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Bob Hope Old Time Radio

30 minute comedy/variety show

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Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Bob Hope started and refined his comedy act on vaudeville. He was born Leslie Townes Hope in England in 1903. His family moved to the United States in 1907, and he changed his name to Bob, in part to avoid schoolyard teasing. He had a few odd jobs, including as a boxer before he decided on vaudeville. He teamed up with a performer named George Byrne, and they did okay, but he decided to make the big jump and go solo. He became a successful performer in and around Chicago, even starting his own company and hiring Edgar Bergen.

But Hope wanted something even bigger, he wanted success in New York, and that meant going into radio, despite his initial resistance to performing in this new media. His early forays into radio did not last too long. In 1935 he was in "Intimate Review", the "Atlantic Family", and in 1936 he was in the "Rippling Rhythm Revue." (Although Stan Lee would have loved the alliteration, all three series were short lived.

But in 1938 he teamed up the NBC Radio and Pepsodent, and his "Pepsodent Show". By 1940 the "Pepsodent Show" was in fourth place, behind Edgar Bergen (ungrateful scalawag), Jack Benny, and Fibber McGee and Molly. Hope’s show held high ratings until 1950. The "Pepsodent Show" was a ‘normal’ comedy show. It featured Bob Hope giving his stand up routine, some singing, some sketches with a cast of regulars, including Skinnay Ennis, Barbara Jo Allen, Blanche Stewart and a few others. Various guest stars would appear including Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland.

One of his regulars, Jerry Colona, was a trumpet player with a huge walrus mustache. Hope and Colona had a great stage relationship. They would travel together giving their act and feeding off of each other, visiting military bases and other such spots around the world. At times Hope would play the straight man and Colona would become the funny guy. For a time Colona’s catch phrase of "Greetings, Gate" or his non-existent character "Yehudi" caught on in an American pop culture kind of way. No one had a clear idea what either one meant, but somehow it worked.

Bob Hope hired eight writers for the show, and his jokes were always topical, taking cues from his location and audience (he traveled constantly), and from newspapers. Hope’s monologues didn’t push the censorship envelope too much, at least not in what he said. A lot of his more risque material was in how he said it.

Bob Hope’s traveled to military bases and camps even before America entered World War II, and by the end of the war many wondered if he had visited every military base, camp, and hospital in the states. Also he made six trips overseas to Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. And when he traveled, he brought his whole 42 member show with him. Which is a good thing, it is possible that from the start of the war to the end, he had only one show in the NBC studio.

However, around 1950 his ratings started to sag. Television was taking over his market. He found sponsors other than Pepsodent, but his audience continued to decline. He stopped the show in 1954, repeats were aired until 1958. But don’t feel to badly for Bob, he had tons more success after his radio show. He starred in countless films, television specials, voice overs, and yet more countless USO tours.

Text from Wikipedia

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Episode List
380927_-_001_-_Constance_Bennett_1st_Pepsodent_Show.mp3
381004_-_002_-_Olivia_DeHavilland.mp3
381101_-_006_-_1st_.mp3
381108_-_007_-_Chico_Marx.mp3
381220_-_013_-_Dagwood__Blondie.mp3
381227_-_014_-_1st_Crazy_Rhythm_-_Guests_Lum__Abner_v.mp3
390307_-_024_-_Judy_Garland.mp3
390411_-_029_-_Betty_Grable.mp3
391212_-_051_-_Taking_Peter_to_Toyland.mp3
410128_-_097_-_Basil_Rathbone.mp3
410207_-_098_-_Beethoven_with_Bing_Crosby_Doris_Day.mp3
410311_-_103_-_Dizzy_Dean.mp3
410401_-_106_-_Kate_Smith.mp3
410415_-_108_-_Hedda_Hopper.mp3
410603_-_115_-_Huphrey_Bogart.mp3
410610_-_116_-_From_Bobs_Hometown_-_Cleveland_Ohio.mp3
420120_-_134_-_Edward_Everett_Horton.mp3
420317_-_142_-_Jerry_Colonna.mp3
420505_-_148_-_Great_Lakes_Naval_Training_Station_-_Claudette_Colbert.mp3
421013_-_158_-_Betty_Davis.mp3
421229_-_169_-_Long_Beach_Ferry_Command.mp3
430105_-_170_-_Rita_Hayworth.mp3
430209_-_175_-_Dorothy_Lamour_Paulette_Goddard.mp3
430331_-_nnn_-_Mayor_Of_The_Town.mp3
430525_-_nnn_-_From_Stockton_Air_Field.mp3
430928_-_195_-_Orson_Welles.mp3
431109_-_201_-_Jane_Wyman.mp3
431228_-_208_-_Cary_Grant.mp3
440104_-_209_-_Gary_Cooper.mp3
440208_-_214_-_Ginger_Rogers.mp3
440215_-_215_-_From_Santa_Ana_Separation_Center_w_Bing_Crosby.mp3
440222_-_216_-_Carole_Landis.mp3
440229_-_217_-_Lum__Abner.mp3
440307_-_218_-_Long_Beach_Coast_Guard.mp3
440509_-_227_-_Jacksonville_Training_Camp.mp3
440525_-_nnn_-_At_Stockton_Air_Field.mp3
440606_-_nnn_-_INVASION_DAY_from_the_Van_Nuys_Airdrome_v_6_Mins.mp3
440812_-_nnn_-_Broadcast_from_South_Pacific.mp3
440919_-_232_-_Camp_Bordon_Canada.mp3
440926_-_233_-_Santa_Ana_Seperation_Center.mp3
441017_-_236_-_Wheeler_Infantry_Base.mp3
450102_-_246_-_Andrew_Sisters.mp3
450109_-_247_-_Pat_OBrien.mp3
450130_-_250_-_Edward_G_Robinson.mp3
450206_-_251_-_Naval_Air_Technical_Center_Memphis_TN.mp3
450213_-_252_-_From_Mudock_California_Tony_Romano_45-02-13.mp3
450227_-_254_-_Frank_Sinatra.mp3
450313_-_256_-_Victory_Tour_Illinois.mp3
450320_-_257_-_Shirley_Temple_Tony_Romano.mp3
450410_-_260_-_Walter_Pidgeon.mp3
450515_-_265_-_Birmingham_Hospital_San_Fernando.mp3
450522_-_266_-_Sampson_Naval_Training_Center.mp3
450529_-_267_-_Herbert_Marshall_Bing_Crosby.mp3
450605_-_268_-_Sedalia_Army_Airfield_-_1st_Got_Date_with_an_Angel_AFRS_v.mp3
450625_-_271_-_Bob_Dreams_Hes_Been_Court-Martialled.mp3
450911_-_nnn_-_Robert_Montgomery.mp3
451016_-_From_Battleship_South_Dakota.mp3
451023_-_From_Santa_Ana.mp3
451120_-_Guest-Joe_E_Brown.mp3
451127_-_From_USC_Red_Skelton_Peggy_Ryan.mp3
451204_-_From_Phoenix_Jimmy_Durante.mp3
451211_-_Herbert_Marshall.mp3
451218_-_ChristmasShowfromSanFrancisco.mp3
460129_-_Frank_Sinatra.mp3
460219_-_Tyrone_Power.mp3
460305_-_David_Niven.mp3
460312_-_Sonny_Tufts.mp3
460319_-_Broadcast_from_Cleveland_short.mp3
460402_-_Sidney_Greenstreet.mp3
460409_-_Brenda_and_Cobina.mp3
460608__Special_Interview_from_Seattle.mp3
460924_-_Carol_Richards.mp3
461001_-_Bob_Crosby_Carol_Richards.mp3
461029_-_Fred_Allen_Minerva_Pious.mp3
461112_-_Lucille_Ball_Miss_Lou_Ann.mp3
461224_-_Bing_Crosby_Doris_Day_General_Omar_Bradley.mp3
470211_-_Robert_Montgomery.mp3
470401_-_Guest_Eddie_Canter.mp3
470408_-_Al_Jolson.mp3
470415_-_Van_Johnson.mp3
470513_-_Peter_Lorre.mp3
471118_-_Fibber_and_Molly_Amos_and_Andy.mp3
480217_-_Fred_Astair.mp3
480406_-_nnn_-_Guest_Dinah_Shore.mp3
480413_-_nnn_-_Lana_Turner.mp3
480712_-_Beethoven_w_Bing_Crosby_Doris_Day.mp3
480914_-_Guests_Jack_Benny_Doris_Day.mp3
481012_-_Jack_Kirkwood.mp3
481019_-_Doris_Day.mp3
481026_-_Martin_and_Lewis.mp3
481109_-_Jack_Benny.mp3
481130_-_at_USC_with_Doris_Day.mp3
481207_-_12_-_1st_My_Darling_Guest_Bingle_von_Crosbine_v.mp3
481221_-_Guest_Gregory_Peck.mp3
481228_-_Christmas_Day_Show_Berlin_Air_lift.mp3
490128_-_March_of_Dimes_Special_Philadephia.mp3
490208_-_Stalin_Visits_America.mp3
490329_-_Dean_Martin_Jerry_Lewis.mp3
490405_-_Jack_Kirkwood_Tom_Sawyer_Sketch.mp3
490412__414__Guests_Dean_Martin_and_Jerry_Lewis.mp3
490419_-_Jimmy_Durante.mp3
490426_-_Richmond_Virgina.mp3
490503_-_Lucille_Ball.mp3
490612_-_Jack_Benny_Doris_Day.mp3
491006_-_04_-_Rehearsal_for_491011_v_-_ADD.mp3
491007_-_04_-_Rehearsal_for_491011_v_-_ADD.mp3
491010_-_04_-_Rehearsal_for_491011_v_-_ADD.mp3
491011_-_04_-_1st_Take_Me_Out_to_the_Ball_Game_Jackie_Robinson_Joe_Page_v.mp3
491025_-_From_Fort_Ord_California_with_Bing_Crosby_Jimmy_Demaret.mp3
491115_-_09_-_1st_Because_You_Loved_Me_Crosby_Beethoven_Sketch_AFRS_v.mp3
491206__-_12_-_Guest_-_Jack_Benny.mp3
491220_-_Bing_Crosby_Rhonda_Fleming.mp3
500207_-_From_The_Vine_Street_Playhouse_With_Fred_Allen.mp3
500314_-_The_Arthur_Hopfrey_Show_With_Fred_Allen.mp3
500321_-_Bing_Crosby_Cleveland_Indians_.mp3
500328_-_451_-_Guest_-_Bing_Crosby__Doris_Day.mp3
500404_-_29_-_1st_Bewitched__Bewildered_TV_Show_to_Air_500409_v.mp3
500606_-_38_-_1st_Home_Cookin_Guest_Arthur_Godfrey_v.mp3
500613_-_Doris_Day_End_Lever_Brothers.mp3
501024_-_Marilyn_Maxwell.mp3
501212_-_Claudette_Colbert_Margaret_Whiting.mp3
501225_-_From_Veterans_Hospital__Longbeach_-_Story_of_Bingsy_and_Bobsy.mp3
510109_-_From_Carswell_AFB.mp3
510123_-_Fort_Ord_51-01-23.mp3
510130_-_18_-_March_Field_CA_-_1st_Im_in_Love_Judy_Garland_Doris_Singleton_v.mp3
510205_-_19_-_1st_Be_Anything_by_Peggy_Lee_Guest_Dorothy_Lamour_AFRTS_v.mp3
510306_-_Edwards_Air_Force_Base.mp3
510322_-_95__Bloopers__SDPL_The_Great_Lover.mp3
510410_-_Coronado_Naval_Air_Station.mp3
510605_-_Jerry_Desmond.mp3
511002_-_Long_Beach_Air_Naval_Station.mp3
511016_-_Ava_Gardner.mp3
511113_-_Bob_Builds_A_House_AFRS.mp3
511113_-_Jack_Kirkwood_Corinne_Calvet.mp3
511120_-_Bob_Is_Remodeling_His_House.mp3
511127_-_Jerry_Colonna_Virginia_Mayo.mp3
511225_-_Christmas_Show_From_Long_Beach.mp3
520115_-_Bing_Crosby_Jimmy_Demaret.mp3
520212_-_020_-_Las_Vegas_Story_-_From_George_AF_Base_-_Victorville_CA_-_Las_Vegas_Story.mp3
520219_-_The_New_1952_Cars_With_Tyrone_Power.mp3
520311_-_Palm_Springs_With_Bing_Crosby_Charles_Farrell.mp3
520325_-_San_Diego_Air_Naval_Station_With_Gracie_Allen.mp3
520401_-_Marine_Corps_Supply_Depot_With_Claudette_Colbert.mp3
520429_-_William_Holden_52-04-29.mp3
520429_-_William_Holden_Jack_Kirkwood.mp3
520513_-_Three_Make_a_Road_Picture.mp3
520520_-_Marilyn_Maxwell.mp3
520610_-_San_Diego_NAS_-_Guests_Dale_Evans__Roy_Rogers_v.mp3
520617_-_Jane_Russell.mp3
521224_-_Frank_Sinatra_-_Christmas_Presents.mp3
530107_-_Road_To_Bali_With_Jack_Benny_AFRS_Jello.mp3
530114_-_Fort_Ord_Terry_Moore__Bing_Crosby.mp3
530121_-_Eisenhowers_Inaguration_With_Zsa_Zsa_Gabor.mp3
530128_-_The_Road_To_Cactus_Gulch_With_Jimmy_Stewart.mp3
530204_-_The_Flu_Epidemic_Jack_Webb.mp3
530211_-_Hope_and_Jane_Wyman_do_a_Nightclub_Act.mp3
530304_-_Income_Tax_Forms_Jane_Russell.mp3
530318_-_William_Bendix.mp3
530325_-_The_Atom_Bomb_Test_Mickey_Rooney.mp3
530401_-_Going_to_Europe_to_Make_a_Movie_-_Anne_Baxter_Dorothy_Lamour.mp3
530415_-_Bakersfield_with_Ida_Lupino.mp3
530429_-_Los_Alamedos_Air_Station_With_Rosemary_Clooney.mp3
530513_-_559_-_Walter_Reed_Army_Hospital_With_Martha_Roundtree.mp3
530520_-_Bob_Goes_To_Richard_Widmarks_House_AFRS.mp3
530527_-_Fort_Belvoir_with_Marilyn_Maxwell.mp3
530603_-_Henry_Fonda.mp3
530617_-_Arlene_Dahl.mp3
530624_-_Kentucky_Derby_-_1st_Walking_Behind_You_Vic_Mature_AFRTS_v.mp3
530701_-_Jane_Wyman_-_Last_Show_For_Jello_AFRTS.mp3
530823_-_David_Niven.mp3
530925_-_1st_Whatever_Lola_Wants_-_Phil_Harris_v.mp3
531002__-_England_With_Marilyn_Maxwell_Jerry_Desmond.mp3
531009_-_England_Jack_Buchanen_Douglas_Fairbanks_Jr.mp3
531016_-_Coming_Home_From_England_-_Anne_Baxter_at_Sea_AFRTS_v.mp3
531106_-_573_-_Bobs_Back_From_Hawaii_With_William_HoldenAFRS.mp3
531113_-_Burt_Lancaster_Gives_Bob_A_Job_At_The_Circus.mp3
531127_-_Zsa_Zsa_Gabor.mp3
531204_-_11_-_Naval_Testing_Station_-_1st_History_of_the_Movies_Glenn_Ford_AFRTS_v_POOR.mp3
531211_-_Frank_Sinatra.mp3
531225_-_Long_Beach_Veterans_Hospial_With_Esther_Williams.mp3
540108_-_Gambling_In_Las_Vegas_With_Jane_Wyman.mp3
540122_-_Frank_Sinatra.mp3
540219_-_Richard_Widmark.mp3
540305_-_The_History_Of_Radio_With_David_Niven.mp3
540312_-_Jane_Russell.mp3
540402_-_Bob_Starts_His_Own_Record_Company_With_Rosemary_Clooney.mp3
540423_-_Paramount_Studio_with_Donna_Reed.mp3
540430_-_Robert_Ryan.mp3
540514_-_The_Kentucky_Derby_With_Grace_Kelly.mp3
540521_-_Merle_Oberon.mp3
540528_-_Jack_Kirkwood.mp3
541104_-_David_Niven.mp3
541118_-_Jack_Kirkwood.mp3
541209_-_Jane_Wyman.mp3
541223_-_Christmas_Show_from_Long_Beach_Veterans_Hospital.mp3
550113_-_William_Holden.mp3
550203_-_622_-_Hollywood_w_Zsa_Zsa_Gabor__date_.mp3
550217_-_624_-_20000_Leagues_Under_the_Sea_AFRS.mp3
550303_-_626_-_Guest_David_Niven.mp3
550331_-_Clair_Trevor.mp3
550407_-_Maureen_OHara.mp3
550421_-_Bob_Tries_To_Get_Hired_For_Next_Year_with_Jim_Backus.mp3
550913_-_Clair_Trevor_AFRS.mp3

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