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CNN Live At Daybreak
Happy 100th Bob Hope
Aired May 29, 2003 - 05:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happy birthday, Bob Hope. The king of one-liners is 100 years old today. CNN's Charles Feldman puts it this way: "Hey, thanks for the memories, Bob."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB HOPE, ENTERTAINER: Now, who can blame Russia for wanting to be friends with Carter? They have all of our bread, but what good is it without peanut butter?
CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bob Hope is an American icon. Not bad for a kid born in England when the 20th century was new.
Leslie Townes Hope was born in 1903. When he was 21, Hope -- changing his first name to Bob, because he figured it looked better than Leslie on a marquee -- hit the vaudeville circuit. With vaudeville on the way out, Hope made the transition to Broadway in 1932.
It was in New York that he met his future bride, Delores Reade.
HOPE: George Murphy and I, we were (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on Broadway, "Roberta," and he said -- after the show one night, he said, "Do you want to hear a pretty girl sing?" And I said, 'Yes.' And he took me over to the Vogue Club and Delores stepped on the stage singing. And I said, 'Yes.' And it was just about four months later that we were married.
FELDMAN: The fame Hope found on Broadway made another medium find Hope. In 1938, NBC signed him to his very own radio series, "The Pepsodent Show," beginning a life-long relationship between Hope and the network.
But Hope's persona wasn't confined to the air waves. He became a motion picture star, teaming up with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour for seven "Road Pictures."
HOPE: Look, we've been taken around the world for five years now, always two jumps ahead of trouble, and I'm homesick.
FELDMAN: World War II would take Hope's career in yet another direction.
HOPE: It's good to be here at Osan Air Base, Korea.
Nice to be here at Oncave (ph). I'm very happy to be back here, Achookoochi (ph).
Happy to be here. I don't know where the hell we are, but I'm happy.
FELDMAN: Hope began entertaining troops. His relationship with the USO would last decades.
HOPE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) troops is an outstanding thing. I think so, because we traveled all over the world doing that.
FELDMAN: Any modern history of the White House is bound to include mention of Bob Hope. He was a friend of presidents -- Eisenhower, JFK, Gerald Ford. But he found a soul mate in another Hollywood personality, who went on to bigger things.
HOPE: You do. Well, I hope I look that good when I'm your age.
RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I hope I look that good when I'm your age.
FELDMAN: For many fans, Hope was best known for his television work, some 300 specials over 50 years that started with this one.
HOPE: This is Bob's first commercial television broadcast Hope, and I want to make this emphatic: If my face isn't handsome and debonair, please blame it on the static.
FELDMAN: So, what accounts for Hope's professional longevity? Phyllis Diller appeared with Hope in more than a score of TV specials and movies.
PHYLLIS DILLER, ENTERTAINER: He didn't work at anything. In other words, you know what I mean? He was enjoying it. It wasn't work. He loved it. And when you do something with love, it keeps you alive forever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired May 29, 2003 - 05:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Happy birthday, Bob Hope. The king of one-liners is 100 years old today. CNN's Charles Feldman puts it this way: "Hey, thanks for the memories, Bob."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB HOPE, ENTERTAINER: Now, who can blame Russia for wanting to be friends with Carter? They have all of our bread, but what good is it without peanut butter?
CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bob Hope is an American icon. Not bad for a kid born in England when the 20th century was new.
Leslie Townes Hope was born in 1903. When he was 21, Hope -- changing his first name to Bob, because he figured it looked better than Leslie on a marquee -- hit the vaudeville circuit. With vaudeville on the way out, Hope made the transition to Broadway in 1932.
It was in New York that he met his future bride, Delores Reade.
HOPE: George Murphy and I, we were (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on Broadway, "Roberta," and he said -- after the show one night, he said, "Do you want to hear a pretty girl sing?" And I said, 'Yes.' And he took me over to the Vogue Club and Delores stepped on the stage singing. And I said, 'Yes.' And it was just about four months later that we were married.
FELDMAN: The fame Hope found on Broadway made another medium find Hope. In 1938, NBC signed him to his very own radio series, "The Pepsodent Show," beginning a life-long relationship between Hope and the network.
But Hope's persona wasn't confined to the air waves. He became a motion picture star, teaming up with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour for seven "Road Pictures."
HOPE: Look, we've been taken around the world for five years now, always two jumps ahead of trouble, and I'm homesick.
FELDMAN: World War II would take Hope's career in yet another direction.
HOPE: It's good to be here at Osan Air Base, Korea.
Nice to be here at Oncave (ph). I'm very happy to be back here, Achookoochi (ph).
Happy to be here. I don't know where the hell we are, but I'm happy.
FELDMAN: Hope began entertaining troops. His relationship with the USO would last decades.
HOPE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) troops is an outstanding thing. I think so, because we traveled all over the world doing that.
FELDMAN: Any modern history of the White House is bound to include mention of Bob Hope. He was a friend of presidents -- Eisenhower, JFK, Gerald Ford. But he found a soul mate in another Hollywood personality, who went on to bigger things.
HOPE: You do. Well, I hope I look that good when I'm your age.
RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I hope I look that good when I'm your age.
FELDMAN: For many fans, Hope was best known for his television work, some 300 specials over 50 years that started with this one.
HOPE: This is Bob's first commercial television broadcast Hope, and I want to make this emphatic: If my face isn't handsome and debonair, please blame it on the static.
FELDMAN: So, what accounts for Hope's professional longevity? Phyllis Diller appeared with Hope in more than a score of TV specials and movies.
PHYLLIS DILLER, ENTERTAINER: He didn't work at anything. In other words, you know what I mean? He was enjoying it. It wasn't work. He loved it. And when you do something with love, it keeps you alive forever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
