Bob Hope is an iconic and legendary actor, from Vaudeville to the silver screen … both large and small. He hosted the Academy Awards a record breaking 19 times and performed for 12 Presidents … entertained 8, as he once said …
He traveled over ten million miles, that’s the equivalent of 400 times around the world, during which he made 700 trips to entertain ten million GIs.
Bob Hope entertained our service men and women at bases and hospitals in the United States, North Atlantic, Caribbean, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Pacific and Southeast Asia. Christmas shows became a tradition which lasted for twenty-two years.
He made a tradition of playing “Santa Claus” for the GIs with annual shows at military and veterans hospitals throughout the United States.
On Easter Sunday 1991 Bob and Dolores entertained 350 Marines and their families from Twentynine Palms at their house in Palm Springs. That same year Bob Hope joined Jimmy Stewart as co-host of the largest parade in Hollywood to welcome home the servicemen and women of “Desert Storm,” produced by Hollywood’s Honorary Mayor, Johnny Grant and longtime good friend of Bob Hope.

Hope was cited by Guinness Book of Records “most honored entertainer” Hope has more than fifteen hundred awards and citations for humanitarian and professional efforts. Including the Medal of Freedom from President Johnson; Congressional Gold Medal from President Kennedy; People to People Award from President Eisenhower; Medal of Merit from U.S. Government; Peabody Award; a Special Oscar; the Jean Hersholt Award, and three additional honors from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Bob Hope was also inducted into the Entertainment Hall of Fame  and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II extended The Honor of Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) and earned Honorary Degrees.

And somewhere along the way, Bob Hope found time to make 45 feature films – including the ever popular “Road…” films co-starring bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, some 60 Christmas specials, 5 royal Command Performances, Hope even wrote 13 books!

After all this, Bob Hope was quoted as saying that the greatest honor he ever received was to be made an honorary veteran! In our Lobby Tribute exhibit we taking a look at the unique relationship between Bob Hope and “The Greatest Generation,” by way of the USO and Hollywood.