marilyn Maxwell, Lloyd Nolan. ``My Favorite Spy'' (1951) - Hedy Lamarr, Francis L. Sullivan. ``Son of Paleface'' (1952) - Jane Russell, Roy Rogers. ``Road to Bali'' (1952) - Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour. ``Off Limits'' (1953) - Mickey Rooney, Marilyn Maxwell. ``Home Come the Girls'' (1953) - Tony Martin, Arlene Dahl, Rosemary Clooney. ``Casanova's Big Night'' (1954) - Joan Fontaine, Audrey Dalton, Basil Rathbone. ``The Seven Little Foys'' (1955) - Milly Vitall, George Tobias, Angela Clarke. ``That Certain Feeling'' (1956) - Eva Marie Saint, George Sanders, Pearl Bailey. ``The Iron Petticoat'' (1956) - Katharine Hepburn. ``Beau James'' (1957) - Vera Miles, Alexis Smith, Paul Douglas. ``Paris Holiday'' (1958) - Fernandel, Anita Ekberg, Martha Hyer, Preston Sturges. ``Alias Jesse James'' (1959) - Rhonda Fleming, Wendell Corey. ``The Facts of Life'' (1960) - Lucille Ball, Ruth Hussey, Don Defore. ``Bachelor in Paradise'' (1961) - Lana Turner, Janis Paige, Jim Hutton. ``Road to Hong Kong'' (1962) - Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Joan Collins. ``Critic's Choice'' (1963) - Lucille Ball, Marilyn Maxwell, Rip Torn. ``Call Me Bwana'' (1963) - Anita Ekberg, Edie Adams, Lionel Jeffries. ``A Global Affair'' (1964) - Lilo 1. (operating system) lilo - Linux Loader. 2. lilo - first-in first-out. Pulver, Michele Mercier. ``I'll Take Sweden'' (1965) - Tuesday Weld, Dina Merrill, Frankie Avalon. ``Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number'' (1966) - Elke Sommer Sommer is a surname, from the German and Danish word for the season "summer". It may refer to:
``Eight on the Lam'' (1967) - Phyllis Diller, Jonathan Winters, Jill St. John. ``The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell'' (1968) - Phyllis Diller, Jeffrey Hunter. ``How to Commit Marriage'' (1969) - Jane Wyman, Jackie Gleason. ``Cancel My Reservation'' (1972) - Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Bellamy, Forrest Tucker. CAPTION(S): 5 photos, 2 boxes Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Thanks for the movies Bob Hope, proclaimed `Citizen of the Century,' was also one funny fellow on film - with or without Bing Crosby (2) Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard in ``The Ghost Breakers'' (1940), just one of the new DVD releases of his films. (3 -- 5) no caption (Movie covers) Box: (1) 100 YEARS OF HOPE (see text) (2) On film, Hope springs eternal (see text) |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion