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DOLORES HOPE
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She was a warm, generous
person--and lots of fun!
of TheColumnists.com
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Dolores Hope, the widow of superstar comedian Bob Hope, died Sept. 19 at her home in Toluca Lake, CA, at age 102. Our Columnist Ann Jillian knew Dolores quite well and in this column expresses her personal sorrow at the loss of her friend and shares her memories of Dolores with us. |
I loved Dolores Hope. She was a good woman. She was playful and benevolent, warm and talented, courteous, patient, and wise. I know because I had the honor of witnessing, first-hand, all of those qualities in action over the years.
When I was a young actress with a successfully developing career, Bob Hope, Dolores' husband, played an important hand in the process. As a frequent guest on his programs and the opening act for many of his personal appearances, I soon was invited to some of the Hopes’ celebratory events. I'm 61 now, but I still feel the excitement I felt when I received those invitations.
Soon, I got to know Dolores. She made me feel very welcome and loved.
Bob had asked me to join him on two of his USO trips overseas, one in the Christmas of 1983, performing for the U.S. Fleet off the shores of Beirut, Lebanon and the Persian Gulf. The other trip was his final one--in 1990 in the “Desert Shield” operation in Saudi Arabia before “Desert Storm.”
When they were arranging that last trip,
they the USO troop to split up, with some of the performers traveling
via commercial airline to Bahrain while Bob, Dolores and his
staff went to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before joining the rest of
the troop in Bahrain.
I always felt that Bob was “charmed,” so traveling
without him as a lucky charm worried me. I said I would go if
my husband and I could fly in with Bob. The request was granted,
and Andy (Murcia) and I were on our way with Bob under the protection
of our great military, along with Bob’s “charm”.
There were only two women performers allowed on this flight into Riyadh: Dolores and yours truly. Dolores and I spent hours upon hours talking, laughing, playing cards, and singing old and new songs until we could no longer remember any more lyrics.
She had a lovely, mellow voice and an especially
pleasing delivery. Our home for the long hours ahead of us was
a “VIP Capsule” made from a luxury RV that was soundproofed
and installed within the huge military transport plane for the
flight.
Everyone was growing exhausted on this long flight, including
my husband, who had rested his head on the table. Dolores tapped
him on the arm and whispered he should get some sleep on Bob’s
bed. Bob hadn’t slept in it yet. Andy gratefully declined
not wanting to keep Bob from using his own bed. But Dolores insisted
and Andy finally gave in.
Of course, as soon as Andy fell asleep, Bob showed up, ready for a nap. Dolores and I felt badly, but it did look like a bit from an old comedy movie and we had a great laugh.
We were pretty good at shopping together too. I remember when we shopped at the military base in Rota, Spain. Dolores said the store there had a great selection of Lladro porcelain. We both scurried into the shop and while something caught Dolores’ eye, I went straight to the Lladro counter a couple of minutes before she got there.
When she did arrive I had already purchased a beautiful Madonna statue. Dolores collected Madonna statues and seeing mine, she wanted one like it. We stood there listening to heated whispers in the storeroom for what seemed to be forever, when one of the saleswomen came out and sheepishly announced that I had the last one. The tension was palpable. Dolores and I stood there staring at each other and then burst out laughing. She wouldn’t think of separating me from my newly acquired Madonna. She gave me a hug, kissed my cheek and ordered everyone to carry on with the shopping because we were running out of time.
In 1992, on the occasion of the birth of my son, Andrew, she sent a beautifully engraved silver picture frame from her and Bob, one that my son will treasure with his family as our family does now.
Dolores also fell in love with the July 1992 Good Housekeeping magazine cover my son and I were on, and asked for a copy of the picture. She called my husband saying it looked like a modern day Madonna holding her son and would be a beautiful addition to her collection of Madonnas. I was so honored. When we visited her at her home she showed us where she had it displayed. I was so touched. She made me feel like family.
There were other evenings we shared, such as “Italian night” (she was Italian) at their fabulous home in Palm Springs, a space-ship-like modern home tucked high in the craggy hills overlooking the California desert. So many well-known people from various professions were there; the world of politics mixing with those from entertainment (the old guard and the new), sports, and the military. Everyone shared a laugh, a drink, a story, milling around a massive fireplace big enough to house an entire trunk of a tree as the “log”. The evening ended in song by the piano, with offerings from a few of us, and Dolores wrapped it up, a beautiful way to end the evening. Dolores floated effortlessly through it all.
I feel privileged to have been invited
to share moments of her private time as well as her public time.
The festivities held for the debut of her album that she recorded
at the age of 83, for example, was an event to remember. She
looked beautiful and energized.
Rosemary Clooney and other legendary names were in attendance.
All showed their genuine affection for Dolores. I think of a
quote she gave to the music trade magazine Billboard.
She said that if her CD “… inspires others to know
that there should be no age limit to pursue their dreams,"
then her CD is a hit.
Dolores was a very devout Catholic. She and Bob were very generous to many causes. There is a beautiful chapel dedicated to Our Lady at St. Charles Borromeo Church, not far from Dolores and Bob Hope’s Toluca Lake home. Dolores was the benefactress.
If I could speak to Dolores now, I would tell her this: "I will miss you, Dolores. You were a sweet and special lady and you have given me precious memories. Thank you. Tell Bob I miss him and thank him too…the two of you were the best."
On behalf of my family, I offer my deepest condolences to the Hope family.
©2011 by Ann Jillian
Murcia. The color photo is courtesy of People.com. This column
first posted Sept. 26, 2011.
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