Hope influences Jewish comedians

NATE BLOOM

Hope lives on

Bob Hope, of course, is not Jewish. However, I think it is appropriate, on the occasion of his 100th birthday, to pay tribute to a guy who has influenced many Jewish comedians, including Woody Allen (who frequently cites Hope as a major inspiration). Hope has also provided employment for a lot of Jewish comedy writers and composers over the years. Hope's theme song, "Thanks for the Memory," was written by the Jewish songwriting team of Leo Robin and Robert Rainger. The song was from a movie of the same title, written by the husband-wife team of Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett (who later wrote the play "The Diary of Anne Frank"). Jewish writers Norman Panama and Melvin Frank wrote one of Hope's best "road" pictures, "The Road to Utopia." There are many others I could add to this list.

Bob, sadly, is very frail these days. Bob's wife, Dolores, and his daughter now issue his public statements. A relative of mine did some public relations work for Mrs. Hope a few years ago. She met with Mrs. Hope and her daughter and described them as among the most gracious people she has ever met. Dolores Hope turned 94 last week, a day before Bob turned 100. Happy Birthday Bob and Dolores.

Buffy bites the dust

This month sees the end of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer," the hit show that was a teen fave and attracted surprisingly good reviews from the critics. Star Sarah Michelle Gellar may have been a role model for many teen-age girls, but she isn't a model Jewish celeb. Most celebs, when asked if they are Jewish, will answer "yes" or "no" and move on. Gellar acts like she is the subject of a demon attack. She was interviewed by Howard Stern and blithely answered questions about her sex life. However, when Stern asked her if she was Jewish she had to be browbeaten into an admission that she is "Jewish by birth" - but practices no faith. Last year, a dogged Israeli TV interviewer managed to get her to say that both her parents are Jewish. In other words, don't expect her to show up at any Hadassah meetings in the near future.

"Buffy" did feature, at various times, other Jewish actors who were happy to talk about their background. They included Seth Green, Amber Benson (Jewish on her father's side), Juliet Landau and Danny Strong.

Racing shorts

Tomas Scheckter, 22, of South Africa, led last month's Indy 500 field for 63 laps, and finished fourth. Tomas is the son of the great race car driver, Jody Scheckter, who was world champion Formula One champion in 1979. Last year, Tomas led Indy for more than 80 laps, until a crash forced him out. He was named Indy Class rookie of the year in 2002.

Racing horse trainer Bobby Frankel, 61, has been the hard-luck story of horse racing's Triple Crown. Frankel is considered by many to be the best trainer in racing, but he has never had a Triple Crown winner. His horses, Empire Maker and Peace Rules, finished second and third, respectively, in this year's Kentucky Derby. Peace Rules finished fourth in the Preak-ness, the second race of the Triple Crown, and Empire Maker sat out the race. Empire Maker is entered in the June 7 Belmont Stakes.

Tune in and see if Frankel's drought ends.

Bloom is the editor of www.Jewhoo.com

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