Dear Bob

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

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Edited by Martha Bolton and Linda Hope

Type: Writings
Subject: Actor > Bob Hope
Keywords: Bob Hope, correspondence, war
Publishing date: 2021
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Hardcover • 328 pages
6 ½ x 9 ¾ inches (16.5 x 25 cm)

ISBN

978-1-4968-3265-8

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Book Presentation:
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.

About the authors:
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.

Press Reviews:
"Dear Bob . . . gets you in your gut, your heart, your soul. Timing is everything, as Bob Hope would attest. ‘Timely’ is this important, deeply moving publication. Martha and Linda hit it! This should be required reading in our schools. It’s a labor of love—a treasured memorial to a true American and human being!"
- Judith B. Feldman, former personal assistant/secretary to Bob Hope

"Martha Bolton and Linda Hope remind us why people across the globe loved Bob Hope. He loved freedom and the men and women in uniform who worked to preserve and expand it. What a delightful and uplifting read!"
- Marsha Blackburn, US Senator

"Martha Bolton and I have been good friends for about twenty years. I have read many of her books and from personal experience find her to be one of the greatest writers alive. I also must say as a comedy writer, she is the funniest lady on the planet!"
- Darrell Bledsoe, recording producer/music arranger/songwriter/author/publisher, former head of the Commercial Music Industry program, West Texas A & M University

"I was honored and privileged to have known Mr. Hope and worked with him on some of his television specials for our military. He was also a guest on my TV series, Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters. He was so kind, and because of his enormous talent the world loved him!"
- Barbara Mandrell

"Showing up for our troops was very important to both Bob and Bing. During the war both men devoted their weekends to performing shows at military bases and hospitals, and they created competitive golf tournaments to raise money for what eventually became the USO. Bob was so beloved that he was made an honorary G. I."
- Kathryn Crosby

"Martha Bolton has given America a precious treasure. These letters reveal the love and respect Bob Hope had for our country’s military men and women—a mutual feeling evident on these pages. You realize the true capacity of hope when you read about the impact Mr. Hope had on those facing war. These letters, written from the front lines, battleships, chow halls, and hospital wards, are a testimony to the power of selfless service—both of the military and Mr. Hope. "
- Randy Curry, Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel), US Army.

See the publisher website: University Press of Mississippi

See the complete filmography of Bob Hope on the website: IMDB ...

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