Did you know Bob Hope died 2 years ago according to this CNN obituary? More of those pretaped, prefabbed obituaries for television and web use. MSNBC already has a bunch of tributes going. Hope stayed with NBC his entire time, so its sorta expected the Peacock would be wringing its hands in mourning.
Just read this and you’re reminded that sometimes network news organizations have to come up with contingency plans just in case some celebrity dies.
Bob Hope? I remember his television specials with Brooke Shields and Phylis Diller. None of them were all that funny. Dry humor. I think he had a sorta emperor has new clothes wonder to it. While I was watching it as a little kid, I got Bob Hope mixed up with Bob Barker. So when they announced another Bob Hope TV Special, I was always disappointed. I really wanted to see Bob Barker since he was the personality that we all knew and loved. “A Brand New Car!” Bob Hope? My generation didn’t really know Bob Hope. I mean did he have any war tours to do in the 1980s? I didn’t think so. Bob Hope was conditioned for the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s.
I’m sure he was a good man. Doing all those USO tours and such. Still, I don’t know him. He wasn’t funny to me. So I’m not really concerned.
[Update]: CNN did use their prefabbed obituary originally designed 2 years ago.
[Update #2]: Bob Hope isn’t funny according to the Slate.