Bob Hope Christmas Tour

Bob Hope Christmas Tour


I had a dream, before I went on tour with Bob Hope, to form an entertainment troop of my own and visit the prisoner-of-war camps in North Vietnam. My father was shot down while picking up POW’s and I always had this longing to help them myself – in the only way I knew how: through song. I had received permission from President Nixon, the State Department and the USO and had an on-going correspondence with North Vietnam. Unfortunately, final confirmation never came. I could have been very disappointed, but entertaining the troops on the Hope Tour turned out to be the highlight of my career. Just knowing we had brought a little happiness to those GI’s, if only for a moment, meant more to me than I can ever express.
This shot shows me signing autographs after the show, just before we all were hurried off the stage and into our helicopters. We couldn’t figure out why we were told to leave our things so abruptly until we pulled away and saw the Viet Cong troops that had surrounded the area. Strangely enough, I never felt any danger during this trip. Maybe I was too young or just plain stupid…or both.

Here I am with my dear friend, Jim Nabors, Christmas Day in Long Binh, Vietnam. We commuted, everyday for a week to different locations in Vietnam from Bangkok. On Christmas day, like any other day, we girls searched for the restrooms when we landed. These particular commodes were outside on a hill behind the stage, six or seven in a row. Basically they had no roofs and you could see us from our shoulders up. Definitely made for shorter people. We kept hearing this roar from the audience. What we didn’t know was that all the guys in the audience could see us coming and going, literally!
This shot was taken during a show in a huge airplane hanger at the Torrejon Air Base just northeast of Madrid, Spain. We had just flown in from Vietnam. With the 110 degree heat the day before, this cool 35 degree night gave everyone goosebumps. But once we were out in front of those cheering guys, all temperatures were forgotten.
Here I am in Quantanamo Bay. Take a look at the guy playing the tambourine. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then this would be a perfect example of how much fun the band and everyone had on this trip. “Really mom I had matching panties on!”.
Mr. Hope was unbelievable on this trip. I sat next to him on our plane the entire tour. We’d all played gin rummy on those long flights and sometimes I’d drift off and wake up at two in the morning and he’d still be playing. He was a master at cat naps. Christmas day while the drummer and I were in first aid trying to re-cover from heat exhaustion, there was Bob sitting outside the door, leaning against the trailer with a sun reflector, catchin’ some rays! He was a consummate entertainer. He loved his soft shoe, golf and could deliver a punch line like nobody else. I’m convinced that someone came up with the phrase “trouper” after watching Bob Hope.
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