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Bob Hope Christmas Special 1968

Join us in celebrating the holidays with these clips from Bob Hope's 1968 Christmas Special visiting troops in Vietnam.

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In the Chaos of the Vietnam War, There Was One Thing You Could Rely On: Bob Hope’s Christmas Tours

One of the few constants of the Vietnam War—one eagerly anticipated by American troops, that is—was the annual Bob Hope Christmas Show. From 1964 to 1972, Hope included South Vietnam on his annual trips to visit troops during the holiday season, a tradition that started for him during World War II. “Back in 1941, at March Field, California…I still remember fondly that first soldier audience,” Hope once said. “I looked at them, they laughed at me, and it was love at first sight.”

“And did you read where President Johnson just requested another $50 billion to cover the rising cost of the war? Wouldn’t it be awful if we ran out of money and they repossessed the war?”

While only a small fraction of the 2.5 million troops who served in Southeast Asia actually got to attend Hope’s performances, for those who did he managed to break the monotony, ease the loneliness and give the troops in combat zones across Vietnam a couple of hours of laughter—and a memory for a lifetime. Bob Hope’s classic opening monologues of rapid-fire jokes always took jabs at the GIs and the specifics of the local situation.

Under a hot sun or a driving rain, his young audiences laughed and cheered the legendary comedian and his cast of singers, dancers and the musicians of Les Brown and his Band of Renown. Hope’s shtick included a constant, sometimes bawdy banter with the other performers, taking plenty of shots at the absurdities of military life while conveying a real sense of how difficult it was for the troops to be away from home during the holidays.

Hope began taking his show on the road after the United States entered World War II and the United Service Organization (USO) started sending Hollywood and radio entertainers to perform for military audiences at bases in North Africa, Europe and the South Pacific. Already a giant movie and radio star, Hope traveled overseas six times, logging more than a million miles during World War II. At the outset of the Cold War in 1948, when the Soviets closed all ground travel from West Germany to Berlin, Hope’s show followed the reserves sent by President Harry Truman to facilitate the airlift into the western sectors of Berlin. Later, Hope traveled to Korea in the early 1950s after North Korean troops invaded South Korea, and all during the 1950s his show played at military bases in Japan. By the 1960s, Hope’s Christmas shows for troops overseas had become a fixture of America’s traditional holiday season.

At Bien Hoa Air Base on Christmas Eve : “I asked McNamara if we could come and he said, ‘Why not, we’ve tried everything else!’ ”

As early as 1962, Hope wanted to go to Vietnam to perform for the growing contingent of American military advisers. Although planning moved at a steady pace for a 1963 show, the Pentagon ultimately pulled the plug on it because of what it considered too high a risk. Nevertheless, at age 61, Hope persisted and won approval for his first Vietnam shows in December 1964. With his new destination came a new twist to the shows: They would be filmed to be broadcast as holiday specials in early January of the next year.

These filmed productions required a new level of effort in organization and execution to bring them to a new domestic audience. Hope remained the star and the driving force behind his tours. Other leading performers such as Connie Stevens, Ann-Margret and Joey Heatherton welcomed the opportunity to join him, despite the stress of travel into a far-flung war zone and the hardships they encountered there. Hope’s Vietnam engagements were among the most dangerous ever for the funnyman and his entertainers.

On December 15, 1964, Hope’s contingent left Los Angeles aboard a military transport aircraft large enough to carry the support staff and all the entertainers, including Les Brown and his band, the reigning Miss World, Anita Bryant, actresses Janis Paige and Jill St. John and comic actor Jerry Colonna, who had been part of Hope’s group during World War II.

this article first appeared in vietnam magazine

The tour covered 25,000 miles and included stops at Wake Island and Guam. They flew on to Korea for a performance in which Hope opened his monologue by labeling South Korea as “Vietnam North.” He won thunderous applause when he cracked, “We had a little trouble landing in Seoul: Someone stole the runway.”

Security was exceptionally tight for Bob Hope’s first visit to Vietnam. Although the planners had made intricate arrangements through the offices of Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) prior to his December 24 landing, there had been no official announcements or confirmation of Hope’s visit. And the locations of all his shows remained secret. Even Hope and his staff never knew the name of the base they were to perform at until they landed. Reporters noted that plans for Hope’s visits to different areas were more secret than those for generals or Cabinet officials. Troops who made up the audiences were never told who would be visiting until the last minute.

Hope and his entourage were given stern warnings from MACV. While some were routine for any overseas travel—avoid all water and ice because none was safe to drink, and stay away from all milk products—the threats related to terrorism were especially serious. They were told to stay away from windows in restaurants and in their hotel rooms, and to keep their drapes closed. And a final caution: Drop to the floor when they heard an explosion. In spite of the dangers, the shows went on, but the sound of aircraft overhead during a performance always brought a startled look from Hope.

Although a Communist attack was a real possibility, Hope appeared relaxed, swinging a golf club, which became a constant prop during his monologues. “I love the runway you have here,” he quipped. “Great golfing country…even the runway has 18 holes.”

After the show, the group moved to Saigon, where the dire warnings of danger literally exploded into reality. Hope and most of the performers stayed at the Caravelle Hotel, while Brown and members of the band stayed at the Continental Palace. Both were close to the Brinks Hotel, which served as a bachelor officers quarters for the Americans. That afternoon, a bomb flattened the Brinks, sent glass and other debris into some rooms of the Continental and shook the Caravelle. No one in the troupe was injured, but the explosion left all the hotels without water or electricity. True to form, Hope stitched this incident into his act at Tan Son Nhut the next day: “I want to thank General Westmoreland for that wonderful welcome yesterday. We opened with a bang!” And at the small outpost in the Mekong Delta, he joked: “A funny thing happened to me when I was driving through downtown Saigon to my hotel last night. We met a hotel going the other way.”

Next up was a flight to Pleiku, a small helicopter base in the highlands near the border with North Vietnam, with heavy security in place for the visitors. Rumors had circulated that Hope’s group was headed their way, but no one was sure until the airplane landed and Bob Hope walked onto the stage. “What a welcome,” he declared. “Wherever we land we’re met by thousands of cheering servicemen…they think it’s Secretary McNamara with shut-down orders!”

Jill St. John did her stand-up routine with Hope, trading one-liners about her IQ and his golf score, and later in the show she performed the segment that became very popular with the servicemen, when they joined her on stage to dance the “Go-Go” to the beat of Les Brown’s band.

At Da Nang, the tour’s largest audience in Vietnam, Hope made light of the frequent changes in government that year: “Vietnam is a very democratic country, everyone gets to be president.” As usual, he joked about military cutbacks and the aircraft he was forced to fly in: “It’s one of the earlier jets…instead of afterburners, it has an oven and a bag of charcoal.”

The last show on the 1964 Vietnam tour was at the seaside city of Nha Trang. At this and every performance, after a brief prayer from the chaplain, Anita Bryant closed the show by singing the first verse of “Silent Night,” and asked the troops and other performers to join in on the second verse, a tradition that continued through all the show’s years. The group left Vietnam on December 28 and flew to Clark Air Base in the Philippines for a show before heading home. Arriving back in Los Angeles on December 30, Hope told reporters, “This was the most exciting Christmas trip since 1943.”

1964 NBC Broadcast: “Let’s face it… we’re the Big Daddy of this world”

The 1964 trip set the pace and the pattern for all of Bob Hope’s visits to American troops around the world for the next eight years. While the performers changed and the locations varied, Hope was always the star and began the shows by strutting on stage with his golf club in hand, firing off jokes tailored to each base. He always had the reigning Miss World and always tried to bring the troops the outstanding glamour star from back home. He started appearing onstage in military uniform shirts and jackets outlandishly decorated with patches, stripes, stars and insignias. And as the number of military personnel stationed in Vietnam grew each year, the tour’s length expanded too.

“We want to thank Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara for making this Christmas trip possible….Let’s face it, we’re the Big Daddy of this world….I talked to a lot of our fighting men over here and even though they’re putting up a great fight, against tremendous odds in this hide-and-seek war, they’re not about to give up, because they know if they walk out of this bamboo obstacle course, it would be like saying to the commies, ‘come and get it.’ That’s why they’re laying their lives on the line everyday….And they said thank you….I don’t think any of us ever had a better Christmas present.”

For the 1965 tour, Hope’s troupe flew for 22 hours in a C-141 and spent much of the flight in rehearsal. Stopping at Guam to refuel, the cast put on a full 2½ hour show.

The American escalation had a direct influence on Hope’s shows. Within a year, the number of American military bases had multiplied, troop levels increased eight-fold, to 180,000, and so had the size of Hope’s audiences. Two fighter escorts accompanied the entertainers to Tan Son Nhut on Christmas Eve, and the cast was rushed to the site of the show. Hope took the stage and announced to the crowd of 12,000 that he had to “come to Vietnam to see his congressman,” referring to the flood of members of Congress who made frequent jaunts to Vietnam at the time.

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The troupe flew next to Cam Ranh Bay, where Hope, sauntering across the stage wagging his golf club, scolded the troops: “I don’t know what you guys did to get here, but let that be a lesson to you!” Baking in the hot sun, the troops roared in agreement.

On their flight north to entertain the Marines at Chu Lai, Hope’s plane lost an engine on the way, and they arrived late. Hope then set the mood, opening with: “Other bases here in South Vietnam invited me; this one dared me!” Later, at Da Nang, the monsoons caught up with them, and they performed through a heavy downpour. It was here that Hope had some serious reflections on what he was seeing among the troops he was meeting. After the show, Hope told an interviewer: “The kids here seem more optimistic than those at home. They have more confidence in our leaders.”

Bob Hope performed 22 shows and visited five hospitals in 1965. Each show lasted more than two hours, and typically there were two performances a day. Every tour he made to South Vietnam drew the attention not only of American fighting forces, but of the enemy as well. It was not unusual for the Communists to fire on or attack a base shortly after the show ended. After each show at Pleiku in the Central Highlands, the Viet Cong would shell the area.

Christmas Tour 1966: “The country is behind you 50 percent”

In 1966, for the first time in many years, Bob Hope’s partner and friend since the tours in WWII, Jerry Colonna, was unable to join the troupe after suffering a stroke. Nevertheless, Hope’s company, featuring guest stars Phyllis Diller and Heatherton, left Los Angeles on December 16, and by Christmas they were at Cu Chi. Actress Chris Noel, who was asked by Hope to join the show for this performance, arrived on a chopper in time to join him and the troops for a traditional turkey dinner in the mess. Noticing some men precariously perched on tall poles before the show began, Hope asked during his opening monologue, “How did you get up there? LSD?”

The tenor of the Christmas tour of 1966 reflected changing attitudes in the United States regarding the course of the war, and Hope’s humor didn’t shy away from it. He reassured the troops that “the country is behind you 50 percent.” He then added, “I’m very happy to be here; I’m leaving tomorrow!”

While Hope largely kept his personal opinions out of his on-stage performances, he spoke freely with reporters off stage. At one stop, he announced he was definitely “hawkish” and expressed his desire that the “United States would move a little faster to end the war.”

By Christmas 1967, the number of American military in South Vietnam had reached almost 500,000, resulting in ever-larger audiences and making Hope’s appearances even more important for boosting morale. Joined on the tour by actresses Raquel Welch and Barbara McNair, Hope performed for 25,000 men and women at Long Binh who sat in a brutal sun while organizers fretted about security. He told the troops at Da Nang that Dow Chemical just got even with student protesters: “They came up with an asbestos draft card.” During a visit with the wounded, Hope asked one soldier, “Did you see the show or were you already sick?”

The next year, as audiences swelled, Hope added former Los Angeles Rams player turned actor Rosie Grier to his entourage, and Ann-Margret, who was a hit in her minidress and go-go boots. At Cu Chi, they had to travel in a safety pod of three aircraft to get in, and Hope noted, “Every time we come here, there is action!”

The 1969 tour left Los Angeles and stopped off in Washington for a state dinner with President Richard Nixon and a rehearsal at the White House, where Hope and guest stars Connie Stevens, The  Golddiggers from The Dean Martin Show and astronaut Neil Armstrong—who just a few months before had become the first man on the moon—tried out their material before taking it to Vietnam.

As with all great comedians, dissecting contemporary culture, politics and changing societal mores was a Hope staple. Widespread recreational drug use in America and among troops in Vietnam had become a comedic target by 1970 and a part of Hope’s routine. With all-star Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench as his foil, Hope chimed: “Where else can you spend eight months on grass and not get busted?”

With steady troop withdrawals in the early ’70s: “Wonderful to be working with you leftovers!”

But even Bob Hope couldn’t escape criticism in 1970 when he made references to drug use by the troops. NBC removed most of the drug jokes prior to its January broadcast. But, at a show at the 101st Airborne Division’s base, Hope got huge laughs during his opening monologue when he said: “I hear you guys are interested in gardening here. Our security officers said a lot of you are growing your own grass. I was wondering how you guys managed to bomb Hanoi without planes!”

Hope never knew when the brass would show up, but every year Generals William Westmoreland, Creighton Abrams and Fred Weyand and Admiral John McCain would find him on stage somewhere to thank him and his crew.

Decades removed, Bob Hope’s material still holds its own, and his jokes about military life ring as true now as they did then. Perhaps most jarring to today’s viewers, however, are his apparent sexist references to women during the shows. Hope was a man of his time, referring to his female performers as “girls,” frequently commenting on their measurements—nothing atypical for the era. His jokes were also harsh and sometimes negative about the countries where the troops were stationed.

The Bob Hope Christmas tours continued to go to Vietnam until 1972. On the last tour, the group spent less time in Vietnam because of the drastic decrease in the number of American troops by then. That year Hope greeted the Marines at Da Nang with, “Wonderful to be working for you leftovers!” But, he quickly added: “You guys are lucky because you get to go home, not like our representatives at the Paris Peace Talks.”

While steady troop withdrawals meant smaller audiences, there was no less commitment and enthusiasm from the performers. And even though they spent less time in Vietnam, the grueling 1972 Christmas tour lasted more than two weeks with shows at bases in the Philippines, Singapore, Guam and a Christmas morning performance for 1,200 SeaBees at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

During the final montage of photos and film of his last televised Vietnam Christmas special in 1972, Hope narrates film footage of Long Binh shot a year earlier, bustling with troops. “Well,” he said, showing the new footage of a deserted Long Binh, overgrown with weeds, “this is how [it] looks now…and this is how it should be…all those happy, smiling, beautiful faces are gone. But most of them are really where they belong, home with their loved ones.”

Judith Johnson recently retired as a professor and history department chair at Wichita State University. She is now working on a study of private contractors during the Vietnam War. For more on Hope, she recommends: Bob Hope, A Life in Comedy by William Robert Faith, and Five Women I Loved: Bob Hope’s Vietnam Story by Bob Hope.

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From the Archives: Bob Hope entertains the troops

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Over a 50-year span, Bob Hope entertained American troops overseas. Many of his USO tours occurred over Christmas. Los Angeles Times photographers often covered his departures and arrivals.

In the above image, Hope was embarking on his 13th annual two-week Christmas tour of U.S. military bases.

In 2003, Times staff writer Al Martinez reported in Bob Hope's obituary:

...His face was known to millions of Americans spanning three generations, perhaps especially those who served in the military during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars.

The comedian began entertaining servicemen and women at U.S. bases in 1941—starting at California's March Field near Riverside — and in 1948 began annual Christmas shows at American bases overseas.

Hope was never a member of the military. But on Oct. 29, 1997, when he was 94, he became the first American designated by Congress as an "honorary veteran of the United States Armed Forces." .…

His shows for the troops — with an entourage of other comics, singers, dancers and pretty girls — lasted for half a century, often not far from the fighting, earning Hope praise for his patriotic efforts and criticism for his hawkish stance during the Vietnam War.

He once said — either exaggerating for effect or on the level — that he had traveled almost 10 million air miles entertaining American service personnel around the world. He ended his regular Christmas shows in 1972 during the difficult days of the Vietnam War.

The hiatus lasted 11 years. In 1983, at 80, Hope once more hit the road, this time traveling to Lebanon, where a peacekeeping force of U.S. Marines and ships of the 6th Fleet had gathered to attempt, without success, to stem the internal bloodshed in Beirut.

The comedian entertained first aboard the naval ships off the coast and then, to everyone's surprise, went ashore to give the Marines his special brand of humor. He got out a scant 30 minutes before the compound at which he appeared was shelled.

"If this is peace," Hope told the cheering troops, "aren't you glad you're not in a war? I was told not to fraternize with the enemy, and I won't ... as soon as I figure out who it is."

In 1990, the octogenarian Hope was in the Middle East cheering troops in Operation Desert Shield and then Operation Desert Storm, the first U.S.-led campaigns against Saddam Hussein. ...

Martinez’s full article Bob Hope, the master of the one-liner, dies at 100 is online.

This photo gallery includes a couple of Associated Press photos of Bob Hope performances overseas.

This post was originally published on Dec. 23, 2011.

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At the peak of his powers, legendary comedian Bob Hope made multiple visits to Alaska

Bob Hope, the 39-year old entertainer stopped in Fairbanks while on a 1942 USO trip to Alaska, accompanied by (L-R) comic Jerry Colonna, singer-actress Frances Langford and guitarist Tony Romano. This photo is on display in the offices of KFAR radio/TV in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Creative Commons)

Part of a continuing weekly series on Alaska history by local historian David Reamer. Have a question about Anchorage or Alaska history or an idea for a future article? Go to the form at the bottom of this story.

Long before the Grateful Dead and Ozzy Osbourne played at Anchorage’s West High, the school was the host for a very different type of entertainer. During one of his many tours to entertain the troops, vaudevillian comedian extraordinaire Bob Hope headlined two shows there in late 1956, just a year after the school opened.

Hope (1903-2003) was one of America’s most famous actors and comedians, especially during his 1940s to 1950s peak. Over eight decades in show business, he appeared in theater productions, radio programs, television shows, movies, comic books, books and every other medium you could imagine. He starred in 54 films — in addition to numerous minor appearances — including one partially set in Alaska. “Road to Utopia,” part of the Hope and Bing Crosby hit “Road to ...” series of movies, was released in 1946. Hope and Crosby play good-natured con artists during the Klondike Gold Rush.

The movie poster for Bob Hope's 1945 film "Road to Utopia" with Bing Crosby.

In addition to his performing career, he is also well remembered for his volunteer efforts to support American troops via his lengthy partnership with the United Service Organizations (USO), which provides entertainment to members of the United States Armed Forces. Between 1941 and 1991, from World War II to the first Persian Gulf War, Hope headlined 57 USO tours, and this is how he ended up in Alaska.

Hope first visited Alaska in 1942, also his first USO tour outside the contiguous United States. Among several stops across the territory, Hope was scheduled to appear at a dance party in downtown Anchorage. The stage was built, and on Sept. 16, roughly 4,000 locals showed up despite the rain, almost certainly the largest crowd in city history to that point. Just three years earlier, before the construction of Fort Richardson, there were less than 3,500 residents within city limits.

Unfortunately, Hope and his traveling troupe were trapped aboard an airplane circling overhead, unable to land because of dense fog. Said Hope, “I was a little concerned. Oh, boy. The fog ran right down to the ground and there we were flying over the town and couldn’t get into the airport. We were flying at 13,000 feet and it was blowing sleet. It looked really bad, brother ... We were afraid we would crack into the hills at any minute.”

Everyone aboard donned parachutes. One of the engines on the Lockheed Lodestar C-60 iced up, sputtered and quit. The radio went out. As the airplane lost altitude, Hope worked his way forward and told pilot Robert Gates, “Everybody back there is praying.” Gates replied, “You tell ‘em don’t stop!” Once the ground lost radio contact, the commander at Elmendorf ordered the searchlights switched on, a significant gesture given wartime blackout protocols. The pilots spotted the glow through the weather and safely landed. With the out-of-commission engine, they could not taxi in, so the various military brass in attendance rushed to the field to verify Hope had survived. Though he missed the downtown show, Hope gained a legendary story for his repertoire.

Bob Hope's 1942 permission to enter Alaska form. Travel restrictions were in place due to World War II.

In December 1949, Hope returned and toured military bases at Kodiak, Fairbanks and Anchorage, speaking to around 5,000 service men and women at an Elmendorf Field hangar. The following November, he played Alaska again, including a two-hour performance with 40 other entertainers for a reported 10,000 military personnel in the same Elmendorf hangar. A Cup’ig mask from Nunivak Island and several ivory pieces were among the gifts showered upon the comedian.

Bob Hope movies played at the Empress and Fourth Avenue theaters while his shows were constants on radio and television, but the man himself returned to Anchorage in 1956. Confirmation came late with a single month’s advance notice. Hope and company would perform at Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson in Anchorage, as well as Ladd and Eielson Air Force Bases outside Fairbanks.

An advertisement for Bob Hope's 1945 film "Road to Utopia" with Bing Crosby, which played at the Empress Theater in Anchorage.

Comedian Jerry Colonna, who was also a passenger on the nightmarish 1942 C-60 flight, joined Hope as he did on so many tours. The other entertainers included actress and dancer Ginger Rogers, singer Peggy King, actress and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, Miss Universe Carol Morris, musician Les Brown, the Purdue University Glee Club, and the novelty folk group, the Del Rubio Triplets.

One of the accompanying personalities was about as famous as Hope, though certainly not for his acting ability. Baseball legend Mickey Mantle, then the American League triple crown winner and reigning most valuable player, also made the trip north. His visit marked the first public Alaska appearance by a current major leaguer since Stan Musial, Dixie Walker, and Hank Borowy took part in a military base tour during World War II.

A “Welcome Bob Hope” banner was strung across Fourth Avenue. Upon arrival, the performers good-naturedly endured an hour-long ceremony outside city hall in subzero temperatures, stamping their feet to keep warm on a makeshift stage. When the crowd applauded their appearance, Hope joked, “Thank you, thank you, it’s nice of you to take your hands out of your pockets.” After an introduction to 1956 Miss Fur Rendezvous Bobby Wilkinson, Hope declared, “the most beautiful pair of frozen legs I’ve ever seen!”

As in 1942, 1949, and 1950, Hope’s primary intent was to provide entertainment for troops, service men and women often stationed far from their homes. However, this time, he also scheduled two shows off base. On Dec. 20 and 21, he and his troupe performed at the Anchorage High School (now West High School) auditorium. Technicians and crew from NBC filmed both shows and edited them into an episode of “The Bob Hope Show,” which aired on Dec. 28, the first network television show filmed in Anchorage.

After initially limiting attendance to enlisted men, women and their families, the military opened some balcony seats to the civilian public. The Chamber of Commerce handled the distribution of those tickets and, unsurprisingly, exclusively offered them to the “respective heads of community-wide organizations, service clubs, school and city authorities.” In other words, attendees were either in the military, a military family member, or a local VIP.

In the Anchorage Daily Times, editor Bob Atwood opined, “Bob Hope can go a long way toward accomplishing what Alaskans have been trying to do for years. Through his show he can help win a better understanding of Alaska among the people of the nation. He can help overcome the misconception of Alaska as bleak land of dogteams and igloos.” Atwood was too optimistic. As might be expected, Hope leaned into the Alaska cliches, including totem poles, weather, gold mining and dog sleds, for jokes. Regardless, the crowd ate it up.

The show began with a Bob Hope monologue. He hit on the military early on, saying, “They have all kinds of servicemen up here, in Alaska. They have the Army, Navy and Air Force. It’s a new unified command, and it’s working out beautifully. It’s the biggest crap game you ever saw. I don’t know what stakes they play for, but I was looking around Anchorage this morning, and it’s the first time I ever saw a B-47 jet transport in a hock shop window.” “And I want to tell you one nice about these men up here, they all volunteered.” He paused while the military crowd booed, then added, “for Honolulu.” The crowd erupted in laughter.

About the weather and seasons in Alaska, he noted, “I don’t care what you’ve heard about the weather up here, it’s true ... right now it’s about 10 degrees below. I don’t know what it is outside. Up here, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer isn’t a song; it’s a weather report.” He added, “Seriously, I didn’t believe how cold it was up here until a seal came over and begged me to make a coat out of him.” “The time I really love up here is sunrise. Also sunset. It’s the same time. You get up at 10 in the morning and say, ‘nice day wasn’t it.’ ”

Bob Hope does his opening monologue for "The Bob Hope Show" filmed in Anchorage.

And about the wildlife, he said, “I mean it though, the hunting here is really great, where else can you shoot a walrus without it getting out of your bunk? It’s rugged country. One soldier I know rolled out of his lean-to one morning and shaved three times before he realized he was staring into a bear.”

From there, the program shifts into the first of two lengthy skits. Hope plays a clueless tourist and rock collector who takes a taxi to a dive bar. As this scene is set in Alaska, the cab is actually a dog sled driven by Anchorage musher Earl Norris. The bartender, played by Colonna, asks Hope, “How much money you got?” Hope, who had made enough visits to Alaska to know about the high prices, replies, “I’ve been touring for quite a while up here. I haven’t got much left; I bought a meal.”

A skit with Bob Hope on a sled from "The Bob Hope Show" filmed in Anchorage.

As Hope empties his pockets, he finds a yellow rock: gold! Suddenly, he has everyone’s attention in the saloon, including the bartender, servicemen, townies, and a passing polar bear. The sultry Ginger Rogers enters and seduces Hope for the location of his gold strike. Finally, he relents and agrees to draw a map on Rogers’ naked back. The cheers from the men in the audience grew louder at this point.

The identical Del Rubio Triplets sing while the cast and backstage crew prepares for the next skit, which features Hope as a veteran, seen-it-all Army sergeant. An announcer declares, “he rules his men with an iron head.” After Hope orders the men to “polish the rocks and change the snow, it’s getting dirty,” a colonel intrudes and orders Hope to treat his men more gently. “You’re running the men too hard. You’re not treating them like human beings,” says the colonel. “But they’re soldiers,” Hope replies.

However, a pampered fresh recruit, played awkwardly by Mantle, tests Hope’s patience with the new mandate. The recruit’s gear includes slippers, curtains for his bunk, and a letter from his mother requesting “not wake him too early in the morning.” Unable to handle a gentler Army, the sergeant is demoted to private.

The Purdue Glee Club sings, Peggy King sings, Hope dances with Rogers, and Lt. General Frank Armstrong, Alaska commander in chief, thanks the performers. Hope then closes the show in a more somber fashion, noting, “These men of the Alaska Command stand between you and possible attack. Our hats are off to them.” The itinerant entertainers made their escape amid the howling cheers. There were always more shows, more towns to hit.

Key sources:

“Auditorium Jammed for Bob Hope Performance.” Anchorage Daily Times, December 21, 1956, 1, 11.

“Bob Hope Troupe Plays to 10,000 at Base.” Anchorage Daily Times, November 2, 1950, 1.

“Famed Gag Nearly Kicks Hope in Neck.” Anchorage Daily Times, September 24, 1942, 1.

“Final Plans Underway for Bob Hope Show.” Anchorage Daily Times, December 17, 1956, 1.

Gallagher, Jay. “Mantle Scores Hit in Debut as ‘Mama’s Boy’ TV Actor.” Anchorage Daily Times, December 21, 1956, 1, 12.

“Hope, Mantle Coming to Alaska.” Anchorage Daily Times, November 20, 1956, 1.

“Hope Show Tickets Out.” Anchorage Daily Times, December 20, 1956, 1.

“Little Hollywood.” Anchorage Daily Times, December 19, 1956, 8.

Maksel, Rebecca. “ Thanks for the Memories: Air Crews Recall Their Service as roadies for Bob Hope’s USO Show .” Smithsonian Magazine, January 2010.

Pumphrey, Fritz. “Cold Weather, Warm Hospitality Welcome Hope in Civic Ceremony.” Anchorage Daily Times, December 22, 1956, 1, 9.

“Rental Allowance Boost Set for Servicemen.” Anchorage Daily Times, December 24, 1949, 1, 3.

“Stellar Visitors.” Anchorage Daily Times, December 22, 1956, 6.

David Reamer | Histories of Alaska

David Reamer is a historian who writes about Anchorage. His peer-reviewed articles include topics as diverse as baseball, housing discrimination, Alaska Jewish history and the English gin craze. He’s a UAA graduate and nerd for research who loves helping people with history questions. He also posts daily Alaska history on Twitter @ANC_Historian.