Product Description

Originally broadcast on NBC, the 9 complete hour-long shows included in this set feature Hope’s classic comedy stand-up and wonderfully entertaining sketches and musical performances with celebrity guests including Racquel Welch, Phyllis Diller, Neil Armstrong, Jim Nabors, Lola Falana and many more. While providing quality entertainment for the troops and to families across the nation, these specials also documented the history of one of the most turbulent times in America. Each show is narrated by Hope and includes information about his ambitious tours through Thailand, Taiwan and Guam as well as touching interviews with the soldiers he met along the way.

Hope’s holiday salute to the troops became an instant favorite with television audiences. The 1965 special won an Emmy Award® and the special from 1970 is still ranked among the 15 highest-rated television programs to date. Bob Hope will always be remembered for his dedication to the armed forces. Back in 1941 he began the custom of traveling the world to uplift the spirit of American troops stationed over seas. This custom became tradition the Christmas of ‘48 when Bob, with wife Dolores, flew to Europe to entertain Americans involved with the Berlin airlift.

Always at the top of his game on the road, his devotion endured through the sixties and seventies, when American Troops were deployed to Vietnam. This 3-disc set captures Hope’s most memorable moments as he performed for the troops from 1964 - 1972.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51541 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-10-26
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 541 minutes

Customer Reviews

a great gift for anyone who saw one of these shows
I caught a glimpse of Bob Hope's 1967 TV show on a set in the transient terminal at Cam Rahn Bay. I thought that I was in one of the audience close up shots and I've wondered since then if indeed it was me. A small mystery to carry through life. So, I bought this DVD and--question answered last night--it wasn't me.

But it was a treat to see the 1967 show and especially Raquel Welch again. She was gorgeous (and still is).

A lot of the humor was corny, and seems even more so now. But I remember sitting down by myself after catching the show in person at the air base in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, and just feeling good. That feeling didn't return watching the show again, but the memory of it did and with it a feeling of gratitude to Hope and everyone who traveled with him.

There are shows in this set from Korea, Germany and other places far from southeast Asia. But none of the people in any of the audiences shows signs of regarding themselves as pitiful victims, which might surprise people who only know about the war or service to country from the media and what they are told in school. Particularly noteworthy is what is revealed by the audience wideshots in Vietnam: the number of young black Americans in Vietnam was not disproportionate, including in combat outfits like the First Infantry Division.

John Duffner
I rated The Vietnam Years 1 Star due to the problem of a defective disk 1. I was unable to view Years 1965 and 1966. T rate the 1964 and the other years 5 stars. I ordered the Bob Hope - The Vietnam Years (1964-1972 on two different occasions and returned them to Amazon.com. I am still waiting for a non defective replacement. I recommend that Amazon.com customers consider this before making a order for this set.

BOB HOPE IS COOL!
THIS WAS A VERY NICE CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR MY DAD, HE WAS THERE AT ONE OF THE SHOWS IN 1968,NOT ON CAMERA BUT HE LOVED GETTING TO SEE WHERE HE'D BEEN AND THE SHOW AGIAN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. MY WHOLE FAMILY LOVED IT, THE FILM IS BETTER ON SOME SHOWS THAN OTHERS BUT VERY NICE OVERALL.