Muscatine

Bob Hope?

ON TURNING 70 ''You still chase women, but only downhill''.

ON TURNING 80 ''That's the time of your life when even your birthday suit needs pressing.''

ON TURNING 90 ''You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.''

ON TURNING 100 '' I don't feel old. In fact I don't feel anything until noon . Then it's time for my nap.''

ON GIVING UP HIS EARLY CAREER, BOXING ''I ruined my hands in the ring ... the referee kept stepping on them.''

ON NEVER WINNING AN OSCAR ''Welcome to the Academy Awards or, as it's called at my home, 'Passover'.''

ON GOLF ''Golf is my profession. Show business is just to pay the green fees.''

ON PRESIDENTS '' I have performed for 12 presidents and entertained only six.''

ON WHY HE CHOSE SHOWBIZ FOR HIS CAREER '' When I was born, the doctor said to my mother, 'Congratulations. You have an eight-pound ham'.''

ON RECEIVING THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ''I feel very humble, but I think I have the strength of character to fight it.''

ON HIS FAMILY'S EARLY POVERTY ''Four of us slept in the one bed. When it got cold, mother threw on another brother.''

ON HIS SIX BROTHERS ''That's how I learned to dance. Waiting for the bathroom.''

ON HIS EARLY FAILURES '' I would not have had anything to eat if it wasn't for the stuff the audience threw at me.''

ON GOING TO HEAVEN ''I've done benefits for ALL religions. I'd hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality

Now-

ya got me thinking about the oldtimers. Milton berl, Jack Benny, Red Skelton etc. When I was a wee snotball on winter eves I would play on the floor in front of the old Philco and listen to Jack Benny and others. They were all good. Bob Hope was special.

How many remember..

..the original ''Hollywood Squares'', with George Gobel, Charlie Weaver, etc. Those guys were hilarious. The original re-runs are rare, but worth watching.
How about Buddy Hackett on the Johnny Carson show? Fall down hilarious.

I remember listening to the 1950's radio shows in the evening with my Grandparents. My Grandfather used to laugh so hard he would cry at Jack Benny. He also liked the others like Fibber McGee & Molly, Bob Hope, etc.
I would listen to The Green Hornet, and Seargant Preston on our radio at home, and then ride my bike to my Grandparents house after supper to listen to his shows with him. I hope he's still laughing in heaven.
Quite a bit later, but still very funny was ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World'', one of the last movies with a few of the later old time comedians in it. I still crack up at Sid Ceaser, Johnathan Winters and Buddy Hackett in that movie.

Wow!

I was thinking about those comedians when I posted about Bob Hope. I think you nailed most all of them. As a teenager, I used to sit with my teenage friends and listen to them on the radio. Wish there were programs and comedians like this today. I really cracked up with ''whose on First'' with Abbot and Costello. There is one about them doing this routine about computers. Of course they never did but the writer created the script as if the did. If I locate it, I will post it.