If you have a less than perfect understanding of some of our most recent wars, may I make an unusual suggestion to you? Entertainer Bob Hope, with some help from Melville Shavelson, has written DON'T SHOOT, IT'S ONLY ME. This is a history of The United States at war through the eyes of someone who was there.
Bob Hope experienced battlefields from the South Pacific to the Persian Gulf. He had been shot at and bombed on in North Africa, Europe, and Vietnam. He was there at every vital point during the last half-century of America’s history. Mixed among the jokes in this book are vignettes of the people and politics involved. He may have played down the danger he was in, but never what the troops were facing.
Watching the televised USO shows, we had no idea how much danger was there for the cast and crew . The book tells of several incidents where snipers got within shooting range of the stage. More than once he put himself at risk taking helicopter trips to get closer to the troops.
At every opportunity he did special shows for the men and women who were in military hospitals. Some of the most touching scenes in the book involve these visits.
I am old enough to appreciate the human interest stories about the public personalities and celebrities in the book. Bob Hope knew ten presidents and though each of them was a target for his humor, his respect for each of them is evident. His list of friends included some of the biggest names in entertainment. I particularly enjoyed his reminiscences of George Burns and Gracie Allen.
Bob Hope’s humor could take a dangerous turn. At a time when most of Hollywood was afraid of the McCarthy trials and their hunt for Communists, Hope was telling jokes about Senator McCarthy.
DON'T SHOOT, IT'S ONLY ME is truly Bob Hope’s comedy history of the United States, but as it makes you laugh, it might bring a tear to your eye for all of the brave men and women who have fought on the front lines for our country.
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