| Frigidaire sponsored the special, "Star Spangled Revue,"
which featured Bob's guest stars, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Beatrice
Lillie, and Dinah Shore.
The formula, along with Bob's unshakable decision to avoid
a weekly show, proved extremely successful. For 60 years (radio
and television) Bob was an NBC headliner and Nielsen ratings
king.
Bob was honored and befriended by Presidents of the United
States since Roosevelt. Hope's golfing buddies have been Presidents
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan,
George Bush, and Bill Clinton. He was hailed as "America's
most prized ambassador of goodwill throughout the world"
when presented with the Congressional Gold Medal from President
Kennedy. President Johnson honored Bob with the Medal of Freedom
and President and Mrs. Carter hosted a White House reception
in celebration of his 75th birthday. Harry Truman played the
piano for him and Bill Clinton bestowed on him a Medal of
the Arts.
Likewise he has been feted by his native England. Most recently
in 1998, by order of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Bob received
an honorary knighthood - Knight Commander of the Most Excellent
Order of the British Empire (KBE) in recognition of his contribution
to film, to song and to the entertainment of troops in the
past. Upon hearing the news, Bob said, "I'm speechless.
70 years of ad lib material and I'm speechless."
Cited by the Guinness Book of Records as most honored entertainer
in the world, Hope was awarded more than two thousand awards
and citations for humanitarian and professional efforts, including
54 honorary doctorates.
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