Bob McCarty Writes

The “Bob Hope Christmas Special” from 1967, captured in the video above, reminds me of the many December evenings I spent during my 1960s childhood, watching the late legend of an actor-comedian and a cast of popular figures — including his orchestra, Les Brown and his Band of Renown — entertain the troops during the Vietnam war.

This special featured stars Raquel Welch, Elaine Dunn, Phil Crosby, Barbara McNair and Miss World, Madeleine Hartog Bell, accompanying Hope during his annual USO tour of Southeast Asian military bases.

If, like me, you’re old enough to remember shows like this one, you’ll appreciate it for reasons many young people today simply won’t understand.

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