Hope Springs Eternal University Club welcomes back Speaker John Kenrick 46 North Shore Towers Courier n December 2016 by Vicki Mazel On Thursday, November 16th, under the leadership of Shirley Wershba, the University Club, held a special program, presented by John Kenrick, noted film historian, author and teacher at NYU’s New School and Marymount College. His subject? Bob “Thanks for the Memories” Hope. A popular speaker among NST residents, Kenrick is often cited in the press and has been interviewed on both national and international TV and radio programs, and it’s not surprising why when you attend his engagements. Whether discussing a revered show business legend or politics on celluloid, the spirited speaker brings his subjects to life. His audio-visual presentations combine archival photos, film clips and music, with fascinating details, surprising facts and an animated style that captures and entertains the audience. On this evening, Kenrick traced Hope’s life from his 1903 birth in England and family’s emigration to Cleveland, Ohio, to the entertainer’s emergence as a comedian, singer, dancer, actor and patriot, his rise to stardom and how he changed the face of comedy through the years. As a youngster, Hope discovered that humor got him attention. The popular story he wove and promoted throughout his life of having descended from English royalty could not have been further from Hope’s true humbler beginnings of being the son of a stone mason. He spent most of his early educational years in reform school and was a high school drop-out, another secret he kept throughout his life. His mother encouraged him to go into vaudeville, the basis of show business in the 20’s. Soon, Hope was starring on stage in such prominent Broadway shows as 1933’s Jerome Kern/Otto Harbach musical,“Roberta,” alongside future film stars Sydney Greenstreet, Fred MacMurray and George Murphy. In 1936’s “Red, Hot and Blue!,” he took third billing behind stars Jimmy Durante and Ethel Merman and introduced Cole Porter’s “It’s De-Lovely” as a duet with the latter stage queen. In 1934, Hope’s film career got off to an inauspicious start with “Going Spanish,” which was uniformly panned by critics. His second, however, “The Big Broadcast of 1938,” starring W.C. Fields and Martha Raye, was a great success. But it was the entertainer’s singing of “Thanks for the Memory” with Shirley Ross, which stole the show and indelibly linked the tune to the star. The University Club audience responded with great enthusiasm as Hope’s improvisational style, adlibs, wisecracks and facility with a line found its way into films. The “Road” pictures he made with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour were highly successful, the first of which, 1940’s “Road to Singapore” earned $1.5 million at the box office, an impressive amount at the time. He and Bing had styles that suited each other with Lamour providing the perfect foil. There were seven such pictures in all. Two, 1942’s “Road to Morocco” and 1946’s “Road to Utopia,” were the highest grossing films of their years, earning a respective $4 and $5 million at the box office. Part of Kenrick’s appeal is the delightful tidbits of trivia he peppers his presentations with. This evening’s talk was no exception. On Hope’s perfecting the art of “MC-ing,” he revealed the erstwhile host’s habit of hiring hecklers for his gigs to get an audience to side with him. His brashness provided a new way for comedians to express themselves, making him a pioneer in early comedy. Such lines as “Long dresses don’t bother me; I have a good memory,” put him on the cutting edge, and his daring verbiage made him very successful. Club members recalled Hope with fondness from his NBC radio days with Jerry Colonna. Hope spent 17 years on radio, preferring monologues over the traditional sketch comedy performed for the medium by everyone else. It was his success that caused the emergence of the comic form as de rigueur for variety shows today. He acted as Master of Ceremonies for the Oscars a record 19 times, once famously quipping, “The Academy Awards… or how it’s known in my house: Passover!” Military shows, which he started doing in 1941 (without pay!) provided Hope with the greatest contribution by any entertainer of the 20th century. Troop shows were wildly popular, and club members reminisced as clips were shown of Hope entertaining during different wars. He set a new standard for public service, performing more than 250 benefit performances a year up until 1980, when at the “young” age of 77, he slowly began decreasing his workload. His patriotism was rewarded by friendship from eleven presidents and a medal of honor. His legacy of humor, public service, and commitment to the country provided a wonderful evening at the Towers. Many thanks to University Club President Shirley Wershba for her continued efforts to provide memorable events for the members. SAVE THE DATE: DECEMBER 15 7:30 in the large card room by the cinema entrance MEET LEGENDARY BROADCAST JOURNALIST AV WESTIN AV Westin is one of the most important figures in broadcast journalism. He began his career, working for CBS Radio News in 1947, while still in college at New York University. He returned after graduation in 1949, and was, among other things, Edward R. Murrow’s copy boy. During his early years at the network, his mentors included CBS President Fred Friendly, creator of the television news documentary, and distinguished news journalists Charles Collingwood and Eric Sevareid. His lifetime of work in the industry includes 20 years as a radio and television journalist for CBS, two years in Public Broadcasting, serving as Executive Producer of “ABC Evening News,” creating alongside Roone Arlidge “World News Tonight”, and developing “20/20” while Vice President for program development for ABC News. He has received countless accolades and awards, including 6 Emmys and 4 Peabodies. University Club President Shirley Wershba and Speaker Extraordinaire John Kenrick stand before an image of the subject du jour, Bob Hope! Photo by Stephen Vrattos
NST122016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above