It was during WWII that my Grandfather experienced the hardest years of his life, with so many of his friends lives coming to an end beside him, it was a little “Hope” that helped to make those years bearable. Never in our history has there been a man more dedicated to the morale of those giving their lives in service to our country than Bob Hope.
In 1996, the U.S. Congress honored Bob Hope by declaring him the “first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces.” Bob Hope appeared in or hosted 199 known USO shows, one of which my Grandfather had the honor of attending in 1944.
Not many of us are aware that Bob Hope was born Leslie Townes Hope in 1903 in Eltham, London, England. The Hope family emigrated to the United States aboard the SS Philadelphia, and passed inspection at Ellis Island on March 30, 1908. Bob Hope became a U.S. citizen in 1920 at the age of seventeen.
Bob hope was one of the first entertainers to appear on television. In 1932 Bob Hope made an appearance at an experimental broadcasting studio owned by CBS broadcasting 60 line, electromechanical images to a handful of TV sets in New York with amazingly large 6 inch screens.
For all of Hope’s early accomplishments, none were more important than his ability to make people laugh and he did this with ease. Here are a few of Bob’s best moments as Americas Greatest Entertainer.
