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June 21, 2010
Remembering Bob Hope's Service
I LOVE ths scene with Bob Hope!!
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Remembering Bob Hope's Service
"Who was Bob Hope?"
To anyone over 35, that seems like such a strange question. Bob Hope, everyone knows, was one of the greatest American entertainers of the 20th century, and whose greatest public service was his decades-long commitment to U.S. troops all over the world for many decades, which earned him the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, among other honors.
And yet it's quite possible that a senior graduating from high school this month would scrunch up his face with a puzzled look over the question. It is why it was refreshing to hear that the Library of Congress has a new exhibit called "Hope for America: Performance, Politics and Pop Culture," drawn from the Bob Hope Collection, which was donated to the Library by the Hope family in 1998.
Unfortunately, as with so much that affects our popular culture, this man's legacy is also an excuse to unveil a leftist political agenda, the likes of which Hope would be the first to denounce.
On display are items from Hope's personal papers, joke files, films, and radio and TV broadcasts. This exhibit really makes you feel that the 20th century was more like distant history. It follows that it would be educational to walk students through exhibits like this to give them information that we older people have deeply ingrained in our memories.
Alan Gevinson, the Library of Congress exhibit curator, told CNSNews.com that Hope's daughter Linda and son Kelly have seen the exhibit and approved of it. But that doesn't mean a Bob Hope fan wouldn't expect more than this.
Unfortunately, this exhibit seems to consider Hope merely an excuse for a much broader exhibit sprawling all over a myriad of topics. It gives the impression that what the library calls its "treasured" Hope Collection would fit in about three boxes. Much of its Hope Collection material is contained in the very back of the exhibit space in dimly lit corners where it's hard to even read the exhibits.
Instead, the first thing a visitor would notice and absorb is the video presentation, hosted by Comedy Central star Stephen Colbert. Think of all the archival television material they could use to showcase Bob Hope entertaining the troops, and remembering all the stars who generously donated their time to bringing the home front to the war front, especially at Christmas time. But the Library of Congress displays its boredom with Hope in the interests of a broader topic. But while they broadened the subject, the exhibit didn't have the slightest whisper of interest in who's been entertaining the troops in the last few decades, and honoring them.
Instead we get Colbert, in his usual self-absorbed shtick, showing clips of himself joking with Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton: "Why are you undressing me with your eyes now?"
The library's bureaucrats found room for a section touting "Government Support for the Arts," and how "federal support for the arts remained unrealized until the twentieth century," with the founding of the National Endowment for the Arts. There was no space for debating the wisdom or the controversies of that agency.
But there was space for debating Bob Hope. A letter is on display written by feminists who claim they want to stage their own U.S.O. show, since Hope was an incorrigible sexist. "Since this is a counter-U.S.O. show, we think that the script should have none of the sexist scenes in it that Bob Hope specials have, dancing girls or any portrayal of Women (sic) being inferior to men (which they aren't)," the feminists declare.
Political correctness seems to overwhelm the supposed exhibit topic of "American comedians commenting on the political scene in satires that have entertained and rattled the political establishment." In the video, Colbert proclaims Hollywood movies "draw the nation's attention to matters of urgent importance," with scenes shown from the union-glorifying film "Norma Rae" and the movie "Milk," Sean Penn's portrayal of a slain gay San Francisco city councilman.
Under the title "Causes and Controversies," exhibit highlights include video footage of Jane Fonda visiting North Vietnam, the polar opposite of Bob Hope. There's an exhibit on "A Climate of Fear," how "the entertainment industries suffered greatly" from McCarthyism.
This isn't about comedians or satire at all.
In this exhibit in our nation's capital, Bob Hope deserves better than to be treated as a mere introductory point to shoehorn in every other political controversy of the last century.
An unabashed Republican, Hope bent backward to keep politics out of his performances when entertaining troops or doing anything as an "ambassador" of the United States. It's why he was beloved by people in both parties. If people wanted today to find a role model for national unity and civility, they could no better than that.
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Wild Thing's comment........
Bob and his wife Dolores were wonderful. They were real and truly loved America and our troops and Veterans.
Every time liberals get their hands on anything they try to destroy it. Especially history the way they re-write it, and to do anything that is less then praise of Bob Hope really ticks me off.
No other way to say it, Colbert and the feminists can kiss my ass!!!!
Thank God there was a Bob Hope. I cherish my memories of him.
......Thank you RAC for sending this to me.
RAC has a website that is awesome. 336th Assault Helicopter Company
13th Combat Aviation Battalion - 1st Aviation Brigade - Soc Trang, Republic of Vietnam
Posted by Wild Thing at June 21, 2010 07:47 AM
Comments
When you said, Colbert the first thought to pop into my mind was Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable but no such luck.
But these leftist screwballs ruin everything. How can anyone think they can imporve on old Ski-nose, Bob Hope. He did something that they can never do and that was his love for America. And everything it stands for and I think still does, we just got some pretenders who think they have a clue when the truth is they don't.
Yeah, Bob , 'like democrats'. The Road to, movies were pretty good too, Dorothy Lamour and Bing Crosby. He is an American Icon. Nobody can take that away from us, at least those of us who remember him. I'm afraid Chrissie all the good ones are gone, what a pity
Posted by: Mark at June 21, 2010 12:42 PM
Wild Thing is our HOPE in 2010! Nick married very very very well!!
Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at June 21, 2010 02:20 PM
Ditto Darth :):)
What other Englishman did so much for this nation and it's troops?? Re writing history to fit the Communist agenda, that is what defines the Dhimmicrat!!!
Posted by: Jack at June 21, 2010 03:47 PM
I was stationed at Norton AFB, Ca when Bob Hope flew in on a C-141. I was riding launch truck and brass wouldn't allow us near the plane as we were just enlisted pukes. The only enlisted ones at the aircraft were the ground crew who were parking and recovering the jet. The brass and local VIP's formed a receiving line to welcome Bob as he got off the aircraft. When he got off the aircraft, he left them there standing as he walked around the aircraft and shook the hands of every grease covered maintenance specialist working the aircraft. Then with his hands covered in grease and fuel, he proceeded down the welcome line of VIP's. It's no wonder the enlisted men and women loved him and would do anything for him.
Posted by: BobF at June 21, 2010 07:20 PM
Mark, hahaha that is so funny. I agree Mark two of the great ones, Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable. Yes the really good ones are gone. They really were different then what is out there today.
Darth, blushing.....
Jack, ditto that, the re writing history is unforgivable.
BobF.. wow thanks for sharing about that, how awesome. I love hearing stories like that.
Posted by: Wild Thing at June 22, 2010 12:43 AM
