Product Description

For the first time on DVD, The Ultimate Bob Hope Collection features highlights from fifty years of The Bob Hope TV Special with bonus extras never before available. This remarkable legacy of laughter is the only video collection authorized by Bob Hope himself. This special collector's edition features rare vintage clips, hilarious outtakes, and a guest list that reads like a virtual who's who of Hollywood legends, Presidents, and stars from every generation. Extras include Bob's first ever radio appearance in 1935, movie shorts from the 1930s, an excerpt from "Memories of World War II," Bob's photo album, and more.
Volume 1: 50 Years of Laughter, Parts 1 and 2. Five decades of Bob's favorite memories with the biggest stars and the biggest laughs.
Volume 2: Hope for the Holidays; Saulte to the Troops. Every Christmas Bob delivered laughter and hope to TV audiences and American GIs around the world.
Volume 3: Celebrity Bloopers; Bob's Special Extras. The funniest outtakes from Bob's personal blooper reel and rare extras from the Hope archive.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36396 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-06-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Black & White, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 60 minutes

Amazon.com
The Ultimate Bob Hope Collection features over six hours of highlights from over a half-century of television specials by a true legend in American entertainment. In his staggering 50 years on NBC, Bob Hope created such a formidable mass of comic clips, bloopers, and salutes to troops, that a mere three-DVD set can barely contain them. Still, the collection brings together, for the first time on DVD, timeless sketches with such notable wags as Dean Martin, Phyllis Diller, Johnny Carson, and Jack Benny, and celebrates countless moments of hilarity with some of the biggest stars of the century, including John Wayne, Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra. While this DVD set is, for the most part, a compilation of previous collections that have aired on NBC over the years, it still delivers the goods, and should prove a beloved addition to the collection of any Hope fan. It's a delight to have one of the most engaging comics of our time, and 50 years of him at that, at our very fingertips. --Karl Wachter

Customer Reviews

Bob's Best
This is a great collection of 3 DVDs that covers Bob's television career from 1950 through his final special in 1995. The guest list is a virtual "who's who" of all the big television and movie stars of the period, and given the five decades it covers it really becomes a virtual history of television. Bob is terrific, and the quality of the remastering and packaging is top notch. Made a great gift for my WWII veteran Dad.

Undeserving of its Subject
First off, the "remastering" here is deplorable. Five off the rack Bob Hope retrospectives dating from the '60s through the '90's. No attempt to return to the source material and clean it up. Also, the packaging seems to suggest an elaborate anthology especially prepared for this DVD release (timed to coincide with Hope's 100th birthday). Not the case. A major disappointment truly unworthy of its subject, the great Bob Hope.

The Best of Bob
A great retrospective of Bob's five decades on television, starting in 1950 and going through the 90's. This is a terrific 3 DVD set, featuring lots of extras that will bring back many memories. The set also features many great guest stars, and almost serves of a "who's who" of celebrities for several generations. The packaging is very deluxe too - it made a great gift for my Dad.