... having used pa's clunky old argus and little jewel-like wittnauer festival, i was still surprised when he said to me, "you can take my petri up to the u.s.o. show" ... me—allowed to leave the house with his precious single-lens-reflex camera—i was breathless ...
... after a quick lesson in the use of the clip-on light meter (not shown in the photograph), i was off to one of island life's isolation breakers, the military's annual "bob hope u.s.o." show ... down at the football field where they staged the event, i snuck under the ropes and worked my way into the press section ... after a few minutes one of the military police (with whom i was quite familiar professionally, i must admit) came over to bust me ... as he started to grab my shirt to haul me away, one of the navy photographers turned to him and snarled, "leave the kid alone, he's with me" ... the sky cop started to respond, but after a quick glance at the rows of ribbons on the navy guy's chest he shut his mouth and wandered away ... i glanced at the little colored decorations, gulped, and very, very respectfully said, "thanks, chief" ... "no problem, kid, just make sure you look like you know what you're doing, okay" ... here, with my first use of a "modern" camera, a photograph of bob hope ...
... i loved his movies, but hope on stage i never found all that entertaining ... after the show, however, my friends and i got to hang out with ann margaret, whom i found to be one of the absolutely nicest people i've ever met ... as for the navy photographer, well, that was a most important photography lesson, one i've quite often been most appreciative he took the time to teach ...
... and, how odd, that almost a half-century later my current nikons are, in basic form and function, still pretty much identical to that now ancient petri ...
Thanks for the memory
Of sentimental verse, nothing in my purse
And chuckles when the preacher said, "For better or for worse"
How lovely it was
Thanks for the memory
Of Shubert's "Serenade," little things of jade
And traffic jams and anagrams and bills we never paid
How lovely it was
We who could laugh over big things, were parted by only a slight thing
I wonder if we did the right thing
Oh, well, that's life, I guess
I love your dress
Do you?
It's pretty
Thanks for the memory
Of faults that you forgave, rainbows on a wave
And stockings in the basin when a fellow needs a shave
Thank you, so much
Thanks for the memory
Of tinkly temple bells, alma mater yells
And Cuban rum and towels from the very best hotels
Oh, how lovely it was
Thanks for the memory
Of cushions on the floor
Hash with Dinty Moore
That pair of gay pajamas that you bought and never wore
Say, by the way
Whatever became of those pajamas?
We said goodbye with a highball
Then I got as high as a steeple
Did you?
But we were intelligent people
No tears, no fuss, hooray for us
Strictly entre nous
Darling, how are you?
And how are all those little dreams
That never did come true?
Awfully glad I met you
Cheerio and tootle-loo
Thank you
Thank you so much
RALPH RAINGER & LEO ROBIN
... bob hope would alter the lyrics of this song to bring to either laughter or tears, or both, the particular audience he was entertaining ...