Photo:
Mr. and Mrs. Hope at his 100th Anniversary.
Bob made his formal debut
on NBC television Easter Sunday, 1950. Frigidaire sponsored the special,
"Star Spangled Revue," which featured Bob's guest stars, Douglas Fairbanks,
Jr., Beatrice Lillie, and Dinah Shore. The formula, along with Bob's
unshakable decision to avoid a weekly show, proved extremely successful. For
60 years (radio and television) Bob was an NBC headliner and Nielsen ratings
king. Bob has been
honored and befriended by Presidents of the United States since Roosevelt.
Hope's golfing buddies have been Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard
Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and Bill Clinton. He was
hailed as "America's most prized ambassador of goodwill throughout the
world" when presented with the Congressional Gold Medal from President
Kennedy. President Johnson honored Bob with the Medal of Freedom and
President and Mrs. Carter hosted a White House reception in celebration of
his 75th birthday. Harry Truman played the piano for him and Bill Clinton
bestowed on him a Medal of the Arts.
Likewise he has been feted by his native England. Most recently in 1998, by
order of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Bob received an honorary knighthood
- Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE)
in recognition of his contribution to film, to song and to the entertainment
of troops in the past. Upon hearing the news, Bob said, "I'm speechless. 70
years of ad lib material and I'm speechless."
Cited by the Guinness Book
of Records as most honored entertainer in the world, Hope has more than two
thousand awards and citations for humanitarian and professional efforts,
including 54 honorary doctorates.
Entertaining
The Troops
Bob
Hope's unwavering commitment to the morale of America's servicemen and women
is entertainment history, indeed, world history. Many say 'legend.'
For nearly six decades, be
the country at war or at peace, Bob, with a band of Hollywood gypsies, has
traveled the globe to entertain our service men and women.