Explanation of Bob Hope's Comedy Observations: April 1972 - Succeed through Studying History. Also refer to comedian, monologue, primary, Muskie, McGovern, Democrat, Nixon, Republican, Kissinger, Mitchell, China, Mao, Chou En-Lai, Soviet Union, Kosygin, Academy Awards, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions
Bob Hope's Comedy Observations: April 1972
by Ron Kurtus (23 June 2008)
Bob Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a legendary comedian and comedy actor, who was especially popular between the late 1930s through the 1980s. His comedy monologues made fun of historical political and entertainment figures of the day. These monologues provide a view of the historical events of the day, as well as what was important to most people and not necessarily academic historians.
The following 5-minute opening monologue was part of a Bob Hope Television Special show broadcast on April 23, 1972. Hope joked about the presidential primaries, Nixon's recent trip to China, and news about various popular entertainers. His comedy monologue gives a good idea of the historical events in 1972. I have included notes to explain the people and events.
Questions you may have include:
- What were Hope's observations on the Presidential race?
- What did he have to say about President Nixon's trip to China?
- What were his comments about various entertainers?
This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.
Bob Hope monologue
Thank you. I'm here tonight for Chrysler. I'm so glad they decided not to give up ham for Lent. +
Note: I am using the "+" mark to indicate audience laughter.
Tonight we are preempting Monday Night at the movies. So for all you Monday night at the movies fans who might feel cheated -- the butler did it. +
Remember the old days at the movies, when that referred to a murder? ++
Presidential race
I guess you all heard the news from New Hampshire. Mr. Nixon won the Republican nomination. Now there's a hot news flash. +
Note: Richard Nixon was running for his second term as President.
Wow, that's like saying the Jolly Green Giant is tall. +
Or that Dean Martin had a hangover. +
Note: Although he did not actually drink, singer Dean Martin presented himself as an alcoholic, always with a drink in his hand.
Or that Totie Fields has given up horseback riding. +
Note: Totie Fields was a short, chubby Las Vegas comedian
No, Mr. Nixon won easily. And he wasn't even campaigning, which just goes to show what a politician can do, if he keeps his mouth shut. +
Mr. Nixon was going to go to New Hampshire, but then he found out they didn't have a decent Chinese restaurant. +
Note: Nixon had recently returned from a trip to China, breaking the long-standing animosity between the two countries. The U.S. did not have diplomatic relations with Communist China since the end of World War II.
Actually, Mr. Nixon didn’t want to go to New Hampshire. After his trip to China, he wasn’t ready for another snow-job. +
Note: It was felt that the Chinese government probably was not forthright during the meetings.
And the Democratic primary was interesting. It was the first time that the candidates outnumbered the voters. +
Note: Hope favored the Republicans and showed his bias against the Democrats.
And did you see those pictures of Ed Muskie campaigning bareheaded in the snowstorm? He didn’t mind. The local papers kept him hot under the collar. +
The insiders felt that Muskie lost ground after that emotional outburst in front of that newspaper office. What a sight. Imagine Lincoln doing an impression of Betty Davis. +
Note: Senator Ed Muskie broke into tears after seeing his wife criticized by a right-wing New Hampshire newspaper. This resulted in his downfall in the race. Soon afterwards, he dropped out of the primaries.
And McGovern did all right. He found 12 new supporters. He brushed out his sideburns, and there they were. +
Note: Senator George McGovern ultimately won the Democratic nomination to run against Nixon. But he lost the election in a landslide.
But our Mayor Yorty ran exactly as predicted in the polls. Two votes behind the others and one vote ahead of undecided. +
Note: Yorty was mayor of Los Angeles. He never was a serious contender in the primaries.
But Yorty was magnificent in defeat. On a television interview he said, "Oh, was I running in New Hampshire?" +
No, Mayor Yorty blamed his defeat on the lack of smog. He's not used to running a campaign in a states where people can see him. +
Note: Los Angeles was known for its smog, which was a comic topic for many comedians.
Hollywood is divided. John Wayne is a Nixon man. Burt Lancaster is for Muskie. And Lassie hasn’t lifted a leg to help anybody. ++
Nixon's trip to China
No, President Nixon’s trip was an outstanding success. A recent poll states that he has a better than ever chance of being re-elected president in this country and a 40% chance of being elected president in China. +
Some conservatives fear that Mr. Nixon lost his shirt in China, but that's not true. Kissinger found the ticket and he's going back for it. +
Note: Henry Kissinger was the popular National Security Advisor in the Nixon administration. He later became Secretary of State. Also note that Hope's jokes about the Chinese would now be considered prejudicial, insensitive and politically incorrect.
And the Chinese look has influenced the glamour business. Girls used to come in to have their noses bobbed. Now, they want their eyes slanted. +
Senator Proxmire had a hair transplant. The rumor is that he's trying to raise a pigtail. +
Note: Proxmire was senator from Wisconsin. Also, around the turn of the century, Chinese men were required to wear pigtails. That tradition was obsolete in the 1970s, but Hope continued the image.
And you know a lot of Chinese customs have caught on here. You know how the Chinese bind women’s feet? Well John Mitchell tried it with Martha’s mouth. +
Note: John Mitchell was the U.S. Attorney General under Nixon. His wife Martha was known to be outspoken and would often be gossiping on the telephone.
Over there, they're all wearing a Nixon suit. That's one that's so tight that your arms pop up and goes like this. +
Note: Nixon famous gesture was two arms upright.
Jackie Gleason recently wore a kimono with a dragon on it. And that's redundant. Jackie's got more dragging than anybody. +
Note: Jackie Gleason was a popular, overweight entertainer, most famous for his Honeymooners television show.
The Chinese influence has even reached television. I turned on Bonanza and Hoss was riding a giant panda. +
Note: Hoss Cartright was a main character in the highly popular Bonanza western television show.
And have you seen than new commercial? I'm RuRu. Fry me to Frorida. +
Note: Hope makes fun of the way Chinese spoke English.
And how about the Russians blasting Nixon's trip to China? They said the whole thing was a phony trick to get Nixon re-elected. That's kind of silly. How may Red Chinese are registered Republicans? +
Kosygin was so mad that he wrote an article in Pravda calling Mao and Chou En-Lai a bunch of Communists. +
Note: Kosygin was Premier of the Soviet Union (USSR). Mao and Chou En-Lai were leaders of Communist China.
Entertainment
Hey, did you read where Liz Taylor just hit forty? I hope I look that good when I'm her age. +
Note: Elizabeth Taylor was a highly popular movie star. Hope was well over 40 at this time but still kidded about his age.
I remember seeing Liz at MGM when she was a lovely little girl, and I gave her a dime and said to call me when she grew up. +
Then that sneaky Eddie Fisher gave her a quarter. +
Note: Singer Eddie Fisher left his wife Debbie Reynolds to marry Taylor after her husband Mike Todd had been killed. Many fans were angry at Fisher because he left his wife. His singing career was basically ruined because of his actions.
But she certainly turned out to be an exquisite woman. It just goes to show what going to bed early can do. +
And Richard gave Liz a beautiful birthday party in Budapest. It was quite lavish. The Shaw of Iran was parking cars. +
Note: After Taylor divorced Fisher, she married British actor Richard Burton.
For entertainment, they did Ben Hur --- live. +
Note: Ben Hur was an popular movie in 1959, with a cast of thousands. It won several Academy Awards.
Four thousand guests flew in. Some by airplane. +
By the way, they just mentioned the Academy Award nominations. I only mention it, because there still are a few people interested in such trivia. +
Note: Hope had a running gag about never even being nominated for an Academy Award.
The nominations are out and the only two who are missing are me and Willard the rat. +
Note: Willard was an off-beat movie in 1971 about a boy who befriends a rat.
You read the list of nominees, and I'm not on it. And neither is Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Gregory Peck, or Cary Grant. It just shows that the academy is prejudiced against our type. +
Note: The actors mentioned were all handsome leading man. Hope was a talented comedy actor.
Here in Hollywood, it’s getting so that when George Scott walks in, they play Hail to the Chief, and when I walk in they play the theme music from Shaft. +
Note: George C. Scott won the award as best actor in the 1970 movie Patton. Also, Shaft was a 1971 adventure movie. But the word "shaft" has a double meaning.
I don't know how they missed giving President Nixon a nomination. They'll never top his performance when he led the standing ovation to the Revolutionary Ballet in Peking. +
Note: In 1972, the capital of China was known as Peking. A few years later, the Chinese said they preferred the correct pronunciation of Beijing.
And did you see Ann-Margaret in Carnal Knowledge? I was forced to --- for educational purposes. +
Note: Ann-Margaret was a sexy singer-actress.
I’m a student of birth marks. +
Up to now, no one has given her credit for her acting, but in this picture she really showed what she had. +
Note: Hope is talking about a nude scene in the movie.
Fiddler on the Roof fooled me. I thought it was Jack Benny trying to sneak past a room clerk. +
Note: Comedian Jack Benny was known for playing the violin and also for being very stingy.
Well I've been studying acting now and I have my part picked out for next year. I'm going to play the role of a 90 year old homosexual cop, with 3 Jewish daughters and I'm going to refuse to accept the Oscar. How about that? + +
Note: This is a comment on the direction of many of the latest movies.
Summary
Bob Hope's 5-minute opening monologue was part of his television special show broadcast on April 23, 1972. He joked about the presidential primaries, Nixon's recent trip to China, and news about various popular entertainers. Hope's comedy monologue gives a good idea of the historical events in 1972.
History can be funny
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Mini-quiz to check your understanding
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Bob Hope's Comedy Observations: April 1972