Bob Hope: Queen Mary Remembers the Legend

An exhibit celebrating the "American Treasure" is in Long Beach through January.

DECADES OF LAUGHS: It's difficult to consider the comedy from the 1930s through '60s without first stopping to pay homage to the memory of Bob Hope. Not only was he a silver-screen favorite -- indeed, the "Road to..." films with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour were among the most famous and most popular of serialized movies of that day, or any day -- but he was at ease on the stage as well. So much so he became synonymous with the USO and entertainment for our troops during wartime; Mr. Hope was also a favorite of U.S. Presidents as well, performing for eleven Commander-in-chiefs (yep, eleven, which is a pretty amazing fact).

SHARED HISTORY: Another fact that fans of the comedian might not know? Bob Hope "performed his first wartime routine" on the Queen Mary "on the very day that World War II began." Mr. Hope and the ocean-liner both played roles during the conflict -- Mr. Hope with his tours abroad to meet and entertain those on the front lines and the Queen Mary's troop-transport tenure as The Grey Ghost -- so it is an interesting to note the shared history of the man and ship. And that ship is paying tribute to Mr. Hope through January 2015 through a large-scale exhibit called "Bob Hope: An American Treasure."

ON THE ROAD: It fits that this exhibit is a traveling one, as Mr. Hope traveled thousands and thousands (and thousands) of miles during his career. "(C)reated in partnership with the World Golf Hall of Fame Museum with support from the Bob and Delores Hope Foundation," the 2,200-square-foot exhibit boasts over 200 photos and 170 artifacts, including the comedian's original vaudeville contract. Fans'll learn more about that first day of World War II and how Mr. Hope, who was sailing on the Queen Mary with his wife, stepped up to the mic to help lend comfort to a shaken world. Need to know more? Sail this way.

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