Text 26044, 117 rader
Skriven 2015-07-09 20:10:25 av Lee Lofaso (2:203/2)
Ärende: Unfunny Funnyman
========================
Roger Nelson, thinking of times long ago,
wrote a message in the FN_SYSOP echo about
a character most people would rather forget.
I mean, think about it.  Did this character
ever say anything funny?

               -=-=-=-=-

On his death bed they asked him where he wanted to be buried.
His answer was, "Surprise me."

 If you remember Bob Hope, you'll really enjoy this.

I had forgotten that he lived to be 100, and also didn't realize
it has been over 11 years since he died. I Always enjoyed him, his
movies, and his show. He touched a lot of lives during his life.
Thought you might enjoy a bit of memory touching. Enjoy and recall
a neat comedian.

BOB HOPE IN HEAVEN
For those of you too young to remember Bob Hope, ask your
grandparents and thanks for the memories.

I HOPE THIS WILL PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART.

This is a tribute to a man who DID make a difference.

                      -=-=-=-=-

I am sure that Roger meant well by posting a few snippets
about Bob Hope, reminding sysops of some of the jokes that
were told.  But when you think about it, Hope was horrible.
One of the worst of all time.  I dare not even call the man
a comedian, because that would be insulting to all real
comedians, both the living and the dead.

I am not sure if Bob Hope ever said anything funny.  I
kind of doubt it.  When I think of comedians, some things
come immediately to mind.  Such as a gag a comedian
has played on others.  Jerry Lewis played a gag on Dean
Martin, making Martin think his tuxedo had been ripped
to shreds.  Martin got even with Lewis by gluing the
tires of Lewis' car to the street.  Gags by Milton Berle,
Woody Allen, John Cleese, Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, and
others also come to mind.  But I can't think of any
by Bob Hope.  Can you?  Can anybody else?

Hell, it seems to me that nobody can even come up with
a real joke for which Bob Hope could take credit.

So why should anybody think that Bob Hope was funny?

Well, his daughter Linda apparently thought he was funny.
She even wrote a book, "Bob Hope: My Life in Jokes".
This is a compilation of jokes, but not really jokes, as
most are merely barbs of politicians.  Not much different
than the kind of stuff one reads in Fidonet.

You know what I think?  Bob Hope was comedy for people
who have no sense of humor, but who were absolutely
determined to laugh so that others would know that they
"get it."  There just is no other way to explain it.

Network television employed lots of writers to come up
with jokes for Bob Hope.  But most of those jokes remained
in the vault, and as a result unused.  So Bob Hope's lack
of being funny cannot be entirely blamed on himself.

To his credit, Bob Hope did have a face that he could
successfully contort to make himself look funny, which
made at least some people laugh.  But he was never in
the same class with the big boys - such as Benny Hill
or John Cleese.  Not even close.  Those guys had it
all.  And I mean all.

Bob Hope never challenged an audience a day in his life.
He was not capable of it, having to keep it simple.  What
he did to keep an audience entertained is play it safe,
always going for that old stand-by favorite of his -
the smirk.  That's right.  The famous Bob Hope smirk.
That was his number one move.  If nothing else worked,
that was one thing Bob Hope could always count on -
The Smirk.

Bob Hope played only to one kind of crowd - two by
some counts - being a firm believer in English Only
(as a language).  That's right.  The only culture
that counts is Brit and Anglophile culture.  Never
mind the French, Scandinavian, Italian, African,
Asian, or any other culture.  If it wasn't English
or American it was worthless.

The USO concerts were the worst.  Bob Hope was
openly booed in Saigon by our men in uniform for
a reason, that reason being his being totally
unfunny.  That's right.  Our men in uniform, not
the gooks, were the ones who were booing.

Bob Hope's movies were not funny.  Bob Hope's joke
anthologies were not funny.  Bob Hope's jokes were
insulting by their very unfunniness.

Think about it.

Bob Hope always played the same character, which is
to say, Bob Hope.  Red Skelton had Freddie Freeloader,
showing the world what a real comedian is and what a
real comedian could do.  Bob Hope was a fool.  I can't
call him a clown because that would be insulting to
clowns.  I mean, it takes real talent to be a clown.
But calling Bob Hope a comedian?  Never.  Not even
remotely a comedian.

--Lee

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