BOB Hope was greeted by a large and enthusiastic group of autograph-hunters when he arrived at Renfrew Airport in January 1956.
Over the previous few days he and Katharine Hepburn had been at Pinewood Studios, filming scenes for a Cold War romantic comedy known then as Not for Money but later released as The Iron Petticoat. (As related by the Hollywood Reporter in October 2012, there was a bitter feud between Hope and the film’s screenwriter, Ben Hecht, and the latter removed his name from the credits; the film was only a modest success upon its limited release, and disappeared, resurfacing in 2012 to be screened by Turner Classic Movies).
Evening Times writer Meg Munro waited for five hours at Pinewood to get a word with Hope, who was bound for Glasgow to star in the Roosevelt Memorial Polio Fund Ball at the Central Hotel. “This”, he told her, referring to the Glasgow engagement, “is a very special matter and, with the consent of the studio I’m only too glad to go to Glasgow for the Roosevelt Ball”.
He also had a soft spot for the city. “I like Glasgow. You know, I always think that the first impression you form of a place is the one that sticks with you, and the first time I appeared at the Empire [Theatre] in Glasgow I got such a wonderful reception that I can’t help thinking that your city is a pretty nice place”.
Part of the proceedings at the Central Hotel were televised at 10.55pm, just after the Winter Olympic Games Report, from Cortina, Italy, and before the Weather Report and closedown.
The Evening Times’s ‘Talk of the Times’ columnist noted that Hope had been nervous before the televised part of his cabaret show, but had delivered first-rate entertainment. His impersonation of an auctioneer had been a highlight.
At one stage he was auctioning a set of golf clubs.When the brisk bidding reached £500 he turned to one of his hosts and asked, “Are these fellows serious?”When the businessman Hugh Fraser topped the bidding at £600, Hope reminded him that the bidding was in pounds, not dollars, before handing over the clubs.
Hope’s starry presence made it a successful evening, resulting in the fund's bank balance increasing by £1,500. The televising of the cabaret had also helped raise its public profile.
Four years earlier, Hope, a lifelong golf enthusiast, had arrived at Renfrew Airport (main image), intending to play golf at Gleneagles. He was pictured with Betsy Duncan, the actor and producer.
Such was Hope’s love of and close involvement with the game that he was, in 1983, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The induction cites his quip: “It’s wonderful how you can start out with three strangers in the morning, play 18 holes and by the time the day is over you have three solid enemies”.
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