Bob Hope Salutes the Troops

More than a few documentaries and DVD anthologies have already focused on Bob Hope's USO shows. This set of Christmas specials, which finds the celebrated funnyman and guest star celebrities spending their holiday seasons entertaining the troops, mostly consists of Vietnam War-era efforts. The Hope format never deviated: the opening monologue featured wisecracks on the current political and military scene, followed by guest appearances from Hollywood's reigning sex symbols, and appearances by either sports heroes or miscellaneous vaudeville-style performers. So it is more or less the same show, albeit with different casts at different military bases. Yes, some will enjoy the likes of Ann-Margret, Jill St. John, and Lola Falana shaking their stuff for the appreciative male troops, and there are a few surprises (including Lana Turner, of all people, doing the bossa nova with Hope). But Hope's formulaic routine eventually grows old, and his 1991 show for the U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield finds the elderly Hope at a lethargic nadir. Compiling six Christmas specials and the bonus episode “Bob Hope: Memories of World War II,” this is primarily aimed at diehard Hope fans. A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (P. Hall)