The Bob Hope Show was one of the longest running programs in the history of Golden Age Radio. Hope knew how to deliver a joke and how to work with others who didn't- he would make himself the butt of humor when he had guests on and the public loved him all the more for it.
Our first episode today is short, and the last few minutes are a little rough, so keep in mind it was taped August 9th, 1944 on an island somewhere in the heat of the Pacific War. It was labeled "Somewhere in the Pacific", and is one of the dozens of shows Bob and his traveling USO group did to cheer up our troops overseas. In this 12 minute piece, Hope mentions that they are entertaining 2,000 wounded troops who were involved in the Tinian and Saipan campaigns. On board with Hope were popular female vocalist Francis Langford and Hope's comic sidekick Jerry Cologna.
The second episode here was taped Oct 1oth, 1949, this one taped in new York just a few days after the 1949 World Series in which the Yankees beet the Brooklyn Dodgers in 5 games. Bob's guests here include Doris Day, a well known singer-actress, and two of the players who contributed greatly to the series- Joe Page, relief pitcher for the Yankees, and Jackie Robinson, who played second base for Casey Stengel's Dodgers. Joe and Jackie get to toss some barbs at Hope and join in on a song at the end of the show.
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