Dear Bob: Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II

by Martha Bolton, Linda Hope

Overview

Winner of the 2021 Golden Scroll Awards for Memoir of the Year and Christian Market Book of the Year awarded by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association

FIRST PLACE WINNER IN THE MEMOIR CATEGORY OF THE 2022 SELAH AWARDS

For five decades, comedian, actor, singer, dancer, and entertainer Bob Hope (1903-2003) traveled the world performing before American and Allied troops and putting on morale-boosting USO shows. Dear Bob . . .: Bob Hope's Wartime Correspondence with the G.I.s of World War II tells the story of Hope's remarkable service to the fighting men and women of World War II, collecting personal letters, postcards, packages, and more sent back and forth among Hope and the troops and their loved ones back home.

Soldiers, nurses, wives, and parents shared their innermost thoughts, swapped jokes, and commiserated with the "G.I.s' best friend" about war, sacrifice, lonely days, and worrisome, silent nights. The Entertainer of the Century performed for millions of soldiers in person, in films, and over the radio. He visited them in the hospitals and became not just a pal but their link to home. This unforgettable collection of letters and images, many of which remained in Hope's personal files throughout his life and now reside at the Library of Congress, capture a personal side of both writer and recipient in a very special and often-emotional way. This volume heralds the voices of those servicemen and women whom Hope entertained and who, it is clear, delighted and inspired him.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496832658
Publisher:	University Press of Mississippi
Publication date:	03/02/2021
Pages:	328
Sales rank:	436,910
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Martha Bolton was the first woman staff writer for Bob Hope, helping to write his television shows, personal appearances, and military shows for approximately fifteen years. She is an Emmy-nominated writer and author of eighty-eight books of humor and inspiration. She has received nominations for a Dove Award, WGA Award, and a Golden Scroll Merit Award for Fiction. Linda Hope is the eldest daughter of Bob and Dolores Hope. She is the producer of the Emmy Award-winning TV special Bob Hope: The First 90 Years. She also wrote My Life in Jokes, a collection of jokes honoring her father's one hundredth birthday. Linda produced his TV shows for over twenty years, ran Hope Enterprises, and has spent the last two decades perpetuating her father's legacy.

Table of Contents

Foreword Linda Hope ix

Preface Martha Bolton XIII

Introduction 3

Dear Bob … We Got Drafted. How'd You Get Here? 6

Dear Bob … Drop Me a Few Lines, Will Ya? 23

Dear Bob … We Can Dream, Can't We? 41

Dear Bob … Thanks for Having Our Backs! 49

Dear Bob … Did I Really Sign Up for This? 53

Dear Bob … Here's What's Shakin' 58

Dear Bob … Greetings from the Foxhole 68

Dear Bob … Tell My Mom I Miss Her 74

Dear Bob … Just Had to Send It 81

Dear Bob … I'm Missing My Sweetheart 100

Dear Bob … How 'Bout It? 106

Dear Bob … Words Aren't Enough 115

Dear Bob … The Beaches Looked Better in the Brochure 135

Dear Bob … Remind the Folks Back Home to Do Their Part … and We'll Do Ours 153

Dear Bob … War Is Real 164

Dear Bob … Here's a Memory for You 179

Dear Bob … Where the Heck Are You? 189

Dear Bob … Nice of You to Drop In 201

Dear Bob … We Won't Be Home for Christmas 214

Dear Bob … Thanks for Being There 225

Dear Bob … V-E Day at Last! 246

Dear Bob … V-J Day… War's End 252

Dear Bob … Going Home 255

Bob Hope's World War II Appearances 293

Acknowledgments 296