Bob Hope

Last Friday we focused on Bing Crosby whose birthday was May 3 and today, it’s time to celebrate his pal, Bob Hope also born in 1903 on the 29th. What drew these two guys together is unknown, but they had a great friendship and successful partnership. Plus, they both used their talents to support the troops. Bob’s first movie was The Broadcast of 1938, where he sang his signature song, Thanks for the Memories. Eventually he was in seventy-five movies and the most popular were the Road movies with his buddy Bing.

During his lengthy one-hundred-year life span, he entertained troops in every war beginning with WWII troops on May 6, 1941 and as a result was the first to be declared an “honorary veteran” by Congress. For these tireless efforts, he received many awards including the Medal of Freedom, five special Academy Awards and was knighted in 1998 by Queen Elizabeth II. He is also featured twice in The Guinness Book of World Records as the entertainer with “the longest running contract with a single network-spanning 61 years” and as the “most honored entertainer” with over 1500 awards. Thanks, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Kate Smith, John Wayne and Irving Berlin and all the entertainers for the music, laughter and memories you give the service members. And Happy May birthdays too.