By the time Bob Hope hosted his first variety show at a military base, he was already a household name. He had starred on Broadway in several plays, including Roberta, The Ziegfield Follies with Fannie Brice, and Red, Hot, and Blue with Ethel Merman and Jimmie Durante. His movie credits included Road to Singapore,the first zany “Road” picture with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, and The Big Broadcast of 1938, where he acquired his lifelong theme song, “Thanks for the Memory”. Bob had one of the most popular radio programs in America and, in 1939, hosted the Academy Awards for the first time.
Bob Hope would spend the next fifty years entertaining United States forces at home and abroad. Every Christmas between 1948 and 1990, he could be found at a military facility bringing good cheer and memories from home to American servicemen and servicewomen.
Entertaining the Troops
The first time Bob Hope took the stage before a military audience was on May 6, 1941. Using his familiar radio show format at March Field in California, the entertainer added special material designed to make the aviators laugh. The soldiers loved the show, and Bob fell in love with entertaining the troops.
