Salute to veterans bringing Bob Hopeless and friends in USO-style show

Bob Hope, legendary entertainer of American military personnel, has been credited with boosting troop morale starting in World War II with his USO tours featuring first-rate entertainment, including humor and beautiful women – lots of beautiful women.

From his first USO show in 1941 at March Field in Riverside to the last one in 1990 in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, Hope’s aim was to make folks laugh and forget the rigors of war, at least momentarily.

Since his death in 2003 at age 100, his memory has lived on.

On Thursday, Dec. 21, it will be revived at Laguna Woods Clubhouse 5 by the Theatre Guild’s staging of “Holiday Salute to Veterans,” a USO-style variety show starring Bob Matonti as host Bob Hopeless.

Bob Hopeless, you say?

“It’s a humorous takeoff on the real guy,” Matonti said. “People will realize very quickly that I am not Bob Hope—he’s a hard act to follow. I wanted to honor Bob Hope by not being him.”

Written by Barbara Powell and directed by Donna Valenti, the show will offer comedy, singing and dancing – but no drama – with material going back to World War II, Korea and Vietnam, Powell said.

“It’s a unique show. The first act … centers on World War II, the Andrews Sisters, for example, and the second act will feature music and comedy from Korea and Vietnam,” she said. “We wanted a little something for everybody, to keep it light and fun and get as many people involved as possible.”

Calling herself a child of the ’60s, Powell said she was drawn to the show’s time frame.

“I grew up with the music from World War II through my parents,” she said.

She credits Matonti with coming up with the concept and pitching it to her after she wrote last year’s Christmas show.

“He had done M*A*S*H-type shows with friends and neighbors, variety shows to use as fundraisers, and wanted to do something like that for Christmas this year,” Powell said.

Hence the show was created as a fundraiser for veterans and ultimately was designated by the Theatre Guild’s board, which includes Vietnam veteran Al Hicks, to raise funds for the Fisher House near the Veterans Affairs hospital in Long Beach.

Fisher House operates similarly to the Ronad McDonald house where patients under treatment can stay free accompanied by loved ones.

Calling the show a “trip back in time,” Matonti said he did a lot of online research about USO shows.

“I watched a lot of Bob Hope videos, and I am a World War II history buff,” he said. “Some of his jokes were incorporated into the show, but I will not copy him but be inspired by him.”

Matonti said that for him and many seniors like him, acting can be a bit scary at first, but it also turned into a lot of fun.

“I am back in the schoolyard with my friends and have fun and just play,” he said. “Since I retired five years ago, I’ve become in awe of the talent here in Laguna Woods. We have a lot of talent on stage, backstage, in advertising and techies. I could thank so many people.”

Director Valenti is a newbie at the Theatre Guild.

“This is only my second shot at directing, but Bob and Barbara said that I ought to try this,” she said, adding that she has a degree in directing from Cal State Fullerton, where she studied Shakespeare.

She unabashedly draws out the maximum from her actors.

“We wrongly assume that older people can’t do certain things, but I want to set the bar higher,” she said. “Once people achieve something beyond their normal, the world opens up to them. It makes life more interesting.”

Valenti admits that doing comedy as well as singing and dancing is a challenge.

“Timing is so important. I have to work with people over and over—I have to push people beyond their comfort zone,” she said. “I push people beyond their boundaries, and I push myself beyond expectations. I smile a lot.”

As for the trip back in time, she said she stayed true to the costumes, music and scripts of each period.

“Each era has its own time frame and character, but people have always been the same,” she said. “I can bring any time back to the present. My goal is both to make things universal and also bring back the actors’ and audience’s memories of the time.”

Valenti said she hopes the show raises a lot of money for veterans and for Fisher House; she herself stayed at the Ronald McDonald House when her brother had cancer 30 years ago.

“I am hoping to make this my Christmas gift to the vets,” she said.

“Holiday Salute to Veterans” is open to Laguna Woods residents and their guests only. It takes place Thursday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m. in Clubhouse 5, with theater-style seating and a GRF bar. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at TheatreGuildLW.com. All branches of the armed forces will be celebrated. Further donations are welcome. Contact Barbara Powell s2do@comline.com.