Elder Repub Bob Hope was Pro Gay Rights and Gun Control?

Oh, wait. He was still alive in 2003. For some reason, I thought he'd died in the 90s. So, perhaps he had an opinion on W.

Because he came from a time when there used to be a liberal wing of the Republican Party. Some very famous people from Old Hollywood were liberal Republicans (Cary Grant, Barbara Stanwyck.)

A couple years ago, Entertainment Lawyer did some vintage Bob Hope blinds referring to him as an "a-hole." One was about his homophobia, another about his womanizing.

[quote] Speaking of the a-hole mentioned in the Four For Friday, he once banned this A list mostly television actor who was one of the most popular actors and best singers of the 60s and 70's from troop tours. Why? He didn't want to be associated with a man who was sleeping with other men. Our actor was known for seducing male flight attendants. (Bob Hope/Jim Nabors)

[quote] She has always denied it, but this three named A- list actress/A+ list sex symbol did hook up with the perverted comic actor who grifted off troops and veterans for much of his later life while hitting on their wives while the soldiers were overseas. Mamie Van Doren/Bob Hope

I'm surprised this thread hasn't gone over a hundred responses. It's all DL catnip. I don't recall much discussion about Bob Hope of all the Golden Age actors we've covered over the years.

I’m not surprised Mami Van Doren thought he was miserable. Most comics are, unfortunately.

I performed for him & Mrs. H right before he became reclusive. Such a sweet man but a sliver of what he used to be. Loved supporting young comedians, but he wasn’t all there that night.

The times have changed. Now it is the other way round.

I don't think he was an advocate, per we. He got some heat from gay rights activists for some off-colored jokes he made. I can't recall what they were but they weren't Eddie Murphy-level offensive but more of the same Bob Hope innuendo crappy jokes he told on his TV specials. (For the twinks, gays were always the butt of the joke for comics and nighttime talk show hosts in the 80s.) However, unlike his contemporaries, Hope filmed a PSA telling viewers not to disparage gay people. The problem: there was no one to fund its broadcasting. So, as much of an ass as he might have been, he at least had the decency to admit he was wrong avd take steps to correct it, unlike, say... Johnny Fucking Carson.

In this Dick Cavett interview he comes across as homophobic several times. But could it just be Old School Queen ala "The Boys In The Band"? He certainly was bitchy.

Celeb men generally aren't married that long to old women: they trade their 60 in for a 30 at some point.

The parties were not organized strictly on ideological grounds until relatively recently. Southern Democrats were conservative and Northeastern Republicans were liberals.

For what it’s worth, I was a production assistant on the 1993 “This Is Your Life” reboot where Angie Dickinson famously refused to go through with the tribute. LOTS of other stories about that gig, but Bob Hope was one of the guests who was going to pay salute Angie (I think all he was capable of at that point was to come out and say, “Thanks for the memories, Angie!”), and his limo driver was instructed to take Bob straight home to Toluca Lake and not come to NBC, as he was heading over Laurel Canyon after having had dinner at Chasen’s with Ron & Nancy, so they weren’t totally estranged.

I saw Bob live one time. It was kind of a rough neighborhood I myself was armed. Fun times.

Hard to believe.

He was a Nixon lickspittle. Check him out here, starting at 3:35.

r11 - wait. what? Tell us more about the Angie Dickinson thing? She refused the This is Your Life treatment? Was it in front of an audience?

I saw Hope MC the Memorial Service for Cong. Claude Pepper’s wife Mildred at the Capitol. Barbara Bush, the VP’s wife then, spoke fondly of Mildred. Pepper was a liberal Democrat from Florida going back to FDR. It was a different DC back then.

Hope was so smarmy. It was the early 80’s, I think, and he was past his sell-by date then.

The PSA

For you, R15.

R15, yes. The “reveal” was in a separate studio, and there were 500 people in another studio at NBC. Burt Reynolds (I was drafted to go to his dressing room and break the news to him; he was having his toupee glued down), Jackie Collins, and Earl Holliman were all there… As I said, Bob Hope was en route. It was a total nightmare. Angie refused to see any of the guests (including her daughter, who later committed suicide), and everyone had to clear the hallways of NBC when Angie was driven out to her car. I snuck out and saw her be driven by; she looked very lonely. I remember Jay Leno sauntering over from his studio afterward, saying “What the HELL is going on over here?” He did a sketch about it the following night, showing scenes from “Big Bad Mama” with Angie wielding a machine gun. Sajak was an asshole. And poor Ralph Edwards was suffering from early dementia.

Conan and Letterman swap stories about how much Johnny Carson hated Bob Hope. Starts around 1:30.