[Dixielandjazz] Bob Hope Tribute Story

[Richard Broadie]

I don't suppose that I have to inform you that Bob Hope died today.

A few months ago, my local paper requested submissions of Bob Hope stories
in celebation of his 100th birthday.  Bob has lived here part-time for over
50 years and many of us locals have encountered him many times.    This was
my story about one incident.

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In the mid-1970s, during a seasonal engagement as a musician at the Palm
Springs Tennis Club, I was informed by Mr. Chaddock, the owner, that our
band would be entertaining at a private party later that night. When he
mentioned the name, Bob Hope, I immediately suggested to the members of my
band that we quickly rehearse his theme "Thanks for the Memories" because of
its unusual and somewhat difficult bridge (the middle part of the song). The
other members insisted that they knew the song inside-out and that there'd
be no difficulty.

On the evening of this party, Mr. Hope appeared to be at a pivotal point in
his career. Being in his 70s, the NBC executives had suggested that he
retire because of age. The purpose of the party was for Bob to "prove" to
the NBC brass, including Mr. Sarnoff, that he, indeed, could still entertain
at a very high level. Most of the luminaries present had just been flown in
from New York to attend this event. As the evening progressed, Mr. Hope
presented a 20 minute stand-up routine that was very funny. In the ad-lib
department, that evening, Mrs. Hope did an outstanding job, indicating to us
that she certainly had the skills to act as a writer for her famous husband,
should she ever choose to do so. At the end of the evening, as I'd
anticipated, the band was asked to play "Thanks for the Memories."

As everyone was leaving, I overheard Mr. Sarnoff discussing the humorous
highlights. He agreed that Bob Hope was certainly funny enough to continue
with NBC for many more years (which proved to be the case). He indicated how
delightful Dolores Hope had been that evening. When asked what he thought
the funniest point of the evening was, Mr. Sarnoff said, "It was the band!
Did you ever in your life ever hear such a strange and uncoordinated bridge
to "Thanks for the Memories?" He was still roaring with laughter over our
inept presentation as he left the room. Incidentally, I have since learned
the bridge to that wonderful song.

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Mr. Hope  R.I.P.      Dick Broadie