Bob Hope - Biographical Monologue

There was nothing Bob Hope loved more than an audience, and audiences responded in kind, particularly soldiers facing combat who desperately needed a laugh. Mr. Hope, who made an art and a vast fortune out of the delivery of the one-line gag, thrived on applause. It was the secret of his youthfulness. It was also an important source of the energy that allowed him to travel millions of miles to entertain American servicemen, far exceeding the effort of any other entertainer. From 1941 to 1948 he performed nearly all his 400 radio programs at military bases. And at an age when most performers curtail their activities, Mr. Hope continued to make his annual tours during the war in Vietnam, playing to the sons of the servicemen he entertained during World War II and the Korean War. For more than 50 years, the "One-Man Morale Machine" spent time away from his family and his comfortable Hollywood life to visit American troops during peacetime and at war. He performed on Navy ships and Army bases, often close enough to hear the sounds of combat. To him, that didn't matter. Servicemen, as well as several generations of civilians, delighted in Mr. Hope's style of humor, epitomized by his breezy monologues, which were tightly woven gags that mixed the topical with the fantastic. This is a 5000 word monologue in 10 scenes which include excerpts from his obituary written by Vncent Canby, a reviewer for the New York Times. Bob Hope is a treasure of American entertainment. Here is his story.