Dear Diary,
I saw Bob in “They Got Me Covered” twice this afternoon. I still can’t figure out if it was the clothes, or if it was the truth, but Bob looked thinner, and believe it or not, younger. than he did in “Road to Morocco,” or even “Star Spangled Rhythm.” But come to think of it, it must be true, because Bob looked nice and “smooth” a couple of weeks ago–and I certainly got close enough to notice.
Once in the picture Bob picked up a cigarette box, and when he opened the lid, Bing Crosby could be heard crooning his theme song. Bob looked at the box unbelievingly, slammed the lid, and said, “That guy’s haunting me.” That carries on the policy of having Bing, or his voice, in Bob’s last four pictures. Monotonous, isn’t it? Uh-uh.
Dear Diary,
Lynne Overman, who has been ill with a heart ailment for several days, died last night. He has been in two pictures with Bob —”Caught in the Draft” and “Star-Spangled Rhythm,” the latter of which was his last picture. I saw Lynne and got his autograph late in 1939 when I was visiting Paramount Studios, and he has always been one of my favorite actors.
Dear Diary,
Paulette, Dottie, and Veronica were Bob’s guests tonight as announced, but they didn’t sing their “Star Spangled Rhythm” number. They had all been insulting Bob with such remarks as, “He’s such a wolf Paramount gave him a cave instead of a dressing room.” However, they decided to apologize. Each one kissed him, they they asked him how he liked it. He said, “Girls, I’m ashamed of you. This is meatless Tuesday, and you just cooked a ham. Bob did a skit with each of the girls. Since Veronica Lake plays with Alan Ladd in pictures, Bob was a gunman in his skit with her. In his death scent (naturally he got sho) he was so corny he stuck in a little note of his own. He said, “A-a-agh! They got me. I’m dying. (This is Alan Sadd.).” With Dottie he was Tarzan. Dottie told him to kiss her, but he said, “Kissing is baby stuff. Me Tarzan. Me no kiss. Me big man. Me big jerk!”
Dear Diary,
I saw in the paper today that Bob wants to go to North Africa to entertain the boys, and is looking for someone or something to replace him on his show while he’s gone.
The following article was in a new movie magazine that came out today: “In a scene for ‘Star Spangled Rhythm,’ Bob Hope had to say some lines into a telephone. Behind him on a couch lay a gigantic Great Dane. Suddenly, in the middle of the scene, Champ started panting violently. Bob’s dialogue was smothered by the sound. ‘ What goes on?’ he yelled to the sound man. “It sounds like one of my love scenes with Madeleine Carroll.”
Dear Diary,
Bob was broadcasting from the air corps gunnery school at Las Vegas tonight. His guests were David Butler, director of “They Got Me Covered,” and Lenore Aubert, who is in the same picture. Dave Butler also directed “Road to Morocco,” so Bob asked him who he thought was the better actor, Bob or Bing. David said, “Well, Bob, after we finished ‘Road to Morocco,’ I rushed over to your house to tell you about that, but you weren’t home.” Bob said, “Are you sure you got the right house” You know, Bing and I live next door to each other.” Dave said, “You mean I set fire to the wrong house”? Bob announced that next week his guests will be Dorothy Lamour, Paulette Goddard, and Veronica Lake, and added, “Oh boy, good old southern-fried Hope!” He also said that they will sing the number they did together in “Star Spangled Rhythm.”
Dear Diary,
I found out today why Bing and Bob didn’t have any scenes together in “Star – Spangled Rhythm.” The picture was being made while Bob and his gang were in Alaska. When they got back, Bob did his part, so naturally, he and Bing couldn’t have been in any scenes together. That’s the only thing the picture needed as far as I’m concerned. One of those routines they did on the Victory Caravan would have made the picture an epic, especially the act of the Presidents of the Fitch and Vitalis companies meeting on the street.
Dear Diary,
I’ve heard Bob on the air five times this month. Four times he was on his own show, and once I heard him on that transcribed fifteen-minute preview of “Star-Spangled Rhythm.” I also saw him in “Star-Spangled Rhythm” five times this month. (Five seems to be my lucky number:)
I hope to see “They Got Me Covered” soon, maybe not in February, but in March or April at the latest.
Probably the most important things that happened to my numbers one and two boy friends this month were the law suit against Bob and the burning of Bing’s home, respectively. Neither of these occurences were particularly welcome by either party, or am I just being a silly girl? But then why change this late in life?
I doubt very seriously that Bob’s sister-in-law will get anything out of that suit. And this may not be very nice, but I hope she does get something – a splitting headache. Anyway, I’ll find out about that next month. However, Bing’s trouble may be harder to remedy, but for some reason or other, Bing doesn’t strike me as being particularly dismayed. At least he can laugh about it!
Dear Diary,
I saw “Star Spangled Rhythm” today after school was out. It was rather late so I only saw it once. I heard more of Bob’s jokes today than I did yesterday, because there weren’t so many people there, and I could hear what everyone said.
Incidentally I made something of a record for myself in grades today. I’ve made nothing but A’s all year, even counting examinations. Last year, I made all A’s on my major subjects, but I made some B’s in music, which is fortunately a minor and doesn’t count on official records. I hope I can keep it up all through Sunset.
Dear Diary,
I saw “Star Spangled Rhythm” twice today. Bob was in it more than I had expected, which h didn’t make me the least bit mad. In three scenes, Bob was in his Paramount dressing-room. Later he was the master of ceremonies at a big variety show, and did a skit in the show himself.
Bing came on his program tonight yelling at the top of his voice. Ken Carpenter asked him why he was yelling. He said, “Oh, I forgot. I was on Hope’s show Tuesday and you have to shout on that show.” Later someone mentioned that there’s a terrific egg shortage in England. Like the little lamb he is, Bing said, “Oh, so that’s why they want Hope?”
Dear Diary,
I had my final examination in history this morning. I had the rest of the day off, so I came home and cut out pictures of Bob. Incidentally, I thought I’d have to wait until Saturday to see “Star Spangled Rhythm,” since I’ll be in school all day Friday. The Majestic changed to Thursday openings two weeks ago because of bookings for the Billy Rose show. They had planned to resume Friday openings this week, but I saw in the paper this morning that they’d decided to continue the Thursday opening policy for a while. That fixes things swell for me. I can go all day Thursday.
Dear Diary,
I got a picture of Bob from “Star Spangled Rhythm” today, which is very good since I have only four others so far. They’re almost as hard to get as a pound of butter, or maybe a tankful of gasoline.
Dear Diary,
I saw the preview of “Star-Spangled Rhythm” today. There were so many stars shown that none of them got more than a few seconds on the screen. Only the faces were shown, with the names below. Bob was squirming so and making such faces he looked like he was having trouble with his long flannels.
Dear Diary,
Bob, Bing, and eleven other stars of “Star Spangled Rhythm” were on a transcription on the “Show Time” program today. It was a preview of that picture, will will open at the Majestic Friday after next. It was short but cute.
Dear Diary,
I heard on the radio today that “Star-Spangled Rhythm” opens at the Majestic January 29. That’s just three weeks from today. I also saw in a magazine that “Bob Hope bathes in one of the screen’s most glamorous sunken tubs for a comedy scene in ‘Star Spangled Rhythm’.” Incidentally, I have a picture of Bob in that tub. He is surrounded by a miniature fleet, and he’s talking over the telephone.
This business of “Star Spangled Rhythm” being released before “They Got Me Covered” is bad for my record book. On every page I have the latter picture first, and in ink yet. Either I get a new book and do all that printing over (heaven forbid), or try some ink irradicator.
Dear Diary,
I got one picture from “They Got Me Covered” and one from “Star Spangled Rhythm today. I now have two from each picture. That isn’t many, I’ll admit, but it’s not bad considering the fact that neither picture will be release for months. At the rate they’re releasing Bob Hope’s pictures now, it may even be years. All right, so I am exaggerating.
Bing Crosby was pretty good tonight, but as usual Victor Borge wasn’t so good. If I were Danish and Victor told his little tales in that, his own, language, I’d probably like him a great deal, but I don’t like him now.
Dear Diary,
I heard Bob Hope on the radio twice in September, since he came back on the air the twenty-second. Oh happy day! I haven’t seen him in any pictures this month, but I’m waiting patiently for his last three pictures, “The Road to Morocco,” “They Got Me Covered,” and “Star – Spangled Rhythm,” to be released. Did I say patiently? Well, I didn’t mean it. I’m getting very impatient, and there’s no chance of seeing any of them in October either. Maybe Bob’s planning to stop making pictures for a while so Paramount is stocking up four or five pictures at once. At any rate there’s been a longer pause between “My Favorite Blonde” and “The Road to Morocco” than I can remember between any two pictures before. However, I’m looking forward to October as a month of bumper crops as far as Bob Hope and radio programs are concerned. He’d better be on at least one show other than his own, in order to make up for lost time in the movie field. But everything would be swell if he’d appear on Bing Crosby’s show just once, or vice versa.
Dear Diary,
I got several pictures of Bob Hope today. One of them was from “The Road to Morrocco,” as a lot of pictures of him are recently, one was from “Star-Spangled Rhythm,” and the other was of a Hollywood premiere. The caption under the last picture said, “Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour co-star on our side of the screen for a change.
From Movie-Radio Guide: “Bob Hope, while being fingerprinted for his Alaskan tour, was asked what he would do if the Japs broke in during one of his performances. ‘Why, it’s a cinch – I’d keep right on clowning. My act has been known to knock ’em dead!'”
Muriel Windham's Diary 