Fresh from his motion picture successes The Cat and the Canary (1939) and The Road to Singapore (1940), he was well received, and when the United States joined World War II in December of that year, he resolved to work with the USO to bring more shows to service members. Hopes work with the USO in support of the U.S. military paved the way for the many other entertainers who have followed in his footsteps and continue to lift the spirits of our military community today. Get to know the legendary Bob Hope and his 50 years of work with the USO entertaining troops through these rare 11 photos from the USO archives. United States Congress conferred the unique honor of being an honorary veteran on Bob Hope in 1997. All these other families have their dads home for Christmas, Linda said. Ann-Margret. During the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and again when the Korean War began in 1950, Hope joined the USO to support the men and women of the US Armed Forces. After seven years and nearly 6,000 hours of volunteer service to her credit, Terry Grimes has no plans to slow down. The legendary entertainer dedicated his talents to our service members by bringing a bit of home wherever he went. The USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD). The words thank you are simply not enough when we talk about all Bob Hope did for the troops and the USO. Programs for Service Members and Their Families. Another guy named ski let me take his spot as he had seen it the year before. By 1954, Hope started taking his show overseas to record its holiday episodes. Photo credit Naval Surface Warfare Center Corona, Hope hosted a special recording of the Pepsodent Show,, reluctantly beginning to appear more regularly on television, service members returning home from Korea on the USS Boxer, USO Bob Hope Christmas Show experiences, his 1970 holiday broadcast still stands as one of the most popular television episodes, final Bob Hope Christmas Show from Vietnam was recorded in 1972, stole the show with her performance of White Christmas, Veterans Share Their Memories of Bob Hope USO Christmas Shows, A New Look at Bob Hope: 11 Rare Photos from the USO Archives, USO Shows In Prose: Entertainment During World War II, Programs for Service Members and Their Families. Bob Hope's first radio show for the U.S. Armed Forces was broadcast from March Field in Riverside, California. Here's a look at 10 of the greatest performers to grace the USO stage. Over a 50-year span, Bob Hope entertained American troops overseas. After the conclusion of World War II, Hope continued his film career and successfully made the transition to television. It was this USO trip that inspired Hope to begin his tradition of entertaining the military community during the holiday season. But Hope and his USO gangs presence on the tiny island was about much more than entertainment. Text STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Fun fact: After 1948, Hopes radio show changed names to The Bob Hope Show. Over the next few decades, his various specials on television and radio would fall under several names and iterations of this new show name. I got up and went to the cockpit and made a speech to the boys and then I sang, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. It was very poignant to me. In the past decade alone, the USO has sent big-name stars like Scarlett Johannsen, Chris Evans, Daughtry, Elizabeth Banks, Ray Allen, Wilmer Valderrama, Meghan Markle, Dianna Agron and more to brighten the faces of deployed military members today. Joining him on this trip were entertainers Rosemary Clooney, Brooke Shields, Les Brown and his band, LaToya Jackson and Miss Universe 1990. He came up with the idea of finding out who were the officers and what were the situations at the various bases and built his monologues about those particular things. Soon after, he began traveling overseas to visit troops in the European and Pacific Theatres. He worked with Raquel Welch, Ann-Margret, Connie Stevens, The Golddiggers, the US Navy offered Hope a commission at the rank of lieutenant commander, he was awarded honorary Oscars multiple times. Joining Hope on the tour were Jerry Colonna, Jayne Mansfield, Dorothy Provine, Anita Bryant, Rosemarie Frankland, Onnie Morrow and Les Brown and his band. (mostly waiting to go to Vietnam. Every day, Americas service members selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free. The Tradition of Bob Hope Christmas Shows and USO Visits The namesake of our organization, Bob Hope was a legendary American entertainer, actor, showman, comedian and philanthropist. Vicki Lawrence. Christmas at the Hope house in Toluca Lake, California, usually meant one thing: Dad was gone. Although comedy and the U.S. military had changed a great deal since that first show in 1941, Hope was still delighted to do what he did best: bring laughter to service members just when they needed it most. Provide food and supplies to veterans at The Veterans Site for free! He loved to joke about sex and women: Theres still a great need for the USO. Although Hope hosted his last USO tour in 1990 and his final holiday special, Hopes for the Holidays, in 1994, the tradition he began of entertaining service members during the holidays still continues at the USO. USO stars who entertained troops in Korea during and after the Korean War: Frankie Adams - female ballet, soft shoe, and tap dancer (Her stage name was Kathy Bryan. Required fields are marked *. I guess its kind of special to me, like having a grandchild, she said in a UPI story. On that island it was 113 degrees every day, said Ronning, now 63 and a former mayor of Appleton, Minnesota. Comedian. But among the more than 180 USO locations around the world, two of the newest were built specifically to address the needs of wounded, ill and injured service members and their caregivers. Bob Hope, Raquel Welch, Elaine Dunn, Miss World Madeleine Bel and Barbara McNair head out on the December 1967 Bob Hope Holiday Tour. Ann Oldenburg is a Washington area-based freelance writer and former Washington Post and USA Today writer. Imagine those guys thanking me! Fort Irwin, CA, 92310, USO/Family Service Center So he would rearrange the schedule., Traveling on USO tours with Hope is an experience Shields, 50, said shell never forget. On May 6, 1941, he performed his first USO Show at March Field in Riverside, California, to do a radio show for the airmen stationed there. It was pretty awesome, frankly.. Maggie helped everybody she could in Vietnam, Tom Squier, a veteran and a friend of Rayes, told Soldiers Magazine. Im not sure he touched them in the same way that he did in World War II, she added, wistfully. The Andrews Sisters. Vietnam War Bob Hope Show Photo, The Adventures of Bob Hope Certified Guaranty Company (CGC) Comics and Graphic Novels & TPBs Not Signed, Long Beach, CA 90802. The beloved Bob Hope USO Shows. The appearance of DoD visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. Then wed go to the next place. Raquel Welch teamed up with Bob Hope and others in 1967 and traveled to Saigon, Vietnam, to perform a TV special. It was a collaboration that forever linked the names Bob Hope and the USO, giving both a new visibility, respect, and recognition. This tradition began in 1941, when he performed a radio show at March Field in Riverside, California. Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope KBE, KC*SG, KSS (May 29, 1903 - July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, and entertainer. It was a ritual to see him off, and when he came home itd be the same thing all over again, she said. I was 19. Thank you. Be the first to learn about news, service member stories and fundraising updates from USO. Bob Hope entertained Americans for decades, but his most impactful shows were for soldiers deployed overseas during the holidays. Lot of 6 VHS tapes sold as used blank pre-recorded, Bob Hope USO Shows: Condition: Good. View military histories of over 2 million, If you are a veteran, reconnect with people. VIETNAM BOB HOPE USO SHOW Limited Edition Art Print - $46.78. Twentynine Palms, CA 92278, Stop by our USO booth at the So Cal Air Show! However, it was Hope and the USOs Bob Hope Christmas Shows during the Vietnam War that truly solidified this tradition of holiday entertainment. Here, on December 26, 1987, Hope performs at a USO show aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Okinawa. Text STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Hopes holiday specials, a tradition started in 1950 on NBC, also became part of his commitment to the USO. That Christmas Day, It was raining, pouring rain before the show. El Segundo, CA 90245, 2325 Graeber Street, Building 390 A platoon in the South Pacific had marched to get to this base where Dad was doing some shows. Christmas 1972. Even today, our nations military is still able to connect to home thanks to Hope. I hope I can be excused a little sentimentality as I look back over 22 of these Christmas trips [and remember] the millions of service men and women who responded to our efforts with warmth, enthusiasm and affection.. Here, he holds his legendary golf club while performing for troops using a megaphone in 1990. Many of the young women who volunteered at USO centers in the 1940s and 50s were looking for a way to contribute to the war effort. Bob Hopes USO shows were a staple for many decades, entertaining generations of military personnel in the United States Armed Forces. He was also known for his decades of overseas USO tours to entertain U.S. troops . Hope closed the show with Silent Night., There was not a dry eye in the house, says Struck, 66, who now lives in Kennewick, Washington. In my eyes, Bob Hope is a true American hero. As a longtime supporter of the military and a military brat herself, Debbie Keller has dedicated thousands of hours to supporting service members and their military family members at the USO center in Orlando, Florida - and now is being recognized for her efforts, as the 2023 CONUS Volunteer of the Year. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy. And the USO is there for every dignified transfer. A few years later, during the Korean War, Bob Hope hit the road again to entertain troops serving in both Japan and Korea. Here, Hope performs for troops in the Persian Gulf in 1990. In 1954, when actress Marilyn Monroe was on her honeymoon in Japan with her new husband, New York Yankees legend Joe DiMaggio, she flew to South Korea to perform for the American troops there shortly after the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. Bob Hope entertains troops in Saudi Arabia in 1990. Access to the document is available at the following link: Read Here. . During the 1983 USO Holiday Tour, Hope asked to head ashore on Christmas Day to spend a few moments with service members in Beirut. Heres a look at 10 of the greatest performers to grace the USO stage. He was also a frequent visitor to American forces stationed in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, regularly seen with his trademark golf club. In the Second World War, Rooney served with special services in the U.S. Army for nearly two years, earning a Bronze Star Medal. In 1938, Bob Hope was selected as star and host for The Pepsodent Show broadcast on NBC after working for many years building a successful career from vaudeville to Broadway, radio, and film. Cal Air show on Bob Hope did for the U.S. Armed Forces families have their dads home for,. The troops and the USO stage STOP to opt out, HELP for HELP list of bob hope uso shows ( DoD ) entertains in. Raining, pouring rain before the show aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Okinawa did! 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