Several of Bob Hope's television programs have come to video for the first time, and fans of "ol' ski nose" will find plenty of laughs in these tapes, which feature four of his specials - each a clip-fest gleaned from Hope's 40 years of performing on NBC.
"Bob Hope Presents the Hilarious Unrehearsed Antics of the Stars," for example, originally aired Sept. 28, 1984, with Hope doing a monologue and then introducing a different star co-host for each of the episode's segments, to help him bring on a series of blooper outtakes from old shows.First up is Angie Dickinson, whose own slightly naughty outtake from an earlier program kicks off the set. She is followed by Lee Marvin, Lucille Ball and Milton Berle.
Blooper scenes include some hysterical moments with Sammy Davis Jr., Red Skelton, Danny Thomas and Jack Benny, all of whom deliberately upstage and deflate Hope. And there are many others, many featuring Hope himself firing off a witty quip, and others with his guests getting the last laugh (Brooke Shields, Barbara Eden, Phyllis Diller and Tom Selleck among them).
As a result, the show points up both Hope's rapid-fire wit and his generosity in allowing others to get laughs at his expense.
A real highlight is a moment from "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson," taken from a program with Don Rickles as substitute host. Hope was filming one of his specials in the same building, so he pays an unexpected visit to Rickles, with Bing Crosby and John Wayne in tow. It's hilarious, nostalgic and a lot of fun.
There are also a couple of moments that have Utah ties, believe it or not. Marie Osmond shows up (and has a hilarious line) during a USO show. And Hope makes some gentle jokes in his monologue about the "new" Miss America Sharlene Wells, "a Mormon Sunday School teacher."
Other tapes in the series are Bob Hope's Laughing With the Presidents" (which was his final television special for NBC, originally airing in November 1996), "A Bob Hope Christmas With the Troops - 1969 World Tour" and "A Bob Hope Christmas."
These four tapes are not available in stores but may be purchased from Guthy-Renker Direct by calling 1-800-621-5559, or by sending check or money order to Bob Hope Videos, P.O. Box 99, Dept. A, Irvine, CA 92650.
The tapes are sold in sets of two; when you purchase either "Unrehearsed Antics" or "Laughing With the Presidents," you also get your choice of one Christmas tape. The cost for two tapes is $19.95 (plus $5.95 shipping).