Library of Congress Holds Tribute for Bob Hope

Friday, May 23, 2003
By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service

"I haven't seen Bob for a while, but we still send each other birthday and Christmas cards. We appeared in the 'Ziegfeld Follies' on Broadway in 1936 and have been friends ever since. Every time we see each other, we talk about the old times -– like when we went to Vietnam in 1965 with the USO show. He'd say, 'it's been a long time, hasn't it?' I'd say, 'Yes, we've been friends for a long time. He's really a nice guy."

One of four beautifully decorated birthday cakes for guests at the Bob Hope tribute at the Library of Congress in Washington May 22.
Image Credit: Rudi Williams -- AFIS

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
Several years ago, Comedienne Phyllis Diller asked Bob Hope, "Who would want to be 100 years old?" Bob answered, "Anyone who is 99."

And in six more days, Bob Hope will become a centenarian. Among a slew of celebrations across the country, the Library of Congress held a reception and stage tribute to Hope on May 22. The event was a variety show that explored his life through song, dance and comedy.

Hosted by entertainer Dick Cavett and actor Boyd Gaines, the review featured vaudeville-type skits, dance routines, tap dancing, Broadway tunes, "Ziegfeld Follies" skits, and skits from radio, television and the musical "Red, Hot, and Blue."

Hope's performance in "Red, Hot, and Blue" opened the door to his first major feature film for Paramount Pictures, "The Big Broadcast of 1938."

"The Bob Hope Review" was held in the library's theater, not far from the Bob Hope Gallery of American Entertainment.

Cavett told the audience that five years ago, the Hope family gave the Library of Congress tons of material from Hope's 80 years of show business, including more than 85,000 pages of Hope's jokes. These comedic holdings have been typed, scanned, digitized and indexed by topic and subtopic. The gallery features a touch-screen kiosk where visitors can read them.
(More: DefenseLINK.mil)
2003 © U.S. Department of Defense.

Dan