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DVD Reviews
If you grew up watching Bob Hope movies and
specials, and watched him hosting the Oscars, you might like
this for nostalgia reasons. His jokes now are pretty old,
though. The set here has a nice selection of USO shows
from the 60's, 70's and 90's. I liked the earlier ones
best. He's pretty old in the 1990's shows, and he
tells a lot of hackneyed Saddam Hussain jokes.
It's great to see the 1960's styles, particularly on
Ann-Margret and the other women in the show.
If you're in the military and went to the USO shows, you
probably would enjoy this set even more. Maybe you were even
in the audience! It's a good collection for
fans of Bob Hope, Ann-Margret, and all the other performers
like Lola Folana, Ann Jillian, Marie Osmond, the POinter
Sisters, Bing Crosby, Redd Fox and more. The shows are
live, so they have a great live vibe. The
only drawback is that I didn't see a way to put on subtitles
or closed-captioning. Considering most of the audience for
these DVD's is probably going to be over 50, that's a
mistake, in my opinion. MORE INFORMATION:
On 5/2, Join Time
Life for BOB HOPE SALUTES THE TROOPS,
a Timeless 3-Disc Set Patriotically Packed with Memories,
Laughs and Stars!
FOR U.S. TROOPS AROUND THE
WORLD, THERE WAS
NO ONE LIKE HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS...
THIS MAY, JOIN TIME LIFE AND THE GREATEST ENTERTAINER
OF THE 20TH CENTURY FOR A TIMELESS, STAR-SPANGLED
COLLECTION OF HIS TOP-RATED HOLIDAY TV SPECIALS
BOB HOPE SALUTES THE TROOPS
Street Date: May 2, 2017
DVD SRP: $29.95
This Commemorative 3-Disc Set, Available EXCLUSIVELY
at WALMART, Collects Some
of Hope's Historic TV Specials Across Five Decades,
Patriotically Packed with Memories, Laughs and Stars,
and Filmed on Location at Military Bases from Vietnam to
Saudi Arabia
PROGRAM SYNOPSIS
Bob Hope, the greatest entertainer of the 20th century,
spent nearly half of his 100 Christmases heading up USO
shows as a globetrotting Santa Claus with a golf club, a
sackful of jokes, and an airplane filled with stars.
Armed with a lifelong dedication to America's
troops and a star-studded crew
of performers, he performed on battleships and
battlefields, sometimes accompanied by the sound of
fighter jets overhead. The missions were often
dangerous, and their schedule brutal, yet for thousands
of servicemen and women far from home there was no
one like Hope for the holidays.
Bob Hope's legendary NBC-TV comedy and Christmas
specials - some of the most-watched programs in
television history -- spanned five decades, from
President Truman to Clinton. And, this May, BOB HOPE
SALUTES THE TROOPS, a
timeless 3-disc set from Time LifeŽ, collects some of
the legendary performer's greatest and most patriotic
holiday specials, including seven classic shows from the
'60s to the '90s, re-mastered from original broadcast
elements for optimal viewing:
- Bob Hope's Christmas Cheer in Saudi Arabia
(Original Airdate: 1/12/91) -- During Operation
Desert Shield, Hope brought his USO Christmas show
to U.S. troops stationed in
Saudi Arabia. Performances include Marie Osmond
serenading a serviceman, Hope and Ann Jillian doing
a duet and the Pointer Sisters performing "I'm So
Excited"; other highlights include a comic exchange
between Hope and actress Khrystyne Haje ("Head of
the Class").
- The Bob Hope Christmas Special: Around the
World with the USO (Original Airdate: 1/16/69) -- Hope
brought his USO Christmas tour to Vietnam, Korea,
Japan, Thailand, Midway, and aboard the USS Hancock
and the USS New Jersey in the South China Sea. Bob
Hope and former professional football player Rosey
Grier trade barbs, the Golddiggers dance on deck for
the crews of two passing destroyers and Dick Albers
performs his comic trampoline act. At Okinawa, a
skydiver parachutes into the audience and
Ann-Margret exhorts members of the different
services to stand up during her performance. Hope
does mail call for the troops,
inviting one service member (whose mother says he's
a good singer) to perform and Gen. Creighton Abrams
thanks the entire cast and crew for coming to
Vietnam.
- Bob Hope: Memories of WWII -- Hope
looks back at World War II with his wife, Dolores
Hope, and colleagues who share their recollections
about the period, including the shift from shipping
audio recordings of radio shows from the U.S. to
actually traveling overseas to perform for
troops stationed abroad.
Frances Langford and Bob reminisce about their first
wartime tour. Footage includes historic clips of
Bob, Jerry Colonna and Frances Langford doing a
radio show for the Armed Forces Network, Bob onstage
with Bing Crosby, and a celebrity road trip to sell
war bonds.
- The Bob Hope
Christmas Special (Original Airdate: 1/15/65) -- Hope
and company embarked on a 1964 Christmas tour to
entertain troops stationed
in Guam, Okinawa, the Philippines, Korea, Thailand,
and Vietnam. Along the way, the troupe went from
the freezing cold of Korea to the tropical heat of
Thailand and in Vietnam experienced danger when the
hotel across the street from theirs is bombed. Jill
St. John demonstrates the latest dance moves with
service members, and Anita Bryant, on her fifth USO
tour, serenades two soldiers guarding the stage.
- The Bob Hope
Christmas Show (1/16/63) -- From
more than a dozen military bases in the Pacific, Bob
Hope and his entourage performed the 1962 Christmas
tour in Japan, Korea, Guam, the Philippines,
Okinawa, Formosa, and aboard the USS Kitty Hawk.
Among the highlights: Lana Turner and Bob Hope do
the bossa nova and there's more comedy when Bob
brings Miss USA Amedee Chabot onstage. The show
closes with Anita Bryant leading everyone in Silent
Night.
- The Bob Hope
Christmas Special: Around the Globe with the U.S.O.
(Original Airdate: 1/17/72) - In
1972, Hope brought his USO Christmas tour to Hawaii,
where Don Ho and His Wahinis perform Tiny Bubbles.
Then, the company head to Wake Island and Okinawa
and on to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Spain, and Cuba.
Along the way Bob delivers his topical stand-up, and
jests with Jill St. John, pitcher Vida Blue, and
astronaut Alan Shepard.
- The Bob Hope Christmas Special (Original
Airdate: 1/17/73) --Hope made his 22nd Christmas
tour of U.S. military bases to entertain
troops, starting with a
send-off from Santa Claus (actor and pro football
player Merlin Olsen) as the group departs for the
Aleutians, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Diego
Garcia, the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, and the
USS Midway. Highlights include Bob doing his
custom-tailored monologues (with departing fighter
jets drowning out his act in Thailand), a "fatigue
version of Sanford and Son" with Redd Foxx, and Rudy
Cardenas' show-stopping juggling. Bob brings a
star-struck service member onstage to sing to Miss
World Belinda Green, dances and sings with Lola
Falana, and jokes with L.A. Rams quarterback Roman
Gabriel.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Format: DVD/3 Discs
Running Time: 395 minutes
Genre: TV DVD/Comedy
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Proofread and Edited by
Brenda
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Page updated
5/24/17
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