|
Townhall Finance...
Obama’s No Bob Hope
by Bill Tatro
Please tell me I didn’t hear what I thought heard. Please tell me
the President of the United States didn’t say what I thought he said.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but did I just hear President Obama say that
he deserves five more years in office?
Many years ago my parents watched every television program in which Bob
Hope performed; it seemed they never missed a show.
In fact, my father had been entertained by Bob Hope on the front lines
during WWII.
My dad often talked about Hope bravely putting his life on the line in
order to entertain the troops.
In contemporary terms, no matter how sappy or predictable Hope
was, my father never failed to laugh or even cry right on cue.
But in my estimation, cues were Bob Hope’s problem. Whether it
was his weekly program, a special, or even entertaining the military,
it seemed there were cue cards everywhere.
It was very difficult for me to imagine a veteran performer not
remembering jokes that were told thousands of times or forgetting the
songs that had been sung forever.
Then it happened.
The light bulb went on, and I became keenly aware that Bob Hope was a
consummate professional.
I had the opportunity to see Hope in person at the Rochester, NY
Community War Memorial during the same week in which an LPGA tournament
was being held.
My seats were in such a position that not only did I see the stage in
the round, but I also observed all the cue cards that I thought Bob
truly needed in order to perform his show. However, as the show
started and songs were sung, stories relived, and jokes told, there was
something missing.
No cue cards.
It was at that moment that it seemed Bob Hope had read my mind as he
stated
“You may have seen some cue cards at my other performances. It’s
because I personalize my evenings for the people in the audience and I
can’t always remember everyone’s name. I am, after all, getting
up in age. So, if you’ll forgive me, I’d like to sing a song for
the girls of the LPGA, but I need some help. So, cue the cue
cards.”
He proceeded to sing “Thanks for the Memory,” inserting such names as
Nancy Lopez, Kathy Whitworth, Betsy King, and Sherri Turner.
As my heart melted, my bias against Bob Hope fell like sand at high
tide. Bob Hope didn’t need cue cards, he was a true professional.
Unfortunately, our President desperately needs a teleprompter and he’s
definitely not a pro. If he was a professional, he would have
remembered how many states there are in the union. In addition,
he also would have known that if re-elected he would only get four more
years and not the five years he now claims he needs.
To Bob Hope, thanks for the memories, with or without cue cards.
But for you Mr. President, keep the cue cards handy. The last
time I checked, the President of the United States only serves a
four-year term.
Read this and other columns at Townhall Finance
|
|
|
|
