Bob Hope rose to the top of every medium he touched: headliner in Vaudeville, Broadway star, radio icon, movie idol and superstar on television. His persona reached audiences of every age in every decade of the 20th century.
A popular star in Vaudeville, it was Broadway’s “Roberta” where Bob eventually caught the eyes of critics. In 1938, NBC signed him for a radio show that became a fixture in American homes. It wasn’t long before Paramount called on Bob. He went on to make 50+ feature films, including the popular “Road Pictures” with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. In 1950, his TV career officially launched with “Star Spangled Revue.”
An accomplished man, Bob’s greatest legacy was his commitment to American service personnel. For nearly 6 decades, at war or at peace, “G.I. Bob” crossed the globe with 57 USO tours for troops in WW II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War. In the history of show business, no one traveled so far, so often, to entertain so many.